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Sept. 27, 2014 found me on a plane, my heart palpitating with fear. The unknown was what terrified me most. In my backpack I had a sleeping mask, a pen, my diary and very precious memories. “This journey will unsettle me forever. I am not ready,” I wrote. I was on my way from Egypt…
The B.C. election is going to come down to the wire. Polls show a tight race between the BC Liberals and the NDP, with the Green Party in third place and within striking distance in a few seats on Vancouver Island. On May 9, voters in B.C. will make a clear choice on whether to…
And dangerous! Not only are you becoming more surrounded by towers than by other older houses – eventually you are demolished to make room for new towers, or in a more single home neighbourhood, torn down to be replaced by a modern “monster house.” The house pictured here, was originally located at 1754 Pendrell St.…
Having lived in Vietnam all my life, I decided to take a journey beyond and explore the vast cultures Vancouver has to offer. Indeed, the city accommodates a safe place for people from many backgrounds: from adopting multiple languages on public signs to helping people of different nationalities, to establishing the freedom of exercising various…
Call it the 16-year itch. Christy Clark and the BC Liberals are looking more and more like a government that has worn out its welcome. This was bound to happen at some point, even to a party like the Liberals who enjoy the overwhelming support of the province’s business and media establishment. Sometimes the grudges…
Many people are probably familiar with the concept of pop-up stores. They are temporary stores in various settings: warehouses, street venues, markets, convention centres, department stores. They can market anything: clothing, beauty products, furniture, food. They provide the seller with a temporary space that can be affordable in order to promote a product and have…
I left my native France at the age of 18. Italy, England and then Thailand became my new homes. Every step was a breath of fresh air, a culture to adopt, a language to learn and each time I had that feeling of freedom where I could be who I wanted because I was different,…
There are more than half a million renters in British Columbia. In Vancouver fully half of us rent, although you wouldn’t know it from the way homeowners, developers, and real estate agents dominate the media and political discussion of housing. While those in the market get all the attention, the worst victims of our city’s…
This fish eye mirror at Ocean Concrete on Granville Island enables drivers of the company’s cement mixers to see what’s behind them as they enter the premises. But it also transforms reality. Regard the distorted shapes of the Granville Bridge, cement truck and even the photographer. What intrigues me, though, are the colourful leaves both…
As soon as you arrive at Vancouver International Airport in Canada you are struck by the pleasant greeting of the customs and immigration officers. Be it timid and restrained or large and welcoming, the sincere smile of these officials brightens your day, even if it’s the first time you set foot on Canadian soil. This…
Big money, big media and the coming B.C. election It turns out B.C. politics may be even more corrupt than we imagined. So-called “pay-to-play” political fundraising is so widespread it has created a veritable industry for lobbyists and other corporate operatives, according to a new blockbuster investigative report by journalist Kathy Tomlinson in the Globe…
Most people probably just walk past this sculpture, paying it little if any notice. It’s located on the west side of the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) facing Hornby St. The King Edward VII Fountain was unveiled on May 6, 1912 to commemorate the British monarch’s death on the same date in 1910. It is the…
In Vancouver, everybody comes from somewhere else. I’ve always liked this aspect in a town, being multicultural. However, one of the things that confused me the most in Vancouver is the way people make you notice, on an awfully regular basis, your own accent. With 52% of the population speaking another mother tongue than English,…
