The Mark - March Special Issue

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BANGLADESH
ON THE MOVE
Published by the inaugural Quest University journalism class March 2013
I LLEGAL TREEHOUSES &
CHI CKENS
EDUCATION - LOCAL DEVELOPMENT - LIVING
INTERNATIONAL - SPORTS - CULTURE
Jose Colorado
Gurjit Cheema
Evan Cross
Danny Wakutz
Tari Ajadi
Jordan Ross
Jon Farmer
Molly Payne
Forrest Getz
Bella Tsefalas
Madeline Eagleton
Bradley Klees
Maymie Tegart
Elise Scribner
Caleah Dean
Tina Steen
Eline Huisken
Alessandro Tersigni
Charles Impey
John Frank
4 Mental Block
9 Disability Discrimination
11 Questioning Perception
13 Arrested Development
15 Remember the Coast?
19 From Sea to Sky
21 Remote Empowerment
24 Magic Treehouses
28 Squamish Solar
30 Ofgrid Homes
33 People and Tings
36 Inside Dhaka
46 Cluck You
49 Squamish Sex Workers
53 Gaining InSite
56 Hitching Sea-to-Sky
60 Electronic Bookshelves?
62 Italian-Canadian Immigrants
66 Mind Games
69 Beautiful Rebound
March 2013
MASTHEAD
Editor-in-Chief: Brad Klees
Editor-at-Large: Erin Millar
Production Manager: Jacob Smith
Visual Editor: Eline Huisken
Visual Consultants: John Frank, Evan Cross
Publicity Management: Jordan Ross, Catriona Steen, Gurjit Cheema
Associate Editors: Elise Scribner, Caleah Dean, Forrest Getz, Alessandro
Tersigni, Tari Ajadi, Bella Tsefalas, Madeline Eagleton, Charles Impey, Jose
Colorado, Jon Farmer, Maymie Tegart, Molly Payne
4 M A R C H 2 0 1 3 M A R K M A G A Z I N E 5
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Quest Universitys block program has garnered national attention
recently for its innovative structure, but what are the mental health
efects of this intensive approach?
B y : J o s e C o l o r a d o
8:35 am,January 24th, 2013,
Squamish, British Columbia. Ive imprisoned my-
self. I have twenty fve minutes until class starts.
My mind is in a frenzy as it feverishly tries to
piece and squeeze together as much as humanly
possible. I slam my phone onto my dark blue
backpack in frustration and the resulting thud
pierces the dainty room. I snap my head back
upwards to my laptop screen and my eyes catch
a blurred glimpse of something in the distance. I
see silhouettes. Teyre slowly walking together.
In my personal state of pandemonium,
I amcaptivated by their sluggishness. Afer all, we
areallexperiencingthesamerigour,thesamework-
load, the same experimentthe same block pro-
gram. So how can our emotions difer so greatly?
Curious, I get up and press myself
closer to the window as tiny dribbles of rain slide
down the glass blurring my vision. I concentrate,
and then get a better look. Teir spirits are de-
feated, their enthusiasmis non-existent, and their
movements are lifeless. I see my refection in the
window as I stare straight ahead at them; a man
with rotten prune eyes and greasy unkempt black
sea weed hair takes my place. I havent escaped
the block plans danger either. Teir exhaustion
and defeat is contagious. I drag my feet listlessly
and slump myself into my chair as I regrettably
wonder: is this really the best way to learn?
Tere has been a recent appeal in Ca-
nadian universities towards intensive block sys-
tem teaching programs, where instead of taking
several courses over a semester, students immerse
themselves in a single course for three and a half
weeks. But does this new approach harm stu-
dents mental health in the process? I decided that
I needed to thoroughly investigate this question
for my healths sake.
My university, Quest University,
founded its educational philosophy around this
intensive block program. Quest, the loudest and
proudest champion of this systemin the country,
is a private, not-for-proft undergraduate, liberal
arts and sciences university, located in the hill-
top site of Squamish, British Columbia, Canada.
Tisa world apart from my native Kitchener-
Waterloo home city, air flled with hurried chat-
ter, scrapping sneakers and the metallic clanging
of the barrelling city transitshas become my
newhome. At Quest, classes are capped at twenty
students. Tey are structured to accommodate an
intensive three and half week module in which
only one subject is taught at a time, every day for
three hours. Quest, the only university in Canada
that is entirely on the block system, expects stu-
dentson averageto complete fve hours of
homework or research every day.
At frst glimpse, eight hours of academ-
ic school work per daythree in the classroom
and fve outside of classdefnitely appears as a
challenging, yet very manageable workload for
most students. Althoughmanystudents areableto
excel under the block plans intensity without any
sort of major mental distress, others are thrown
E D U C A T I O N
E D U C A T I O N E D U C A T I O N
into a mental war of attrition where they struggle
simply to survive till the blocks or terms end.
Last year, the Quest University Can-
ada-Counselling Services Summary of 2011-
2012, studied the mental health impacts of stu-
dents studying under the block plan. Tis report
detailed 93 students who attended counselling
services over the course of the year, equalling ap-
proximately 27% of the student population. At
times, more students visited the campus counsel-
ling services than the counsellor had scheduled
time for during fve of the eight blocks provided
during Quests academic school year. Perhaps
more revealing, however, is the fact that services
were being used most from the end of October
to end of December and at the end of the school
year, in April. In September and Januarywhen
both terms were just beginning--the services
were used the least.
Te report also included results of 82
students who completed another specifc coun-
selling survey. In this report 40%of students said
week three was the most stressful in a block plan.
Students also experienced decreased sleep over
the course of the block, with a number of students
worryingly reporting between zero to three hours
of sleep for the entire third and fourth weeks.
Qualitative data such as this begins to
indicate the potential level of stress the block plan
can produce. As the block moves along, the in-
tensity and rigour only increase and when other
necessary and healthy aspects of life come into
the picture, such as jobs, athletics, exercise, stu-
dent council or university involvement, volunteer
opportunities, and family or social relationships,
the challenging but manageable daily eight hour
workload suddenly becomes exhaustedly chal-
lenging, and increasingly unmanageable.
While students typically will not dis-
play these feelings openlyas they did for me on
that January 24th morning--it doesnt mean that
these issues are non-existent.
In fact, the same Quest counselling
report included a section devoted to the depres-
sion, anxiety and stress scale (DASS) for the April
block, one of the most stressful blocks of the year
for Quest students. Te DASS, used frequently in
University Counselling Centres, considers three
main problems: depression, anxiety and stress.
Each of these measured a diferent variety of ex-
perienced emotion, ranging fromthe devaluation
of life, to irritability and over-reactive behaviours.
Students were asked to rate the degree to which
they experienced each state over the weeks of the
April block on a four point scale (four being most
severe). Results were mixed.
On the one hand, it was reassuring
that the majority of the 43 students who partici-
pated in the DASS experienced average or below
average levels of stress, depression and anxiety
throughout the year. University is meant to be
tough so students are expected to stress at least a
bit, its normal.
On the other hand, there was a number
of scores hat were well above the average. Tese
DASS scores fell on the cusp of moderate and
severe ratings, meaning these students needed to
seek clinical medical assistance to cope with their
mental distress. Disturbingly, the report claims
that these results were more in line with students
anecdotal reports than the average scores. An
anonymous student in the report provided a tell-
ing quote demonstrating just this.
I think there is a diference between feel-
ing stressed and distressed. Week one usually
pertains to my core values. Week three usually
makes me stressed about my capabilities to be an
academic and by extension a human being. Week
Four is can I survive?
Afer reading the research I knew I
wasnt the only one struggling with the block
plan. Surely then I must not have been the only
one asking the questions, Is the block program
for me? Mentally, can I handle this?
I had kept this lingering question a se-
cret frommost people. Tree years afer studying
at my hometowns universitythe University of
Waterloo--one of the most recognizable universi-
ties in Canada, I decided to take the plunge and
enroll at this obscure school.
Now, I realizedfromthebeginning, that
to question your infant universitys innovative
educational model as the cause of a future visit to
your local shrink, wouldnt go well with my pub-
lic image in such a tightly knit small community.
But I still welcomed the discussion. I
was hoping others would share their stories of the
block program. How had it afected their mental
states, their actions, their lives?
I quickly found a surprisingly candid
volunteer, Jesse Norris. Norris, a ffh year bas-
ketball student-athlete, knewexactly howit felt to
experience the mental grind of the block pro-
gram, as he described it.
His face, broad and defned, his skin,
translucent as a thin sheet of paper, he exuded a
strong silent presence. But he immediately turned
into vulnerable fgure as he began to describe the
dark place he found himself in in the third week
of his French one class, a mandatory language
requirement at Quest.
Ten a third year transfer from
Highline Community College in Des Moines,
Washington, Norris regularly found himself be-
ing humiliated in class room discussions as he
simply could not keep up with the pace of the
block plan. Previously coming from a tradi-
tional post-secondary institution, Norris would
have been able to level of his stress levels nor-
mally knowing that he would have had an en-
tire terms worth of repetition and consolidation
at a much slower pace for an entirely foreign
language, rather than a full throttle three and
half week cram session, as he put it. As Nor-
ris described it, his mental state and basketball
skills deteriorated simultaneously as his life went
into a spiral, in large part due to the block plan.
He still vividly remembers when he
grabbed the 40 ounce Olde English bottle at
the bottom of the tables legs. A reckless string
of nights had taken its toll on the bottles wrap-
ping. Te iconic gold and red paper dangled of
the bottle and swayed back and forth like a palm
tree with each movement he made. He glanced
at it--half empty. He wrapped his palm and fn-
gers tightly around the bottlehe wouldnt let it
drophe needed it, right then. As he lifed it to
his pink lips his fnger nails began to turn white
from his forceful grasp. He pounded back the
abuse as he comfortably slid into his size 16 no-
name grey slippers. Let the night begin.
He walked onto the balcony grabbing a
thick dark brown Peach Swiser cigar, and an over-
used lighter. As he dragged his feet towards the
cold balcony foor he regrettably realized howbad
it had gotten. He heard the drizzle rhythmically
sputtering--its his invitation to sorrow.
For students such as Norris, who come
from large educational institutions, the block
plan systemphilosophy can be an understandably
There is no
ambiguity in block systems.
There is no ambiguity at Quest;
you study one
subject at a time.
difcult, frustrating, and demanding transition.
David Helfand, President of Quest
University since 2008, predictably, had a diferent
viewon the block programs mental health efects
whenI met withhimfor aninterview. Admittedly,
I was anxious when conducting this interview. He
immediately leaned back in his chair and placed
his two wrinkled hands together on the top of his
scalp. I noticed two overarching wrinkles in the
top part of his sweater that loomed over his chest
like mountain ranges over the earth. His straggly
grey beard ran far past his chin with thin prickly
grey tips poking out in each direction but it wasnt
as full as one would expect for such a tenured fea-
ture on him. His hair was securely fastened into a
tight ponytail by a thick silver hair band. Helfand
had a commanding presence about him, combin-
ing power, wisdomand peculiarity.
I was to speak to him on a rather sen-
sitive topic surrounding one of his universitys
founding principles. But any anxieties I had en-
tering the interview were quickly put to rest by
Helfands humble shyness, cute chubby grin and
his genuine eagerness to discuss the issue.
Helfand didnt mince words when commenting
on any diferences he had viewed for negative
mental health efects in his teaching experiences
of both, the block programstudents at Quest, and
traditional school students at Columbia Univer-
sity (New York City, New York).
Helfand frstly noted that the block
plans single class method signifcantly reduces
stress levels for students who may fall ill during
the course of the year. If students are ill to the
point where they cant make up the classwork
then they will have to withdraw fromthe course,
an unfortunate occurrence, admits Helfand. But
the student will still be able to continue his/her
studies following just one absent block. But at a
traditional school, if a student misses a string of
classes then they will have to make up for these
missed classes, and six classes at once, at that. Tis
places a continued amount of stress and pressure
on students already recovering from physical ill-
nesses and stress.
He also described the block plan as be-
ing more manageable for students because stress
levels remained relatively constant throughout
the three and a half weeks of the block, whereas
traditional schools embodied a high stakes men-
tality. As Helfand described it, this mentality is
in reference to the mid-terms and exams that
commonly overexert students into an unbearable
peak of stress. Tese dangerously high levels of
stress stem from the fact that students, typically,
have a problemwith apportioning their time dur-
ing examperiods.
[Traditional] students arent certain
how to study for each subject accordingly. Tey
might have fve or six exams within a six day span
and they think something has to be sacrifced. So
a lot of the time students feel hopeless with this
mind-set. Tis only furthers their stress and anxi-
ety. We dont have this problem in the block sys-
tem. Tere is no ambiguity in the block system,
there is no ambiguity at Quest; you study one
subject at a time. You know what to study.
Michael Allan, a former undergraduate
student at the University of Victoria (UVic) for a
year and a half, transferred to Quest University a
year ago and concurred with Helfands assertion
completely. Allan, who previously was studying
a double major in psychology and biology, ex-
perienced frst-hand the high stakes mentality
that President Helfand described in traditional
schools. Allan bluntly described the feeling that
he and his fellow friends and classmates experi-
enced during the examperiod.
Me and my friends decided what
courses particularly pertained to our interests
and our future career paths. We obviously wanted
to do well in themall but there just wasnt enough
time. We were all making trade-ofs and failing
multiple courses at ages eighteen and nineteen.
Tats a tough experience as a freshman. It made
me feel like I wasnt ft for school. I defnitely felt a
bit of depression.
Allan was visibly bitter when he de-
scribed this turbulent period in his post-second-
ary education. He believed that UVic, one of the
larger universities in British Columbia, had failed
him, as well as his fellow students, by not making
mental health management resources openly vis-
ible to students. Allan remarked that he couldnt
remember seeing any form of open advertise-
ment for mental health issues, whether they were
in-class, orientations or on campus, throughout
his year and a half at the university. Te Quest
campus is much more supportive, he says.
Te issue of depression and negative
mental health efects resulting from overwhelm-
ing workloads in post-secondary education
certainly isnt a new discovery among adminis-
trations. Yet, as Allan described, in a traditional
school these issues are more likely to go unno-
ticed given the larger student to faculty ratios. As
Allan put it, in traditional schools, faculty admin-
istration cant witness frst-hand the mental strain
that many students endure so this issue doesnt
appear as large as it is in reality.
But these issues can be mended with a
properly instituted block programsystem.
Colorado Collegethe frst North
American in stitution to adopt the block
program in 1970has an average class size of
six-teen currently. Quest Universitys is approxi-
mately ffeen. It is these small class sizes that lend
block program institutions a unique advantage
over traditional schools in dealing with students
possible negative mental health efects.
As Gurjit Cheema--a third year student at Quest
University--described it, anintimate relationship
is established between the student and the tutor
over the course of the block. Te tutors make us
work really hard, but they also become so use to
us during the block that they know when were
too mentally strained. Teyll usually take it down
a notch at that point.
D E V E L O P M E N T D E V E L O P M E N T
By this process, Cheema and many
other Quest students mental health has remained
well and healthy. Tey can rest at ease knowing
their tutors (named tutors to emphasize the com-
mitment to teaching) understand and emphasize
with their struggles, an advantage traditional
schools do not typically have.
Cheema is particularly thankful for
this established relationship because of her learn-
ing disability, dyslexia. At the end of her second
year, Cheema admits she was contemplating
transferring from Quest to a larger institution
due to the overwhelming block stress, as well
as a desire to study in a program related to the
occupational therapy feld. She eventually de-
cided against it, reasoning that in the end, the
block programwas the best way to learn and that
Quests available mental health resources to cope
with this stress were too good to fnd elsewhere,
especially for students with learning disabilities.
Cheema impassionedly remembered
previous taunts that she endured because of her
learningdisability. Sherememberedhownegative-
ly her mental healthwas afectedandcommended
the Quest block program for helping to empow-
er her where a traditional university wouldnt.
Te best thing in staying at Quest was
the small classes because this built relationships
with the tutors. If I were to go to a big university
with big classes, it would be much more stress-
ful because Id always be fghting to get that extra
support. Im just a number there. Id also prob-
ably be separated into a diferent room during
exam time, creating more stress and anxiety for
me. Teyd be stigmatizing my disability even
more. At Quest, I never feel like this. Te tutors
all know me, they know I have dyslexia, but they
know Im capable of great things. Tey empow-
er me; theyre accommodating yet challenging
which I appreciate. Tey kept me at ease; they
kept my mental health well.
Te National Student Survey Engage-
ment (NSSE), a survey meant to gauge student
learning and participation in programs and ac-
tivities, as well as personal development, provides
a telling insight into this unique advantage that
Cheema described. Quest University has an as-
tonishing level of student engagement and for the
past few years has regularly ranked frst across
multiple categories in the NSSE, including, spe-
cifcally, student-faculty interaction and support-
ive campus environment.
David Strangway, a former University
of British Columbia President and renaissance
man of modern education, knew that the block
program complimented with small classes
as Cheema describedwould greatly allevi-
ate problems of students mental health in the
block programs intensive design. Strangway, the
founder of Quest University in 2007, currently
holds no obligations or responsibilities to the
university but still regularly monitors the prog-
ress of his institution, self-identifying himself as
an interested elder statesman of the university.
When speaking with him in a phone
interview, I remarked at his gentle and calming
tone when describing the hostilities experienced
against his beloved university. Vehemently pas-
sionate about the topic, Strangway almost imme-
diately responded to my request for an interview,
peculiar perhaps I thought for a man of such high
educational acclaim yet refreshingly comforting
that such a prestigious was still very eager to delve
into the discussion of an educational reformafer
so many years.
I asked questions that could give me
a better understanding of Strangways initial
thoughts as to the mental health efects of the
block programwhen creating Quest.
He immediately detailed a series of dis-
cussions that he had with Colorado College per-
taining to the topic. Te discussions, driven by in-
timate personal conversations and dialogues with
faculty members, were not formally documented
in any sort of manual or report, but formed the
basis of many mental health related logistic deci-
sions at Quest.
It was determined that the three and
a half week block length was the limit to which
the eight hour workload day intensity could be
sustained before sufering from a mental burn-
out, as Strangway described it. Te block break
the four and a half day hiatus between classes or
blockswas also designed to minimize and low-
er negative mental health efects fromblock plan
students, specifcally anxiety and stress.
We had [the mental health efects of
the block program] very much in mind when we
started. But, ultimately, we primarily learnedfrom
the intensive experience at Colorado College.
David Helfandthe current man in
charge of Questhas carried on the efort to-
wards mitigating the mental health efects of the
block program on students. Helfand recently
hired a full-time on campus doctor to address
student concerns regarding improved mental
health awareness and immediate health care.
Currently, Quest University has a bevy
of stress and mental health management resourc-
es available on campus, including: university led
yoga sessions, residence foor events, and campus
counsellors, to name a few. All of these resources
serve as outlets for students mentally struggling
with the block programs intensity.
With so much talk surrounding men-
tal health strain from university studies, post-
secondary education seems like a daunting task
to many prospective students, which is it for some
and not for others. Whether it is at a traditional
university or at a block plan university, regard-
less of the school model, the schooling will, and
should, bedifcult. Students shouldbechallenged.
Students should be stressed. But to what extent?
If the block programcan pull a student
to the deepest despair like it did for Jesse Norris, it
can also propel another student well beyond their
highest expectations like Gurjit Cheema. If it can
leave students feeling humiliated as it did for me
on January 24th 2013, it can also liberate another
student as it did for Michael Allan when switch-
ing froma traditional school.
Te key is to combine the block pro-
gram with a tightly knit community. Quest has
done this.
98% of Quest students who completed
the Counselling services summary knew of the
on-campus counselloran unheard of aware-
ness. Te inclusive and supportive Quest com-
munity has also made students at ease, as 27%
of the student population attended counselling
services, in large part due to a decreased stigma,
compared to approximately 10% of students us-
ing it on a traditional university.
Even a student like Jesse Norris who
was once bitter and resentful of his choice to
transfer to Quest has embraced the culture and
the available resources. He is noweager and ready
for the future.
Im really happy I stuck it out here.
Ive learned a lot about myself and even though it
gets real tough sometimes, I know I have a lot of
people in my corner.
So was January 24th, 2013 the day I hit
my mental block?
No.
It was when I began pushing through it.
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When teachers give extra attention to children with learning disabilities,
it has a harmful efect on childrens social lives.
disrespectful relationship problem that occurs
when one or more children repeatedly use ag-
gressive behavior to manipulate, upset, or harm
another child, who is vulnerable because of his
or her physical, mental, or social features. A re-
search report, published in 2007, found that 82%
of children with learning disabilities are bullied
and that 79%are scared to go out in fear of being
bullied. I was one of the 79%who was scared to go
to school because of bullying.
Frommy own experience, I have found
that having a learning disability is an excuse for
your peers to target you more easily. In some
cases this action is prompted by a teacher giving a
student added attention. An article, published by
Te Journal of Adolescent & Adult literacy, states
that the shame and frustration that ofen come
with living with a literacy difculties require that
teachers pay more attention to your personal
growth, which may actually have a negative afect
on your social life and the way your peers view
you. So maybe all this extra attention that the
teachers give to children with disabilities is actu-
ally having a negative impact on their social life?

y heart is thumping as I just scram-
ble in to homeroom before the bells
rings at 8:20am. I run to my desk at
the end of the classroom, only to hear whispers
and giggles from my classmates. I sit down, turn
to my best friend and say, here we go ago again.
She was aware of the daily routine where, upset, I
had to be dragged to school in the morning. As I
look up at our eighth grade white board, which is
full of the previous days homework, there it is in
the little corner.
Tat one sign which always sent shivers
down my spine when I sawit. Te sign that stated
who was in the language assistance class during
third period. Why did they need to publicize it
I whispered to myself. It would be much easier if
they just sent me an email the night before telling
me what time I had extra help, instead of putting
it on the whiteboard for the whole class to see. As
my frustration continues, I cant help but notice
the smirks onmyclassmates faces as theyobvious-
ly pass notes about me back and forth. I wanted to
stand up and screamat thembut I refrained. Na-
ve, I kept telling myself that a couple more years
and I wouldnt have to deal with their nonsense.
As the lunch bell fnally rang, I ran
towards my locker and there they were. Cheney,
Kylie and Melanie, staring at me like I am a visi-
tor froma diferent planet. I knewwhat they were
going to say, so I walked the other way. But to my
surprise they followed me today, yelling cruel
and hurtful insults. Why are you at this school?
Te school for mentally challenged is down the
block. Would you like us to walk you there?
Most people, upon hearing that, would break-
down and cry but I was use to it at this point so
I just kept walking. I knew I was not the same as
themor the rest of my classmates, but I also knew
that my disability wasnt my downfall.
One in three adolescent students in
Canada have been reported as being bullied. Ac-
cording to a study, done at McMaster University,
bullying, also known as peer victimization, is a
By: Gurjit Cheema
M

was one in the 79% who
was scared to go to school
because of bullying.
P
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i
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i
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n
.
On February 12th 2013, I entered the
busy Starbucks on Granville Street, in the centre
of downtown Vancouver. Chaos flled the room
as people scrambled to get their early morning
cofees and breakfast sandwiches. Afer gaz-
ing through the room for about ten minutes, I
fnally saw him. Sitting in the far lef corner, he
was wearing that same old dark green sweater
he always wore in high school. Tree years had
gone by since I last saw him, but it was clear that
his lack of style had not changed. As I walked to-
wards him, I couldnt help but ponder how awk-
ward this interview might become.
WhenI fnally reachedhis table, he wel-
comed me with a big hug and a refreshing smile.
Immediately, his upbeat and friendly personality
got me excited, and in no time, we started instant-
ly catching up. Jake Russell (Name changed for
privacy) was one of my dearest friends from ele-
mentary andhighschool. He stood6 feet tall, with
dark brown eyes and pitch-black hair. Not exactly
a muscular man but enough to show that he was
manly. You could tell he had been working out a
lot since high school. He had a smirk on his face,
which led me to believe that he was more than
happy to allowme to interviewhim. As I reached
the controversial topic of that horrifc day, a sud-
den change in his voice was apparent. I could
tell the memories of that day still haunted him.
It was January 13th 2009. Te bell f-
nally struck 3:30 and I grabbed my books and
ran to my locker. Te end of another long day
brought great relief for my best friend Kayla and I.
We walked towards the local IGAsupermarket to
get our daily fx of chai tea. As we walked towards
the underground parking lot, we heard screams.
Te screams continued to get louder as we walked
further on. Te screams, which were loud and
deep, were familiar; it was a mans scream. Kayla
turned to me and said is that. Before she could
even fnish her sentence I screamed Jake .
As we rushed nervously towards the
screams, we saw a group of older guys surround-
ing Jake in a circle. Something was clearly wrong.
We rushed towards themand one of the guys held
us back telling us to leave. We were not about to
leave one of our closest friends with these cruel
boys, so we stood there and watched him as he
was brutally beaten. It was the hardest thing to
watch. Blood dripped from his forehead while
they all laughed and made jokes about him not
being able to read. Tey took turns taking swings
at his stomach and forehead until fnally the
sound of a car coming down to the parking lot
scared themaway.
Jake described the memory of that day
as painful and unbearable to think about. When
asked about the infuence that teachers may have
had on his bullying, he was confdent, saying that
teachers were one of the main reasons the bully-
ing even started. If the school hadnt put me in
a separate learning assistance class, none of my
peers would have ever known. I guess this is a
problem with the educational system not just
the school. Jake went on to state teachers think
theyre giving us extra help in the classroom, but
it is actually making it harder for us outside the
classroom. In front of the teachers no one can
pick on me and say anything, its only during
lunch and afer school when the students could
say something.
Te pain from that day not only lef
holes in Jakes heart, it also damaged mine. We
tried to stop the bullies, but every time we put our
hands or feet forward, they would block us of.
Tere was nothing we could do, but hope they
wouldstop. We were helpless. It still brings tears to
myeyes that people inthis worldcouldbe this ma-
licious, just because Jake had learning disabilities.
I contacted one of the boys, whomhad
been a part of the bullying with Jake that day. Kyle
Gill, now 22 years of age, feels guilt and remorse
about his actions; however, he defended his rea-
soning in a phone interview with me. When
asked why he chose to pick on Jake, he respond-
ed by saying, Tey are given special treatment
which they really dont deserve. I think people
with learning disabilities should work on their
problems on their own time and they shouldnt be
treated diferently at school. Kyle also mentioned
that the teachers seemedtoalways favor or pay ex-
tra attention to these students, which made other
students feel neglected or not important enough.
Mindy Manhas, former Vancou-
ver high school counselor, shares her opinions
through email regarding teachers giving extra
support to children with learning disabilities.
Te schools responsibility is to provide these
students with extra help and make learning as
easy for them states Manhas. She also states that,
in her previous experience working in multiple
high schools and elementary schools, children
with learning based disabilities ofen get bullied
a lot more in comparison to children without
learning disabilities. Manhas noticed that typi-
cally students who do not have disabilities notice
that some of their peers are getting more atten-
tion, fueling their jealously.
It is three years since high school, yet
the pain that I felt and the cruel words I was
forced to hear, still haunt me every day. However,
the lessons I learnt will stick with me forever.
Even though I turned out happy and successful
university student, there are many students who
face disability based bullying and do not have the
same results as me.
A study done at McMaster University
states that children with disabilities who are bul-
lied face many social and emotional risks, in-
cluding a greater chance of feeling depressed or
anxious, being lonely and having lowself-esteem.
Te study also suggest that other impacts of bul-
lying can include headaches, problems sleeping,
poor attendance at school, low motivation and a
drop in academic performance; in extreme cases,
suicidal thoughts or actions may occur.
An article published by Prevnet dis-
cusses possible ways that teachers can reduce
the amount of bullying in the classroom. A long-
termsolution for this issue is to educate children
at elementary school on diferent developmental
or learning based disabilities other children may
have. Tis may decrease the chances of children
feeling jealous or upset that members of their
class are getting extra attention.
In addition Prevnet states that teachers
should expose high school students to the facts
and the statistics on depression and bullying of
children with developmental learning disabilities.
Tis may reduce the percentage of students being
physically or emotional bullied by other students,
as they will become aware of the severe efects that
bullying has onchildrenwithlearning disabilities.
In addition, educating students about learning
disabilities and bullying could potentially cause
students, who are being bullied, to come for-
ward and seek help from a teacher or counselor.
Now, at the age of 21, Jake is a healthy
and successful individual. He is currently a third
year student in an intensive computer science
program at a well-known university in Vancou-
ver, Simon Fraser. Te memories of that day ob-
viously still hurt Jake, but he has learnt from his
past and pushed through to become a young and
happy adult.
Quest, a secular, not-for-proft liberal
arts and sciences university, is located upon the
mountainside, of the scenic Garibaldi Highlands.
Its campus inhabits an impressive 24.3 hectares
of rolling forest and developed land. Although
it is still considered part of the Garibaldi High-
lands, Quest remains isolated from the majority
of the local town. Te small student body, their
respective faculty and even the unique curricu-
lum remain a mystery to most. Despite Quests
best eforts to provide full explanations, detailing
how the school operates, in magazines, on the
Internet and in a number of well-written news
articles, residents of Squamish appear to rely on
hearsay to form their opinions of the University.
Te most prominent belief surround-
ing Quest is that it is an elitist institution, which

