campus resident volume 7 issue 5, may 2016

Volume 7, Issue 5 MAY 16, 2016

Published by the University Neighbourhoods Association

TRAFFIC continued on Page 6

The Ministry of Transportation and In-frastructure (MOTI) plans to reduce the speed limit on 16th Avenue to 50 kilome-tres per hour from 70 kilometres per hour in the vicinity of Hampton Place where a crosswalk is under construction. “The ministry does support a reduc-tion in the speed limit in the vicinity of this crosswalk,” Todd Stone, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, said in the B.C. Legislature April 27 in response to a question raised by David Eby, MLA for Vancouver-Point Grey. “We have approved extending the ex-isting 50 kilometre-per-hour zone, so it begins about 420 metres east of the cross-walk,” Mr. Stone said. “We believe that this will provide enough time for motor-ists to slow down before they encounter the advance crosswalk warning signs.” MOTI has come under significant pres-sure to make 16th Avenue safer and less noisy by reducing the speed limit to 50 kilometres per hour from 70. UBC and the University Neighbourhoods Associa-tion have formally asked the minister to do this. UBC residents have asked him through Mr. Eby. In April, The Cam-pus Resident published a letter from 27 Hampton Place residents and the Pacific Spirit Park Society expressing concern about the 70 km/hr speed limit. Asked by Mr. Eby about installation of the 16th Avenue crosswalk at Hampton Place, Mr. Stone said, “The new cross-walk will include flashing overhead am-bers, a pedestrian push button to activate the overhead lights, striping on the road, and advance warning signage notifying drivers of the pedestrian crosswalk, and additional overhead lighting.” UBC actually started the installation of this crosswalk system about a month ago. Construction is anticipated to be com-plete by June 15. Mr. Stone said UBC is funding the installation of the new cross-walk at Hampton Place with the Minis-try of Transportation and Infrastructure responsible for the ongoing maintenance and repair.

UNA Community Engagement and Volunteer Coordinator Qiuning Wang (second from left) with long-standing volunteers of the UNA Multicultural Committee (from left to right) Sabrina Zhang, Dorota Mann, Shirley Liu, Florence Luo, Alice Bradley and Jeannie Lee at the 2015-2016 UNA Volunteer Awards ceremony at Wesbrook Community Centre on April 29. Photo credit Jasmine Zhang. For the list of winners, please see Page 4.

UNA Celebrates Community Volunteers

Have You Completed Your Census 2016 Questionnaire? See page 11.

Province Plans to Slow

Traffic on 16th Avenue

At the B.C. Legislative Assembly, transportation minister is

questioned about UBC area roads by MLA for Vancouver-

Point Grey David Eby

First UNA-Managed Child Care Centre Opens in June

Services at the Vista Point Child Care Centre in East Campus will

be provided by YMCA

The first members of staff are in place in anticipation of the opening of the Vista Point YMCA Child Care Centre in East Campus at 5828 Thunderbird Blvd. This brand new facility will be operated by the YMCA of Greater Vancouver and will be a much-needed addition to UBC child care options. A grand opening celebration will be held at the new daycare centre on June 15. Ahead of that, an Open House will take place there on May 25 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Development of the Vista Point Child Care Centre has been a high priority proj-ect for the UNA Board of Directors since the UBC Land Use Plan requires the provision of child care in the residential neighbourhoods, and the opening of the first UNA-managed child daycare centre in East Campus is the start of the imple-mentation of that obligation.

In a report to UNA directors at their May 10 meeting, Jan Fialkowski, Execu-tive Director, said that as of April 27, 44 applications had been received for the 24 spaces available at Vista Point. However, Ms. Fialkowski said many of the children are too young to be accepted, or their par-ents wish to start child care at a later date. “It is expected that the facility will not be at capacity at the time of opening,” she said. “The YMCA is not concerned that the facility will not be at capacity, and through experience of operating many other facilities, expect to be at capacity relatively quickly.” UBC Campus and Community Plan-ning (C+CP) issued the building permits for the tenant improvements in Febru-ary. Vancouver Coastal Health gave its approval for the plans as well. Tenant improvements began in March and are almost complete. UNA staff members are working with the YMCA to develop an operating agreement that will be presented to the UNA Board for approval.

CHILD CARE continued on Page 7

Dozen Charges Laid in Wesbrook

Break-InOne suspect is alleged to have worn mask during night-time break-in; same man is facing three sexual assault charges

Charges have been laid against two males in relation to allegations of numerous of-fences—including sexual assault—that occurred on the night of April 30 in the 5700 block of Birney Avenue in Wes-brook Place at UBC. Police report that David Singh Tucker, 28, of the University Endowment Lands, has been charged with one count of break-and-enter, three counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm, three counts of forcible confinement, three counts of robbery and one count of wearing a mask with intent to commit an indictable of-fence.

BREAK-IN continued on Page 6

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT MAY 16, 2016page 2

SUNDAY MAY 29, 2016 1 - 3 PM WESBR00K C0MMUNITY CENTRE, UBC

FREE EVENT! MUSIC BY TATIANA SPEED, REFRESHMENTS, GAMES, FACE PAINTING, AND LIVE BR0ADCAST BY CiTR!

GRAND 0PENING 0F WESBR00K C0MMUNITY CENTRE’S SPLASH PAD!