s I anxiously tossed and turned in my
bed, I came to the realization that I
hadnt slept more than a couple of
hours. It was my frst day of university.
It is a day most students look forward to; but not
me, I was terrifed. Afer fnishing my breakfast
in a hasty manner, I packed my bags and began
the short ten-minute drive to the Quest campus.
As a Squamish local, I had heard many rumors
about the university, that I couldnt help but
believe. Te opinions expressed were so strong
and the commentary was so convincing. Many
rumors circulate about Quest; however, there
are three that are most common. It was rumored
to be an elitist institution that only wealthy stu-
dents could aford, a school that only accepts
international students and lastly, it was an out-
doorsy school with a large amount of the stu-
dent body being hippies.
Afer hearing these rumors, I was anx-
ious about joining this unknown community. I
had began to resent it before I had even started.
Since the opening of Quest University,
in 2007, there has been a great deal of mystery
surrounding the school. It is apparent that few
of the Squamish residents actually understood:
what occurred on campus, what the university
ofered and who comprised of the student pop-
ulation. For the most part, Quest has not been
connected with the local community of Squa-
mish, causing most of the residents to resent and
formulate rumors about the establishment. Tis
negative information is shared with others, fu-
eling the idle gossip. Who is to blame? Do we
blame Quest for not reaching out to the Squa-
mish community or should we point the fnger
at the residents of Squamish for creating an in-
correct stereotype of our campus world?
67)2#",$"$% 4)0-)4#",$
Six years afer establishment, Quest University remains surrounded
by rumors from Squamish residents.
By: Evan Cross
A
"They are just a bunch of snobby rich kids from out of the country.
Their families have too much money and get sick of them, so they
ship them off to Canada to do arts and crafts
only enrolls wealthy students. Quest is known to
be quite pricey in terms of tuition and housing,
and therefore, most people are led to believe that
one must be wealthy to enroll. One man, who
preferred to remain nameless, stated his strong
opinions regarding Quest.
I met him at the Living Room Lounge
and Restaurant, located in the Executive Suites
hotel, on Tantalus Road. He was a rugged look-
ing fellow with a scrufy beard. He wore a ragged
grey toque, which covered his shaggy brown hair.
He was responsible for cleaning the beer lines in
the restaurant. As I sat at the bar, enjoying a cold
beer, I discussed Quests perception with one of
the bar maids. Te man stopped what he was do-
ing and emerged from behind the bar, interrupt-
ing our conversation. Why would anyone want
to know anything about Quest? Tey are just a
bunch of snobby rich kids from out of the coun-
try. Teir families have too much money and get
sick of them, so they ship them of to Canada to
do arts and crafs he said.
Four years ago, in March, I received
my acceptance letter from Quest. As I opened
the crisp envelope, in the Multi-purpose room
of my highschool, I began to shake. Te frst
word I saw was congratulations. I entered a
state of euphoria and my face eventually began
to hurt from smiling. Without reading the rest
of the letter I called my Mother. Afer the con-
versation, I was congratulated by a number of
fellow students, however, they informed me of
what they had heard about Quest. Tey began
by telling me that Quest was only for wealthy
students and that there was no way I would be
able to aford it. One student in particular, Amy
OBrien, told me about some of the rumors she
had come to believe: Congratulations Evan, but
havent you heard? Quest is like $50,000 for the
year. How are you going to aford it? Do you
really want to go to school with a bunch of rich
hippies? You wont last a second. You should
probably just attend the University of Victoria;
its cheaper and more practical.
Afer a number of similar comments,
I began to panic. I thought to myself, what have
I gotten myself into? I dont want to go here.
It is a common belief that Quest is an
elitist institution for wealthy students only, but
David Helfand, President of Quest University,
disagrees. In a recent issue of Macleans maga-
zine, David discusses his thoughts on Quest as
an elitist institution. Elitist to me is not a
bad word when were talking about intellectual
matters. Its not a good word when were talk-
ing about access, so we have a very large needs-
based scholarship program.
David goes on to explain that Quest is
quite generous in terms of scholarship awards,
granting a large portion of the students funds
in relation to their income and how many other
family members are attending university.
Quest University is the most expen-
sive university in Canada. With a tuition price
tag of $28,000, its a little steep for most students.
As a result, the elitist rumor was created, caus-
ing many individuals to believe that the price
is unrealistic. However, Quest has proven to be
very generous with scholarships, granting funds
to support approximately 70 % of the student
population. Although this comes across as a
high ratio, Quest states it only awards scholar-
ships to students who demonstrate discipline,
persistence, creativity, and passion in every ac-
tivity they pursue. Tis is clearly stated in the
scholarship application process.
Tere are two scholarships available
to the student body. Individuals can apply for
the David W. Strangway Award for Excellence,
which pays the students full tuition, or the
Quest University Canada Scholarship, which
awards applicants up to $24,000 a year.
Furthermore, students can also apply
for need-based bursaries. Te purpose of this
program is to encourage students to come to
Quest regardless of their familys income. Te
available funds under the work-study program
can range from $2000 to $8000 annually per ap-
plicant.
In addition, students must also pay for
on-campus housing, which varies depending on
the price, the type of dorm room you live in, and
whether you are sharing a room with someone
else. In a students frst year, these prices can
range from $8850 to $12,000 a year with a full
meal plan. Afer, they have the opportunity to
apply for the larger dorms, which cost around
$29,500 for the year. Tis is then split between
however many roommates the student has cho-
ses to live with.
Instead of asking Squamish locals
about what they thought Quest was and how
it operated, I began to ask people what they
thought Quest could do for the community.
I met with one person in particular who
plays a huge role in the Squamish community.
Craig Davidiuk sauntered into the
Shady Tree pub where I was waiting to interview
him. Craig is an easygoing guy and being late
for the interview does not seem to bother him
much. Hey Ev, whats up? he says to me with
his goofy trademark grin.
At the age of 41, Craig has created the
Squamish communitys most efective method of
broadcasting free media. He provides a hub for
information and arts to the people of Squamish
in the hope of creating a stronger bond within
the local residents. His website, Squamish Free
Media, has reached a diverse cross-section of the
community, delivering both entertainment and
knowledge to the listening public. As a dedi-
cated member of Squamish, Craig wishes to ex-
pand this strong sense of community, and merge
cultures with Quest University.
Afer informing Craig that the inter-
view will consist of questions regarding the lo-
cal perception of Quest University, he begins
to chuckle. Quest is a prickly and mysterious
subject to most Squamish residents, so asking
questions about it can catch people of guard.
Craigs personality instantly changed, like the
fip of a switch, and he proceeded to thought-
fully respond. It was apparent from his inten-
sity that Craig had many thoughts on the local
populations perception of Quest University, and
was appalled at some of the rumors that had
been circulating. When asked about his per-
sonal view of Quest, Craig took a deep breath,
thinking carefully before providing his response.
My perceptions about Quest University have
changed quite a bit over the years. I have seen a
lot of growth, and it seems like a really unique,
interesting place to get a post secondary educa-
tion. Te students I have seen, communicated
with, and been around, are really awesome, out-
going and smart.
"Having that injection of
brainpower into this kind of town
could create a strong and positive
legacy for both communities.
-Craig Davidiuk

had no idea what to expect of Quest
arriving one month late, and missing
Cornerstone. I was placed in a room with
two males, one American, one Canadian, who
both kindly introduced themselves as I walked
into the room with Daniel Wakutz written on
the door. During my frst class at Quest, I found
it difcult to ft in as my classmates had already
got to know each other from Cornerstone.
It appeared that groups had already formed
during my month of absence. Now a year and a
half later, although I no longer struggle to ft in,
I am concerned about what may happen to the
incoming frst years arriving in the fall. Like me,
the prospective students may also be moving
into residence late, albeit not by choice. Tis will
be due to the delayed construction of the new
residence building, now seven weeks behind
schedule.
David Helfand, President of Quest
University, fxedly stares through the windows
of the academic buildings landing between the
3rd and 4th foor stairwell, at the construction
workers desultory efort to seal the roof
continue. Te skies are grey, yet with no rain,
Helfand wondered why the pace of work was
slow. As the construction workers place window
afer windowinto the plywood covered structure,
Helfand is haunted by the disruption that would
be caused if the building is not ready for the
students to move into on August 28th.
Te residence building, which has
been under construction for the past year, will
likely not be completed in time, due to the bad
weather early in 2013. Te major problem that
Quest will be facing is a shortage of space for the
growing student body. With the school already
close to maximum capacity, the question arises,
howwill Quest deal with the incoming students if
the building is not completed on time?
As Melanie Koenderman, the Dean of
Student Afairs, sits down in her ofce, she has
no problem making time to answer questions
regarding the new development on campus. If
the building is simply not ready for us to use
we would have to look into - whether its a week
or two - renting at one of the local hotels and
running shuttles, which isnt anything new for
Quest students.
When the school welcomed its frst
students in 2007, the campus buildings were
incomplete, forcing the inaugural class and
faculty to spend September at Red Mountain
Resort in Rossland, BC. Returning to Squamish
in October, the residence buildings were still
under construction, and as a result, they found
themselves sleeping in the Sea-to-Sky Hotel just
down the hill. We always have a Plan B, said
80,7$9+0)'."$% 7$":)02"#3 *'#)
,$ +0)'."$% %0,7$9
Te new residential building at Quest University is behind schedule, creating
a huge dilemma for incoming frst years in the 2013 Fall term.
By: Danny Wakutz
I
Koenderman.
Students arriving in the 2013 fall term
might fnd themselves staying in the same hotel as
previous students if the residence building is not
completed in time. Te new residence building
will provide an additional 99 beds. With 80
students expected to move on, and 180 students
arriving in September, the new building will
barely expand the housing capacity enough to
cater for the growing student body.
As an expanding institution, Quest
must ensure it has the available infrastructure to
meet the needs of students.
John Scheunhage, Director of Student
Housing, is one of the people making sure Quest
is prepared. Tirelessly working away in his
student afairs cubicle, Scheunhage, sits down to
respond to some questions concerning the new
residence. Every year we need another one, said
Scheunhage, referring to the hopeful plans in
which a new residence building will be erected
each September for at least the next two years.
Any student hopes of a break fromthe distasteful
sounds of construction throughout the day are
misplaced; two months from now theyll turn
shovels on the next one, explains Scheunhage.
Te University is already running a
high occupancy residence operation. As of now
we have sevento 10 literal beds that are free, said
Scheunhage. Tis low vacancy is partially due
to Quest attrition rates, which are ridiculously
low when compared with other universities,
as Scheunhage words it. Te two new residence
buildings will bring Quest to 600 available beds.
At that many students, the academic building
is bursting at the seams, said Scheunhage. Afer
the second building is completed, the school will
be at a tipping point where Quest must decide
whether to keep leasing North and South villages.
As Scheunhage explains, leasing the Villages is a
good choice, cash-fowwise, because Quest wont
have to spend money on another new residence
building, downside being when youre renting
and not buying, youre not building capital.
If the school decides not to keep
leasing North and South, the plan would be
for three more additional residence buildings,
bringing the total to fve. On a more positive
note, the school has been reaching its anticipated
student enrolment targets. We do keep hitting
QUESTONNG PERCEPTON
continues on page 23 BULDNG DELAYS
continued on page 52
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Seven years afer a disastrous frst attempt, the District of
Squamish has begun accepting proposals to develop the
Oceanfront once more. Can it avoid another fasco?
By: Tari Ajadi

n Squamish, British Columbia, a small town
situated between Vancouver and Whistler,
there is a running joke that goes something
like this: when the European settlers frst landed
inHowe Sound (many, many years afer the Squa-
mish people landed here of course), they headed
north in search of land and resources. Acres of
pine forests expanded as far as the eye could see,
and the opportunities the land provided stretched
even further. Tey settled, headed north, and be-
gan logging.
Te funny thing is, they forgot about
the ocean they used to get there.
Years later, once the residents of Squa-
mish realized their mistake, they received the
land as a gif, a blessing. But with every blessing
comes a hidden side-
efect. In this case, the
blessing opened a rif in
the community as wide as
Howe Sound itself.
Te coastal
area was named the Oceanfront by the local
Council. On one side of the bay an industrial site
hums with activity. A large tanker is parked in its
dock, and the grating crunch of trucks shifing
cargo echoes across the shore. Between washed-
up logs and ashen rocks is a small beach. Dogs
bound along it before jumping into the ocean,
while a young couple balances on slack lines
strung between stumps. Like the contrast be-
tween the recreational and the industrial, those
wanting to develop the Oceanfront seem to have
wildly diferent priorities for the land.
Since the District of Squamishobtained
the Oceanfront land fromBC Rail in 2004, there
has been near-consensus among residents and
Council on the need to transform the area from
a polluted former industrial site into a vibrant
mixed use development. Tere is no consensus
on how that development should take shape. Te
municipality has one of the fastest growing popu-
lations in BC, and the town is struggling to man-
age and maintain that growth. Such confusion is
not rare. Small towns across the country are at-
tempting to balance expansion and development
with the integrity of their community feel.
In 2006, real-estate developer Qualex-
Landmark placed a deal before the Squamish
Municipal Council that would have paid of the
$1.6 million in consultants fees already incurred
by the District, and injected millions into the
local economy. Te scope of that ofer is where
the rarity appears, cata-
pulting the Oceanfront
froma small-town zoning
project into a multimil-
lion dollar regional hub.
Somehow, that deal broke
down, and its failure continues to divide the com-
munity. Te District is currently examining pro-
posals to develop the same piece of land. It must
ask itself a simple question: what went wrong sev-
en years ago, and howcan it be avoided this time?
With a quick look around, Councillor
Ted Prior steps on the accelerator, racing between
deserted downtown streets. He hits the brakes
before the stop sign and lets out a playful giggle.
Continuing on, he notices a man that he knows is
down on his luck currently homeless riding
down the street on a bike. Without a moments
hesitation, he ofers the man a place to stay, in
a friendly but serious tone. Once he fnishes his
conversation with the man, he walks back to the
I

What went wrong seven
years ago, and how can it
be avoided this time?
car and to his playful side. When talking about
the Oceanfront development however, his serious
tone returns. Sternly focused, he pulls onto the
highway.
Prior was a board member of the Squa-
mish Oceanfront Development Corporation
(SODC), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dis-
trict of Squamish created to manage the Ocean-
front, for fve years. Te District purchased the
Oceanfront lands in 2004 fromBC Rail for a pal-
try three dollars. According to Prior, the deal was
a fabulous thing, like our Olympic gif.
During this period, the Council
worked with the University of British Columbia
and the Fraser Basin Council to create a commu-
nity plan called a charrette. Tey recruited 70 in-
dividuals from the community over three meet-
ings to create a 121 page document outlining the
plan. Te charrette design briefy highlighted the
amenities and targets desired by the community.
Residents wanted sustainable, afordable hous-
ing, large swathes of parkland and green space,
knowledge-based, high-tech industry, facilities
for hobbies from windsurfng to tennis, and a
winding public walkway to pen the whole area in.
Tis was intended to be the basis for any develop-
ment on the property, an unshakeable foundation
going forward. Whether or not that was the case
two years later, was up for heated debate.
Once the deal and the charrette had
been completed, the District created a Board of
Directors for the SODC. Representatives came
fromdiferent sections of the community, froma
high-school student to urban planners and engi-
neers. Tey realized very quickly that they were in
over their heads. Weve got to get a CEO, we need
someone who knows how to run this business,
Prior recounts. Tey advertised the position and
selected Mike Chin, an engineer with experience
in dealing with brownfeld sites (contaminated
areas), and with large-scale projects of this nature.
Chin, who became CEO of the SODC
in March 2005, decided to run a series of assess-
ments on the land to decide what could be done
with it. He proposed three options. Te frst was
to sell the land outright and gain the profts from
it. Prior claims that the boardwas ofered$22 mil-
lion for the land (he didnt say who), but that op-
tion was quickly vetoed. Te second option was
to develop the land with the support of the Dis-
tricts planning department. Te third option was
to fnd a joint-venture partner who could provide
two things the SODC desperately needed: money
and experience. Tey went with number three.
Larry Murray, chair of the SODC at
that time, was among those who led the selection
process. Usually afable and quick-witted, Murray
became dejected when talking about the aborted
deal. His ironic laughter when remembering
the series of events was similar to the mirth of a
scorned lover when hearing about their exs re-
cent divorce. He mapped out the SODCs process
fromstart to end in great detail.
Te frst step was a request for ex-
pressions of interest, a document similar to an
audition tape for developers. Twelve compa-
nies submitted these documents, some stellar,
some pitiful. From the group, four companies
were asked to submit extensive proposals that
the SODC along with two consultancy frms
would evaluate rigorously. Tose companies were
Holborn Holdings, Concord-Pacifc, Intrawest
and Qualex-Landmark.
Qualex-Landmark stood out right
away, and not just because they fulflled the high-
est criteria that the SODC set out (according to
Murray, $100 million was an entry point in
terms of fnancial backing of each developer).
Te group lef an impression upon everyone they
dealt with. Tey wooed Murray with their humil-
ity and sense of humour in meetings, and soon
came out on top.
According to Murray, Qualex under-
stood that the land was not ready for develop-
ment. Tey knew that the SODC only had the
charrette, but they were willing to work with the
board to create something that suited both par-
ties hopes for the site. Te board accepted Qual-
exs proposal and began to move forward, high
hopes in tow.
One of the ways to measure just how
rapidly interest surrounding this project esca-
lated was the letters page of the local newspaper,
the Chief. In 2004, when the Council had just
received the Oceanfront land, commentary on
the project was brief. Tere were concerns over
howmuch the environmental clean up of the land
would cost, but those questions were answered
with sheer optimism, with promises that the land
would provide profts and amenities many times
more than costs.
As the public consultation phase
moved forward, brief spots of activity would
catch attention and then fzzle out; the char-
rette held court for a time, as did the search for
developers. Mike Chin would periodically post
updates from the SODC, summarizing what the
board was doing at that time. Suddenly, in May
2006, a confict emerged.
A letter posted in the May 5th issue by
one Paul Demers titled Tis land is your land,
mentioned concerns over below-the-radar go-
ings-on of the past few months. He speculated
that the District would sell to Qualex for some
quick cash and pay of their debts.
Directly next to that letter was one
from Rose-Marie Carreras, calling for positivity
and trust in the SODC, and its ability to execute
the vision created by the community during the
charrette process. It asked the people of Squamish
to disregard the disgruntled opinions of those
who were against the deal and move onward and
upward.
Tis letters page was the frst skirmish
in the Battle for the Oceanfront. Tere was no
clear winner of the debate, but the comments
represented a line drawn across the heart of the
community.
Two men who helped defne that line
were Doug Race and Greg Gardner. Race, now a
Councillor with the District, had been involved
with the Oceanfront before the 2004 deal, when
there was a proposal for a chip-building facility
on the site. Gardner, a Councillor at the time who
would later become Mayor, had also been follow-
ing the process since it had begun.
Qualex laid their deal on the table with
the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
they signed with the SODC. Tey would pay of
the Districts $1.6 million debt, along with part of
the servicing costs, as well as paying $21 million

This letters page was the
frst skirmish in the Battle
for the Oceanfront.
There was no clear winner
of the debate, but the
comments represented a
line drawn across the heart
of the community.
to the District for planning and infrastructure.
Te company would also be responsible for any
infrastructure costs incurred during the frst
phase of development. For this, the District gave
away development rights to the land, but main-
tained ownership.
In later phases of the development,
costs of construction and infrastructure could be
fnanced, which means that Qualex could take
out a loan or fnd other investors for the project,
provided that Qualex had $5 million invested at
that point. However, the SODC and the District
would not have been liable for the costs of that
loan; the only borrower would be the developer.
Te revenues from the project would
frst be devoted to paying of expenditures like
property taxes, bank loans, cash contributions by
the SODC, and losses incurred by Qualex. Once
those costs were paid of, the District would re-
ceive a payment of $14 per buildable sq.f of the
land before the pair shared the rest of the profts
50/50.
Signifcantly, the project could be ter-
minated by either side afer the MOUwas signed.
Qualex could nullify the deal if it made no f-
nancial sense to continue, and the SODC could
nix the deal should the Land Use Plan [master
plan] not be acceptable and amendment agree-
ments not be reached. To reiterate, if the master
plan created by the SODC and Qualex, afer pub-
lic consultation, was unacceptable to the SODC,
they could walk away from negotiations with no
legal ramifcations.
Te week prior to the Council meeting
to vote on the MOU, Gardner took out a two page
ad to voice his opposition to the deal. He system-
atically picked apart the document and the deal,
opposing everything from the SODCs negotiat-
ing, to the projected fnancial gains for the Dis-
trict, to the timing of the deal in the frst place.
He even critiqued the idea of a joint-venture part-
nership for the planning process of the project.
One line of the screed reads, I will go on record
as saying that if you own a piece of land unen-
cumbered, raising enough money to complete a
logical planning process should not be a major
concern.
Gardner maintains that despite Qual-
exs promises to create public amenities, the only
amenity he wants is the Oceanfront. He proposed
that the SODCcreate a sub-area plan (similar to a
master plan, but without the input of a developer)
before a deal of any type took place, something
that he alleges the SODC promised they would
complete 10 months prior.
Qualexs exact plans for the land were
never made clear to the public. Tere is a clause in
the MOUthat states that the Master Plan must be
consistent with the spirit and intent of the char-
rette. Te number of condos that would be built
on the site was a particular point of contention.
Race alleges that Qualex wanted to build 2,500,
while Gardners ad mentions that there would be
a minimumof 1,500 units built.
Murrays take on the issue was that the
master plan for the site was the third and fnal
step of a process that began with the initial en-
gagement, continued with passing the MOU, and
ended at a Partnership Agreement. Te master
plan still had to pass the public consultation pro-
cess, which, theoretically, would allow for such
issues to be addressed.
Tis did not satisfy Race, who in his
typically forthright style remarked, I didnt fght
that issue of putting heavy industry down there to
see it covered with condominiums. He paid $900
for a full page ad in the Chief on the eve of the de-
bate. Te only thing on the page was a list of indi-
viduals who signed a petition signifying that they
were against the MOU. 518 people signed the pe-
tition, apparently collected in just one weekend.
A grainy video of the Council meeting
on October 17th, 2006, recounts the fnal battle.
Te scene has all the trappings of a regular coun-
cil meeting. Te speakers introduced themselves
with the usual ingratiating formalities. Te mi-
crophone they spoke into had awful feedback.
When watching, one can almost smell the mix
of toner, of-brand disinfectant, and cofee that
characterizes board rooms such as these across
the country.
Bill McNeney, now the chair of the
SODC, opened up his comments by asking that
the Council reject the MOU and that they re-
move the management and Board of Directors
of the SODC and start over. No punches pulled
there.
Troughout the meeting there was
confusion over whether the document was legally
binding or not, with those against the deal think-
ing that it was, and those for the deal arguing that
it was just a formal agreement, not a contract.
Murray stepped to the micro-
phone. His tone was sombre and defensive as
he launched into a defence of the SODCs ac-
tions. Afer Murrays speech, there was a sum-
mary of a survey given to 301 residents about
the MOU. 56% of the respondents believed the

When watching, one can
almost smell the mix of
toner, off-brand
disinfectant, and coffee that
characterizes board
rooms such as these
across the country.
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SODCwas moving in the right direction with the
Oceanfront and 25% were against, a margin of
two to one. Momentumseemed to be shifing the
SODCs way.
All of a sudden, Councillor Raj Kahlon
introduced a motion that caught everyone by
surprise. He approved of the deal, but only if a
third of the south end of the park was devoted to
public land and amenities. Te video focused on
Kahlon, who nonchalantly passed around the res-
olution and discussed it, but elsewhere, Kahlons
move did not receive a warm welcome. Race re-
counts sitting next to Murray, As the resolution
was passed, he had his head in his hands going
[shakes his head]. It just blindsided [the SODC].
Twenty minutes later, Councillor Mike
Jenson took the foor. He opened with a sigh,
leaning forward in his chair to make sure he
was heard. He proceeded to explain his lengthy
thought process on the issue, acknowledging that
the MOU would be fne if this were an ordinary
development in an ordinary neighbourhood, but
this [the Oceanfront] isnt. To him, the Ocean-
front was that Mastercard pricelessness [sic].
His gestures became wider and his face turned a
dark shade of magenta.
It seems like the community is divid-
ed. Its actually not, he emphasized, narrowing
down on his point. He picked up the document,
disdain dripping from every word, every move-
ment. He took one last look at it and confrmed
his refusal of the deal. With a rallying cry of rip
up the MOU, he tore the document clean in
two. Applause rippled around the audience. Te
Council moved on, almost ignoring the fact that
a councillor had just torn up the document they
were voting on. Te Council voted on the MOU,
with Kahlons amendment, and it barely passed.
Te battle was over. Te opponents of
the deal had been defeated. Te project should
have forged ahead. Instead, a few short days later,
it ground to a screeching halt.
A few days afer the Memorandum
of Understanding passed narrowly through the
Council, representatives from the SODC and
Qualex sat down to talk at a pub downtown. Hav-
ing been through such an unexpectedly tumul-
tuous public meeting on the project, the SODC
was in a state of disarray. Te frustration of the
meeting led Larry Murray to do some serious
soul-searching. Te politics of such a deal had
overwhelmed them, and Qualex too.
Te developers were too close for
comfort to the politics of the deal, while the
amendment by Councillor Kahlon presented
issues for them in the future too. And so, afer
months of painstaking research, of consultations,
business plans, legal documents and, of course,
hundreds of thousands of dollars, Qualex walked.
When Councillor Prior recounts the
scene, his voice takes on a grave tone. In the
meeting where Qualex walked, I saw grown men
crying, because they worked for fve years on this.
Tey put their heart and soul into it and they got
what they considered to be the best deal for the
community. When it went sideways, they broke
down. Tats how bad it was. Criticism of the
SODC, of the Council, and of Squamish poured
in from all sides. Te Chief compared the inci-
dent to being lef at the altar, while the tagline of
a Pique Magazine article read Qualex-Landmark
says politicians need to get their acts together.
Many were shocked that relations be-
tween the SODC and the Council had gotten so
bad. Even Doug Race, against the deal as he was,
thought that the way the Council went about the
meeting was appalling. Half of the board of the
SODC resigned straight away. Te rest managed
to keep quorum for a time, but soon they began
to fade away, one-by-one.
Te changing of the guard was swif.
Municipal elections came and went. Tere was
a new Mayor, Greg Gardner. Te SODC board
changed afer the elections, as Race and others
including Bill McNeney became board members
(Race subsequently moved to Council). Teir
mandate changed too. Te group created a com-
munity-backed plan for the land that was com-
pleted in 2009.
It was in the same vein as the charrette
from 2005, one that would eventually morph
into a sub-area plan for the plot. Te plan hewed
closely to a three-way division proposed during
the MOU meeting: a third of the area devoted to
housing, a third for industry and employment,
and a third for recreation.
Te plan fnished in 2009, but it took
another three years and a municipal election for
the Council to decide that the best strategy for
the land was to take it to market. In that time, the
Districts debt on the land ballooned to $9 mil-
lion. Te momentum the SODC had afer the
acquisition of the Oceanfront lands had all but
disappeared. Te Olympics came and went with
no massive impact on Squamish. Finally, in mid
2012, the District hired Cushman & Wakefeld,
the worlds largest privately held real-estate frm,
to market the property.
Fast forward to 2013. Te situation the
SODC fnds itself in today (with a plot of land,
a community plan, and hopes of development)
is similar to the situation the SODC was in eight
years ago, but with a key diference: the SODC is
not limiting their search to joint-venture part-
ners. Tis time around, anything goes, from an
outright sale, to selling of the land in parts, to a
joint-venture deal.
Te District is in uncharted waters
here, but this precarious position could work out
in the best interests of the SODC and for Squa-
mish residents if they can learn fromthe mistakes
of yesteryear.
Larry Murray saw communication
with his peers as the SODCs largest faw. When
asked what he would change about his actions if
he could relive the Qualex deal, his answer was
simple: I would get into a roomwith them[those
opposed to the deal] and have it out. Ted Prior
expressed similar sentiments, acknowledging
that the SODCcould have done more to commu-
nicate with residents so that there was no mistak-
ing the specifcs of the Qualex deal.
Conversely, Gardner believed that he
could have brought people with business experi-
ence in sooner to help market the sub-area plan
he and his Council created, while Race would
have tried to get onto Council sooner to stop the
deal happening in the frst place.
200 years afer arriving, the residents
of this coastal town have fnally remembered that
they have a coastline. Tey have a plan for it too,
one that has barely changed in ten years. It lies
dormant but not forgotten, like the logs that litter
the Oceanfront shoreline. Te residents missed
one attempt to craf the land into the develop-
ment they desire. Only time will tell if they can
make the next chance work.
he Squamish Chief, with its smooth and
soaring granite faces, has witnessed the
town of Squamish grow and expand over
the years as ferries, railroads, and highways
have connected the small town to the rest of
the province. Te Chief has heard the echoes of
chainsaws and logging trucks as forestry became
a core industry for Squamish in the mid 1900s.
Ten, years later, the pulp mill
across the water, with its distinctive pungent
aroma, has come and gone. Te sawmill, which
met a similar fate to that of the pulp mill, is a
remnant of a period in Squamishs past, a time
when a booming lumber industry employed
large portions of the town. Now the Chief is
witnessing another change. While logging
continues to some extent, resource extraction
has taken a backseat to the towns current focus:
one of outdoor recreation and tourism.
Te Chief, as well as the nearby
Shannon Falls, are primary destinations for
Squamish residents and visitors alike. Hikers
enjoy scampering up the Chief s back, walking
through trees and under rocky overhangs,
sharing in the breathtaking view, with the
town of Squamish laid out below, seeming
insignifcant to Te Chief and its 700 meter high
summit, who in turn is dwarfed by the thousand
meter high peaks of the surrounding mountains,
the results of millions of years of glacial and
geological activity.
While the hike up the Chief is a fairly
short one at two kilometers its barely sweat-
inducing for some it is not for everyone, with
large numbers of visitors preferring to leisurely
stroll along the shaded gravel trails of nearby
Shannon Falls.
In a year from now, visitors to the area will have
another option: the chance to take a gondola
up behind the Chief and experience the views
without needing to scramble up rocky paths and
steel ladders.
But the transition from small logging
town to Canadas Outdoor Recreation Capital
hasnt been an easy one. Te shutdown of the
lumber industry lef many unemployed, with
the town struggling to keep local businesses
thriving.
Te Olympics brought highway
improvements (but not much else), bringing
the town of Squamish even closer to millions
of Vancouverites. It is this group of people,
now only an hour drive away from hundreds of
bike paths, climbing routes, and hiking trails,
who collectively hold the promise of a vibrant
Squamish tourism industry.
Te Sea to Sky Gondola project, an
ambitious 20 million dollar tourism venture,
aims to bring the visitors of Squamish to new
places and new heights, and, ideally, bring some
much needed tourism dollars into the local
economy. However, the project, with its promises
and perceived goodwill, has been the target of a
vocal opposition campaign, a campaign whose
supporters criticize the gondola backers for a
lack of transparency and sneaky maneuvering.
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Sea to Sky Gondola Project approved to the
disappointment of opposition groups
B y : J o r d a n R o s s
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Illustration of the proposed gondola base site.
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Rika and Mel Lyne, self-described as
active seniors, have lived together in Squamish
for over 35 years. Teir home, two stories and
wooden, is adorned with small stufed animals
and pocketable nicknacks, long undisturbed
now that their two previous owners, the Lyne
familys two children, are in their forties, grown
up and moved out. Dark wooden canoe paddles
carved with aboriginal designs and motifs
give the small Squamish home a sense of local
standing. A black and white cat on a stufed
rocker rests its eyes.
Rika Lyne, wearing a cream-colored
feece vest and rubber house slippers, carefully
pecks and swipes at her iPad on the table, pulling
up emails and news articles while reading them
out loud. Modest in stature, her curly brown
hair outlines a face sofened with age. Rika is
part of a grassroots group, known as Friends
of the Squamish Chief , whose members aim to
protect the Stawamus Chief Provincial Park for
future generations. Te group was the primary
and, in their words, very vocal opposition to
the gondola project, unwilling to have a gondola
be built in the Chief s backyard.
To Rika and the other members of the
group, many of whom worked to create the park
during its inception, the construction of the
gondola through the park is a blow to what they
have worked so hard to protect. Compounding
that is the groups perception that the Sea to Sky
Gondola Corporation actively worked to keep
key project developments out of the public eye,
giving groups like Rikas less time to react and
organize protests. Her husband, Mel, similarly
passionately involved with the group, believes
that the Gondola people intentionally wanted
to keep it quiet because they knew there would
be opposition from the environmental forces
around Squamish.
Tey kept it from going public until
they knew they couldnt be stopped.
ne of the key steps the corporation
needed to accomplish in order to secure
the future of the project was to purchase
and rezone a plot of land near the Sea to Sky
Highway which would serve as the gondola base.
Te land parcel, previously owned by the Land
Conservancy of British Columbia, was rezoned
and purchased back-to-back in a matter of days.
But prior to the sale, the conservatory,
forced to sell the land due to fnancial reasons,
drafed a special covenant preventing the land
from being used for a gondola up the Squamish
Chief. However, the recent gondola proposal
bypasses the covenant as it does not go up the
Chief but rather through the park and up to a
nearby ridge, ending a few hundred meters
outside of park boundaries.
the recreational values of the park involved.
Not everyone seems to share the ministers
opinion, however, with many activists making
the argument that the gondola would erode the
recreational values of the park.
But the Sea to Sky Gondola
Corporation, lead in part by previous Intrawest
employees and their development company
Ground Efects, believes the gondola will get
the tourism dollars Squamish needs, bringing
hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to
Squamish and reinvigorating local businesses.
Te gondola ride, which takes eight minutes and
costs $30, brings visitors up 800 meters to a ridge
behind Te Chief. Tere, people can enjoy views
of Howe Sound and the surrounding mountains,
walk along level nature paths, or eat in the
mountain top lodge. Additionally, the gondola
opens up new areas to be discovered, previously
only accessible by a forest service road. Te
potential for mountain biking and backcountry
skiing means the project has activities to ofer
for people of varying athletic capabilities.
Te Gondola proponents, afer
experiencing delays and heavy opposition to
previous proposals, were now familiar with
how to get their new project approved. During
the approval process, the Sea to Sky Gondola
Corporation met with dozens of special interest
groups to gain support for the project. Local
Squamish business were also courted, and,
eager for any promise of economic growth, gave
support to the multi-million dollar project.
To Rika Lyne and the other Friends of
the Squamish Chief, the approval process was
frustrating and disheartening, a failed public
campaign unable to thwart the development
oriented agenda of the current government. We
arent radical environmentalists. We just like the
wilderness and would like to have some for our
kids.
But the Chief looks on, curious, but
unfazed by the new developments going on in its
backyard. To the Chief, the gondola, like the pulp
mill, and like the saw mill, is just the next chapter
of change for Squamish. Loggers replaced by
tourists, chainsaws with digital cameras. Te
Chief remains standing, comfortable knowing
that the wind will continue blowing through the
trees along its back, the rain splashing across its
face, while the stars spin overhead.
O
Rika, along with rest of the members
from Friends of the Squamish Chief, were happy
with their success at thwarting the gondola
proposals from previous years, but were out
maneuvered by the gondola proponents in their
next and fnal attempt for project approval,
caught unaware when it was too late to react.
Te land was bought and the permits were in
place. Mel, speaking on the gondola process and
expressing his own frustration, said the gondola
corporation greased all the wheels they needed
to. Tey had all of their ducks in a row. Tese
guys are sneaky.
Once the land for the terminals was
secured, the next major step was getting the
park-use permit for a kilometer-long corridor of
class A park land necessary for the construction
of the gondola. Te permit, issued by the BC
Ministry of Environment late last year, was the
fnal regulatory step for the project.
Te legislation associated with a
park permit stipulates that a permit may only
be issued if in the opinion of the minister,
to do so is necessary to preserve or maintain
Tousands of visitors hike to the Chief each year.
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Troughout British Columbia, First Nations communities are
investing in alternative energy projects
By: Jon Farmer
f you drive for eight and a half hours through
Northern British Columbia, north on high-
way 37 from its junction with the Trans-
Canada Highway between Smithers and Terrace
past rivers and mountains, through provincial
parks youll arrive at the village of Good Hope
Lake. Te Dease River First Nation lives there,
on the shores of the lake that gave the town its
name. Before you arrive at the band ofce or the
gas station the frst in 120 km you will pass
the generating plant. It is a small building that
houses two diesel generators. Passing through
the town at any time of day or night, at any time
of year, you will hear one running, powering the
communitys homes.
Twenty-fve First Nations communi-
ties in British Columbia are too remote to draw
electricity from the provincial electrical grid.
Whether they are nestled along the coast line, in
the mountains, or on islands, these communities
share a common challenge: they cannot access
the power available through BC Hydros 18,500
km of electrical transmission lines; they must
produce their own.
Diesel powers the majority of these
communities. Loud, environmentally destruc-
tive, and unreliable, diesel generators create
tonnes of green-house gas (GHG) emissions
each year and produce electricity at more than
double the cost of some alternatives. Many of-
grid First Nations are actively building part-
nerships and gathering resources necessary to
replace their diesel generators with clean and
lucrative projects of their own.
One hundred kilometres south of
the British Columbia/Yukon border, the Dease
River First Nation (DRFN) of Good Hope Lake
is one of them. Yukon Electric currently owns
and operates the communitys diesel generators
but meeting their electrical demands costs more
than money.
Having that diesel generation right
here in the community, and diesel generation for
that matter, is a huge liability, said Elvis Fjellner,
General Manager for the Dease River Devel-
opment Corporation. Its in the middle of the
community; you hear it roaring constantly.
In addition to high-costs and GHG
emissions, Good Hope Lakes diesel generators
are unreliable and power outages are common.
Like other communities that rely on diesel, they
require multiple generators as back-ups in the
event of a breakdown or to accommodate peak
demand. Back-up generators usually kick-in
within a few seconds of a failure, but when the
power stays of for more than a few minutes it
means that something is seriously wrong.
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Te Atlin Hydro Project in northern British Columbia.
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In 2003, Fjellner lived in one of the
houses closest to the generators just a stones
throw away from the communitys power
source. Early on one dry summer evening the
lights went out, and stayed out. When operators
investigated, the cause of the failure was obvi-
ous: they were out of fuel.
When Fjellner arrived the air reeked
of diesel, not the familiar smell of exhaust. A
leak had dumped 30,000 litres of fuel into the
soil. Te earth around the fuel tank and genera-
tors was wet, like a cloud burst had drenched
one small area but lef the surrounding ground
dry. It was the largest of four spills at the genera-
tor since 1996.
o reduce their dependency on diesel and
lessen their environmental footprint, the
DRFN is working to replace their diesel
generators with a run of river project that will
produce electricity on Troutline Creek, 20km
away from Good Hope Lake.
Run of river projects divert water
from rivers, running pipe alongside the rivers
natural course until the fall in elevation has pro-
duced enough pressure to generate power. Te
pipe can run for several kilometres before reach-
ing the generating station where it is compressed
through jets to spin turbines and returned to the
river.
Unlike dams, run of river projects pre-
serve river fow, ensuring a base fow rate to pre-
serve the rivers ecology. When fow decreases in
the winter, there may not be enough excess wa-
ter to run turbines and communities must then
rely on diesel generators.
Cleaner and more reliable than diesel,
the Troutline Creek project will generate up to
2.5MW and exceed the communitys electrical
needs for most of the year. With a community
demand of only 1 MW, excess electricity will
power the nearby town of Jade City and a re-
gional mining operation. Most importantly, it
will be owned by the First Nation itself.
Te DRFN is negotiating an agree-
ment with BC Hydro that will ensure reliable
electrical generation and steady income for the
band. Although they will continue to rely on
diesel generation during winter months, the die-
sel generators themselves will be relocated out-
side of the community.
wo of the 25 of-grid First Nations in Brit-
ish Columbia are already producing pow-
er with small scale hydro projects. Te
Taku River Tlingit (TRT) of Atlin began gener-
ating electricity with a band owned run of river
project in 2009. It supplies all of the power to
the town of Atlin and, unlike Good Hope Lakes
Troutline Creek project, has enough river fow
to power the community year round.
Prior to the run of river project, pow-
ering Atlin a northern BC town of 450 people
required 1.5 million litres of fuel and produced
roughly 4,500 tonnes of GHG annually. Shutting
down their generators was equivalent to remov-
ing 1,600 cars from the road.
Communities like Atlin and Good
Hope Lake that want cleaner and more reliable
power can fnd support from BC Hydros Remote
Community Electrifcation program. Trough
the program, BC Hydro takes over the electri-
cal production and distribution in remote com-
munities. Where it can, BC Hydro purchases
electricity from community owned independent
power projects and sells it back through its dis-
tribution grid. Another initiative the Standing
Ofer Program incentivizes small independent
producers by mandating that BC Hydro pur-
chase independently produced electricity from
clean energy projects producing fewer than 15
MW. For some remote communities, alternative
energy projects easily undercut the high costs of
diesel production and allow the band to charge a
premium.
BC Hydro is able to pay more for re-
newable energy from independent power pro-
ducers in remote communities if it ofsets the
cost of diesel generation, said one employee.
Te promise of stable economic de-
velopment motivated the Atlin Hydro Project.
Te First Nation has a major mission of try-
ing to produce their own source money, money
thats not handed out by Indian and Northern
Afairs, said Stuart Simpson, General Manager
of the Atlin Hydro Project. Government funding
comes with restrictions, independently created
wealth does not.
Producing their own power provides
the TRT with stable income and keeps funds
within the community. All of us paying our fuel
bills to Yukon Hydro and them spending it on
diesel they buy from Edmonton or Calgary was
no beneft to Atlin at all, Simpson said, We
wanted to keep the money in the community;
its one of the tenants of economic development.
With $16.4 million in capital, the At-
lin Hydro Project is a substantial investment for
a small and remote community. Large develop-
ment projects require capital but remote com-
munities may not have the resources necessary
to complete them. Lack of capacity money
and expertise is the largest barrier to develop-
ment. However, a variety of funding programs
and organizations can help remote First Nations
pursue alternative energy projects.
When they started exploring alterna-
tive energy possibilities in 2001, the TRT created
a community energy plan, a novel undertaking
at the time. A $140,000 partnership with BC
Hydro helped fnance the two and a half year
planning process that assessed energy usage, ef-
fciency opportunities, and generating potential
in the community. Te TRT decided to develop
their current generating system afer a year of
testing other wind, hydro, and geothermal pos-
sibilities within their territory.
he initial planning work and site testing
is crucial for a projects success but also
the most difcult to fund. Te most
risky part of these projects is the upfront feasi-
bility work, says John Ebell, a consultant and
co-founder of the Barkley Project Group, a
management and consulting frm specializing
in small hydro power developments. You can
spend 10 or 20 or 50 thousand dollars on it and
it can fall fat on its face if its not a good one.
According to Ebell, the initial feasibility phase is
where communities need the most support. Al-
though it is less expensive than construction, the
returns are not guaranteed and that risk deters
investors. Feasibility work and assessments are
a major component of the community energy
planning process which is now the standard frst
step for communities wishing to develop clean
energy projects.
BC Hydro, the provincial and federal
governments all ofer programs to support First
Nations through the initial planning stages. Te
provincial government operates a $5 million fund
specifcally to help First Nations communities
build capacity and equity positions in clean ener-
gy developments within their territories. Similar
programs made the Atlin Hydro Project possible.
T
T
T
hese government incentives are also avail-
able to on-grid First Nations that want to
pursue green energy projects for their
economic and environmental benefts. In 2012-
13 the federal department of Aboriginal Afairs
and Northern Developments ecoENERGY pro-
gram funded 16 First Nations energy projects in
British Columbia. Communities received fund-
ing for hydro, wind, solar, biomass, and geother-
mal projects. But participation in the available
funding and support programs is not automatic:
communities must actively pursue them. As
such, leadership and community support are
prerequisites for successful development.
In 2007 the TSou-ke First Nation
36 km west of Victoria on Vancouver Island
conducted a community visioning process that
identifed energy autonomy, food security, cul-
tural revival, and economic self-sufciency as
guiding community values.
With that community mandate,
TSou-ke installed 75 kilowatts of solar produc-
tion in fewer than fve months with the support
of 20 partner organizations. Teir community
administrative buildings are now net zero ener-
gy consumers, selling excess energy to the grid
during the summer and buying power back dur-
ing the dark winter months. TSou-ke has also
installed 39 solar hot water heaters on houses in
the community.
To increase the projects long-term
benefts, eleven community members trained
as technicians during the installation process.
Tose technicians are now employed on a $12
million project to install solar hot-water on 1000
homes in a neighbouring municipality.
TSou-ke is determined to share what
they have learned in their development process.
Energy issues are not unique to First Nations,
and to help spread their message TSou-ke part-
nered with the University of Victoria to ofer an
annual symposium on First Nations renewable
energy development. Te most recent took place
in February 2012 and brought together First Na-
tions leaders, students, renewable energy indus-
try leaders, and government representatives.
Te Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) of
Burrard Inlet share similar aspirations. A com-
munity of only 500 on Vancouvers North Shore,
TWN is advocating for clean energy develop-
ment through a alternative energy investments
of their own and an upcoming public conference
to discuss a post-oil economy. Over the past 20
years, TWN developed an economic vision that
has transformed them into an economically vi-
brant community. Land developments, an eco-
tourism business, and green energy investments
have transformed TWN into leaders by example.
he band started TWN Wind Power in
2011 to provide community scale wind
turbines to First Nations across North
America. Teir projects power individual com-
munity buildings and can be completed more
quickly than large scale alternative generating
projects.
What were seeing right now is that
many communities that have looked at larger
facilities are now scaling back and saying that
they should look at smaller community based
projects, get those projects implemented, learn
how the complete development process works,
and use that education and that experience to
revisit some of these larger projects, said Marc
Soulliere, TWN Wind Power President & CEO.
But not every community has to start
small and some successfully meet the develop-
ment and funding challenges. In Good Hope
Lake, Fjellner is excited about the benefts the
Troutline Creek project will have for his com-
munity.
Teres the clean energy side of that
and theres the noise factor, theres also the rev-
enue that we will potentially generate from this.
We dont know the exact numbers yet but the
potential for revenue from this project, down
the road when its paid of, is going to be huge
for this community.
T
T
As Craig got up to leave, I asked him
one fnal question regarding what he thought
Quest could do for the Squamish community. I
think a university like Quest could do a lot of
things for Squamish. Tere is a lot of leadership
capacity available in the student body and at the
same time, Squamish is known to have a huge
volunteer community. Having that injection of
brainpower into this kind of town could create
a strong and positive legacy for both communi-
ties.
I am now in my fourth year at Quest
University and have never looked back. Te
memories of fearing the unknown are now
replaced with memories of learning, friend-
ship and community. Afer graduation, and for
many years to come, I will look back in awe at
the most infuential chapter of my life. Although
the Squamish locals are yet to fall in love with
Quest, I believe they could come to love the
Quest community the way I do now. I share the
same feelings for the Squamish community, as it
is the place I grew up. Squamish is a wonderful
community, and it sickens me to see two amaz-
ing communities separated by hearsay and fear.
In the future, I hope to see my ofspring open
their acceptance letters and be happy with their
accomplishment, even in the absence of the ac-
ceptance of others. As a local student and resi-
dent, I wish to be the catalyst for change in Squa-
mishs perception of Quest.
QUESTONNG PERCEPTON
continued from page 12
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No longer just a childish hideout, illegal tree houses
battle bureaucracy in the Squamish Valley.
B y : Mo l l y P a y n e
heres a secret in this forest. Te mist
lingers lazily in the treetops. Moisture is
thick in the air, like damp wool, yet still
fresh. Moss oozes through the forest, draped
over the outstretched tree branches like a shaggy
green sweater, cascading towards the ground.
Te stillness is pervasive, except for the thick
raindrops thudding towards the ground from
the Douglas fr tips towering above. A grove of
old growth giants stands, shooting towards the
sky, the foundation of the forest.
Tere, built around a towering hem-
lock out of a 45-degree slope, is an elegant wood-
en egg structure, dim light glowing through the
windows. Welcome to the Hemlof, Whistlers
illegal tree house.
Imagine investing years of meticu-
lous planning, gathering of resources, countless
afernoons, and creative thought to produce a
project, only to have it torn down. Tere are a
handful of tree houses in the Squamish valley,
many of which are on either private or crown
land, rendering them illegal. Te Hemlof is
built on crown land, meaning that the govern-
ment in the name of the monarch owns it. 94%
of British Columbia is crown land
Is there something about the secrecy
and legal status the Hemlof and other illegal
tree houses that make them special? What drives
people to build tree houses in the frst place?
Joel Allen, a young, thrill seeking
Whistler resident, is a proud creator of one such
tree house, an elegant egg shape and a delight-
ful surprise for the lucky traveler that stumbles
upon it. Allens intentions are straightforward. I
guess I just wanted to build something cool,
wrote Allen in his blog explaining why he built
the Hemlof. It seemed too simple, but it was
true. Te driving force behind the whole thing
was a simple, yet inexorable desire to build
something cool. Tere were no practical motives
or profound meanings.
Allen managed to build something
very cool indeed. Te Hemlof, built around a
sturdy Hemlock tree, is not your average tree
house. Its round shape looks natural in the land-
scape, as nature doesnt know corners and sharp
straight lines. It is built about three feet of of
the ground, with a bridge of circular wooden
stepping-stones attached to a log that leads to
the door. Its design reveals the creative efort
and time that Allen invested in the planning and
building of this aesthetically pleasing tree pod.
Allen, a self-employed carpenter and
world traveler, fell in love with his girlfriend,
Heidi, on a trip to Slovenia. Te two worked
together on the lof during their summers in
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"t seemed too
simple, but it was true.
The driving force
behind the whole thing
was a simple, yet
inexorable desire to build
something cool.
L I V I N G
L I V I N G L I V I N G
Whistler. Allen wishes to share this enchanting
orb with other travelers, but this may no longer
be an option if ofcials fnd the lof. Tey have
the power to tear it down, fne Allen for $20,000,
give him a 60-day jail sentence, or all three ac-
cording to the British Columbia Land Act. Te
trick is, only a few know its exact location.
In order to protect Te Hemlof, the
location is kept secret. But, since Joel has made
the Hemlof public through his website and al-
lowing Dwell magazine to frst publish his pho-
tos, he has made a decision about its security.
I had two options: I could rent a pit bull and a
shotgun and neurotically circle the premises for
the next ten years of my life, OR I could just
not care, and welcome whatever curious pros-
pectors wander in my direction, wrote Allen in
his blog.
So if you happen to run across the
Hemlof on a hike or while ski touring, the doors
are open to visitors. It is an oasis for releasing
the cluttered mind or a secret place to steal a kiss
from a loved one afer a long day of wandering.
Tat is, if it will be standing the next time some-
one seeks it. If the Hemlof is a public good, why
is it at risk of being destroyed?
ree houses have a fascinating history, and
peoples reasons for building them are
quite diverse. Considered by many adults
in our society to be merely a childs playhouse,
tree houses have been used for longer than one
may consider, and are found in unexpected
places.
Te Korowai, an isolated group of
people native to Papua New Guinea, have lived
in tree houses for centuries. Te tree houses
tower above the jungle canopy up to 45 meters
above ground, built on a single sturdy Banyan
tree. Sleeping in the treetops protects the Ko-
rowai from the evil spirits that they believe to
wander the jungle, and the hungry, malarial
swarms of mosquitoes clouding the air below.
In the West, tree houses became fa-
mous afer Johann David Wyss frst published
Swiss Family Robinson in 1812. Te Robinson
family fnd themselves on a tropical island, af-
ter being shipwrecked somewhere in the East
Indies, and build themselves a huge tree house
complete with a library. Te story sparks the
childish spirit of readers to this day, you will still
fnd little kids swinging in the Swiss Family Rob-
inson tree house replica in Disneyland.
Tree houses trigger memories of
childhood stakeouts and secret meetings in the
backyard. Signs scribbled with No Girls Al-
lowed! made by little boys with scraped knees
and holes in their jeans have sent many a little
sister into a tantrum or two. But in 1974, Julia
Butterfy Hill showed the world that girls can
live in trees too, and they dont have to be little.
Hill camped out in a 180 foot Cali-
fornia Redwood tree for 738 days, preventing
the Pacifc Lumber Company from chopping it
down. Te young activist lived in Luna the tree
on two six foot by six-foot platforms, using so-
lar powered cellphones for interviews and had
her meals hoisted up to her by an eight-mem-
ber support team. Battling 40 mph winds and
hoards of angry loggers paid of, when in 1999
the company agreed to preserve Luna and all
trees within 200 f. Tanks to Julia and Luna,
tree houses made the leap from playhouse to
green movement.
Tree houses are still sprouting up all
over the world, many made now with the inten-
tion of creating a sustainable lifestyle, bringing it
back to the basics. Derrick Pawlowski, a warm-
hearted traveling artisan and student of the
University of British Columbia, is currently in
the process of creating a sustainable tree house
living community in the jungle of Costa Rica.
Current building practices dont seem to be a
viable, long term sustainable action. One of our
aims is to rethink peoples images of what build-
ing should cost or look like, says Pawlowski.
Te community intends to use green materials
and methods to build, having as little impact on
the environment as possible.
t was this back to basics attitude that frst led
Joel Allen to build the Hemlof. Allen was frst
introduced to carpentry by Old Man John, af-
ter the two met at the Hills Garlic Festival in the
Kootenays of British Columbia. He was a magi-
cal looking character with long hair and a wispy
white beard, like that of a benevolent wizard
from Lord of the Rings, wrote Allen in his blog.
He was a quintessential hippie, not like one of
the neo-pop-hippies of today, but a true maver-
ick who had managed to squeeze through the
golden years without frying every last brain cell.
A self-taught carpenter, Old Man
John spent most of his time building funky
buildings and structures around his property,
both for himself and his animals. Formerly a
sofware developer, Allen made a crucial deci-
sion about his career with the help of Old Man
John. Tis is when I realized that Id rather be
looking through the window of a cool building,
than the window of an LCD laptop, wrote Allen.
So Allen packed his bags with his sights set on
the world famous Whistler, BC, where he would
pursue a career in carpentry.

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Old Man John
To build a tree house is a unique task. Not only
does it require the hands-on skills of carpen-
try, but also the skill is ofen passed down from
one generation to the next. Fox (name has been
changed), a part time student, part time singer
songwriter and builder of an illegal tree house
in the Squamish area, learned to build from his
father. Fox and his father built a tree house to-
gether when he was a kid, and is now applying
these skills on his own in a patch of forest owned
by a corporation.
Fox referred to one of his favorite
books Shelter by Lloyd Kahn to articulate his
feelings on the matter. In times past, people
would grow their own food, make their own
clothes, and fashion their own homes. Knowl-
edge of these fundamental skills was passed
down from father to son, mother to daughter,
and master to apprentice, writes Fox. But as we
continue to develop new tools and technology
to make our lives easier, we forget these foun-
dational skills. I think that they are invaluable,
for they give a person the ability to function in-
dependently and self sufciently, but they also
give one an appreciation for the time and efort
necessary for true crafsmanship.
If we let these skills slip away, I be-
lieve our complete reliance on technology will
foster a sheltered generation who knows noth-
ing of hard work, quality, and is dependent on
society to fulfll basic needs for shelter, food,
etc, writes Fox.
ut learning to build requires materials,
which can add up to be quite pricey, es-
pecially for a young person with lots of
dreams and little funding. When Allen realized
that he had already spent $6,500 on the Hem-
lof and expected to spend another $10,000 to
$12,000 to fnish the job, he started to think
about alternatives.
Te idea was born when Allen was
scanning Craigslist looking for a couch to put
in the Hemlof. He noticed one advertisement
ofering a solid wooden door, and then one
popped up for over 200 feet of hardwood. And
the best part: it was all free. A new obsession was
born. Every evening, for the next two months, I
trolled craigslist, compulsively refreshing every
few seconds, wrote Allen. He managed to score
$10,000 worth of free materials.
Craigslist is not the only way to work
around a tight budget. Jack Douglas (name has
been changed), a student and carpenter, spent
his Saturday nights dumpster diving for building
materials for his forest library tree house. Afer
hitting construction site scrap piles and dump-
sters in the wee hours of the night, he managed
to construct a tree house having spent only $50.
I may have been in over my head when I found
myself straightening out used bent-up nails,
wrote Douglas in an email.
efore shoulder muscles are tightened and
torn from hauling piles of lumber through
the woods, you must fnd the perfect tree.
Allen spent a great deal of time wandering the
forests of Whistler on his of days, but the cheap-
est land for sale in the area was around one mil-
lion dollars. So, he made the decision to build
on crown land.
Tere were certain self-imposed
rules to building on crown land. In my back-
wood explorations, I had come across a number
of run down squats that had become a desecra-
tion to the pristine beauty of the forest, wrote
Allen. I resolved to have a clean site, without
personal belongings. Afer all, it was common
land, and I wanted to respect that.
One day, Allens wanderings came
to a halt. An outcropping covered in sunlit
moss caught his eye, so he scrambled his way
up the steep slope over the deadfall and rocks.
Te slope seemed nearly vertical. A view of the
distant mountain range through a thin veil of
branches greeted him at the top. It was breath-
taking, wrote Allen. Tere was a light breeze,
and the sun fltered through the swinging tree-
tops in defned shafs, causing the light to dance
playfully on the moss. He was scanning the area
when one of the bigger trees caught his eye. It
shot out of a 45-degree slope, but it was perfectly
proportioned, remarkably straight, and bare
of branches up to the sweeping canopy 60 feet
above the forest foor. He had found it.
Fox found his perfect tree in a large
forested area in Squamish. Te only problem
was that a corporationwhich in Foxs opinion
could use some lessons in housekeepingowns
the land. He has found garbage ranging from old
TVs to bags full of deer ribs in the area around
the tree house site. Taking on the job of faithful
forest steward, Fox cleans up whatever garbage
he fnds near the tree house.
If they did fnd me, I think it would
be more destructive to take it down than leave
it up and let me keep cleaning up around there,
says Fox.
Respecting the land on which the tree
house is built is a must for these crafy carpen-
ters, including the tree that supports the struc-
ture. When building a tree house we need to be
really mindful and careful not to harm the sup-
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Joel and Heidi on the deck of the Hemlof
porting trees and environment, says Derrick
Pawlowski on his intentions for the Costa Rican
tree house community. Tis is a valuable refec-
tion on development in the rest of the world. If
we are not mindful of building & expanding in
a healthy, sustainable way, we are at risk of dam-
aging or even killing the environment that sup-
ports us.
W
hen you are building on private or
crown land, however, no matter how
pristine a tree house builder keeps the
forest, there is always a risk of the tree house be-
ing taken down. Jack Douglas tree house is cur-
rently on corporatly owned land, and is his only
tree house still standing. All of his previous tree
houses have been torn down, be it due to a com-
plaining neighbors or an electric company. No
matter what, my tree houses always seemed to
be combating bureaucracy, as holds true today,
wrote Douglas in an email.
However, to be considered a tree
house, the structure must be up in a tree, which
could potentially lead to dangerous situations
that may cause injuries. If something were to oc-
cur on privately owned land, the owner could be
liable if the case were taken to court. So for pri-
vate property owners, a tree house built on their
land that they dont know about could lead to
serious legal trouble.
Now the question is, what will be the
fate of these illegal tree houses? Will Allen win
his battle with bureaucracy? Joel Allen has post-
ed a poll on his website of what Hemlock fans
think he should do. Te options are: try and buy
the land the tree house is on (about nine square
feet), make it a public campsite (which invov-
les legal hoops), make a fun geo-caching game
out of it, or play it safe and take it down. 14,848
viewers voted for Allen to buy the land.
Building an experimental orb
deep in the woods, with no electrical pow-
er, isnt the reccommended way to ease
your way into carpentry. However, I was
armed with a couple of the most power-
ful tools a carpenter can have: blind naivete
and supreme determination, wrote Allen.

arch in southern Colorado. Its
bright and sunny, blue skies, a sharp
cold wind sweeping in fromthe west
and the sun idling in the southern sky. On the
same day in March, nearly 4800 kilometers north
in Squamish, BC, the weather is entirely difer-
ent. Clouds heavy in the sky, rain tearing down
for the ffh consecutive day, and fog settling into
the sound. Tese two places are worlds apart, but
they are faced with many of the same concerns.
Te move towards renewable energy, in many
cases solar, is ofen championed as a universal
solution with positive outcomes. But not all en-
vironments have the same amount of sunlight,
and unknown to many, there are environmental
concerns with solar panels. On top of that, there
are ofen economical drawbacks to going solar,
ofset by subsidies. Is solar a viable option for
more than just a few, select location.
Search online for solar power, and
theres a daunting list of new articles and reports
covering a range of scales and locations. Solar
has gained popularity as a renewable resource,
even becoming a poster child of green energy.
In 2010, the Obama administration agreed to in-
stall solar panels on the White House to lead by
example (although panels have yet to go up).But
is that the example that should be encouraged?
Total solar power output is currently
very low. In the US and Canada, solar accounts
for less than one percent of total energy produc-
tion. However, that view doesnt give full credit
to the small, residential capabilities of solar.
Te need for renewable energy is
strong. Many traditional fuel sources, such as pe-
troleum, are depleting faster than they recover.
Scientifc predictions estimate that petroleum
reserves will be depleted by the end of the 21st
century.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells are a po-
tential solution, since they tap into a relatively
inextinguishable power source, the sun. Solar
power can also be tailored for specifc situations.
It can be scaled for small, one-room home ap-
plications, or it can create massive felds that tie
into the grid.
Solar alternatives to PV panels do
exist. In Squamish alone, there are four gov-
ernment-sponsored solar water heater projects
installed around town. One of these systems is
installed at Glacier Gallery Bed and Breakfast,
where owner Peter Austen claims that the instal-
lation produces 80 gallons of hot water on sunny
days and reduces bills by almost 60%. Te heater
is a simple, roof-mounted, passive-solar design.
Pressurized by the Squamish city network, the
water is forced through a row of exposed pipes,
heated, thenstored for later use. Austenwouldnt
comment on howofen the systemproduced full
output, but he did note that the water would stay
?1"$"$% $)> *"%1# ,$ 2,*'0
Is solar an ultimate fx, or just an over-hyped distraction?
By: Forrest Getz
M
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hot for a couple of days.
InAustens case, the afordability of the
solar heater unit wasnt a major consideration.
He explains that subsidies covered about 90% of
the $5000 solar heater installation two years ago,
although those subsidies are no longer available.
Solar is ofen a solution when there
is no grid available, or when the cost of bring-
ing the grid in would be astronomical. Outside
of Creede, Colorado, kilometers up a dirt road,
tucked into the base of forested slopes, well past
power or telephone lines, there is a scattering of
cabins stretched over a few kilometers. Tey are
mostly summer residences, mainly because of
heavy snow in the winter, old, faded logs remi-
niscent of a past era. But an increasing number
of people are installing solar power systems in
this area. Te man who has installed most of
these systems, Gary Brumley, is an electrical
contractor, solar specialist and family friend. On
an August evening, he stops by to kick back on
a south-facing porch and enjoy the scenery. He
is of mediumheight, perhaps 59, well-built and
trim for being in his 50s. He wears blue denim
jeans and a well-loved grey and brown fannel
shirt, as well as a ball-cap carrying the name of his
personal business: Tiny Electric. Te cap cov-
ers short grey hair, but the seams are permeated
by weeks of sweat. A short, scraggly beard fts on
his face, rather unkempt, almost as if he has gone
several too many days without a trim (which in
all likelihood he has).
Unlike the beard, his glasses do not ft
their frames much too large, enveloping a good
portion of his face. Te perspective is not only a
matter of his smaller features, but of the glasses
themselves. Tey are large antiqued things, with
bulky clear plastic frames, lenses scratched and
frames faded and opaque. Tey also hide the
glimmer in his eyes, instead refecting the lower-
ing sun. His quirky humor shows up as he makes
a cynical comment about how great it was to
work inside on a sunny day. He talks about being
able to make a profession out of solar installs. It
seems marginally possible, too. At the same time,
he drove three hours to install one new system
and upgrade another.
Tat evening was two years ago. Brum-
ley still installs solar systems, but notes that its
become a side job. Tere are fewer systems being
installed, due to cuts in government subsidies.
Te projects that remain are ofen made with
connections, requiring a considerable amount of
work just to get involved in. He also notes that
organizing these projects takes more manpower,
marketing, and salesmanship than his one-man
operation can muster.
Not really my strong suit. Brumley
concedes.
Martin Schuster, a student at Quest
University Canada, has been working on a proj-
ect that was originally going to incorporate solar.
His project a humble one room, frame dwelling
built on a trailer chassis currently sits on a hill
near Quest, but has reached a temporary stand-
still with electricity. Many of the components of
a home are already there: a bed tucked into the
rafers, a kitchen table, a small wall heater, a sink
and a stove. Tere are two lights and an outlet
for a laptop. But power is only supplied by two
car batteries which need to be charged. Schuster
originally planned on using solar panels, but re-
alized due to the intermittence of sunny days in
Squamish that it just didnt make sense.
Subsidies have changed the entire solar
market, not just in Squamish. Solar subsidies in
North America hit a high point right before the
global economic downturn in 2008. Major PV
panel producers, such as Suntech, First Solar, and
Sharp Solar ramped up production to meet in-
creasing demands. Ten the market fell through.
Available subsidies and subsequent demand
dropped, forcing manufacturers to lower their
prices. In the process, major companies took
tremendous falls. In 2008 alone, Suntech stocks
dropped from $80 per share to $10; other major
solar companies fared similarly.
However, as Dave Vonesch of SkyFire
Energy points out, the drop in panel prices have
made solar competitive with grid-supplied power
over time. Some SkyFire systems are reaching a
Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) of as low
as 9.5 cents/kWh, compared to an average 10
cents/kwh for on-grid systems. Vonesch, who
works in Alberta, is optimistic about the future
of solar power. He points to some of the success
stories in Germany, noting that a system in Al-
berta will produce about 45% more energy than
the same systemin Germany.
In Montrose, Colorado, there are still
a few new solar installs, notes Brumley, No ex-
treme boomor bust. He goes on to explain that
people with enough political connections are still
able to get subsidies and can justify new installs.
When talking about PV panels, people
generally dont talk about the less pleasant reali-
ties. But the truth is, theres a dirty side to solar
panels. First, the PV panel manufacturing pro-
cess creates toxic byproducts. One byproduct of
polysilicon-based manufacturing is silicon tet-
rachloride, which can acidify soil. In addition,
hazardous materials such as arsenic, lead, and
cadmiumare used to create panels.
Panel life is also important to consider,
as it have an environmental impact later on. Each
PVpanel has a limited useful life, generally 2030
years, at which point it needs to be replaced. Te
old, decommissioned panel is then considered
waste. However, PVpanel disposal is still deregu-
lated, leading to environmental hazards as chem-
icals, toxins, and heavy metals leech out into the
environment. Te frst large wave of used panels
is estimated to enter the waste cycle in fve years.
Instead of working with solar, Schus-
ter explains his plan for a microhydro system:
retroftting a car alternator with a propeller. He
says it should be able to put out enough energy
to keep the batteries charged. Itll keep producing
power rain or shine.
Yet one of the limiting factors of solar
power is still price. A modest, 3000 watt system
(enough for a 800 Sq, Ft. household) costs up-
wards of $15,000.Under ideal conditions, that
system would produce two dollars of power per
day. Te initial cost, along with a slow weather-
dependent payof, is a deterrent to many espe-
cially when cheaper, easier alternatives are avail-
able.
Te highest energy usage is tradition-
ally afer the sun sets, but solar panels, by them-
selves, have no mechanism to store energy. Tis
creates a problem. Te most common solution is
to use lead cell batteries for storage, but they re-
quire maintenance and are ofen messy. Lithium-
ion batteries are an alternative, but are unstable
and prone to overheat with continual use. Brum-
ley says he hopes to see capacitors used in the fu-
ture, but theres no guarantee.
Teres no guarantee for solar as a
whole. Advances in the feld are probable, but the
underlying issues are here to stay. One thing is
certain: the sun will keep shining.
Category
he tiny house sits atop of a trailer on a
golden grass hill, partially concealed by
young aspens. It looks out of place in
the middle of a freshly constructed, modern
campus. It was built for that reason, to be
completely detached. Looks of astonishment
sweep across passer-bys faces as the child-sized
door swings open and a full grown, abnormally
bronze, lanky man stumbles out, heading up to
class on a chilly February morning.
Te feelings of solitude and seclusion
are what drew Martin Schuster to build and
live in the tiny house. A thick French-German
accent tumbles out of the 20 year olds mouth
as he lackadaisically but proudly states, I really
enjoy being able to be in something I made.
Living of the grid is a sacrifce
that many make to experience enchanting
properties, cabins, and yurts tucked away
amongst the towering trees of Ring Creek
and Paradise Valley. Te homes themselves
hold years of memories, relationships, and
irreplaceable stories. However, there are no
statistics to factually represent the of grid
presence in Squamish. It remains a mystery until
one accidentally bumps into a small community
of cabins on a hike, or on a backcountry
expedition into Garibaldi Park. People seem to
fnd their homes in the same manner.
Since 1998, Lisa Bjornson, General
Manager at Black Tusk Realty, has lived with her
husband full time of the grid in the community
of Ring Creek. By some stroke of luck, Lisas
husband won the property in a Poker game. Te
only catch was that they needed to build some
type of structure or dwelling on it within a year.
Tus, the couple began work on their long-term
home.
Because Ring Creek is located
directly on the back of the Diamond Head
area of Garibaldi Provincial Park, the land is
owned by the province. Tere are about 18 full
time residences in the Ring Creek area. Tese
properties are called Crown Leases. Crown
leases are subdivided properties categorized as
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While of-grid communities lay tucked away in the Squamishs crevices
and niches, each home shares a powerful and unique story.
B y : B e l l a Ts e f a l a s
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Above: Martin Schuster moving his tiny house during construction
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the power systems are more expensive than
moving in to a pre-constructed home on the
grid. Upkeep also takes extra time and money.
Lisa compares her morning routine to her co-
workers (all living on the grid). By the time they
roll out of bed to make their morning cofee,
she has already been up to the creek to fetch
the water that froze over night, turned on her
generator because the micro hydro failed, and
has enjoyed her morning cofee.
For Eric Carlberg and Sara Kuitunen,
weathering through the rough patches of of-
grid living brought them closer. Eric and Sara
came to Squamish individually, but found each
other through their obsession with the rock
climbing and backcountry skiing Squamish has
to ofer. Taking full advantage of Squamishs
rugged, outdoorsy side, the couple made the big
move to a renovated train caboose deep in the
woods of Paradise Valley. Te caboose took a
decade to renovate. Jon Aven, the renovator, is
notorious for his architectural work around the
Sea to Sky corridor, and this project happened to
spur his career. Te caboose is well submerged
in the nature around it. Aven used a tree branch
from right outside to make the dining table, and
the drawers were made from a single piece of
wood from the area. He also built a giant deck
surrounding the caboose, to extend the foor
space of the home. A tree house and an outdoor
Above: Te train caboose in Paradise Valley, front and back. Photos provided by Erik Carlberg and Sara Kuitunen
recreational leases where one can build cabins,
homes, or other structures. Te couple took
initiative, and began to build a full sized home.
Instead of clear-cutting the space for their home,
the Bjornsons selectively cut around it and ft the
home into the space, even building their deck to
accommodate a single tree.
Once the Bjornsons settled on the
property, they had to set up alternative power
systems. Tere are two primary ways to power an
of the grid house: micro hydro and solar power.
Lisa chose the Micro Hydro system, hinting
that anyone who chooses to use solar power
in Squamish is insane. Micro hydro systems
thrive in places like coastal British Columbia,
where creeks and other water resources are
easily accessible.
In a town where sunny days are as
common as a white Christmas in Los Angeles,
solar power is not the best option for powering
a house. Ring Creek is located directly in
the forest, the trees covering up most of the
available light. Fortunately, for the Bjornsons,
a glacial stream runs straight through their
property, making micro hydro power possible.
Lisa explains that whereas the micro hydro
system is not a technology that somebody in
a city would use, but it works well in rainy
regions like Squamish.
Te micro hydro system works when
these months, and for random power outages,
every home must have a secondary source that
serves as backup when the central source fails.
In the Bjornsons case, it is the generator.
Of-grid living calls for constant
preparation. Ofen, properties dont have
connections to commonly used technology like
internet and cell phone reception. Lisa illustrates
how her neighbours Drive around with
chainsaws in their cars in case a tree falls down,
and how she is constantly armed with candles
and fashlights just in case the power fails.
Finding the right type of land to
accommodate basic living needs is a challenge.
One must have either access to solar energy or
a readily available water source to work a micro
hydro system. British Columbia also requires a
license to run micro hydro.
Buying the land and setting up
a certain amount of water from the running
stream creates pressure to spin a wheel. Te
spinning wheel sends the Direct Current (DC) to
the houses battery bank. Te homes logic centre
(a bank where all sources of power connect,
which all alternative homes have) then pulls
DC power out of the batteries and converts it to
alternating current (AC), which is present in the
house. Lisas micro hydro system feeds of this
stream for around 8 months of the year, as the
other four bring either drought or ice. During
hand-build a full sized house for his University
capstone project, it happens. Martin explained
how the little house arose out of a daydream
to build a house on wheels so [he] could live
anywhere [he wanted] in the house.
When Martin explained the process
of putting his houses wheels into action, part
of his personality unfurled. He began with the
risky mode of transportation. Te Gypsy, an
olive green army vehicle dated from the early
1960s, with failing breaks, and smaller than the
trailer itself, lugs the tiny home up a golden,
grassy, rock splattered hill. Te vehicle tediously
grunts and lurches, struggling to keep traction;
the chains that open its doors clang against the
hollow metal body. Te fnal destination is a
patch of young aspens a few metres away, and
somehow, everything makes it in one piece.
What is even more unbelievable is
that Martin, a second year University student,
managed to elegantly construct a home that
provides him with heat, water, and a place to
sleep.
In the present, the quirky little house
represents more than Martins workmanship,
with its hand-etched carvings in every corner,
and hand made cutlery. When asked a favourite
part of living this way he quickly responded,
coyotes come by every morning and look in the
window.
lifetime of intimate moments, the couple smiled
at each other and rushed on to illustrate their
favourite experiences in the caboose.
We had a caboose warming party.
We had lots of people over, and they camped
out in the garden, we had a band playing on the
deck, it was a full moon so the moon was rising
over the mountains behind us to illuminate the
deck. Te couple opened up the caboose to
many gatherings with friends of all ages, from
the Paradise Valley community to external
friend groups. During these gatherings Age was
meaningless, Sara concluded. Something about
the seclusion and connection to the surrounding
environment brought both lovers and friends
closer, forming an organic and harmonious
connection to the caboose. Te longer they
conversed about these moments, the more
special the caboose became to Eric and Sara.
Tis sentiment rang true for Martin and Lisa as
well.
Even though Martins tiny house
is still in its beginning stages, it has already
endured its fair share of memorable experiences.
However, to fully understand the tiny house, one
must understand a little about Martin. Martin is
known across his University campus for turning
what most people see as daydreams into reality.
If he wants to embark on a backcountry ski
expedition in the middle of July, or wants to
shower are hidden nearby as well. Tough just
recently moved out, the couple reminisces, Its
quite a magical place.
Tough aesthetically pleasing,
building codes and power shortages ofen
intercepted the peaceful lifestyle. An antique,
wood burning stove was a prominent
component of the cabooses rugged style, but
the landlord could not insure the house with it,
as it wasnt up to code. Instead, the couple was
forced to heat the place with propane, which
involved excessive labour, hauling the tanks
back and forth from home to town. Te couple
also faced constant car issues because of the
unkept dirt and gravel roads, and the abundance
of snow that blocked them in during the winter.
Living in a spacious on-grid home currently, the
couple expressed their realization of how much
one takes technology for granted when living on
the grid. Sara mentioned, you really appreciate
having a dishwasher.
Actually Erik paused as if hed
forgotten an extremely important detail. Slightly
struggling with his words he began, I think as
well, likeI felt very close and intimate with
Sara, just, moving out there with everything so
far away, and weve only got each other there. It
was a very warm, beautiful experience to be in
such a place with someone you love. As if this
single, charming statement suddenly spurred a
Above: Martin Schuster in his tiny house at Quest University
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Category
ome will tell you that the best things in life
come unexpectedly. When I was 16, my
dad and I took the 30-minute drive out of
Denver to see my grandmother. She lives in a
small cream-colored apartment in the suburbs of
Westminster, Colorado with a view of the brown,
grey mountains. Te apartment is small and
predictable. In the living room is a stone lined
freplace and mismatched furniture including
the chestnut leather chair my grandfather used
to sit in. My grandmother keeps a collection of
angel fgurines that sit on the freplace, usually
smiling and praying, glancing down at visitors.
Te apartment smells of lavender and
strongly scented Yankee candles. Te three of us
sat in the living room and began to talk around
the thick wood cofee table. All of the normal
subjects were covered: school, jobs, and family.
I almost forgot, my grandma said suddenly, I
have something to show you.
My usually reserved grandmother
shufed into her bedroom and returned with a
chestnut jewelry box. She gently unhinged the
box and pulled out a ring. Te ring was cone
shaped, with round rows of tiny, multicolored
stones that tapered to a single clear rock. I took
the ring and tried it on.
Afer smoothly sliding it on my fnger
I held my hand up to the light and watched as
the stones lit up, creating a glowing, colorful
mound atop my middle fnger. I got this when
I lived in Tailand with your grandfather. My
grandma said, glancing down at her now aged
hands. It doesnt ft my fngers anymore. You
should have it. Te ring, notoriously known in
my family as the man killer for its cone shape,
heavy with beautiful, semi-precious, stones, is
one of my favorite personal objects.
Our possessions are as unique as we
are. Some will treasure keepsakes passed down
through generations. Others may risk their
freedom to take the possessions of others. And
sometimes, individuals will pay thousands of
dollars for a potato chip shaped like Jesus.
We can be recognized by
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An exploration of the relationship between the things we
carry and our personalities
B y : M a d e l i n e E a g l e t o n
Above: InSite on Vancouvers East Hastings
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Bella with all of her treasures
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ourpossessions. By presenting a pipe,
magnifying glass, and a deerstalker hat, thoughts
of Sherlock Holmes come to mind. An item can
act as a mirror, a view into the many sides of an
individuals persona. Every keepsake, a ripped
sweater or family photograph, has a story of
importance. It is the stories behind the object
that reveal a connection between the things
we buy, receive, cherish, use, and carry into the
personalities we construct for ourselves.
Practicality
ella entered the room in quick, light steps.
She moved in fickering motions. Her
long, brown hair swung gently around her
shoulders as she stopped and paused in front of
the bed. Where should I put these? She asked,
nodding her head towards the heap of treasures
spilling from her arms.
Her hands worked quickly, shifing
the items onto my windowsill like two olive-
skinned humming birds, arranging the items
into a photogenic pile. Bella sat on the bed next
to the window and her pile of treasures. Her feet
swung gently above the ground, while white
light from the rainy day outlined her silhouette.
Bella Tsefalas is from Portland, OR.
Her prized possessions include essentials that
she would be lost without. It is this collection
of items that have allowed her to travel, run
marathons, and remember all the important
details we so ofen forget.
Bella brought her car keys, running
shoes, two bottles of perfume, two notebooks,
her favorite book right now, a picture that
represents her travels and her car, all of her
bracelets that she wears, and her back pack.
Two small notebooks, one black and one blue,
sat leather bound on top of her collection. Bella
keeps a notebook to save important mementos
she may need for later. Drawings, ideas, grocery
lists, directions to places, lyrics and even a pair
of dragonfy wings are kept between their pages.
I constantly keep [writing in] them; Bella said,
excitedly. I just got a new one for Christmas
that I will start very soon.
Another item that contributes a
large part of Bellas life are her running shoes.
Although she owns many pairs of running
shoes, the pair Bella balanced sofly in her lap
has been a central part of her past year. Tey
represent this whole year of running. Bella says,
[Tis year] Ive taken [running] to a whole new
level. Bella recently ran one full marathon and
another half marathon. She has come a long
way since frst starting to run at the age of 14.
I would run in my vans and a regular bra, with
my mom, trying to keep up with her. Bella said,
laughing, so [the shoes] now represent me
getting serious about running.
Running is something she does
everyday, and wants to do until the day she
can no longer can run. On damp west coast
mornings, Bella laces up and hits the muddy
trail. She runs on the balls of her feet, as if to
spend more time in the air then on the ground.
Te trees streak past her, fading lines of green
and brown along a moss-ridden trail. For hours,
she looses herself to the forest. It wakes me up
when Im tired and calms me down when Im
about to explode. Bella explains. Im pretty
sure Im addicted to it.
Te most important item sat
slumped, separate from the pile. Te bag is from
an army surplus store and has traveled with Bella
for six years. Te front is decorated with a patch
from an old, colorful baby tee shirt that was
passed down through her and her two younger
sisters. On the back is a white, fading illustration
that Bella drew and silkscreened onto the bag in
high school. [Te bag] is always there for me
and I always have to have it with me, Bella said.
I cant go anywhere without it.
All of Bellas items serve a purpose
in her life. Te things I brought here allow me
to live the life that I live. She explained. All of
them have been with me for a long amount of
time and [refect pieces] of who I am.
Cultural Signifcance
G
urjit Cheema is from Vancouver, BC.
She walked into my room with only one
possession she wanted to show. A small
silver chain bracelet was held loosely in her
hands. However, this was not just any bracelet. It
was from Tifanys. Tifany and Co. has had a
cultural standing in little girls dreams since
Audrey Hepburn went to breakfast in a little
black dress. Because of brand names and cultural
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garnet, Alessandros birthstone, is said to be
more rare then diamonds. Its a pretty kingly
gif for sure. Alessandro said, smiling, lifing the
necklace over his head onto his neck. Alessandro
and Dorah are now continents away from each
other, and yet he is still able to catch her scent
from the gif, resting on his collarbones.
Afer putting on the necklace,
Alessandro picked up a small, wooden man.
Te man, given to Alessandro by his mother,
is from Cairo, Egypt and acts as a guardian
against anxiety. [My mom] said put this on
your desk and this little guy will watch over you.
Alessandro said.
Te little man has sat on Alessandros
desks over the years, since his frst year of
high school. Since then, there have been many
moments when he felt overwhelmed. Looking
up at the little man in a robe carrying a cane,
made of sof, light wood always helps to calm
his nerves. I think its just something my mom
must have made up, but it works. Alessandro
laughed. Alessandro has since lef home, but the
little man has kept watch over him.
Alessandro believes that personal
possession hold meaning when they are tied to
the people you love. He believes that owning
interesting items that represent you are great to
have, but having someone to remember, tied to
the objects you own, is even better.
Remembrance
A
lessandro Tersigni sat down on the bed
and folded his hands in his lap. He
smirked, allowing his mouth to create a
city boys half smile as he narrowed his green
eyes and cocked his head. He shifed his gaze
around the room. Nice light in here, He said,
reaching up a hand and running it through his
short, wavy, dark hair. His accent, not from
around here, danced around his expression and
animated his hands. Te sun was setting from
another rainy, west coast day.
Alessandro is an older brother, son
and long-term boyfriend from Toronto. He is
currently studying at Quest University as a third
year student. Alessandro is a four-hour plane
ride from home, but keeps home close through
his possessions.
Alessandro picked up black and amber
beaded necklace of the bed, letting the beads
catch the light from the setting sun. A lovely
woman gave it to me, Alessandro explained,
Dorah, my girlfriend. She made it too. Dorah
recently lef on a trip to South America for the
summer. Te matte black beads, made from
rose petals, were handmade by Doras stepfather
on Salt Spring Island. Tey smelled of roses,
Alessandros favorite fower. Dora, also, smells of
roses.
Te garnet beads, some burnt red-
orange and some yellow were made by Doras
real father who lived in Mexico. Te yellow
infuence, jewelry from a place like Tifanys
seems more special than any old bracelet.
Gurjit received her Tifany and Co.
bracelet when she was in grade ten. It was her
frst anniversary with her current boyfriend.
Tey have now been dating for fve years. I
wasnt really expecting getting it. Gurjit said,
I remember just getting him a box of chocolate
turtles and then he gives me this bracelet. She
laughed and blushed as she remembered the
memory tied to the bracelet.
On Dec 20th 2008, they went out
to dinner downtown and later took a walk on
the beach. As they walked along the shore, he
stopped and gave her the present. He told me
he loved me, Gurjit said. I was in absolute
shock and couldnt speak for a couple minutes.
Te bracelet is now usually kept in a safe spot in
Gurjits closet. When I come home Ill go into
my room and check if it is still there. Gurjit said.
I mean, it is always there, but Im so afraid of
loosing it that its nice to check. She feels that its
safer here with her at school then at home where
it could be misplaced or in danger of being taken
by one of her siblings.
Te bracelet holds a lot of signifcance
because of its ties to her boyfriend, but, again,
it is not just an ordinary bracelet. I like it, well,
maybe because it is from Tifany. Gurjit Said.
I wouldnt go out and buy myself a Tifany
bracelet, so when I got it, that made it special.
Its the little blue box you know?
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His persona
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Inside one of the worlds most denselv populated nations, a
rural-urban migration of unprecedented scale is taking place.
Faced with environmental pressures, manv Bangladeshis are
making the move to cities like Dhaka in search of urban oppor-
tunities but how manv more people can the citv handle?
B y : B r a d K l e e s
queezed against the window of the tightly
packed bus with my cheek against the glass
in a futile attempt to stay cool, I wondered
if I had ever been so close to so many people.
I had visited some of the worlds great cities
New York, Mexico City, Delhi, Buenos Aires
and wasnt prone to claustrophobia, but this
was pushing my limits. Tere wasnt space to
move a toe, and unloading meant pushing to-
wards the door, parting people like bamboo.
Tere were three of us on the two-seated
tweed bench. To my right was a rotund, mus-
tachioed man with a sharp suit and a cigarette
between his sweaty lips. On his right -- es-
sentially squatting in the aisle -- was a pencil
thin but sinewy strong day laborer, wearing
a loongi loincloth and with a jute basket be-
tween his sandaled feet. Dhaka is a city of
diferent opportunities for diferent people,
Te busesroofs loaded with the
parcels of those sitting inside and giving the
impression that they could tip at any moment
arrive from the rural areas in waves. As they
unload at the outer edges of the city, some pas-
sengers look around tentatively at the whirl-
wind of activity. Tey have come from villages
and towns in search of better pay and a better
life. For others, emerging from the bus into the
chaos of the city is nothing new. Te unpre-
dictability of rural life in Bangladesh means
that this has, for many, become frequent trip.
Migration is a fact of life, and half a million
people move to Dhaka permanently each year.
Facing environmental threats and
tempted by the opportunities of the city,
many in Bangladesh are heading for urban
centers like Dhaka in search of stability and
wages. Most of these migrants are absorbed
into the urban informal sector as tea, gum
and cigarettes sellers, garment workers, rick-
shaw pullers, and day laborers. Most will
end up living in one of the citys vast slums.
Rural-urban migration in Bangla-
desh is indicative of the movement to mega-
cities occurring across the developing world.
For the frst time in history, the majority of
the earths population lives in urban areas. By
2004, the global urban population was larger
than the total world population in 1960. Over
the next 30 years, virtually all of the worlds
population growth is expected to be concen-
trated in urban areas in the developing world.
ucked under the eastern arm of India,
Bangladeshs 160 million people live
packed inside an area the size of Illinois.
Te population density of Bangladesh as a
whole, rural and urban, is higher than the Seattle
metro area and as a proportion, there is less than
one square meter for each person in the country.
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Men and women head to work across the Brahmaputra river
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
I N T E R N A T I O N A L I N T E R N A T I O N A L
litical and military power was concentrated in
the leaders of West Pakistan. Te vast major-
ity of public spending was directed to the West
as well. In the 1970s, people were outraged by
what they saw as a lackluster response to a ma-
jor cyclone that hit East Pakistan. Te confict
reached new heights when the Awami League,
East Pakistans largest political party, won a
landslide victory in the national elections and
was denied their constitutional right to form
a government. Ten, in March of 1971 Awami
League leader Sheikh Mujibir Rahman gave a
speech that would act as a de facto declaration
of independence, booming out his famous line
this time the struggle is for our freedom to the
two million gathered at a race course in Dhaka.
Rahman would come to be known
as the Father of the Nation; photos of his
calm gaze and thick-rimmed spectacles still
adorn busses, walls and poles across the
country. Sheikh Hasina, Rahmans daugh-
ter, was the only member of his family to sur-
vive his brutal assassination plot in 1975 and
is the Prime Minister of Bangladesh today.
Between mid-March and late Decem-
ber of 1971, West Pakistan launched a pacifca-
tion mission that would ultimately leave millions
dead, and included targeted killings of high-
ranking Bengali military personnel, academics,
and doctors. Fighting for their homeland, the
Mukti Bahini, or Liberation Army of Bangla-
desh, were able to infict heavy losses on the West
Pakistan army despite their rag-tag equipment,
guerilla tactics, and largely civilian composition.
But it was not until shortly afer the interven-
tion of India in early December that Pakistan
was forced to surrender, and two month later
they signed Bangladeshs independence Tat
fateful day is celebrated annually by the proud
display of the countrys fag; a simple red sun
on a green background, symbolizing the blood
of martyrs spilled over Bangladeshs lush felds.
Suf and I gazed out over the city, en-
joying the breeze that is stifed in the streets. It
was peaceful up here, the chaos and garbage far
below us, the sounds muted by distance. But
If I had learned anything yet it was that in this
young country, things are changing quickly.
n December, three months afer descending
from Sufs roof, I stood on the dry bed of
the mighty Brahmaputra River, 180 kilome-
ters north of Dhaka in Gaibandha District. Te
silt under my feet was welcome afer a white-
knuckle drive ten hours from the city. Tough
much of the agricultural land of Bangladesh is
irrigated, this area had few wells and browning
plants hinted at a drought. It was hard to be-
lieve how wet the same spot would be in just a
few months time, when the change of seasons
would quench the thirsty plants and turn this
dusty landscape into one of water and islands.
Bangladesh has been shaped by, and
is dependent upon, its rivers. Te Brahmaputra-
Jamuna, the Ganges, and the Meghna dominate
the landscape. Tese great rivers constantly
reshape the physical landscape of the country
as they enter from the north. Churning wa-
ter deposits sedimentary islands in the midst
of the great rivers, known locally as chars.
Chars last no longer than ten years before be-
ing swept away by the water once again. Tese
temporary islands are home to more than
half a million of Bangladeshs poorest people.
Water is both a blessing and a curse
for the people of Bangladesh, especially those
living in the constantly changing landscape
of the north. Due in part to the sediment de-
posited annually by the great rivers, farmers
cultivating the northern foodplains beneft
from some of the countrys richest alluvial soil
and produce high yields. On the other hand,
horizontal geography and the concentration of
rivers and tributaries in the north also mean
that families face intense seasonal fooding.
Gaibandha is almost as far away as you
can get from bustling Dhaka while inside bound-
aries of the country, but to call it remote would be
misleading. Tere is hardly a corner of the coun-
try not packed with people. I jotted this entry
in my journal during my frst trip from the city:
I wanted to sleepbut the visuals ofered by the
countryside didnt allow much of that. Cow dung lined
the roadway, drying for fre fuel, and massive piles of
rice lay curing under large umbrellas. Bridges of single
bamboo poles hovered 20f above the fshing ponds
below, and naked children ran back and forth like agile
squirrels. In the fshing ponds themselves, more children
swamwith large silver pots, hoping to catch a fsh or
two for dinner. All of this was set [against] a stunning
background of green, neatly checkered by paddies and
stretching to meet the horizon.
It struck me at one point that even though we were in
the countryside, I had never ceased seeing people since
we lef Dhaka. Te rice paddies were crowded, and the
smallest of village[s] seemed to have hundreds of people
milling around in bright saris and loongis. Te youth
are especially numerous, walking the road with pots
of fsh and playing in the felds as their parents work
doubled over and ankle deep in the paddies.
I came to the north to write a paper
about one specifc char for Islamic Relief Bangla-
desh (IRB), a representative for which had met in
Dhaka. Down the path from the IRB headquar-
Given the sheer quantity of people, the peo-
ple of Bangladesh have been called its great-
est natural resource. Te strong arms and
backs of Bangladeshis pave roads, plow felds
and unload ships, jobs the west has long since
passed on to machines. Internationally, work-
ers head from Bangladesh to build the malls
and high-rises of China and the Middle East
and to drive taxis in Manhattan. Bangladeshi
surgeons, architects, and economists work
from ofces in London, Toronto, and Sydney.
Bangladeshis have endured a lot in
the countrys short history. In 1971, sidelined
by a bloody liberation war and massive foods,
Bangladesh had the lowest GDP per capita of
any country in the world. In 1974, former U.S.
secretary of state Henry Kissinger famously de-
scribed Bangladesh as a basket case, a term
originally directed towards crippled soldiers in
war now used to describe struggling countries.
Bangladeshs location and extremely
fat geography means that it is prone to natural
disasters, which have repeatedly cut develop-
ment progress at the knees. Te political trajec-
tory has been treacherous as well. Bangladesh
spent 15 years under military rule until democ-
racy was restored under the supervision of a
caretaker government through a free and fair
election in 1991. A product of the party system
in Bangladesh is its culture of political violence.
It has become a regular phenomenon for politi-
cal parties to engage in street vandalism known
locally as haartal. Corruption, intimidation, and
assassinations are pillars of the political climate.
But despite the tumult, Bangladesh
has lowered poverty levels and raised human
development at an impressive rate. Bangla-
desh has also made substantial progress to-
wards food security and food self-sufciency.
Tese and other successes are largely due to
the eforts of a host of national and interna-
tional NGOs, and forty years afer Kissingers
ominous remark Bangladesh has in many ways
become a case study for development success.
he muezzins call, ringing simultane-
ously from Dhakas seven hundred
mosques, woke me early the morning
afer I arrived. Cymbal-like thunder and sheets
of rain fell on the road below, and to my win-
dow climbed the hoots and hollers of rickshaw
pullers and fsh hawkers. Te potholes on the
mud streets began to merge together from the
rain and I realized hadnt brought a jacket. But
a shower in the rain sounded refreshing: the
sticky air had me sweating as soon as I stood up.
Two kindly brothers, Suf and Fuwad,
picked me up at the airport late the night before.
All smiles, they hoisted my backpack from me
and ushered me into the van that rushed us into
trafc and to their modest apartment. Moham-
madpur, their neighborhood, comprised of old
unpainted concrete apartment buildings and
single story tin-wall shops, sat proudly next to
the Mirpur road, which dissects the densest part
of the city and leads towards Dhaka University.
Now, in the morning, we grabbed breakfast in
a hotel, as local eateries are lovingly known. In
this case it was a small nook in the wall across the
street, almost a closet, where we ate of tin plates
and the whole establishment shared one tin cup.
Te man oiling a large circular pan on which
to fry roti juggled a small girl while doing his
work, rolling out dough and wrapping singara,
samosa-like snacks. His son, maybe ten years
old, served the six who could squeeze around
the single table, reflling the water cup and
bringing tea and cigarettes from a shop next
door -- this family would accompany me for
many breakfasts to come and we became quite
close despite our signifcant language barrier.
Afer eating we climbed the stairs of
Sufs apartment onto the drying roofop. In be-
tween colorful laundry pegged to strings, the
minarets dotted the horizon of the city, poking
their way up through crumbling concrete apart-
ments and garment factories. On Babor road
below us bicycles and CNG mini-taxis skirted
a capless sewage drain marked with a bamboo
pole, sticking straight out to mark the void.
Suf, who would become my best
friend and enthusiastic tour guide during
my time in Dhaka, was lanky and relaxed,
with a goofy smile and keen sense of humor.
He walks as if continually passing through
a doorway that is slightly too short; slightly
bent yet always comfortable and relaxed in
his trademark powder blue Adidas sandals
and baggy shorts. His square-rimmed glasses
give him the aura of an academic, an appear-
ance not necessarily untrue: he goes to univer-
sity for environmental sciences across the city.
From our vantage on the roof Suf shared with
me a little of Bangladeshs tumultuous history.

country recognized in the West for imag-
es of poverty and natural disasters, Ban-
gladesh did not exist as an independent
state until 1971. With the independence of India
in 1947 came the creation of Pakistan, which
was intended to consist of a Hindu, Urdu-speak-
ing West and Muslim, Bengali-speaking East.
Although the two wings of Pakistan
were separated by twelve hundred miles, and
despite the fact that the Eastern division held
the majority of Pakistans population, the po-
T
A
Suf, smiling as always
A boy in Moddha Uria during a cold snap
I
ters was the village of Baratkali a small cluster
of homes and shops along a snaking dirt road
where men with grey beards and red teeth paced
contemplatively, smoking cigarettes and spit-
ting red globs of betel into the dust. Life in the
north was slower, the food tastier, the air cleaner.
We rode a motorcycle out to the chars
each day. On the back with no helmet, I held
on tight as we sputtered along the rutted road
past fsh wallahs and impromptu cricket games.
I sat behind Mizan, who expertly steered us be-
tween thatched huts on the winding departure
from the main road towards the river. Mizan
was a serious but kindly graduate who wrote
frequently for the English paper in Dhaka. His
heavy eyebrows made his gaze appear overly
serious in even in light situations, but he was
young, enthusiastic and relaxed. Te ride with
him from Dhaka to Gaibandha had been full
of breaks. Mizan loved few things more than a
cigarette and a cup of tea at a roadside stand.
Hold on, boss! he called over his
shoulder when we reached the bank of the river.
Dropping down abruptly, we rolled across the
sandy bottom past rows of drying dung, and
hopped up onto the char at the opposite bank.
Tis particular char, Moddha Uria,
was home to a cluster of forty or so homes tend-
ing felds along the shore. We dismounted our
bike and lef it on the kickstand next to a cow
in the yard of a small thatched house, the one
closest to the river. Te sun shone down on us
un-obstructed, and all around us was cropland.
Te village has not always been
here, Mizan said. Te river bank on which the
original village stood eroded completely afer
intense monsoon-season fooding of the Brah-
maputra River more than two decades ago. With
their land swept downstream, the families in
the community sought refuge across the water
on the rugged earthen dam that separates the
Brahmaputra from the valuable crops of the
northern plains, the rice bowl of the nation.
But ten years ago, in roughly the same loca-
tion as the original village, a char rose from
sediment deposited by the river. Afer sev-
eral years of leaving the land fallow to regain
soil fertility, and afer some violent confict
with local land-grabbers, families began to
move back to the char and farm the rich soil.
We lef the motorcycle and wandered
out towards the homes visible across the felds.
Moving among plots of barley and green chilies,
a handful of young boys pulling weeds stopped
their work and came bounding towards us along
the rows of plants. Tey joked familiarly with
Mizan, who patted them on the head as they
gazed at him admiringly, and greeted me with cu-
riosity, testing their English and me my Bangla.
IRBs goal in the northern foodplains
is to minimize the impact of the foods for char
dwellers and other vulnerable communities.
On the char the organization contracts local,
mostly female workers to construct plinths, ar-
tifcial hillocks that rise to seven feet, above the
highest recorded foodwaters. By staying out of
the water families avoid health risks, economic
shock, and can make investments for the future.
Visiting these projects over a num-
ber of weeks, we gathered thumb prints to
confrm that wages were being paid and
watched the women carry baskets of soil
from the felds, balanced on their heads from
where the men flled them to where they
emptied the contents on a growing heap.
Across the next feld, a plinth was
already completed, and several homes sat on
top. Te homes are simple, one room struc-
tures constructed almost entirely out of jute,
a plant with long sof fbers that was a lucra-
tive export for Bangladesh before the advent
of synthetics. Tese simple dwelling refect
their inhabitants untenable living circum-
stances. As an adaptive measure, each home
comes easily into parts, which can then be
loaded into a boat when the water rises too high.
Most people relate poverty with
immobility and stagnation, but in fac-
ing the foods, Bangladeshis have learned
that to survive you have to be mobile.
Families only leave their homes in the
worst of the foods. In the less severe years, they
raise their beds and wait the water out. Cook-
ing during the food times is done on portable
clay stoves or open fres. For transportation they
resort to makeshif vela rafs of jute and ba-
nana trunk, and the cows and goats are moved
to vessels of their own. In the all too frequent
case that homes go entirely underwater, families
camp on the mainland or take refuge on a vela
of their own. Sometimes they live on the water
for three or four months at a time, foating above
their land to reclaim it when the water recedes.
Natural disasters intensify the pov-
erty of rural Bangladeshis across the nation. In
ofcial terminology, natural hazards become
natural disasters when they adversely afect
human beings and the resources essential for
their livelihoods. Bangladeshs geographical
location makes it more vulnerable to natural
hazards than any other country in the world.
Floods, cyclones and storm surges, fash foods,
riverbank erosion, drought, tornadoes and
earthquakes all occur annually and in abun-
dance. Because Bangladesh is populated to
the brim, every natural hazard is a disaster.
Cyclones and tidal surges frequently
inundate large areas of cropland in the coastal
areas, turning soil salty and unusable. Back on
char Moddha Uria, residents are extremely
vulnerable to river foods, which vary annu-
ally with monsoon rains and Himalayan melts.
And in the Bay of Bengal, climate
change is not a future scenario--it is hap-
pening now and the threats are real. High-
ly variable river foods, sea level rise in the
Bay of Bengal, warming temperatures, and
changing rainfall patterns all pose a sub-
stantial challenge in producing enough food
for a growing and developing population,
even in a country already used to extremes.
In this ever-changing landscape, it is just a
matter of time until a disaster happens again.
Te people living on the chars of
Gaibandha and other regions in the northwest
have long relied on unique set of risk-mini-
mizing and early warning strategies for foods
and river erosion. Tis body of indigenous
knowledge, which has only been documented
in full by Mizan in his paper Answers in the
Wind, uses indicator species of birds, frogs
and insects as well as water temperature and
weather patterns to indicate a coming food.
Because the foods are expected, fami-
lies try to prepare for them as much as limited
funds will allow, stocking kerosene, frewood,
and dry foods. If these stockpiles disappear be-
fore the water retreats, they have no income and
are forced to visit mainland loan sharks to acquire
extra cash at crippling interest rates. One man
recounted for Mizan and I his attempt to save
money for preparedness measures, setting aside
5 or 10 taka each day. Te problem comes when
food is short, he said with rumbling stomachs
it is all too easy to dig into savings. When all you
know is change, it is hard to plan for the long run.
It seems logical that natural di-
sasters would be the major factor con-
tributing to the countrys en masse rural-
urban migration. Migration caused by
environmental pressures is nothing new it is
the logical outcome of the extreme of interac-
tions between humans and nature.
But Doug Saunders, author of Arrival
City, cautions against this assumption. I think
a lot of outside observers see that Dhaka is the
fastest growing city in the world, and also that
Bangladesh has these foods and natural disas-
ters, and say the two must be connected, he says
over the phone. But the thing that makes Dhaka
the fastest growing city in the world is not foods
and natural disasters. Tey dont increase [Dha-
kas] population very much. Instead, it is the eco-
nomic opportunities that pull people to the city,
more so than they are pushed by the elements.
One chilly evening, too cold to sit
around the compound, Mizan and I strolled
out the gate under a clear night sky, the moon
lighting up dark shacks and shops along the
vacant road through Baratkali. Along with ev-
erything else, northwestern Bangladesh sufers
from heat waves during summer months harsh
cold snaps in the winter: this is truly a land of
extremes. During my time in the north, tem-
peratures reached six degrees Celsius, the low-
est ever recorded. When the cold hits, as it had
now, locals collect straw to insulate thin walls
and the cold sand underfoot. Instinct leads par-
ents and elderly extended family to ensure the
warmth of children frst -- the mortality of el-
derly due to cold is far higher than that of any
other demographic and we passed by funerals
on the side of the road every morning that week.
Wrapped warmly in shawls, our walk
took us to a tea stall, this time the only place
still open along the dark stretch of road. Tirty
or so men sat in the tiny room, squeezed on
A woman heads to the felds near Baratkali, Gaibandha District
Relief building for ten years but still couldnt save
enough to aford beyond the simplest amenities:
some dishes and blankets, a bag for his sons to
attend school with, and a shawl for his wife.

He had dreams of living in the west, inspired
by the international guests that had stayed
at the compound, and picked my brain daily
about the process and requirements for a Ca-
nadian visa. Trough a connection with a
cousin, Onil also thought he might be able to
fnd work in Saudi Arabia on a high-profle
construction site. Months later I learned about
the slave-like status and depravity endured by
many Bangladeshis who leave the country as
international migrant workers. I hope today
that Onil stayed to work for the NGO, where,
though life was still hard, I knew he was safe.
Bangladeshs land is 70% cultivat-
ed, and agriculture is the primary income for
half the country and the vast majority of char
dwellers. Tey farm their own small plots and
gardens and do wage labor on larger pieces of
land owned by the wealthier families from
the mainland. And because the soil of the
char land is fertilized each year by the food-
water, the land supports a wide variety of lu-
crative crops including corn, barley, onions,
chili peppers, rice paddies, and groundnuts.
Nevertheless, many families suf-
fer from hunger and unemployment between
September and November as they wait for
wooden benches and crates placed on the dirt
foor. Like Mizan and myself, most wore shawls
wrapped around torso and head tight enough
to stay warm but with enough space to smoke
and sip. To the lef of the shop proprietor, who
sat cross-legged and served tea or cigarettes
without moving, a small television screen
captivated the attention of the room, beam-
ing in shows and advertisements from Dhaka.

I
woke up to a single call from the small
mosque across the felds, almost a comical
counterpoint to the hundreds that echo
across the city. I crossed the garden through the
haze to sip tea in a small gazebo with Onil, a
kind cleaner who became my companion away
from my friends in Dhaka. We looked out across
a small tributary onto lush rice paddies and
wheat felds. Trough the fog, shadows wove
along raised paths on the way to tend to the
crops while women cleaned bright clothes in the
muddy waters on the shore.
Tere is a saying in Bangladesh that
I heard frst in the city from Suf, the sofer
the soil, the sofer the heart. Bangladesh is a
land of sof soils, and Onils honest, compas-
sionate friendship confrmed the rest for me.
In the quiet cool reverie of my bed, in the tin
room of the IRB headquarters, I slept deeply
under the mosquito net. So deeply, in fact, that
my alarm frequently failed and Onil would
crack the door fve minutes later, calling my
name in a half-whisper and striking a blade of
light from the garden outside through my room.
As I sat up, he dropped in a blue plastic buck-
et of hot water to wash with, then lingered
to converse and put of the rest of the morn-
ings work. We forged a strong camaraderie
in my short time in the north. Sputtering in
on motorcycle at the end of a day in the feld,
Mizan would retreat to his room and Onil
and I spent the long evenings around the
table next to the garden, where the laundry
hung dripping and conversation came easy.
One afernoon, Onil took me along the
river to his home. It was a tiny shack of corrugat-
ed sheet metal, set right on a dirt foor. Te mem-
bers of the family pulled me up a stool while they
sat on the dirt, ofering me some of the pufed
rice they picked through in a pile on a palm leaf.
Onil, a family man, had worked at the Islamic
the wet aman season rice harvest and the
work that comes with collecting it. Tis an-
nual phenomenon is known locally as mon-
ga and afects huge numbers of rural poor.
During monga, many families enter a state
of chronic malnutrition and starvation and
a routine of only one small meal per day.
When there is no work in the felds,
men and the older boys ofen leave their fami-
lies and head to the urban centers in search of
temporarily work in the informal sector as day
laborers or rickshaw pullers. And because of
the superior employment opportunities in the
city, along with the constant instability and in-
security inherent in this land of water, many
rural Bangladeshis are also moving for good.
But although there is power in
numbers, Dhaka is bursting at the seams.
B
ack in the city my bus had moved only
inches in the last twenty minutes, but the
city screamed past outside. From above, I
imagined the chaos would look like the writhing
innards of a massive and multi-colored snake,
slithering slowly between the buildings.
Small boys weaved between the bus-
ses and lifed snackstowers of pastel cotton
candy and popcorn in plastic bagsup to po-
tential customers. Rickshaws and cars jostled
for every inch of space. Along the sidewalk one
man sold green coconuts from a rag-tag blan-
ket, another one holding bitter amra fruit cut
into fower shapes, two unmoving in a furry
of pedestrians and mopeds skirting the trafc.
I was one of some 20 million people on the go
in Dhaka on a balmy weekday evening, but for
the moment, I was stuck and going nowhere fast.
Dhaka, the proud capital and
hub of Bangladesh, shares the worlds high-
est urban population growth rate with Nige-
rias Lagos, and by 2025 Dhaka will likely be
larger than Mexico City, Beijing or Shanghai.
On the way from the airport to Sufs
house, in the twilight hours of my frst minutes
in Dhaka, I have a memory of a little girl. She
was held up against our van window on the hip
of an older girl, her sister maybe, who asked
pleaded us for money: taka de, taka de. She
was a small, grubby, dressed in dulled yellow
rags, snot-nosed and wide eyed. With her free
hand the older one held up the little girls arm
to show including the vast majority of the en-
vironmental refugees -- lives in one of Dhakas
vast slums, which are on average twenty times
denser than the New York metropolitan area.
Many people look at cities like Dhaka
and see nothing but catastrophe. But with their
booming populations, the urban metropolises of
Africa, Latin America, and Asia are the crush-
ingly dense frontiers of the developing world.
Doug Saunders tells me that the
locals say it best. If you ask the people liv-
ing in the slums [as he did in research for his
book] why dont you move back to the vil-
lage? theyll have a very clear answer for you.
Well, here, in a city, if things go wrong for me,
then I might have to do something awful like
send my children out to sell individual ciga-
rettes on the street. Whereas back in the village
if something goes wrong, my children die.
People just dont starve to death in the city,
he says. Tree quarters of all malnutrition and
undernourishment are in rural areas. Even
the very poor incomes in the cities are an or-
der of magnitude higher than what you could
earn as a rice farming peasant in the village.
Like countless nights before, I wake
to the dying hum of my fan as the load shed-
ding daily power outages in Dhakakicked
in. Now, sleep was no longer an option: soon
I would be sweating and itching in the muggy
bedroom, even in a naked spread-eagle on top of
the sheets. I stepped onto the porch like so many
nights before it was either that or a cold show-
er with my headlamp fxed to the showerhead.
Te last call to prayer rang over Mohammadpur
in a haunting voice, it is better to pray than to
sleep. With the city lights out, the storm cells
on surrounding horizons showed clearly their
bursts of lightning. When the power came
back sometime later, the light spreading to
thousands of windows rivaled those in the sky.
Blackouts occur indiscriminately
while Suf and I enjoyed shik kebab and tea on
Elephant Road in class at universitythe na-
tional power grid covers only thirty percent of
the population in the city. But that is the norm,
and in the restaurants, shops, and streets no-
body bats an eye when the world suddenly turns
black. Food is served, class continues, and cell
phone lights pick up where the grid lef of.
Tose storm clouds I watched from
the patio opened up into a dumping the next
morning while Suf and I were on the way to
school in a CNG taxi. Tere was no hiding from
the rain even under the taxi roof, it poured
Te hands of a rickshaw puller
in through the seams and splashed our legs
through the open doors. Around us, rickshaw-
pullers procured tarps for their patrons and ped-
aled on through rising water, while the hordes
on the sidewalks attempted to
cover themselves with news-
papers and packed under any
available outcropping. With
severely inadequate drainage,
the roads quickly flled with
water. But the pounding had
stopped within the hour leav-
ing only damp legs and canals
where there were once roads.
Te mud that cov-
ers the city afer a rainstorm is
rank, especially when mixed
with the exhaust fumes and the piles of com-
posting food on the sidewalks. Ofen though,
the stench is interspersed with wonderful spici-
ness from street vendors or hot oil from roti
makers. Te brightness of the signs and tra-
ditional saris contrast harshly with the mud,
dust, and drab concrete that is everywhere else.
Trafc in the city is apocalyptic and
Suf says it is getting worse: everyone says so.
Pedestrians dart across the streets, absolutely
risking their life to cross in between the vehicles
that weave in and out of long forgotten lanes
and dont consider slowing, let alone stop to let
you pass. It is not uncommon to see rickshaws,
mopeds, and the occasional truck moving
slowly upstream through the chaos, horns and
bells lost in the continual blare of all the others.
Te bicycle rickshaw is ubiquitous
in Dhaka, one of the only cities in the world
that still allows them on its streets. Tough
there have been campaigns to outlaw this tra-
ditional source of transportation on the basis
of its exploitative nature, their abundance sug-
gests that the rickshaw is here to stay. Almost
three million rickshaws, most of them unli-
censed, move millions of passengers every day.
I learned the ropes quickly. First, you
have to ask if the puller will go where you want to
go, Mohammadpur jaben (will you take me to
Mohammadpur?) and then barter for a fair price.
Terms set, hop on board with up to four people
(the extra weight will cost you) and of you go,
wheels groaning as you roll forth from a standstill.
In the beginning I couldnt help but feel rot-
ten when being pulled around at my leisure
by men and boys half my weight. But rick-
shaw pulling is a fexible, guaranteed employ-
ment opportunity for those who have few
other options, like the rural-urban migrants.
Like much of the informal work ru-
ral-urban migrants wind up doing in the city,
rickshaw pulling provides only modest upward
mobility. Food poverty is lower among rickshaw
pullers than their rural counterparts and, con-
trary to the seasonal nature of agricultural work,
pulling provides a regular income fow. Clearly
however, pedaling a 300-plus pound rickshaw
behind the exhaust pipes of busses trucks leaves
pullers susceptible to systematic health risks
and other crises, and normal circumstances for
a Dhaka city rickshaw puller means having to
work like an Olympic athlete to turn a proft.
But when considering the abil-
ity to save and provide for his family, the av-
erage rickshaw puller does appear to have
a better chance of escaping poverty than if
he remained in rural areas. With the mas-
sive population growth facing urban areas, it
seems the supply and demand for rickshaws
is a permanent fxture of Bangladeshi cities.
T
hree times a week, I crossed the city to at-
tend University in the ritzy neighborhood
of Banani. Separated from roundabout
layout of the rest of Dhakas streets, Bananis
freshly painted apart-
ment complexes sat in a
row along the road.
Tough like the rest of
the city there is trash
strewn everywhere,
money is present --
drivers smoke ciga-
rettes in groups and
watch over the freshly
washed vans and se-
dans, awaiting the call
from their owners.
Here the police look a little more pro-
fessional than elsewhere, a little more present:
the embassies of the U.S, Canada, and the other
countries of the world are just around the cor-
ner in Gulshan. One side of Gulshan Lake rise
the towers and glass of the fnancial district,
where you can buy fat-screen televisions, dine
at A&W or Italian restaurants, and see Mercedes
and BMWs among the rickshaws and busses.
Te Liberation War of 1971 de-
stroyed about a ffh of Bangladeshs economy,
and the post-war injuries put the economy
on a slow trajectory for better part of two de-
cades. But the economic acceleration since has
been stead, and occurred nearly evenly in the
industry and services sectors, although forty-
fve percent of the country works in agriculture
and rice is the single most important product.
Over the past 10 years, external trade increased
four-fold in U.S. dollar terms and more than
doubled as a share of GDP. Most of that growth
has come in a blossoming textile industry,
which produces 80% of the countrys exports.
Passing over Gulshan Lake at dusk
on my way home from classes, the view is of
a diferent Dhaka. Across the water from the
glass and money of Banani and Gulshan are
the slums. Tey tumble down toward the lake
like a tide and sprawl out into the water on
shaky stilt knees. All throughout the city tem-
porary homes fll empty lots and roadsides.
Slums are a defning feature of megaci-
ties and hypercities across the developing world.
One billion people worldwide live in slums, and
that fgure could double by 2030. Slums every-
where exist as a result of internal migration, per-
sistent urban poverty, and the inability of the ur-
ban poor to access credit and afordable housing.
In Dhaka, the slums are comprised
largely of frst generation rural-urban migrants,
feeing natural hazards and attracted by the
blossoming textile manufacturing industry.
Residents of slums constitute a staggering
78.2 per cent of the urban population of the
least developed countries and fully a third of
the global urban population.Tere may be
more than quarter of a million slums on earth.
Te Global Report on Human Settlements
says this on the origin of the term slum:
and children living in slums are more likely to
have psychiatric disorders and post-traumatic
stress disorders. Young children are also at a
higher risk of acute and infection-related mal-
nutrition in urban areas, manifest in wasting,
compared to a more chronic and food insecu-
rity-related type of malnutrition in rural areas.
But still the slums spread as the families move in.
My modest room was in one of a few build-
ings interspersed through a large slum. From
the small patio, the homes below are a maze
of walkways that I couldnt trace from above,
let alone imagine navigating on the ground.
Overlapping roofs made a patchwork quilt of
blues and grays, save the one ironically crafed
uf recently bought an old green bicy-
cle, allowing him the freedom to move
around the city independent of the op-
pressive trafc. Like many Bangladeshis, he
has taken his future in to his own hands.
At frst glance Bangladesh might sound like
an over-stufed lifeboat. Population pressures,
magnifed by natural disasters, climate change
and unstable governance all seem to spell an
uncertain future for a young country that al-
ways seems to be on the wrong side of luck.
But Bangladeshis are going to great
lengths sometimes literally -- to overcome
their vulnerabilities and create better lives for
themselves. Ofen this means moving to the city,
which, compared to the insecurity and vulner-
ability of the natural disaster-ridden rural areas,
provides some semblance of stabilityeven if
it means putting up with close quarters, trash,
political strikes, and trafc. It is a choice that an
increasing number of Bangladeshis are making.
n December 16th, Suf and I joined the
throngs who made their way across
town to the Dhaka University campus,
a huge sprawling section of the city with many
large browning lawns and some of the oldest
trees in the city. It was Victory Day, celebrat-
ing the surrender of Pakistan to Indian and Ban-
gladeshi forces in Dhaka. Trough the crowds,
the men who usually sold cigarettes and gum
held towering bunches of fags futtering in-
dividually, all diferent sizes, but all contain-
ing Bangladeshs simple red and green design.
On our rickshaw home that evening,
Suf and his friends sang the song of
their country into the gathering dark.
Amar sonar Bangla
Ami tomay bhalobashi
(My beloved Bengal
My Bengal of Gold
I love you)
Since it frst appeared in the 1820s, the word
slum has been used to identify the poorest quality
housing, and the most unsanitary conditions; a
refuge for marginal activities including crime,
vice and drug abuse; a likely source for many
epidemics that ravaged urban areas; a place
apart from all that was decent and wholesome.
But today in developing countries, the word
simply refers to lower quality or informal hous-
ing.
Te contaminated and unhygienic
conditions of slums in Dhaka and megacities
across the developing world disproportionately
afect the youngest, more vulnerable children.
In Bangladesh, slum children of rural-urban mi-
grants have higher mortality than urban natives,
out of a large sheet-metal ad for Coca-cola.
Chickens ran amok between the roofs
and little children herded goats through nar-
row walkways on pieces of twine. Te children
attached themselves to my legs and climbed
me like a ladder when I walked past, draping
around my neck like a heavy scarves, laughing
hysterically. I was the bideshi, the only foreign-
er in the neighborhood, and so I made friends
quickly with the little ones. Despite their size, I
was consistently up handed in the cricket games
the boys played along the walled streets but
my height helped my perfect record in badmin-
ton. Conditions in the slums are less than ideal,
true, but those living here are taking it in stride.

S
A day laborer carries his basket through Mohammadpur
Typical afernoon trafc in Dhaka
O
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Is a communitv chicken co-op a viable alternative to amending
urban agriculture bvlaws, or fust town councils cop out?
B y : Ma y mi e Te g a r t
id you know the egg comes out of
their bum?! Lilly, the brightly brown
eyed 8 year old asked. She was proudly
giving a full tour of her bear-proof chicken coop
built by her father. In her 80 by 50 foot backyard
in downtown Squamish, Lilly (name changed
to protect privacy) has two hens that supply her
family with daily eggs. She gently picked up two
fresh eggs -- one baby-blue and one white -- and
returned them to her mother. Despite Lilly not
looking like your average criminal, this simple
act of growing her own eggs is illegal.
Lillys pets have been living undercov-
er for the past three years. She is well aware of
this, and has already devised a fool proof plan:
If we hear a police car, were going to pretend
like we dont know the chickens are there, she
whispered mischievously. But frst I will put
tape around their beaks so they are quiet!
Lillys parents are among a handful of
Squamish households who have backyard chick-
ens despite current bylaw regulations. Why?
According to Lillys mother, I know what [the
chickens] eat; I know that they are happy and
healthy, and I think its very important for the
kids to know where their food comes from. It
sounds quite simple, yet these criminal chick-
ens have managed to create a nearly two-year
long debate between town council members and
residents determined to grow their own food in
Squamish, BC.
Squamish, a designated Bear Smart
community by the BC Ministry of Environment
since 2010, is located in prime cougar and black
bear territory. An educational community pro-
gram called Bear Aware aims to reduce human
and bear conficts by providing residents with
resources to manage attractants such as gar-
bages, composts and fruit trees efectively. Bear
Aware Community Coordinator Meg Toom
said, We seem to have the busiest zone for wild-
life. It is such a multi-faceted subject. It is great
to say we should have chickens in our backyards
for food security, but there is so much more that
has to be considered.
Ranking number one in British Co-
lumbia for total cougar calls to the BC Conser-
vation Ofce in the past three years, and con-
sistently in the top fve for black bears, it is no
wonder why council is reluctant to consider add-
ing other attractants -- such as chickens, eggs,
and feed -- into the mess. In 2010, there were
fourteen calls within district boundaries specif-
cally related to poultry, and one bear was killed
afer gaining access to a chicken coop. From a
conservation perspective, once a bear gains ac-
cess to a chicken coop they are rarely considered
a candidate for relocation and the bear must be
killed. Tere are no second chances. Toom also
points out the discouraging reality about human
nature: Unfortunately, ofen times it takes a
bear break-in to happen before people will actu-
ally take pro-active measurement to prevent it.
If something is considered an attrac-
tant, it is not always rendered illegal. It is up to
local conservation ofcers to ensure residents
are managing the attractant efectively. Te feed,
the eggs and the chickens themselves all contrib-
ute to attracting wildlife. Bees, compost, cats
and dogs are also considered attractants, and we
D
C U L T U R E
C U L T U R E C U L T U R E
the surrounding environment. Although Squa-
mish may lack fnancial resources and leader-
ship for a Community Co-op, there are plenty
of online resources available to help individual
owners manage backyard coops efectively --
while hopefully maintaining rapport with near-
by neighbors.

omehow, chickens have managed to create one
of the most polarized debates Squamish has
seen. One local resident said, sometimes its
hard to voice your opinion on the issue because
some people are just so opinionated. Ultimately,
the decision is up to council -- which was split
4-3 on the debate in September. Bear Aware and
conservation ofcers provide education and
both state that they are neither for nor against
backyard chickens. Toom states, Should [coun-
cil decide to allow chickens in residential areas],
my responsibility will be to ensure that people
are doing it in a way that doesnt attract wild-
life through education and providing resources.
With a lack of consensus on leadership and a
possible location for the Co-op, the future of
the proposed solution does not look promising.
TenBrink adds, a pilot project would have been
a really good route, because I dont think people
are going to stop on this issue.
Should people be allowed to have
their own hens if they are willing to follow strict
rules? Can council trust people to take pro-
active measures to prevent wildlife encounters
and uphold certain public safety standards? Te
District of Squamishs Ofcial Community Plan
states: Urban agriculture is encouraged as a
method to assist in providing daily food items,
yet it looks like Lilly and the rest of the under-
ground hen keepers will have to continue keep-
ing their pets a secret.
allow all of those, says Susan Chapelle, a Dis-
trict councilor and vocal advocate for backyard
hens.
A handful of families have taken pro-
active measures to create bear safe environments
for their clucking friends. Leeloos family is an
example of this, and her neighbor even more so.
With a garden abundant with black-
berries, pears, apples, and over one
hundred other edible plant species,
it is a jackpot for any bear. A muddy
bog behind the house is a common
path for many bears who ofen snif
around the compost, but have yet
to notice the chickens. Both house-
holds have taken the issue seriously
and employed many preemptive
measures to prevent wildlife: elec-
tric fencing, bear resistant feed containers, and
underground fencing to keep out rats and other
small animals.
Te most recently proposed solution
to the backyard chicken debate is to create a
Community Chicken Co-op. Te Co-op will en-
sure proper management and still aim to achieve
the two primary goals of backyard hen keeping:
food security and education. Will the proposed
Co-op put the debate to rest? I think it is a bet-
ter way to run something. It also allows people
who might live in an apartment who couldnt
own chickens to participate, says Toom. Squa-
mish Climate Action Network (CAN) president
Krystle tenBrink is keen to help with the project,
but says the club does not have the time or f-
nances to run it. It wasnt what some Squamish
CAN and some community members wanted.
What they wanted was for backyard chickens
to be legal, says tenBrink. District representa-
tives do not think council is willing to make it a
tax paying issue -- thereby adding it to the list of
general budget items. I would like to think that
if there was a Co-op, the Co-op members would
have a Board that steers the future of the Co-op,
says District planner Sabina Foofat. Doug Race,
a District councilor seems to agree, Ideally, it
would be self-funding and privately run. Foofat
will send out a survey gauging community inter-
est for the Co-op within the next few weeks.
And what about the location? Te primary
goals for the Co-op are education and food se-
curity.
It will be easily accessed, central,
and relatively convenient so that you arent go-
ing way out of your way. And obviously not in a
high wildlife confict area, says Foofat. District
councilor Doug Race thinks diferently. Back-
yard chickens are the absolute worst thing for
a neighborhood, my concern is bringing them
into the residential location, he says, arguing
that the proposed Co-op would have
to be in a vacant lot in an area already
zoned for agriculture.
o you want to hear about
my project? I know a lot
about chickens... With little time
for a reply, Lilly continued, I know
all the layers of the egg. And did
you know they lay almost 300 eggs a
year?! One time we got a HUMON-
GOUS one! Lilly was eager to explain the sci-
ence project she made for school about her hens.
With frsthand experience, she claims she is now
a chicken expert. Lillys neighbour, one of the
original hen advocates for Squamish, values the
importance of education that backyard hens can
have. We have become so disconnected from
our food source. It is only a matter of time before
people are going to get a major wake-up call.
Across British Columbia, there has
been an increasing consumer demand for or-
ganic, local and free range eggs according to
the British Columbia Egg Marketing Board
(BCEMB). Since 2010, more than 42,000 caged
hens were transferred to free-range farms.
Steve Moir at Glacier Valley Farm says that he
cant keep up with demand in Squamish. Con-
tracts with local cafes and grocery stores keep
his 399 chickens busy. Why 399 exactly? One
more chicken would require him to be a regis-
tered producer with quota for the BCEMB. Tis
would rack up a bill of $80-$90 per hen.
If I accidentally drop a basket of eggs,
Im basically working for free for the day, says
Moir.
Te low proft margin does not prevent him
from enjoying his work, which is more of a life-
style than a job. As for the backyard chicken
debate, I have zero opposition for it. But, frst
and foremost is animal health, welfare and
protection. Tey arent goldfsh - you cant just
fush them down the toilet. In his opinion, as
long as people understand what they are getting
themselves into and can manage it properly, it
shouldnt be a problem. For him, managing
his coop efectively meant planting 44 foot tall
electric fencing around his hens to keep wildlife
away. Maybe if electric fencing becomes part of
the bylaw or permit system it would force peo-
ple to jump through the hoops and take the fad
away from it.
Rossland, Terrace, Prince Rupert,
Saanich, Victoria, Vancouver and New West-
minister are among a few municipalities across
British Columbia that have amended bylaws to
accommodate backyard hens within the past
three years. Squamish is ofen called unique or
diferent due to the prominent wildlife in the
area. Of course wildlife is not the only opposing
argument. Residents also worry about pollution,
odor and noise while the BC SPCA is worried
about the potential for animal neglect. Tere are
also concerns about food safety and the spread
of avian diseases. Munic-
ipalities have combated many of these issues by
making stringent policy guidelines around the
construction of the coop, limiting the number
of birds per household, not allowing the cockle-
doodle-doo-ing roosters, and prohibiting the
slaughtering of hens. Some, such as Rossland,
focus on education and provide online resourc-
es and host open house events. Rosslands REAL
Food group hosts annual Chicken Crawls
where residents can tour the local coops to learn
about potential problems and efective solutions
from fellow hen keepers.
Interior Health, which remains neu-
tral on the debate, provides guidelines for urban
hen keeping and lists specifc protocols that mu-
nicipalities must consider when amending by-
laws. Tey also state, disease transmission, food
safety and nuisance issues can be mitigated with
proper hygiene and controls related to handling
of chickens and eggs and proper maintenance of
"They aren't goldfsh - you can't just fush them down the toilet.
People have to understand what they are getting themselves into.
Since 2010,
more than
42,000 caged
hens were
transferred
to free-range
farms to meet
consumer
demand
D
S
A)1"$9 -*,2)9
9,,02
A glimpse into the reality of sex work
in small-town Squamish, BC
B y : E l i s e S c r i b n e r
he entered the Howe Sound Womens
Center casually like it was a local cafe,
or a clothing store, except that she was
carrying with her bruises and scratches instead
of a purse. She had no money. Te door closed
behind her and she stood in front of the large,
messy greeting desk. Te woman working the
desk was in the back room, so the young woman
hovered next to the door, awaiting her return.
She waited patiently, used to adapting to other
peoples schedules instead of holding her own.
Te front desk woman suddenly
appeared, crossing the room to speak with the
young girl. She recognized the girls black and
blue face, her freckles, and mole positioned right
above the lef side of her lip. She had been here
before, but the woman couldnt recall her name.
Afer checking to see that the girl was physically
all right, the service woman asked, as they
always ask, What is your relationship to him?
Te young girl paused. Hes my boyfriend.
Te details of her situation lead the
service woman to conclude this boyfriend to
be a boyfriend of convenience. Or survival. As
their conversation progressed, it became clear
that the girl was trading sex for basic necessities,
and when she did not meet her boyfriends
expectations, he beat her.
his young woman does not exist. However,
the description of this hypothetical woman
emerged from conversations, interviews,
and research about sex workers in Squamish.
It is a portrait that captures the description of
sex workers who I could never contact, due to
the opaqueness of what it means to be a sex
worker, and the hidden nature of the trade.
S
T
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: E
li
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e
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i
s
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e
n
Everyone who I mentioned my project
to in Squamish (excluding service workers who
ofen work with the marginalized) including
baristas, friends, storeowners, and volunteers,
had the same reaction: widened eyes with the
inquiry, there are sex workers in Squamish?
Tere are sex workers in every town, I thought
confdently. But as I dove deeper into my research,
it became unclear who exactly I was looking for.
Te topic turned out to be subterranean, and I
was forced to question my assumptions. Exactly
whom was I seeking? What makes a sex worker?
Do sex workers even exist in Squamish? To
answer these questions, I even went undercover
to report, applying for a job at an escort agency
in order to extract information from a madam.
Te term sex worker evokes many
relevant concerns. For example, dialogue
about sex work tends to focus on problems
such as violence, homelessness, and drugs.
Academic studies have found that
there are signifcant correlations between
sex work and these issues. One study on sex
workers in Vancouvers Downtown Eastside
(DTES), executed with the support of the British
Columbia Center for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
and the University of British Columbia, found
that 45 minutes from Squamish, a shocking
57% of the sex workers interviewed experienced
violence at least once over an 18-month period.
Tis included physical violence, rape,
and violence committed specifcally by clients. In
the same study, 87% of the sex workers reported
absolute homelessness at least once in their
lives, and all participants reported using drugs.
Results from research such as this
formed the basis of my assumptions of what sex
workers would look like in Squamish: individuals
who are recognized by the community as
providers of sex for money, and because of this,
are at high risk for violence or stigmatization.
It was sex workers marginalization and risky
lifestyles that drew me to the issue of small town
sex work in the frst place. I wanted to know, and
ask them, if the services ofered in Squamish are
doing enough to support them.
But I ran into a closed door.
ex workers on the DTES are apparent to
anyone walking or driving through that area
of town. As Sgt. Cummings of Squamishs RCMP
put it in a phone interview, You could walk up
to somebody and ask for an interview and they
would tell you their life story. Women engaged
in sex work in Squamish are not so discernible.
Squamish has no stroll like
Vancouver does. Sgt Cummings explains, Its
certainly not like a big city. We dont have a
DTES, there isnt open soliciting on the streets
like there is in Vancouver, for example. Most
service providers share similar thoughts on
the matter, usually contrasting Squamish
to the DTES, highlighting the absence of
transparency around sex work in Squamish.
All of the service providers replied
in the same way when I asked them if they are
aware of sex workers in Squamish. Teres always
a thoughtful pause, then, Well Tey are
hesitant to label women in mind as sex workers.
Te defnition of a sex worker is personal,
intimate, and unclear. Te question arises, who
gets to decide who is a sex worker?
Deanna Enders, the Transition House
Coordinator at the Howe Sound Womens
Center, had the same reaction when I met with
her for an interview. Admittedly, I was nervous
conducting an interview on such a sensitive
topic, I experienced heightened awareness of
my privilege as a well-of young woman in
University, and lack of personal experience with
the subject. But Enders shyness, her humble
way of clutching her hands and sof laughter
aimed at the foor immediately put me at ease.
When asked about sex workers in
Squamish, she confrmed that women have
confded to her that they were trading sex for
resources or money. But these women are not
apparent to the general community. Tey are not
like the Downtown Eastside women, standing on
the street working for their next job, so to speak.
Its a lot more behind closed doors sort of idea.

Essentially, these women are invisible.
t is Squamishs small size that generates a
unique context for sex work and renders
it largely unnoticed. A Justice Institute
of British Columbia report states: Tere
are long-term repercussions for being visible
on the street as a sex worker or sexually
exploited youth. It is nearly impossible to go
through exiting and recovery in the same
town in which you once worked, as the stigma
and labels are so strongly ingrained. Tis is
perhaps the reason for the secrecy around sex
work in Squamish. It is hard to imagine being
labeled a sex worker in a place where everyone
recognizes you as you enter a cofee shop.
Jen Bridge, a nurse at the SAFE
Clinic downtown, admitted in an interview
that she has never knowingly given services to
a sex worker, even though, as a reproductive
nurse, she knows many intimate sexual details
of her clients. People dont disclose, she
said. Her colleague, nurse Jen White, frst
reported in her interview that she had never
serviced sex workers at the SAFE Clinic, but
then concluded, I honestly dont really know.
Rick McKinney, the manager of the
Helping Hands homeless shelter, also reported
that he had never knowingly interacted with a
sex worker at the shelter. Sgt Cummings said
that he has never heard of any charges laid
against a sex worker or a John in Squamish.
Sex work is certainly hidden, or at least
remains unnoticed by the community. As Enders
put it, In terms of the general public, its pretty
rare to hear anything about it. Some people do not
believe that sex work even occurs in Squamish.
Sgt. Cummings said that the RCMP
would investigate the issue if it was ever
brought to their attention, but no one ever
has. High-risk populations are also reticent.
Afer working at the Helping Hands society
since 2006, McKinney reported that he had
never heard any talk about sex work at the
vicinity, even though homeless people spend
large amounts of time there, conversing. Even
Craigslist is void of any ads from Squamish that
suggest or ofer womens services, although these
services are listed in Vancouver and Whistler.
But these women do exist.
s Sgt. Cummings put it, From my personal
observations, I would not say that it
[sex work] is a big problem. Im not
so nave to suggest, though, that it
isnt happening at all. Enders, who works
with many at-risk women, also echoed these
beliefs. We are aware that there are women
in our community that would likely be called
sex workers, although not in the traditional
sense that most people will think of them.
Tere are many diferent conceptions
of sex work, and recognizing their diferences
reveals the diversity of womens experiences.
Sex work in the traditional sense is what I
had in mind when I began reporting: women
who self-identify as sex workers, choosing
to trade sex for proft, and who may even be
part of a local sex worker community. I soon
learned, however, that there is no clear sex
worker community in Squamish, and that very
few individuals self-identify as sex workers.
Te non-traditional sex work
that Enders referred to, or survival sex work,
encompasses women who trade sex for basic
resources or necessities. Sought-afer resources
include food, shelter, drugs, and security. In
these situations, women are not choosing
to engage in sex work of their own volition,
but are pressured into it by basic needs and
a lack of alternatives. With this type of sex
work, the line between boyfriend and John
becomes blurred. When is a woman dating
someone and moving in with him, and when
is she trading sex for a bed to sleep in at night?
Many of these women would not self-
identify as sex workers. As Enders explained,
Teres only one woman that Ive ever heard of
that was quite clear as to what she was ofering
and that was because she had a fairly heavy
drug addiction. And so even in a way that is
for survival. Given how addicted she was to
the drugs that she was using, I couldnt say for
sure or not, but I would say that if she had to
quit cold turkey she probably wouldnt survive.
Enders identifed past abuse as a
common factor in the sex workers she sees.
Tese women are ofen low income, homeless,
couch surfng, or transient. Violence is a
common occurrence in many of their lives.
A
I
S
Te phone rang many times before
she picked up. How did you get my number?
she asked abruptly. She spoke quietly, but
in a harsh, direct way. Te low volume of
her voice compounded with her thick Asian
accent made her difcult to understand.
Pretending to be curious about the
profession for my own sake, I asked questions
that could give me a better understanding of these
services connection to sex work in Squamish. Do
you have other women from Squamish working
for you? I asked. Sometimes. She replied.
But theres not much business in Squamish.
Shes always hiring. I could make
over $1,000 a month easy. But doing what?
Can you tell me what being an
escort would actually entail? I asked. You can
go to Google to fgure that out she replied,
frustratingly. I was just wondering about
your company. If I were to work for you, what
would you have me do? I pushed. I wanted
to know if sex was involved in escort service,
and she was speaking in intentionally vague
terms. You have to make have to the client
happy. If hes not happy, he asks for his money
back, then you have to return the money.
What does it take to make a client happy?
Its what it takes to make people happy.
Is it safe? I asked. She answered,
Sometimes it can be not safe at all. You have to
be ready anytime, to anyone. It depends on that
person. If that person is normal or not normal.
Although I knew that sex work was high risk,
hearing her confrm this fact so bluntly was
unnerving. When she asked for it, I gave her a
description of myself, including my race, bra
size, and drug habits, and she told me she would
come to Squamish to meet me.
She never asked my name.
rom my undercover reporting, I gathered
that some women in Squamish do work in
escort services, and may or may not engage
Te 2007 Needs Assessment
Summary regarding the sexual exploitation of
youth in Squamish, conducted by the Sea to
Sky Adolescents Freedom From Exploitation
(SAFFE) Project, reported that older males and
peers in Squamish are the primary exploiters
of youth for sex in exchange for resources.
Young women have relationships with these
older males to meet their own basic needs.
All of the service workers that I
spoke to addressed this kind of sex work in
the community. McKinney recognizes that the
sex ratio of women vs. men who sleep in the
Helping Hands at night is highly skewed, with
few women staying the night, if any. He said
that women trading sex for shelter instead of
coming into the public shelter might be one of
the reasons that homeless women are largely
underrepresented. Tey may not have to be
here, especially if theyre good at what they do,
he says. Te SAFFE project found that sex was
traded most ofen for drugs and housing, with
the exchange for money and materials occurring
less ofen.
he knowledge that I uncovered on
women who engage in survival sex
work gave me a better understanding
of who they may be, and what their situations
are like. But it seemed like an incomplete
picture of sex work in Squamish. Are there
really only low-income, survival sex workers?
With Vancouver and Whistler only a short
drive away, are there sex workers in Squamish
who commute to work? Perhaps women
from Squamish engage in escort services.
Te most direct way to fnd this
information, I fgured, was to ask someone with
experience in the escort business. I searched
Google for escort services in Squamish,
which led me to an escort service listed as
local. I knew whoever answered wouldnt
talk to a reporter, so I went undercover as a
young woman looking to make some money.
T
"Sometimes it can be not safe at all.
You have to be ready anytime, to any-
one. t depends on that person.
f that person is normal or not normal.
When is a
woman dating
someone and mov-
ing in with him, and
when is she trading
sex for a bed to
sleep in at night?
F
our numbers - we can start to plan ahead, states
Scheunhage, hoping that the three to fve year
projections might be refned, making long-term
plans more accurate. Before terminating the
interview, Scheunhage enthusiastically showed
me the catalogue containing items for the new
rooms. Were just ordering all the new furniture
for the newbuilding, said Scheunhage, giving me
high hopes that Id be seeing this furniture by the
start of the 2013 fall term.
One major issue that will potentially
arise if the residence is not completed on time
is the tarnishing of Quests reputation. How will
incoming students and their parents react to
spending the frst month in a hotel?
For a University with one of the most
expensive tuitions in Canada, the reaction will
undoubtedly not be positive. Quest, compared
with other universities, is very small and
very costly. Because of this, one student has a
greater efect on the institutions budget than
a university with thousands of students and
lower tuition. If one or more students views the
residence issue negatively and leave, then it could
have a detrimental efect on Quest fnancially.
Previously, Quest had goals of reaching 640
students by 2010, which they clearly didnt reach.
Since then, Quest has slowly been attracting more
students, however, growth hasnt met the original
targets. If the residence building fails to meet its
deadline, this may deter prospective students.
Quests growing community has
overcomemanyobstacles inits fewdevelopmental
years, from legitimizing its teaching styles, to
meeting enrolment targets. However, people
invested in Quest will always be the determining
factors of its survival. Factors like weather,
which slow down the completion of a residence
building, uncontrollable and must be seen as so.
Celeta Cook, anadmissions Counsellor
and former student, took one very positive
experience away from her frst year at Quest
when the residence building was not complete.
Cook brought up a memory fromher frst month
at Quest, My whole university packed up and
stayed at a ski resort for a month. We had three
story condos with hot tubs, so I read Plato in a
hot tub. So who knows, maybe the incoming
class wont mind having to relax in a hot tub
while doing their homework for their frst block
at Quest.
in sex with their clients, although many do. Tese
women make decent money, and generally work
in safer environments with more resources, such
as the escort agency staf, available to them.
Te fact that sex workers have
absolutely no guaranteed safety provoked
many questions for me. What happens if a sex
worker is with someone who is not normal,
who becomes violent? Where can they seek
help? Are the services in Squamish adequate
to meet the general needs of sex workers?
Bridges perspective as a nurse was
that the services are here, we have labs and
doctors. Tere are places to access care. She
identifed possible obstacles obstructing sex
workers ability to receive the available services:
lack of ability to receive the available services:
lack of awareness, restricted open hours, and
whether people feel comfortable accessing them.
Enders recalled observing womens apparent
surprise when informed that a facility such as
the SAFE Clinic existed. Te Squamish SAFE
Clinic is only open two hours, one night a week.
Te small-town context also plays
a large role in sex workers comfort accessing
services. For example, there have been incidents
where women have called the Transition House
to ask if a certain individual worked there.
Concerned with misconceptions and reputation,
some women take great concern in who will
service themand even take the trip to Vancouver
to avoid judging eyes. Bridge highlighted the fact
that her clients do see her around town ofen,
and it is possible that these casual encounters
outside of the facility makes themuncomfortable.
Te Helping Hands provides vital
services for the homeless and/or hungry in
Squamisha population that likely includes
many sex workers. Te Helping Hands has
never turned anyone away for services, and
ofers both food and emergency shelter.
However, everyone accessing overnight
shelter at this facility sleeps in the same room at
night. Tis co-ed dynamic can be problematic
for women who are uncomfortable sleeping in a
roomsurrounded by men; many of these women
have experienced abuse at the hands of men.
In the future, the Helping Hands is
looking to expand to a new building where it will
provide sex-segregated sleeping arrangements,
but for now, this service may not fully meet
the needs of homeless women in Squamish.
Squamish has a comforting
amount of services for sex workers:
Helping Hands, the Womens Center,
the RCMP Victim Services Unit,
the SAFE Clinic, just to name a few.
But more are needed. Te
2007 Needs Assessment Summary
reported that there is need for a youth
safe house, youth employment program,
24-hour outreach, and drug treatment.
Tere is another glaringhole inthe
services ofered sex workers (or anyone for
that matter) in Squamish: there are no rape
kits at the local hospital. Rape kits are used to
collect evidence of a rape, which the survivor
can use in court against their rapist. Because
Squamish has none, local women who have
been raped have to fnd transportation
to downtown Vancouver under a limited
time frame, because rape kits are best
processed within 48 hours afer the rape.
Enders highlights the importance
of having local rape kits. Even within
your own community you are going to be
hesitant to access them. As soon as you
put a barrier in the way of travel time, it
makes a huge diference. Sex workers
run a high risk of sexual assault and
rape. Tis is especially true for survival
sex workers, who ofen engage in riskier
behavior because their survival depends
on meeting their basic needs through sex.
began my project searching for sex
workers to profle, and ended up
piecing together a puzzle of descriptions
provided by service workers, aspects of
individuals identities sewn together to
compose a picture of these invisible women.
Te young girl who wandered
into the Womens Center, abused and
seeking help, does exist. Her situation
represents the experiences of many
women in Squamish, who are not
recognized by the community because
their lives remain behind closed doors.
Hidden issues, such as sex work,
are not nonexistent, or unproblematic.
Perhaps these need the most attention.
I
ay had stopped me with a question about
10 minutes earlier afer I had passed
him on the same corner for the fourth
time in the span of 45 minutes curious
about the pretty young lady wandering
his neighborhood with no obvious purpose.
One mention of my article was all it
took to open the foodgates. Finally, on day four
of exploring East Hastings, I had found someone
on the street to talk to. Are you from around
here? I asked. He nodded. Im a dealer.
In 2003, InSite, Vancouvers frst safe
injection site, opened its door to one of British
Columbias most notorious neighborhoods.
East Hastings is home to around one-third of
the citys estimated 12,000 injection drug users.
Tree city blocks, centered on East Hastings
and Main Street, are characterized by barred
windows, chipped paint, cracked lips, and blank,
hungry stares. Rising high in the background,
only a few blocks away, are the glowing glass
and metal towers of downtown Vancouver.
Since it opened, Insite has been a
continual source of debate in both BC and
the federal government, which vehemently
opposed the project from the start. But very
little has been heard from the community
most closely afected by the organization:
the inhabitants of the Downtown Eastside.
In September, 2011, the Supreme
Court ruled, in a unanimous vote, to keep Insite
open as an exemption from Canadian drug laws.
But that doesnt mean the debate has ended.
While policies and statistics are
hashed out in government ofces and court
rooms, there have been few to no reports given
by the people in the Downtown Eastside, despite
having the closest interactions with InSite, and
being those most heavily impacted. Tese were
the voices I went looking for.
alking at a brisk pace along the
crowded, grubby sidewalk, it took
me several passes and a few inquiries
before I fnally noticed the small door set into
the dark green wall, with InSite stamped across
its glass. Trough the smudged window I could
see shopping carts piled high with blankets.
Te windows above, where I
knew OnSitethe detox facility run by the
same organizationwould be, were blacked
out. I didnt stop to look closer. Instead, I
8'"$"$% ' *"##*) C$?"#)
Independent of political debates and analysis, the Downtown East Side
community speaks up in favor of their safe injection site.
B y : C a l e a h D e a n
Above: InSite on Vancouvers East Hastings
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BULDNG DELAYS
continued from page 13
ficked my eyes up to the fuorescent hotel
signs lighting up the grey sky, desperate not
to catch the eyes of the hooded shadows
slouched against cracked walls.
Everything around me seemed
to confrm the warnings repeated to me
whenever I told someone I was planning
on reporting in the Downtown Eastside.
Pausing at the corner of Hastings
and Columbia, I accidently caught the eye of
an old man standing in a doorway. Before I
could look away, his face split into a delighted
grin. I smiled back tentatively. Still grinning,
he pointed to my feet and winked. Nice laces!
I looked down at my mismatched purple and
orange shoelaces and grinned too. Tanks!
A few minutes later I stood in the
corner of a convenience store named Fast Food
next to a glass case flled with plastic wrapped
pastries, bags of chips, and stacks of assorted
candy bars, waiting for the man behind the
counter, Max, to fnish up with some customers.
Despite the barred windows and
cracking vinyl, Fast Food, on the corner of
Hastings and Colombia, felt like a safe haven.
Max put the phone down and walked
over to me. How can I help you? he asked,
his words thick with an unfamiliar accent. I
explained what I was doing and he told me he
knew only the basics of what went on in InSite.
As he spoke he smiled at me wearily. He told me
that in his mind, InSite was a good thing. Or
at least better than [shooting up on] the street.
He also explained that, in many cases,
once someone went through detox and rehab,
they could get a job at InSite, a position called
peer worker, according to another source.
I asked Max about crime in the area
and if it had changed at all since Insite had
opened. He gave a vague, non-committal
shrug. Crime is everywhere, he responded.
As far as he was concerned, you just have to
treat people as people and get to know them.
As I stepped out of Fast Food, my
attention was immediately caught by the
ambulance that was pulled up in the opening to
an alley right next to InSite. Tere was yellow
police tape blocking of a section of the sidewalk,
and I could see a stretcher parked behind the
ambulance, a man lying mostly covered by
a blue sheet, and another man, apparently
Wave, which he paid for from a messy wad of
bills pulled from the zipper pocket of his jacket.
Ive never used InSite myself ,
he told me. I stay away from needles.
Tere was, however, no doubt in his mind
that the organization was a good thing for his
community. Te father of seven daughters,
he now felt comfortable with them walking
down Hastings without the danger of unclean
needles lying strewn over the sidewalk.
Now I can just go to the park and
sit and carve without worrying about it.
Carve? I asked. He opened his backpack
and pulled out two beautifully carved
totem poles wrapped in a tattered tee-shirt.
Catching a glimpse of the inside of
his bag all I could see were piles and piles of
cigarette boxes. I didnt ask. I sell them to
the rich tourists when they come to town, he
explained, gesturing at the carvings. Now
that summers coming therell be a lot.
As he spoke, he ficked through
fles on his slightly battered iPhone, the two
big rings on his lef hand winking at me.
He settled on music: a rap song by
his little brother, and then a series of chants
in the language of his tribe. He grinned at
me when I said I liked them, reinforcing
the sense of camaraderie that had been
growing between us since we sat down.
Jay was someone I would have
walked right past at the beginning of the
week, pointedly ignoring his advances,
employing the childish logic people fall back
on when interacting with the less fortunate:
If I cant see you, then you arent really there.
Instead I was introduced to a
fascinating individual who had watched the
progression and development of a community
pushed steadily east from street to street.
When he was 12, rich, shining Granville Street
was the equivalent of East Hastings today.
Tis is the last place anyone wants to
end up, he told me. But once youre here there
really is a strong family.
development coordinator, appeared
to take me upstairs for our interview.
When I frst saw Zoe in the
lobby earlier that day, I had immediately
distinguished her from the rest of the crowd.
If her young, un-haggard face and bright
eyes werent enough to catch my attention,
the magenta tipped hair certainly was.
As we walked, she greeted several
people with nods and smiles, all the way exuding
a sense of calm which put everyone at ease.
On our way to an empty conference
room on the second level, we picked up Lori
Gabrielson, community manager for the church.
We began an amiable discussion
about the church and its community:
a strong group of about 500 regulars
and the continuous cycle of drop-ins.
Somewhere around 10 minutes
in I brought up my now standard question
about visible impacts in the community which
might be attributed to InSite. Te number of
overdoses has gone down for sure, Zoe replied.
Tere were also more informational posters put
up around the church and along Hastings in
general, warning about things like a bad mix of
crack circling the area. Its not really something
you ever saw advertised before, Zoe told me.
Tey both agreed that the
public was just generally better educated.
Tere was some hesitation when
I asked about personal opinions but the
response was frm when it came. I believe
strongly that InSite is a good thing, Zoe
said. Its time the issue is recognized instead
of buried in alleys.
Finally I asked them what they
thought about the condensed nature of this
particular community being attributed to the
dealers congregating there. Tat, and maybe
Carnegie Center, Zoe replied, naming the
beautiful, domed, stone building on the corner
of Main and Hastings. Its always been sort of a
community focal point.
he blue nylon backpack hit the counter
with a thud as Jay and I arranged
ourselves on the bar stools. We both
stirred our cofee intently, cream for him, sugar
for me, as I waited intently for him to continue
the conversation we had begun on the sidewalk.
He had been the one to suggest cofee at Te
handcufed, sitting on the side walk. Day one on
East Hastings.
ancouver Coastal Health and PHS
Community Services Society work
together to provide a comprehensive
support network at InSite, including a front line
team of nurses, counselors, mental health workers
and peer support workers, reads the frst line of
the services page on InSites website. Tey also
claim a 35% decrease for overdoses in the area
and a 9% decrease throughout the city as a whole.
However, InSites critics dont
necessarily agree that these statistics represent
a complete reality. Te INSITE evaluations as
reported in various research journals include
considerable overstating of fndings as well
as underreporting or omission of negative
fndings, and in some cases the discussion
can mislead readers, wrote Colin Mangham,
Director of Research for Drug Prevention
Network of Canada, in A Critique of Canadas
INSITE Injection Site and its Parent Philosophy:
Implications and Recommendations
for Policy Planning.
In a House of Commons
Committee meeting, Mangham said, Te
most telling thing I saw that never found
its way into the media was that only a small
percentage of drug users use InSite. Its not
reaching the cocaine users.
Despite this, according to a fact
sheet put out by the Ministry of Healthy
Living and Sport Government of British
Columbia, in 2010, Tere were 276,178
visits to the site by 5,447 individuals.
Other statistics show an average
of 702 visits daily, with a maximum of 1,171.
Averaging 491 injections per day, there were
484 OD interventions recorded but no deaths.
Te statistics sheet also noted that
InSite has not led to an increase in drug-related
crime. Rates of arrest for drug trafcking,
assaults and robbery were similar afer the
facilitys opening, and rates of vehicle break-ins
and thef declined signifcantly.
t was a happy accident that led me to Katie
Piasta, who was working the counter in Te
Window Community Art Shop on another
cloudy Saturday in the Downtown Eastside. Te
Window appeared to simply be a clean, artsy,
jewel box of a store. Te walls were strung with
necklaces and earrings, and hand-made candles
infused the single room with a sof perfume.
Having decided to enter Te
Window on a random whim, it came as a
wonderful surprise to learn that Te Window
is, in fact, run by the PHS Community Service
Society the same group that runs InSite.
Katie has worked for PHS for the past
two years, but has lived in the area for closer to 10.
Te Window, she explained, is a way to support
the local women only rehab clinic, just around
the corner from InSite, where many women go
afer going through the OnSite detox program.
People around here are generally
really supportive [of InSite], she told me.
Apparently the InSite tee-shirts I now saw
hanging against a wall were a big seller.
People come from all over for tours. Tey
really want to know about whats going on.
I asked her if there had been any
noticeable diferences to the neighborhood
since InSite opened. I see a lot less people
shooting up on the street, she replied, echoing
the response I had gotten from Max a few days
before. A lot less. I used to see it all the time.
Katie also confrmed Maxs
earlier mention of the peer workers.
I asked her about something else,
which had been increasingly evident to me
since I began my exploration of East Hastings:
the startlingly abrupt divide between the three
distinctly poverty riddled blocks on Hastings,
and the rest of the city. One block over and
two blocks down from the infamous Main and
Hastings intersection is a store displaying racks
of 300 dollar jeans. What could possibly account
for this contrast? Katies guess was the dealers.
Where they went, the rest followed.
or many years Canadian drug policies, like
those of many countries around the world,
revolved around primary prevention.
Colin Mangham described this
policy in the Journal of Global Drug Policy and
Practice. Te primary policy focus at least on
paper was reducing the number of new drug
users through prevention and helping people
hung up with drugs to get of of those drugs
and to recover their lives through treatment.
Tese two pillars together constitute what we
have called demand reduction. A third policy
pillar, enforcement or supply reduction, was
intended to support the demand reduction
pillar by reducing the physical, economic
and social availability of drugs in society.
InSite, however, is an example of a
new system which was ofcially adopted in 2004
by the Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse:
harm reduction, which works on the assumption
that addiction and drug use are unfortunate, yet
inevitable realities that should be acknowledged
and approached openly in a way to minimize
harm to individuals and communities.
At a House of Commons Committee
meeting on May 9th, 2009, Dr. Mangham
expressed his fears about where this shif in
policy might lead. It [harm reduction] is on a
collision course with enforcement. You will soon
be hearing calls for changing the drug laws.
Dr. Mangham made it quite clear
that, in his mind, InSite and harm reduction
are futile and dangerous experiments.
While he is by no means alone in his views,
the Supreme Court stated in their decision that
Insite has saved lives and improved health
without increasing the incidence of drug use and
crime in the surrounding area. It is supported
by the Vancouver police, the city and provincial
governments.
he First United Church would be
an unassuming building (clean and
greyish-white on East Hastings and
Gore) were it not for the rather unexpected
roof that juts up to the sky in six radiating
points, as though someone has picked up
its fat plain and bent it like sheet metal.
Te church also acts as a 60 bed
emergency shelter, distributing 2,500 meals
per week as well as hygiene services, like
showers, haircuts, and basic health care.
Te church lobby was a busy place,
with people coming in and out through the
front door, emerging from other rooms, or
sitting on wooden benches against the walls.
Te highlight for most of us was the
little curly white dog dressed, inexplicably,
in a bumble bee costume which had
come in with one man and was promptly
let loose on the lot of us, tail wagging and
tongue at the ready.
At last Zoe Manarangi Bake-
Paterson, communications and fund
V
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#17(+ '#
@'2# -'02
A hitchhikers investigation into why my
thumb gets me rides
B y : C a t r i o n a S t e e n
he road was paved, like most nowadays.
I kicked the ground a bit, small stones
and road salt scratched the gravel road.
I looked into the direction of trafc. Tere was
no trafc. I turned and looked in the direction I
was headed. I only saw fog trapped in the trees,
lingering on the road, creeping further away into
the distance. A gust of gasoline flled tailwind
whacked me in the face, the only exposed part
of my body. Tat was the frst car to turn down
my thumb.
Hitchhiking is not as popular as it used
to be since the 1960s hippy lifestyle grew up and
got a job. As car ownership has increased, stories
of rides gone wrong have surfaced on highways.
People have refrained from sticking out their
thumbs and stopping their cars. I, on the other
hand, have taken up the free-thumb method on
account of it being so kind to my wallet. I won-
der, even afer the transition to a less hitchhiker
friendly environment, why do I get picked up? I
decided to approach this question head on. With
easy access to the Sea to Sky highway in Squa-
mish, British Columbia, Ive hitched rides to and
from Whistler, attempting to put myself in the
drivers seat.
began my mission to answer this question
during a lif down into Squamish from
Darian, a younger man, who works in the
Cafeteria at Quest University. Beginning
my journey at the top of Garibaldi Highlands
at Quest University, I stuck out my thumb while
walking down the hill. Darian stopped and
picked me up because I was a poor girl stuck
on a hill.
In Squamish, I wandered into the
second-hand store where I found Ilias Karami-
Benamirouche, a friend from university. We had
a short chat but I had to leave to make it to the
highway by the Adventure Centre before dark;
the cars cant see you with your thumb out in the
dark.
Why not take the bus? Ilias asked me.
I explained to him that I was writing an article
about hitchhiking and really didnt want to pay
for the bus (a mere dollar seventy). He wanted
some more explanation about my article. I told
him, Ill be asking the drivers why they picked
me up? Te shopkeeper, who had clearly been
ease-dropping on our conversation, interjected,
What if they say they are going to
rape and murder you? I was astonished by her
bluntness. Tis is not something I thought of till
that moment. But I did answer her.
I guess I wont fnish my article then.
She was equally astonished by my answer. I dont
believe people should waste time focusing on
the bad things that can happen to them but the
shopkeeper got me thinking. By hitchhiking am
I playing a game of russian roulette? Is
there an ulterior motive to picking up a
hitchhiker other than sparing a seat in
the right direction? Some drivers had ul-
terior motives on the Highway of Tears.
Te Highway of Tears is a
800km stretch of highway between
Prince George and Prince Rupert in BC.
Along this stretch of highway, between
1969 and 2010, eighteen cases of homi-
cide and missing women were reported.
Many of the women were last seen hitch-
hiking on the highway before they van-
ished.
he closest Ive been to a homicidal
situation while hitchhiking was
almost sitting on a handsaw.
Te afernoon of February 8th was a
particularly good time to hitchhike. I was headed
of to Whistler for the weekend. I had just gotten
a friendly ride down the hill from the university
by Quest tutor, Colin Bates. He dropped me of
at my usual spot just outside of Canadian Tire.
Te sun beamed at me and I happily stood there
soaking up some vitamin D, a rare occurrence in
Squamish. I waited about thirty minutes, all the
while sun soaking. Ten, a shabby looking car
pulled up. Two summer-toned blonds sat in the
front seats. Tis was rare. Women are not usu-
ally so quick to pick up a hitchhiker. Tey indi-
cated that I had to go round other side of the car
because there was a bunch of luggage blocking
the door nearest to me. I opened the door and
sitting there, in my seat, was a huge handsaw.
Oh! Mel can you move that! Te
driver said in an Aussie accent. Shit sorry, that
must look bad. I laughed, then thought back to
the shopkeeper in the second-hand store.
Te girls were driving back from
Vancouver. Te Australian, Tifany, had picked
up her friend, Mel, from the airport. Mel was
returning home from Australia. Mel decided
to celebrate with some pink girly Woodys road
pop. She handed me a bottle of this alcoholic
beverage and I began to feel less tense with the
handsaw that sat next to me the rest of the car
ride. I put my question forward to them with
little worry in mind that these long haired surfer
girls had any serial killer motives.
I got a question for you two. Whyd
you pick me up? I asked.
I used to hitchhike before I got a car.
Tifany answered. And like, youre a girl so I
didnt think youd be sketch.
Well I didnt really want to pick you
up. I never pick up hitchhikers. But Tif was like
Aw, can we pick her up, please? I dont really
hitchhike much either, like Ill only take rides
from women, Mel explained. Tifany told me
she would turn down rides if she got a bad
vibe from the driver. Ive kept that in mind.
Hmm, I guess girls can also be crazy
too though, Mel reevaluated her statement. I
mean, anyone can have a knife and rob you.
I agreed but wasnt convinced. Crazy women
carrying knives was not something I needed to
worry about seeing as the demographic of peo-
ple that usually pick me up have been men.
ve wondered why men are more likely to
pick up hitchhikers. In a study on the Ef-
fect of Humour on Hitchhiking, carried out
by Nicolas Guguen, a French behavioural
scientist, fndings show, all drivers who stopped
were men. Tere are very few studies on hitch-
hiking, which doesnt surprise me. Its not exact-
ly a science. On all occasions where I have been
picked up by men, which is most, I have always
been under the impression that they just wanted
to help me out.
But sometimes men dont want to help.
Terry Howlander, an older man in his ffies with
greying hair and a sof voice, told me about his
hitchhiking confrontation while giving me a ride
back to Squamish from Whistler on
Valentines day. Going way back to
when I was young, fourteen-ffeen,
some friends and I were hitchhiking
around Van. We got picked up by
this guy and he liked to play around
with little boys if you know what I
mean. We got ourselves out of that
situation pretty fast. Tat showed us
the bad side of hitchhiking for sure.
I still wasnt put of by Terrys per-
sonal account of a ride gone wrong,
as my good experiences have out-
weighed the horror-stories.
Afer a long day on the
mountain on February 10th, I had
hitched a ride from Whistler to
Squamish with an older, gruf and scratchy
voiced man. He was pretty high and ran his
mouth in the boring way. I was dropped of at
the bottom of the hill at Canadian Tire, the usu-
al. I didnt mind not having to spend another fve
minutes up to the university with him.
I ached afer taking some falls to the
lower back and I Quasimodoed my way along
the road, occasionally turning around when I
heard a car. I stuck out that thumb of mine hop-
ing to make the last leg of the journey on wheels.
A big black pick-up pulled over. I struggled to
stash my board in the back. I quickly jumped
into the car to fnd a Yorkie terrier sitting on
the armrest between the driver and passenger
seat. Te smell of hay, dust, and horse awoke my
nostrils. Te Driver, Toni, welcomed me into her
truck,
I hope you dont mind the stinky
horse smell and the dog here, she said. It was
once again quite odd to be picked up by a wom-
an, but I was relieved at the same time. I was sick
of having to talk to boring old men.
Oh no. Not at all, I love dogs! I told
T
I
T
I
"We got picked up by this guy
and he liked to play around
with little boys if you know
what mean. We got our-
selves out of that situation
pretty fast. That showed us
the bad side of hitchhiking
for sure.
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Afer a long discussion about how un-
happy he was in his job and how worried I am
for my future job, we ceased to talk for a while.
Jon sat there thinking.
What is it you study? He asked. I
told I was taking a journalism course. Ah, you
write. I told him I was working on an article
at the moment about hitchhiking, how ironic.
I was going to give reporting a rest that night,
but Jon was more interesting than most people
I have encountered. I told him when I interview
people in the car it makes them feel super un-
comfortable. What do they tell you when you
ask them why they pick you up?
Mostly people have a spare seat in
the car or they used to hitchhike and for karma
points, I heard that sometimes, I answered.
Ha, thats ridiculous. Just because you
pick someone up doesnt make your chances bet-
ter. Tat karma stuf is kind of bullshit. Jon was
amused by others superstitions. Now when he
talked it was outright pragmatic, no-nonsense.
Sitting next to Jon Cole in the passen-
ger seat was comforting. I contently listened to
him speak of stories about his hitchhiking ex-
periences, how he craved for a more captivating
job like his brothers, and his alter-ego as a co-
median. His car hummed along, feeling dragged
down by his sled. I trusted him to get me where
I needed to be and he trusted me to not be a cra-
zy woman with a knife about to rob him. More
than that, he confded in me his frustrations
with life, his guidance and humour.

rivers who stop for me have been altru-
istic. Teyve allowed me, a complete
stranger, into their car and in exchange
asked nothing of me. Tey simply wanted to
spare an otherwise vacant seat. And this seat
is like your ticket to Mecca afer standing and
waiting on the side of a timeless road.

I have grown pretty fond of. It upset me a bit
that people probably werent able to read my
message. Pick-ups with sleds strapped to the
back, limos seeming to stretch on forever, and
all other possible vehicles passed me. At this rate
Id just be a pair of rattling jaws before any car
pulled up.
Around the corner a red and white
chevrolet pick-up, with a sled weighing down
its rear end, pulled out of Canadian tire but did
not exit the acceleration lane. Instead it rolled
straight towards me, coming to a stop. I opened
the door to the car and looked straight at the
driver. All I could think was well heres Waldo.
It was not only his slumping black beanie and
specs that brought me to this impression but the
colour of his truck, his face, and fgure that em-
bodied sneaky Waldo. He was actually Jon Cole.
Did the sign work? I asked.
Its dark out, I saw the humour
part the frst time I passed as went to get gas.
I thought well, Ill loop round and grab her if
shes still there, Jon answered
in monotone, unaware of his
wording.
He seemed a little uncomfort-
able, not with me but with
his height. Even with his seat
pulled right back; his elbows dangled down and
his knees bent up.
He told me he was an accountant. I
didnt know what to say. He knew exactly what I
was thinking.
Yeah its boring. Its the same thing
everyday... Dont fuck up like I did. I dont think
Ill be doing it much longer. Te more he talk-
ed in this mellow dragged out tone, the more I
knew I didnt want to be an accountant. I began
to believe he picked me up to warn me of the
dangers of boring desk jobs.
Te guy was drained, but there was something
alive in him. My anxiety entered the discussion
when I said, I think Im studying unemploy-
ment.
Oh yeah, thats a problem nowadays
isnt it. Well dont fuck up and dont be an ac-
countant, He reassured me. His humour was
light hearted. He talked through a flter. It mum-
bled yet pierced me with wit. His voice felt like it
was feeding you rich chocolate cake, which was
stolen from the shrewd old ladys windowsill
from down the street.
help kindle the hearts of drivers on Valentines
day, I struck out my thumb. Afer pulling up
to the curb in a Nissan Sentra Ser Spec V, a
young shaggy looking snowboarder, like myself,
stepped out of the car to give me a hand with
my snowboard. Luke McPhersons stubble was
on the verge of becoming a beard. His iPhone
played obnoxious dance music that apparently
belonged to his roommate. Luke quickly took to
conversation. For him, my sign seemed to work
out well. I read your sign and saw you had a
snowboard and thought itd be good to have a
companion. Success! Only a ffeen-minute
wait.
I broke that last record a few days later
on February 17th. I had only been standing out-
side of Creekside in Whistler for less than two
minutes when a dark blue minivan rolled into
the bus stop behind where I stood. I stashed my
sign in the back of the car on a grungy makeshif
bed. Te man driving the car, Jase Wilson, did
not look like the kind of guy to live out of a car.
Short blond hair and razor sharp facial features.
I could see him working as a spokesman for
mens grooming products. He was confdent and
eager to answer my questions. I asked him about
the sign.
Your sign helped me immediately
identify that you are a hitchhiker. Although
your sign is not a traditional sign, when I read
it, I almost mistook you for a picketer. But then
I realised you were saying you have something
to ofer, good company and good humour. Its a
positive message, you are overcoming barriers,
He told me. Jase admitted to picking up hitch-
hikers pretty regularly, telling me, Im banking
hitchhiking karma for when I need to use my
thumb. Tis reminded me of something Luke
said when I asked him why he had picked me up.
To do a good deed, you know, do good deeds
and hopefully they come back to you.
stood outside of Canadian Tire at 7:00 PM
on a bone cold Saturday night. Dark roads
and wintery damp air are a dangerous com-
bination for hitchhikers. I held my sign, which
her. I do love dogs. Tis was maybe the best ride
Id gotten yet. Te tiny Yorkie crawled into my
lap and snuggled up to me. My routine question-
ing began.
Whyd I pick you up? I dont usu-
ally pick up hitchhikers but I saw you walking
up the street. At frst I though you were an old
woman carrying some bags but then you turned
around and I saw your snowboard. You looked
exhausted, like you had a long day on the moun-
tain. I had space here in the car so I pulled over.
Toni was very genuine. She was a middle-aged
woman and while talking with her you got that
feeling that she was defnitely somebodys mum.
Toni was comforted by our lively conversation
as I cuddled her dog. I wouldnt have minded
sitting in that stinky truck for another hour or
so more. Why cant all rides be this enjoyable? I
decided to try to attract better company.
hadnt really taken to using a sign on the Sea
to Sky highway, seeing as my destination
was always the next town
over. Drivers just seemed
to know where you were go-
ing when you had a snow-
board hanging around with
you. I looked for guidance in,
Efect of Humour on Hitchhiking: A Field Ex-
periment. Guguen probably ran out of studies
to do. So he decided to drop some guinea-pigs
of on a roadside on the Rhuys Peninsula, to
see how the use of humour on their hitchhiking
signs afected altruistic behaviour in drivers. He
found that, the presence of a smiley face on the
sign decreased the number of drivers stopping
and ofering rides to the hitchhiking confeder-
ates. I was even more confused to read, How-
ever this phenomenon was observed only when
the hitchhiker was a woman.
Tat cannot be right. Teir experi-
ment was a bit of a dunce, though (you cant re-
ally call a smiley face humour). Tat night I
decided to challenge Guguens fndings. Sifing
through grease stained pizza boxes and untidy
looking slabs of card board, I found a clean,
white, approximately ffy by seventy centime-
tre hard board. On it, with my navy blue grafti
pen, I wrote, good company & good humour
having confdence that my message was a little
funnier than Guguens smiley face.
Te next day, hoping the sign would
I
D
I
"What if they say they are
going to rape and murder you?
The folks who have been around for a few years remember a
time when everyone knew everything about everyone; Quest
isn't like that anymore. We've got more people now, more
cliques, we don't have everyone else's names on the tips of
our tongues, we can't share common thoughts, concerns, or
support as quickly.
Now, we need new ways to keep each other in the loop;
it's time for a newspaper. The Mark is Quest's third attempt at a
student run publication; following proudly behind The Spit and
WERD . But this is frst time we have reporters. Quest issues
aren't common knowledge anymore and we need this paper as
more than just a vehicle for inside jokes and literary expression.
We're going to keep this going and if you feel like contrib-
uting then we want your work. Keep your eye out for stories and
write them up.Quest students have things to say and The Mark
is the place to say them.
For detaiIs emaiI Maymie.Tegart@questu.ca
/40"* DEF GHDE
I13 =1) J'0. $))92 3,7
600 years ago Gutenberg invented the printing press. We have accessed our stories by reading words on a
page, either to access knowledge and ideas, or to entertain our minds. In the last two years, e-books have
begun to emerge as the new medium for reading in Canada.Will this change how we read?
the touch of a screen, not the turn of a page.
Perhaps pretentiously, I am skeptical
about the electronic books and readers
advertised in the media. I just cannot see
how the experience of reading on a screen
can emulate print. I already spend too much
time on my laptop every day. Whenever I
get a chance to read print, I breathe a deep
sigh of relief. Still, part of me is curious about
electronic books: will they have a similar afect
on society as the Gutenberg Printing Press
afected the print book? Or, is print here to stay?
Six hundred years ago there was a
great debate over the transparency of knowledge.
Te invention of the printing press, mainly the
Gutenberg Printing Press, threatened the power
that the literate (mostly religious authority) held
over the common people. Tey worried that this
new invention of print would make ideas more
susceptible to piracy and that print could spread
dangerous ideas.
Tis last point particularly frightened

ome people love reading so much that
they devote their lives to it. Tese book
sellers, librarians, and scholars of the
world build their lives around the quiet spaces
in which they can read, share, and talk about
books. What if an entire library could ft into
a backpack or a briefcase? Would that change
how they read? Would it change what they love
Te rapid patter of the keyboard, like
rain hitting the window, stops. Zooming in with
a few clicks of her mouse, Shira Weidenbaum,
a Humanities professor at Quest University
and scholar of 16
th
century French dialogues,
examines a photo that she took on her latest trip
to France. Te picture is of a page in a 500-year-
old book in the National Library. She focuses
on the now blown-up text before resuming
the rapid patter on the keyboard, transcribing
the photographed text into a word document.
At the age of seven Shira began to
bike to the library on her own. Growing up
there were books, but no television in the
Weidenbaum household. Like many typical
11 year old girls, she read and fell in love with
Anne of Green Gables. Her parents took her to
visit L.M. Montgomerys House, the Red Roads
and Avonlea on Prince Edward Island. Tis
was the frst time that Shira heard the French
language. Afer moving to a private school in
grade 11, she began collecting academic books.
Shiras dulcet tones, slightly tainted by fatigue,
waver in transition. I think what happened,
Im trying to imagine; how do I go from liking
books to being basically, a book hoarder?
Te format of the book has changed
over the centuries from manuscripts, to print,
and recently to digitized print. Instead of
searching through stacks of newspapers or
fipping through books to fnd information,
people simply type keywords or phrases into a
search engine, and the computer does the rest.
In the past few years the invention of electronic
readers like the Kindle are building a new type
of bookshelf: one that is accessed through
87#)$+)0% :GKH
By: Eline Huisken
S
religious leaders, who believed that the public
should not personally read the Bible. However,
print was quicker, easier and cheaper to
produce then manuscripts, and these benefts
outweighed any skepticism or concerns
from a small group of elitists. Slowly over
the 16
th
and 17
th
century, print took over the
manuscript, changing the form of the book.
Te frst glimpse of the electronic
book came in 1971, when Michael Hart typed
the Declaration of Independence into the
Xerox Sigma V mainframe at the University
of Illinois. Hart deduced that the greatest
value created by computers would not be
computing, but would be storage, retrieval,
and searching for what was stored in our
libraries. Over the next two decades, along
with the growth and expansion of mainframes
into the Internet browser, the availability of
electronic texts increased.
Te introduction of the electronic
reader provided a compact and transportable
solution to the criticism that e-books were
not as portable as print. In 1999, the Rocket
e-book and SofBook were released. Te
prices ranged roughly from $500-$600 making
them unafordable for the general public.
In 2007 e-readers became more accessible
and afordable when Amazon introduced
the Kindle. Today, Kindle e-readers are
available for $89 or the Kindle app is free to
download on tablets and smartphones.
Electronic reader advertisements may
actually give a false idea about the prominence
of the e-book and readers. In Canada, only
two years have elapsed since e-book sales were
substantial enough to begin collecting data.
BookNet, a not-for-proft organization that
focuses on developing technology and standards
for the Canadian book industry, is working on
building an e-book sales reporting panel for
Canada, but a few mitigating circumstances so
far have delayed the panel (namely, time, market
size, and competition). According to Noah
Genner, the CEO and President of BookNet
Canada, e-book sales account for roughly 16
percent of the trade book market in Canada.
Beyond this statistic there isnt much electronic
book data in Canada.

hen you read, your eyes never
follow in a smooth line of print. Rather, they
alternate between saccades (rapid jerks) and
fxations. For every second of reading, your
eyes make on average three or four fxations.
As you read this, your eyes are looking at
the edges of the letters, words, or phrases,
but never the i-n-d-i-v-i-d-u-a-l lettering.
When light enters your retina in the
central part called the fovea, nerve cells begin to
fre as they convert light into electrical pulses.
Te further away cells are from the fovea, the
harder it is to recognize an image, as the fovea
provides the visual detail in a graphic. However,
the parafoveal (the cells that surround the fovea)
gives your periphery vision, which helps you to
detect the larger visual patterns present in this text.
Afer a fxation, the shape of
the word is sent from your retina to the
brain via the optic nerve. Te shape is
then mapped into your memory system to
determine what it looks like (orthography).
Take for example: elephant has a
very distinct orthography, as the l goes up, the
p goes down, and the beginning is rounded
by the e and the end stops abruptly with a
t. Your brain recognizes the edges of this
shape and matches it to the word elephant.
Simultaneously, your brain is stimulating
the same pathway to fnd the meaning of the
word. Its asking; what does elephant mean?
What sounds do I know that match el-e-phant?
Once the meaning of elephant is
recognized, your brain begins to put the word
into context with the rest of the sentence (this
is called parsing). It does this by determining
the properties of an elephant; an elephant
can do certain things like eat and walk, but
it cannot melt or explode. Once you register
the context of the word, you continue to
read to fgure out what the elephant is doing.
Reading from the screen can impact
the basic visual processes, namely how you
perceive the colour and edges of the text on
the screen, afecting the speed and accuracy.
Conversely, it does not afect how you
decipher the meaning and context of the word.
Te Academy of American Pediatrics
recommends that children under the age of two
not be exposed to screens of any kind. Also, they
advocate that parents monitor their childrens
screen time until the age of 10. Electronic
reading screens are no exception. Te screen can
dangerously afect the cognitive development
of toddlers and children. At a young age,
the brain is still too sensitive to handle the
visual intensity from the overstimulation of
screens, and cannot focus on it. Tis damages
both the occipital lobe and prefrontal cortex.
Tough Canada does not have any
statistics on the matter, in 2012 childrens
e-book sales reached $72 million in the United
States. I-Chant Chiang, a psycholinguist
and professor at Quest University Canada,
is concerned about the use of e-books for
children and toddler cognitive development.
Te e-books that are designed for children,
which tend to be very colorful and interactive,
its too much for [the childs brain] to know
where to focus, says Chiang. So, despite the
label that suggest that [e-books] are really great
for your child and will develop them, it actually
is the reverse; it actually is harmful to them.
As an early 90s baby, I grew up
just before the Internet completely took over.
I remember learning to type and use the
Internet in elementary school. My teachers
ofen stressed its importance, reminding us,
Youll thank me in the future. Little did we
know, those 45 grueling minutes would pay of
in the future when typing papers for school.
Today, people are able to access books,
documents, articles, (practically anything)
for free, or relatively cheap. Tis is one of the
benefts that e-books hold over print. Te quick
reference and hyper-linking provided by the
eBook format means that people can fnd key
words or phrases in a text instantly, or with the
touch of the screen to get a dictionary defnition.
As an undergraduate, I see the value in quick
and easy access to information, as I dont need to
spend countless hours fipping through books.
Another advantage with the e-book is
that as long as you have access to the Internet
or data, you can get a book from anywhere.
Tis is particularily useful for students who
attend university away from campus, A lot
of [university] students are distance learners,
and so they need readier access to [university]
materials, says Shauna Bryce, Senior Library
Technician at Quest University Canada, and
currently a master student in library and
information science student at UBC. If a
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t
o
: E
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n
e
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faculty were to use an eBook for their class
it means that the students could access it.
Shiras fragile hands, those of a serious
musician, grace the spines of the books, before
stopping. Its hard to separate a love of books
from a love of language, she says. Gently, she
pulls out uvres Potiques by Louise Lab, a
French Renaissance poet, and turns a page. Te
annotated markings show how she reads a poem;
she does it in pencil, writing very carefully, she
tries to be neat. Te books that sit on her shelves
now are all a part of the academic collection
compiled from years and years of collecting and
reading.
Outside, the golden light catches the
shadows of the coniferous forest, foreshadowing
the inevitable end to a rare sunny Squamish
day in mid-February; its getting late. As Shira
converses, I try to gather my thoughts to wrap
up the conversation. My eyes fall to the book
hoarder comment from earlier, and the curiosity
takes over.
You mentioned that you are a book
hoarder.
A slight hesitation overcomes Shiras face
before she carefully explains, Yeah, I hang on to
books; I feel a little bit like its my security blanket.
Its the possibility of knowledge. Whether I
remember whats in the books or whether I have
read whats in the books, I know where to go.
A paper book is more than a
hundred something peices of paper stained
by black ink and bound by glue. For some,
like Shira and I, the experience of reading a
book is defned by hand marking favourite
quotes, or physically turning each page.
It all comes down to personal preference.
My stubbornness gave into curiosity, and
I downloaded some e-books onto my iPhone.
At frst the screen was too bright for my eyes to
read, but afer adjusting the settings I couldnt
help but notice how the e-book attempted to
imitate a real book. When my fnger touched the
screen, a corner of the page would curl up and
then across the page, just like in the print copy.
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A search through the Canadian melting pot fnds
Italian roots on Commercial Drive alive and well
B y : A l e s s a n d r o Te r s i g n i
One of the many Italian establishments on Vancouvers Commercial Drive
e have always been happy. Were
working as a family. What better
thing is there to do? Especially
when youre Italian. When you have those val-
ues, family is number one. I dont know any Ital-
ian families that say I cant stand my parents.
We dont know that mentality. Wed die for our
family. Tats why were successful. Weve been
here around 37 years and well be here another
37... at least.
Tese are the words of Vincenzo Mur-
docco, one of three Italian brothers who are
the charismatic proprietors of Cafe Calabria on
Commercial Drive, East Vancouver. Today, he
takes a break from his busy day of making fresh-
ly grilled delicious prosciutto bocconcini tomato
paninis to talk to me about his life, and the life of
his fathers famous Italian cafe. When you walk
in here its like a time warp. Its Italy, says Vince.
We saved you $1500, if you want to speak or
practice your Italian well work with you, and
the best thing is if you come back tomorrow
the same persons here and that makes you feel
good. When his father, Francesco Murdocco,
opened the cafe in 1976, every store on Com-
mercial Drive had something to do with Italians.
Today, the cafe is one of the last authentic Italian
cafes in Vancouver, and one of the only original
Italian family businesses lef on the Drive.
I grew up a member of a large Italian
family in Toronto. My father Franks parents im-
migrated through Pier 21, Halifax, to Ontario in
the 1950s. My Nonno Dominic frst worked in
the upholstering industry, and my Nonna Maria
worked as a seamstress. Although my mother is
of British descent, I had a very Italian Canadian
upbringing. We make our own wine, sausages,
prosciutto, and tomato sauce every year. Both
my parents speak Italian not to mention all of
my extended familyand I grew up hyper aware
and proud of my heritage.
In a sense, Italians are one slice of a
large Canadian pie made from all kinds of lef
overs. Tis country has been largely populated
by immigrants from one time or another, begin-
ning with French Colonization in the early 17th
century. Te two great waves of Italian immi-
gration to Canada were at the turn of the 20th
century and between the 1950s and 70s. Tese
days, Canada is a popular destination for Asian,
Indian, and Filipino immigrants.
Is this melting pot of cultures dete-
riorating the identities of the Italian Canadians
of Vancouver? My family in Toronto seems to
have preserved our Italian culture, a feat that has
shaped me to this day. Until I explored Com-
mercial Drive, I didnt think that a strong Italian
community existed in Vancouver.
But as the Canadian sons and daugh-
ters of Italian immigrants grow apart from the
places and people that raised them, and assimi-
late into a nation that identifes with a mosaic of
cultures, preserving their Italianess may prove
difcult.
With this in mind, I was intrigued as
to how Commercial Drivea neighbourhood
that was at one time Little Italy, Vancouver
had evolved into a culturally eclectic street. Is it
still home to the type of die-hard Italians I had
grown up with?
t was important for me to investigate the
roots of the Italian community in Vancou-
ver. Did a resilient Italian cultural presence
even exist here? Or is the Italian ghost of Com-
mercial Drive simply reminiscent of the vibrant
Little Italies I have seen in other cities.
Ray Culos, a passionate historian and
chronicler of Italian Heritage in Vancouver, was
happy to talk to me. Italians brought to Canada
a quality that was required, says Culos. Te
Brits, the French, the Germans, their whole bean
was based on what they had. In Italy, it was the
sun, the gardens, the family, and a desire to do
good.
Ray distinctly remembers the selfess-
ness and hospitality of the Italians he knew from
his youth. Italians invited you in, had wine on
their table, wonderful cooking, and ofered love
and afection to all friends without any encum-
brances like you owe me this or you have to
pay me for that. It was generosity.
Afer World War One, Ray noticed
that Vancouvers Italian immigrants were able to
complete manual labour work much faster than
the average Canadian. Tere isnt any other
nationality that is better in terms of the efort
they made from a labourers point of view, he
says. Lots equalled themmany immigrants
came here to work and they achieved thisbut
immigrants from other countries came with an
education and an expertise they could develop
quickly. Most Italians that immigrated to Can-
ada were lower class and uneducated. My own
grandparents, Dominic and Maria, never made
it to high school.
Ray tells me about another obstacle
that the Italian immigrants of Vancouver faced.
In the early 20th century, his Nonno Sam started
a family Italian food importing business in Van-
couvers Little Italy. Nonno Sam, who was fve
feet tall, came upon an English police ofcer on
his way to work one morning. Te ofcer patted
Sam on the head, saying something like its great
to see Italians working so hard, as is your place
in life. Tis greatly disheartened Nonno Sam. In
those days the English were the dominant ethnic
group: they were the legitimate Canadians of the
day. Tey had command of the language, and so
they ran all the major businesses. My dad said
that when applying for jobs, afer he told them
he was Italian and from Union Street, it was of-
ten the case that he didnt get that job.
Between this kind of discrimination
and lack of a formal education, it seems that
Vancouvers Italian pioneers were forced to work
vigorously and stick to their family values to fnd
success as Canadians.
enzo Montagliani immigrated with his
family to Canada in 1956 from Celano,
Italy, settling in Vancouver where others
from their town had already ventured. He sits
across from me at a round white cofee table in
the very same room where he tailored the suits
of Vancouvers successful business men. But to-
day I am sipping an espresso instead of being ft-
ted for a custom pinstripe suit. Now in his 70s,
Renzo sits beside his son Andre who runs the
cofee shop that bears his name. Te old man
playfully hits his son with his scarf, endearingly
condemning him for never becoming fuent in
Italian.
Renzo built his legacy on Commercial
Drive, which was Little Italy at the time. He used
what he had to ofer, namely his skills as a tai-
lor, to rise to success in Canada. Renzo explains
that instead of doing as Italians he knew had
done, immigrating to South America or Austra-
lia where one had to be a farmer, he chose the
manifest destiny North American lifestyle.
But it was not always just a matter
I
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i
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o
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g
s
p
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of putting in the work. Te Drive has changed
since the later 20th century, and Renzo says for
the better. Leaning in close to me while Andre
talks to an enthusiastic regular, Renzo tells me
that between his struggle with the English lan-
guage and Little Italys poorer socioeconomic
status in those days, he feels that gentrifcation
and multiculturalism have improved the neigh-
bourhood. Before you were an immigrant, a
W.O.P he says, using a derogatory term refer-
ring to Italian immigrants without papers. He
prefers the present day well lit safe streets of a
Drive that is home to an array of diferent immi-
grant businesses, a place were all ethnic cultures
are celebrated.
Renzo & Co Custom Tailors was a
landmark Italian business in Vancouver for over
50 years. But it was also an atrium through which
Italian culture coursed, and this in turn gave life
to the cofee shop it became. My fathers busi-
ness was a cofee shop already, Andre explains.
He recalls his father had a high quality espresso
machine in the back of his shop for personal use.
It was great, instead of working I could drink
cofee and talk with my friends, Renzo laughs,
winking at me. It was these friends and clientele
who, being partial to Renzos respected work as
a tailor, are now patrons of Renzos cofee shop.
However, Renzos Cofee has less of a
traditional Italian persona than Renzos Tailors.
Although Renzo is Celanesi, Andres mother is
not of Italian descent. Growing up in Vancou-
vers east side, Andre attended school with other
Italians, but also had a variety of ethnically dif-
ferent friends including some Ukrainians whom
he could really identify with. He explains that
English is his frst language, though he can speak
Japanese. He had more difculty with Italian,
but spoke it decently with his grandparents until
they passed away when he was 11.
Andre seems exhilarated by the di-
versity of culture, having lived in cities like New
York, Los Angeles and Milan, where he found
inspiration for his Vancouver cafe. Te new
Renzos is fttingly revamped with a mix of mod-
ern and historical fxtures. Te old weathered
turquoise tailors sign hangs framed on the wall
behind the bar made from recycled building ma-
terials. Te minimalist wood panelling on the
front of the
Vince stresses that to remember your
Italian heritage is to honour the tireless work
ethic that is responsible for you being on this
planet today. When they came to Canada, Ital-
ians didnt just sit down. Tey were doing every-
thing: they owned all the trucks, they worked
hard, and the Italian community took care of it-
self. Getting up at fve oclock every morning to
be at the cafe by six, Vinces day is a little longer
than most. Its hard. Everything in life youve
got to work at. Just like this business didnt come
like this over night: my dad spend 18 hours by
himself here some nights. For Vince, family is
everything; youve got to be a team, in all aspects
of life.
While contrasting Canadian cultural
values to life in Italy, Ray Culos told me that
when he looked at Italy he saw a beautiful coun-
try, an undying love for ones fellow man, and
people that looked just like him. But I would say
that Ray neednt go as far as the Mediterranean.
At Renzos Cofee, Falconettis, and
Cafe Calabria, there is one thing that stands out:
they all transformed authentic Italian culture
into a medium that Canadians can understand
and integrate into their own lives. Andre and
Carmine took the pride of their fathers business
and allowed it to fourish into a crossroads of
cultures, where the old meets the new, giving a
gif that Vancouver has come to love. Vince and
his brothers have done much the same thing,
but by a diferent road. Cafe Calabria is instead
a place where Italian Culture has endured in its
purest form, but is also very accessible to Cana-
dians, as the Murdoccos welcome all into their
big Italian family.
It turns out that being Canadian isnt
so diferent to being from any of the diverse cul-
tures that have immigrated here. As cultures
thrive longer and longer in Canada, as their Ca-
nadian roots grow deeper, they are able to ofer
some of their own values up to this country as its
own. Like ingredients in a makeshif soup, these
values may cease to belong to the cultures they
originate from and simply be Canadian as the
melting pot churns on. I hope I will always fnd
places like Cafe Calabria to look for my Italian
family when Im away from home. But only time
will tell.
Bar Calabria. It was more of a social club where
Italian men could come to smoke and play
Briscola and Scopa, the card games of the old
country, and have the occasional espresso. But
Vince says, this just wasted a lot of time, and
we made no money. A bunch of guys hanging
out and having one cofee a day didnt work. So
when BCs anti-smoking laws came into efect,
Francesco Senior got rid of the card games.
Te Tobacco Control Act of 1996,
prohibiting smoking in enclosed areas in BC,
was bad for business. Ten along came Star-
bucks and educated the Canadians about the
inferiority of drip cofee. Before that the only
people that knew what cofee was were Europe-
ans, Vince explains. We got a lot of guys from
overseas coming in, nobody from here. With
the spread of the Seattle franchise came intrigue
from Canadians about this new gourmet cof-
fee itch long embraced by Europeans. So, the
Murdoccos converted Bar Calabria into a family
cafe.
Anyone who started to know cofee
because of Starbucks eventually wanted to know
who had the best. When you start looking or
asking, you end up here. So Cafe Calabria be-
came a Vancouver hit, and a revitalizing outpost
for its waning Italian community.
Like Cafe Calabria, Commercial
Drive also changed. For whatever reason, the
Italians moved out. I think in some cases the
second generation got lazy, Vince explains.
Te fathers came here and worked their asses
of so their kids could fnally get an education,
and all of a sudden their sons dont want to take
over the family business. I fnd the frst genera-
tion Italians used to really invest. Now, many
Italians dont.
little bit about the culture and the language be-
cause you can relate it back to your own iden-
tity.
With growing diversity, globalization,
and crossing of cultures in Canada, it can be re-
ally difcult to maintain your Italian identity on
a practical level. Te easiest is when everyone is
living the culture, says my father. Its not practi-
cal to keep living the way your family lived two
or three generations ago. On a nostalgic level,
and on somewhat of a practical level, you can
still do things like make tomato sauce and have
the celebrations from the old days. But to live
that life as the degrees of separation between
you and the source of the culture increase gets
harder and harder as the generations go on.
Perhaps this melting pot efect has
neutralized Vancouvers thoroughly Italian
families. Maybe it is due to its greater popula-
tion that Toronto is home to a strong Italian cul-
ture. Nonetheless, in the heart of Commercial
Drive, there is a family business that stands as
a resilient fag of Italian values, and a staple of
transformation with preservation of the Italian
culture at its axis.
itting with Murdocco in Cafe Calabria,
he quickly darts away from the cafe table
where weve been chatting to attend to a
sandwich hes been grilling. Just a second..I
didnt want to lose the sandwich.
Hospitality and an unwavering atten-
tion to consistency have been cornerstones of
Cafe Calabria. If you meet my father, youll un-
derstand why the business is successful, Vince
explains. My father would treat people the way
that their parents would treat them. Like if you
had bad manners or you came in with a mo-
hawk, hed tell you what he thought just the way
your parents would, and people loved that. As
I sit in the cafe, I know that hes right. It is the
feeling of being part of the family that makes
you feel so welcome in Cafe Calabria. Just like at
home, there are rules at this cafe.
Te story of Francesco Murdocco and
his three sons, Nicodemo, Vincenzo and Frank
Junior, is one of making themselves happy by
giving the public what it wanted, and doing what
they do best: being Italian.
In its infancy, the business was called
and who grew up in almost exclusively Italian
neighbourhoods. To walk into my fathers child-
hood would have been, in Murdoccos words, to
walk into a time warp.
Tis aspect of Carmines identity is
refected in his business. Te restaurant is not
exclusively Italian, but specializes in a vari-
ety dishes. Te business was inspired by my
dads Italian sausages. But we also ofer a Tai
chicken,Yucatan chicken, and Polish sausage.
Like Commercial Drive, Falconettis is eclectic
in what they do. We even have poutine.
Carmines success can be attributed to
his devotion to his Italian roots and a willing-
ness to evolve. We just built on what my dad
started, which was an authentic product. Maybe
the ability to take where you came from and turn
it into something you can share with a diverse
group of cultures is what it means to be Cana-
dian.
Ray agreed with this notion of Ca-
nadian identity as a multicultural patch-work
quilt. Trudeau told us not to be Canadian but
to be our heritage. So youre Italian, or youre
French, or youre English. Tis seems to be the
way Canadian identity panned out for the 21st
century.
Personally, I feel strongly that I didnt
grow up fully Canadian. Tere is something dis-
tinct about my identity that making sausages
from pig intestines and distilling grape stems
into grappa with my Zio Mario, and canning my
Nonnos home grown tomatoes every year can
attest to. My father Frank says, it is a good thing
to recognize where you come from and know a
bar is much like that you would see at a modern
Milanese cofee bar and is made from used pine
beetle wood, Andre says.
With the timing of his fathers retire-
ment came an opportunity for Andre to honour
Renzos wish that the family business stay open.
Andre combined his experience in the service
industry and his Italian sensibilities with what
he had seen in New York and Milan cofee shops
to create a business compatible with the now
multicultural Commercial Drive.
Tough the neighbourhood has
changed, Renzos stands out as an Italian cofee
shop on the Drive, and Andre rightfully doesnt
hide his excitement at both the transformation
and preservation of his family heirloom.
ndre is not the only second generation
Italian Canadian to redefne his fathers
Italian business on Commercial Drive.
Carmine Falcone, owner of Falconettis East Side
Grill, transformed his fathers famous Italian
butchery into a more Canadian establishment.
But Carmine hasnt changed everything about
his fathers business. Falconettis main attraction
is still his fathers famous sausages, so loved by
Vancouvers Little Italy.
Pasquale Falcone came to Vancou-
ver in his twenties, opening his butchery in
the mid 1960s in the storefront that is home to
Falconettis today. Carmine tells me his father is
famous in Vancouvers Italian community, and
his sausages well-loved by its frst generation
immigrants. Ill meet second generation Ital-
ian Canadians that have memories of their par-
ents bringing them to my fathers butcher shop.
Many of those customers who came to Pasquale
for his distinctly Italian product now come to
Falconettis for the same reason.
But Carmine tells me he doesnt feel
potently Italian. I do consider myself Italian,
but I feel very much Canadian. He explains
that there are many men more Italian than him,
Italian Canadians like my father who went to
schools with upwards of 75% Italian students,
Like Commercial Drive, Falconetti's is eclectic in what
they do. "We even have poutine.
t is the feeling of being
part of the family that
makes you feel so wel-
come in Cafe Calabria.
Just like at home, there
are rules at this cafe.
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J"$9 %'()2
A neurological viewpoint, which focuses on the dramatic, year long,
transformation of the Quest University mens basketball team.
B y : C h a r l e s I mp e y
s I enter the lobby of the gymnasium, I
am struck by a wall of sound and colour.
Afer the customary handshakes and in-
troductions, I stretch out my sweaty palm and
clench the warm door handle. I pull the door
towards me, transporting myself to a new world,
where students, with whom I have shared classes
with, are idealised as celebrities. For this small
community, the gymnasium is reminiscent of a
church. It is a weekly sanctuary. I stride towards
the bleachers and fnd a seat amongst the sea of
green. Tere is a banging of drums, an orchestra
of horns and a choir of chants. I instantly lose
my individuality and become part of the crowd.
Similar to a wave, we move as one, sharing the
common goal of spurring our basketball team to
victory. Our beloved Kermodes are ahead, but
with only a slim lead, I cant help but wonder if
this game will be a repeat of almost every game I
watched last season.
Te mens basketball team endured
difcult times last year, taking only one win
from their 16 games. Now, a year later, they
enter their penultimate weekend of the season
with 10 wins and nine losses. In a year, the Quest
mens basketball team has transitioned from los-
ers to winners, but how? In a complex sport
like Basketball, it is impossible to pinpoint one
deciding factor. However, as every action or be-
haviour stems from neuronal activity, studying
the brain could shed some light on behaviour,
especially in sport.
As I consume a homemade mixture of
spirits and soda, I begin to lose my inhibition.
With my confdence growing exponentially, I
raise my voice to a deafening volume. Joining
As I enter the lobby of the gymnasium, I am
struck by a wall of sound and colour. Afer the
customary handshakes and introductions, I
stretch out my sweaty palm and clench the warm
door handle. I pull the door towards me, trans-
porting myself to a new world, where students,
of whom I have once shared classes with, are ide-
alised as celebrities. For this small community,
the gymnasium is reminiscent of a church. It is a
weekly sanctuary. I stride towards the bleachers
and fnd a seat amongst the sea of green. Tere
is a banging of the drums, an orchestra of horns
and a choir of chants. I instantly lose my indi-
viduality and become part of the crowd. Similar
to a wave, we move as one, sharing the common
goal of spurring our basketball team to victory.
Our beloved Kermodes are ahead, but with only
a slim lead, I cant help but wonder if this game
will be a repeat of almost every game I watched
last season.
Te mens basketball team endured
difcult times last year, taking only one win
from their 16 games. Now a year later, they
enter their penultimate weekend of the season
with 10 wins and nine losses. In a year, the Quest
mens basketball team has transitioned from los-
ers to winners, but how? In such a complex sport
like Basketball, it is impossible to pinpoint one
deciding factor. However, as every action or be-
haviour stems from neuronal activity, studying
the brain could shed some light on behaviour,
especially in sport.
As I consume a homemade mixture of
spirits and soda, I begin to lose my inhibition.
With my confdence growing exponentially, I
raise my voice to a deafening volume. Joining
me, drowning out the drums and horns, the
crowd reaches a euphoric crescendo. Te Camo-
sun Chargers are now ahead of the Quest Ker-
modes, but the lead is slender. Te game is fast
paced, end to end. Both teams have yet to estab-
lish control, and as a result, both the Kermodes
and Chargers take turns grasping the lead.
I gaze through the vying players and
focus my attention on Quests Head Coach, Sean
Shook. He is sitting silently across from me, cast-
ing a watchful eye over the nights proceedings.
Whispering to his fellow coaches, it is apparent
that he is carefully analysing the game. Perched
on his chair, he overfows into his assistants per-
sonal space. He is a large and powerful fgure but
his quiet demeanour presents him as friendly, a
gentle giant. Afer analysing the play, can Shook
make any decisions or changes to bring home
another victory?
In his fve years as head coach at
Quest, Shook has seen an abundance of change.
In his frst year, the team, consisting of only six
able players, didnt win one game. Since then,
Shook has dealt with the biggest issue of a new
establishment, persuading prospective students
to come. He attributed this struggle as one of the
reasons for the teams poor record in previous
seasons, stating that the experience and aver-
A
age age of the team was much lower than other
teams in the league. Te top end talent in the
league, we just couldnt compete with, having 18
year olds playing 23, 24 and 25 year olds. Shook
went on to acknowledge that he believed the
teams winning record this season, was partially
due to his senior players returning to league play
with an added year of experience.
Although the mens basketball team
has improved their record, Shook insisted that
he had made no drastic changes to the daily run-
ning of the team.
When a team starts winning, like the
Quest mens basketball team, analysts, such as
myself, look at the things that have changed.
However, the factors that remain constant must
not be ignored. One factor that Shook has en-
sured remains constant is the teams training
schedule. Playing in PACWEST competition,
Quest has a unique timetable, in which they
play one opponent on Friday, then a diferent
opponent on Saturday. Catering to this distinc-
tive schedule, Shook alternates learning about
opponents. Tuesday will be Fridays opponent,
Wednesday will be Saturdays, and Tursdays will
be Fridays opponent again, then on Saturday we
will talk about Saturdays opponent again said
Shook. Tis timetable is sensible; however, it
also has scientifc support as evidence suggests.
that learning is increased when spaced.
Neurons, the controlling cells in our
brains, transport electrical signals through the
use of small molecules called ions. When a neu-
ron is stimulated, tiny calcium ions rush into the
neuronal cell, resulting in the internal composi-
tion of the cell becoming more similar to the ex-
ternal composition. Tis process, known as de-
polarization, is the starting point for the cellular
basis of memory. Te receiving neuron becomes
habituated to the signalling neuron, and as a re-
sult, their bond grows stronger. Tis action then
initiates a cascade of interactions, which termi-
nate in the physical adaptation of the neuron.
Tis process, known as Long Term Potentiation,
allows for memories to be consolidated, trans-
ferred from short term to long term memory. It
is believed that this process of memory consoli-
dation is more efective when learning is spaced.
Many behavioural experiments have
been conducted to explore this relationship.
One study, performed by Kristine Bloom and
Tomas Shuell of the State University of New
York at Bufalo, is called Efects of Massed and
Distributed Practice on the Learning and Reten-
tion of Second-Language Vocabulary.
Bloom and Shuell asked a number
of high school students, enrolled in French
courses, to learn a list of vocabulary words. Te
subjects were under conditions of either massed
practice, or distributed practice, as part of their
regular class activities. Results of an exam, test-
ing the performance of recall, given four days
afer, showed that the distributed practice group
performed 35% better than the massed learning
group. It is therefore not hard to believe that the
Quest basketball players knew their opponents
better due to the break in studying.
As the game rages on, the senior
players are on fre, and as a result, the players
warming the bench must be wondering if there
is any hope of them getting game time. One se-
nior player, riding a hot streak, is third year Jose
Colorado. Afer an emphatic frst half of league
play, in which the Kermodes found themselves
with an even record of four wins and four losses,
Colorado ranked 1st in the country for scor-
ing. Although he failed to sustain this record
throughout the season, dropping to 10th, third
year Colorado earned recognition as a starter on
the team.
Starting so strong, Colorado was
placed under a lot of pressure from his team-
mates and fans; however, Colorado insisted that
he never felt pressure from other people, only
himself. Colorado, in an interview with me, said
I set my own goals and try and succeed. I kind
of put pressure on myself...If I play well, we are
going to have a really good chance of winning.
Colorado oozed a unique form of confdence. A
confdence, I had only seen once before.
With his chair lowered, Colorados
blank expression was hidden by his open com-
puter screen. Straightening out my spine and
neck, I watched him over his laptop for a few
minutes. Like a statue, his position and expres-
sion stayed frozen in time. A fellow student cap-
tivated the room posing a deep question. Should
a persons race be included in a news article? I
was instantly transfxed. Passionate about the
topic, I wetted my dry lips, straightened my spine
and sat up in my chair. Articulating my thoughts
in my head, I opened my lips to talk. I wanted
to share my experiences of seeing the London
riots in the media. Before I had a chance to share
my unique British accent, Colorado spoke. Te
once frozen statue had opened his lips, allow-
ing for a deep voice to project a perfect sound, a
perfect answer. Using Jeremy Lin, an Asian NBA
star, as an example, Colorado concluded that
race should be included, yet it should not be the
central focus. His confdence, not like any other
confdence I have seen, was humble, he believed
in himself. He just spoke.
Colorado displays this innate conf-
dence on the court. On average, Colorado scored
19.25 points per game; yet, whether he scores a
three pointer, a lay-up, or a free throw, his blank
expression remains. Colorado has emerged as
one of the most important players on the team,
yet in an interview with me, he was quick to play
down such recognition, commenting on how he
believed the young additions were the deciding
factor of their winning season. Now we are a
little bit deeper, we have a few more rookies who
can come in and help said Colorado. He spoke
highly of two of the new rookies, Denzel Laguer-
ta and Michael Zayas-Duran, highlighting their
ability to create opportunities for other guys on
the team.
Shook outstretches his arm and points
to one player, signalling him to prep for battle.
Jesse Norris, standing at six feet and fve inches,
struts towards the centre line. Shook slowly lifs
himself out of his seat and stands tall. Norris,
one of the largest students on campus, is in-
stantly minimized by Shooks presence. Inches
between them, Shook towers over Jesse and
outlines his clear instructions. Jesse attentively
listens to his commanding coach, like a toddler
listening to a parent. Shook remains standing
and paces along the bench, barking instructions.
Previous notions of Shook being a gentle gi-
ant are forgotten. As the game progresses and
the tensions heighten, reminiscent of an army
general, Shook is quick to punish any player for
their mistakes. He demands perfection.
Shook and Colorado believe the turn-
around was due to a combination of returning
players gaining another year of experience, and
an array of talented new additions. Unfortu-
"Jesse attentively
listens to his commanding
coach, like a toddler
listening to a parent.
S P O R T S S P O R T S
nately, I dont agree. As an athlete, with a back-
ground in professional competition, I struggle
to see how these minor alterations can create
such a major change. Scientifc advances have
shaped sports progression over time, and as a
result, worldwide, professional sport clubs are
recognising the impact that science can have.
Obviously as a small secular, not-for-proft uni-
versity, Quest cannot aford an extensive team of
scientists; however, just like the study by Bloom
and Shuell, advances in the feld could provide
Quests coaches with examples of a winning
character.
My dry lips say their goodbyes and
separate, leaving a chasm of darkness. Among
the black abyss, a pink feshy creature moves like
a rattlesnakes tail, forcing a torrent of abuse to
escape. Troat horse, I reach down to pick up
my homemade concoction. I squeeze the bottle,
releasing the nectar into my mouth. Te pain
relocates itself from my throat to below my ab-
domen and above my male genitalia, nagging
me until I act. Annoyed that I have to miss the
game, I scurry to the mens room. Afer an age,
my heavy fow ceases and pain free, I saunter
back into the gymnasium. I freeze like a dear in
headlights.
Quest, attacking the nearest hoop,
have Camosun pinned back. Captivated by the
close proximity, I watch the play unfold. Like
an army at their castle gates, Camosun defend
with honour. Te Kermodes pass the ball around
looking for an attacking option, but with only
fve seconds remaining on the shot clock, one
Kermode, in a state of panic, passes to an un-
expecting teammate. Te pass is intercepted and
Camosun break down the court. I return to the
bleachers and join the crowd once more. Te
room goes quiet and I am lost in my thoughts.
I start to question why? Why did the team come
up short on that last attack? I ponder all the pos-
sible explanations, was it nerves, fear, or just a
really good defensive performance?
Tat last attack was an example of
how basketball players, like many other sport-
ing stars, have to learn an exact set of plays be-
fore game day. Shook, as head coach, no doubt
taught his players his desired plays, yet is this
enough. A coach may be the most engaging
teacher, yet learning may be terminated without
consolidation. Although the function of sleep is
defnitively unknown, neuroscientists propose
memory consolidation to be the leading theory.
Carlyle Smith and his colleagues, from
Trent University, carried out extensive research
into this relationship, focusing on whether there
was a certain time in which sleep was neces-
sary. In his research paper, Paradoxical sleep
at selective times following training is necessary
for learning, Smith exposed a large amount of
rats to a learning task, before depriving them
of sleep. Te rats were separated in to diferent
groups, with each group being deprived of sleep
for a diferent four hour interval. Once an allot-
ted amount of time had passed, the rats complet-
ed the same learning task again. Afer recording
and comparing the results, fve out of the seven
groups showed no signifcant decreases in learn-
ing. In contrast, rats deprived of sleep nine to 12
or 17 to 20 hours afer learning showed signif-
cant decreases. Tis experiment gave birth to the
term, paradoxical sleep windows: the window of
time in which sleep is imperative for learning.
I asked certain players of the mens
basketball team if they have had trouble sleep-
ing, yet I was met with a unanimous no. Based
on Smith and Butlers research, if the team was
to learn a new skill or play, at fve oclock, in their
frst hour of practice, they could be in danger of
not consolidating the memory. Yes, most play-
ers would be sleeping at 2am in the morning;
however, as student athletes, other obligations
jeopardise this idealisation. Colorado, even in
his third year, struggles with the academic strain
of being a Quest University student, stating how
sometimes he will be coming into games with
three hours of sleep.
Obviously it is too simplistic to blame
one failed attack on a messed up sleep schedule;
however, the neuroscience of sleep has provided
a great example of how an athlete can increase
their possibilities of learning, and therefore,
winning. Afer contemplating the options, I
zone back into my environment. As my eyes re-
awaken to the world of colour, I view a failed at-
tack from Camosun. Maybe their academic load
is just as strenuous.
It is late in the third quarter. With only
seconds remaining, Jesse Norris lands a three
pointer to take his Kermodes into the break with
a one point lead. Te bench erupts into a frenzy
of celebration, with players jumping and shout-
ing. Amidst all the celebrations, stands Shook,
arms reaching to the sky. For the frst time in the
game, a smile beams across his face. Calling his
players in for a huddle, he has a distinguished
and enlightening expression. An expression of
pride.
Exhausted by the drama, I watch as
the players stride back on to the court for the
fourth and fnal quarter. Can the Kermodes,
with only a one point lead, hold of the immi-
nent challenge from Camosun? Te wave of the
crowd is now reminiscent of a tsunami almost
spilling out on to the gym foor. Feeding of the
noise and support, the Kermodes ruthlessly pull
away, securing an 11 point lead.
Te crowd, moved by the perfor-
mance, provide a standing ovation for their
players, safe in the knowledge that they had
secured 3rd place in the league and their frst
ever berth at a provincial championship. It is an
amazing achievement for the Quest Kermodes,
yet their season is far from over. Te Cinderella
story continues on March 28th, when they will
compete for the provincial championship and a
spot at Nationals. Win or lose, Quest can hold
their head high, proud of the inspirational jour-
ney. Nobody knows what will be the deciding
factor for the Kermodes on the 28th; however,
advancements in neuroscience, both now and in
the future, could provide examples of winning
athletes. Although Shook and his players will be
met with a mixture of nerves and excitement,
training will continue as before, with the main
goal of learning about their provincial oppo-
nents. As avid fans, lets hope that our Kermodes
get more sleep than their frst opponent, Te
Camosun Chargers.
" kind of put pressure
on myself...if play
well, we are
going to have a really
good chance of
winning.
J,:"$% @,0>'09
he fnal whistle sounds on the pitch,
concluding the 2012 Quest University
Canada mens soccer season. Heads drop
as both the players and fans realize what has
happened. A gentle breeze fows among the trees
while the bright sunlight strikes the last of the
leaves as they fall from their nearly vacant limbs.
Players sit scattered across the pitch not knowing
what to do. Some players weep in their hands
while others rip the athletic tape from their feet,
in anger. Coaches and friends walk on to the
feld in an attempt to comfort the players who
are hurting from the fnal loss. How could this
be? Such high expectations for this team and the
season, yet it now feels emptier than ever before.
Te fans start to disperse, heading back into their
dorm rooms to continue their evenings, but the
players sit, scattered on the feld, unable to leave.
Everything seems to be stopped in time. Not
one win during the season, not one single win.
Four months have passed since the last
game of the fall season. Te click-clack of cleats
can be heard as studs hit the pavement, which
leads from the athletic center to the feld. Voices
of optimism and energy circulate around the
team. Its the start to the spring season. Something
is diferent about this team, a refocused mindset
as everyone on the team has set new goals for the
upcoming season, hoping to turn the program
around. As a team we enter the gates to the
Quest feld and run on to the green artifcial
turf. Tis could be the year we change things.
Before the start of the 2012 soccer
season here at Quest, I approached the head
coach, Jonas Worth, about the possibility of
interning,for a single block with the Quest mens
soccer team in the fall. I was interested in sports
and I wanted to be part of a sports program.
Upon talking to Worth, I found he had an even
better plan for me, hiring me as the season
long team manager. I was thrilled to undertake
this task. However, I did not realize the extent
of the journey that I was about to embark on.
No sports teams would ever plan
for a winless season. Most people and teams
believe that they can reach the top of the highest
mountain, win it all, and hoist the grandest
trophy. So how does a team like the Quest
mens soccer team, full of players who work so
hard, fail? How can they get back to winning
ways and move forward? Worth was asked
about dealing with the losses from the previous
season. In his interview with me, where he
kindly responded, We made a lot progress
in certain technical and tactical areas despite
being so young. Apart from massive injuries
afecting certain key games through the year.
We were able to see a lot of progress in a lot of
areas on and of the feld. But its always hard
to keep everyone happy when you do not make
playofs. We live in a results-based society.
Charles Impey, captain of the mens
soccer team, was also asked the same question.
Charles gave me a similar response, Oh we can
take so many positives away from last season.
I have seen a great amount of potential. Even
though we did not win a game during the year,
we competed in the majority of our games. Our
record was not refective of our performances
Te journey of the Quest mens soccer team
B y : J o h n F r a n k
T
Te 2012-13 Quest mens soccer team
during the season. For players and coaches
alike, its hard moving through a season that is
not going your way. Tere was many times when
the teams character was tested especially when
they were traveling to and from away games.
When we traveled, we traveled as
a team. We would take trips on a charter bus
in the early mornings. Te birds still sleeping
silently and the sun still hidden behind the
mountains. players, buoyant with excitement,
pull themselves away from their warm and
snug beds, venturing into the cold. A large
bus emerges from the distant darkness with its
lights barely visible. A driver soon emerges and
everyone helps load the equipment on to the
undercarriage of the bus. Following a quick head
count, the bus takes of. Afer a long journey, we
arrive at the school that we are going to play.
Everyone fles of the bus, grabs their gear and
begins the business of a not so certain game day.
For the team, the results just dont
come. Four, fve, six opposing goals are scored,
and we have nothing as the whistle sounds.
Another loss and another unpleasant bus
trip back to campus. Some players have their
headphones on, in an attempt to block out the
reality of the situation at hand. Others vent
their frustration about what could have been
done diferently in the game. Tree afer tree,
car afer car, the scenery travels by, and as the
sun sets, the bus travels into the darkness once
more. Te bus is quiet as everyone contemplates
what we could have done diferently. We all
know we are better than this. Finally, a team
meeting, led by the captains, begins at the back
of the bus, as they try to reassure everyone that
future results can be changed. Tey tell us that
we need to stick together. Lets get afer them
tomorrow, one-person shouts. As the voices
fll the cabin of the bus, Lets give it to them
echoes, another response. Te bus fnally pulls
back into the athletic parking lot of Quest.
Players and staf emerge into the cold and
foggy night. Te team grabs their bags and
begins the walk back to the dorm rooms for a
long recovery process before tomorrows game.
A few tie games happen, other games
come down to the wire, but the long season
drags on without a win. Tis takes its toll on
everyone involved with the team. It takes heart
and character for everyone to keep trying, to
try and get over that hump of losing. I talked
to a loyal fan about his opinion of watching
Quest play this past season. Tao Kawase, one of
the biggest fans and one of the key founders of
the Kermode Krazies fan group, expressed his
thoughts. Tey can only improve from here, as
Quest grows the soccer team will only get better.
When evaluating a game or a season,
the team came to the realization that nothing can
be done about a loss. As a player, coach, or even a
fan, you learn that there is always is going to be a
next time, and therefore, there is always a chance
for redemption. Tis is what is so great about
sports and what drives the players and staf to
keep pursuing something that they love. Worth
shared his optimism about the new season. We
realized that we are already moving forward
from the second the last whistle was blown on
that feld that day. From the day afer the season
ended, I set out to make sure we would get
tremendously better. I know for a fact, based on
recruits and the development of some younger
players, we will be a more mature, efcient team
by August. Many people believe in what the
mens soccer team is doing as they make new
changes going into a new year. Impey thinks in
the same light, the diference is our attitude is
towards external factors. We are taking control
of our own game now. In the past we have been
too quick to blame anything but ourselves. We
want to win, we have to start acting like it.
Te history behind Quest University
Canadas soccer program is short and might not
be as bright as some people had hoped for. But
many people have not given up on this team,
not just yet. Tere is much optimism that now
surrounds the team. Tere is an old saying in
sport, its not how you start but its how you fnish.
Quest looks to embark on new begginings this
spring and leave last season in the past.
"...the difference is our attitude
is towards external factors. We
are taking control of our own
game now. n the past we have
been too quick to blame any-
thing but ourselves. We want to
win, we have to start
acting like it.
Jose, when he isnt dropping 3s on the
basketball court, spends most of his time
complaining about homework (according to
Charles). But Elise thinks hes very kind.
Gurjit, a contributing journalist, is
passionate about children and education,
specifcally, those with learning disabilities.
Danny is a fction writer. Just kidding he
made that up. But seriously, why is he in Jour-
nalism?
Evan has enjoyed his successful journalism
career during the month of February. He looks
forward to his retirement in March.
Tari is a world-class workaholic, Co-Editor in
Chief of Te Mark newspaper and Editor in
Chief of WERD zine. #journalismswag
#whatthehelldoIdowithallofmyextraresearch?
Jordan is a social media guru. Follow him on
Twitter @Jayrossss for hilarious banter and
sexy pictures (of people you may or may not
know).
Jon Farmer is a story connoisseur and
telephone jockey. Outstanding in his feld since
1990.
Molly is a forest wanderer and treehouse
enthusiast. She writes badass articles.
Forrest is a snowmobile and technology
enthusiast. He writes poetry and, lately,
journalism articles.
Bella is a Squamish enthusiast and professional
cabin seeker. Expect more articles on
architecture as she builds her portfolio.
Madeline, afer learning to bring her
reading glasses to class more ofen, is ready to
write more articles about peoples interests.
Brad lef his mark as Editor-in-Chief of this
special edition. He is excited to give a sneak
peek of his Keystone project about his rickshaw
riding, tea drinking and music playing
shenanigans in Bangladesh.
Maymie is a big fan of food, fannel,
photography, and Charles karaoke. She looks
forward to doing more work with Te Mark
newspaper on campus.
Elise is a passionate feminist, activist, and babe
in the woods. She appreciates all the PERSON-
power behind this edition of the Mark.
Eline is a saxy saxophone player who bakes
quitely, reads thoughtfully and photographs
beautifully!
Tina is still here afer writing her
adventurous article. Keep an eye out for more
articles (and her hitchhiking thumb, please!)
from this up-and-coming Quest journalist.
Caleah holds her own as one of two frst year
journalists. She successfully took on the
Downtown Eastside and Erins tough
concentration block.
Alessandro wrote Once Italian, always
Italian? Its safe to say he will always be Italian.
Youll fnd him sipping espresso and flling
notebooks with the truth as he sees it (and
pretty womens phone numbers).
John Frank is a photographer and contributing
journalist. Despite the chaos, John still makes
time to shred the pow.
Charles is a top-notch editor/writer and,
coincidentally, very good at karaoke. Catch him
at the Clifside on a Toonie Tuesday.
Jake is production manager for this edition of
the Mark. He is an immigrant-outlaw, song-
collector and kitchen partier. He spreads his
heart along the highway from Cackalack to
Squampton.
Erin has reached a new level of professional
student journalism afer many late nights with
this class. She has seen Quest from both sides
of the table as a student and tutor.
We would like to thank our
awesome professor, Erin Millar, for turning many
of us into wanna-be journalists in only three and
a half weeks.
CONTRIBUTORS PAGE

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