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT MAY 16, 2016

Published monthly by the University Neighbourhoods Association #202-5923 Berton Avenue, Vancouver BC, V6S 0B3

page 3

Editor & Business ManagerJohn Tompkinsphone: 604.827.3502 email: [email protected]

Design ProductionRebecca Indphone: 604.822.9675 email: [email protected]

Advertising enquiriesemail: [email protected]

Letter to the Editor

Free and Cheap Parking: Lost Revenue, Waste of Land

Blanca Street, 16th Avenue and Marine Drive become

free parking lots

Thomas BeyerUNA resident and real

estate investor

Vancouver and other cities often bemoan the fact that they do not have the revenue tools for public transit. They complain to the federal and provincial governments and pretend they have no money.Whiners, all! Of course they have plenty of tools for raising money, but do not like to use them for fear of voter backlash. The biggest unused revenue tool is parking in resi-dential streets. The UNA, too, has a rev-enue problem and charges almost nothing for parking on roads which residents do not own. To me, off-loading your parking re-quirements is like squatting. You demand free space paid for by someone else. You occupy public property for free.Politicians love free stuff. Vote for me, and I’ll give you free stuff. As such, the squatter and the ‘squattee’ (i.e., the au-thority that allows squatting) are equally guilty. Three photographs here—one taken near UBC along 16th Avenue, another taken along Blanca (which looks like a recreational vehicle storage site) and yet another taken along a street in West Point Grey—show what modern squatting in the car-era looks like. UBC exports its parking requirements onto 16th Avenue or Marine Drive for free. Owners of $4M homes in Point Grey convert their garages into rental properties or exercise rooms and park their cars on the street for free. UNA resi-dents expect almost free parking on the roads in front of their condos. Why not allow tenting there for free, too? It is the

same thing! Cars parked on a surface must be one of the worst land uses out there. With prices at about $20M an acre, or $500/sq ft at UBC, and assuming that a car is about 6 x 20 feet or 120 sq ft a typical parking spot’s value is about $60,000 at UBC. Using a 4% interest or monetization rate that would be $2400/year or $200/month. Anything less is a subsidy.

Editor’s Note: Different parking rules apply to different UNA neighbourhoods. In Hawthorn Place and Wesbrook Place, residents are required to purchase resident parking decal and visitor park-ing permit. The cost of a 2016 (April 1, 2016 – March 31, 2017) resident park-ing decal is $80.00 + applicable taxes. If

Cars parked for free on both sides of residential street in Vancouver.

Recreational vehicles parked for free on Blanca beside Pacific Spirit Park.

a household requires two vehicles to be parked on the street, the second resident parking decal will cost $160.00 + appli-cable taxes. A unique decal is used for each neigh-bourhood. Hawthorn Place parking de-cals and permits are pink and only allow on-street parking in Hawthorn neigh-bourhood. Wesbrook Place parking decal and permit are grey and only allow on-street parking in Wesbrook neighbour-hood.Hampton Place, Chancellor Place and East Campus do not require any park-ing decal or permit. To find more infor-mation about parking rules in differ-ent UNA neighbourhoods, visit UNA website http://www.myuna.ca/services/parkinginterim/.

Cars parked for free along 16th Avenue.

UNA directors voted six to one to keep Iona Green Playground Relocation a pri-ority of the UNA even though a month ago, directors voted to keep the play-ground where it is. A motion to remove Iona Green Play-ground Relocation from the List of UNA Priorities came during the May meeting of directors at Wesbrook Community Centre. Only one board director—Chair Richard Alexander—voted for the mo-tion. Resident Director Charles Menzies was unable to attend the meeting. Mr. Alexander argued that the vote a month ago on whether the playground should be retained affirmed it should stay in Iona Green. The other directors said that while the playground will remain where it is, the UNA should continue to find ways to mitigate the noise coming from children playing at the Iona Green facility and continue to present the case to UBC of an alternative site for the playground that would be acceptable to all Chancellor Place residents. Prior to the vote, Chancellor Place resi-dent John Bourne petitioned the board to keep Iona Play Station Relocation—which the UNA adopted in June 2015—as a priority. Mr. Bourne said even though the play station appeared set to remain in Iona Green, nearby residents still looked to the UNA for help in finding ways to less-en the volume of noise coming from it. He also said that persistence in pressing UBC to come up with an alternative site on academic land—instead of residential land governed by the UNA—might well pay off in the long run. Mr. Bourne, who has appeared before the board four or five times in his attempt to get the playground relocated from its place in Iona Green to an alternative spot where children may play as noisily as they want, reminded directors of the suc-cess the UNA had in getting UBC to find academic land for both a skate park and outdoor basketball court near the Haw-thorn Place residential neighbourhood. At their April meeting, the UNA Board voted to keep the play equipment in its current location by a vote of five to one with only Resident Director Laura Cottle voting against.

Iona Green Playground Relocation Remains on Priority ListMotion to have it removed from

the List of UNA Priorities is defeated six to one


A national youth organization has se-lected 16-year-old Diana Marinescu, of Hawthorn Place, to represent Vancouver at an upcoming June conference in Ot-tawa on how to celebrate the 150th an-niversary of Canadian Confederation in 2017. A UNA Youth Volunteer Award win-ner for 2015-2016, Diana will join 49 of Canada’s top youth leaders in the nation-al capital for the annual National Youth Ambassador Caucus (NYAC) organized by Global Vision, a country-wide chari-table organization. The NYAC brings talented youth lead-ers together with established profession-als from business, education, government and community to learn from each other while discussing issues of national im-portance.

CANADA 150 Celebration: UNA Youth Leader Goes to Ottawa Talks

Diana Marinescu is working on national, youth-led strategy to celebrate 150th anniversary of

Canadian Confederation in 2017

In Ottawa, Diana will learn about Can-ada’s historic milestones while working with her peers on a national youth-led strategy to celebrate the 150th anniver-sary of Canadian Confederation in 2017. A student at Kitsilano Secondary School, Diana will present her ideas for the anni-versary celebrations to peers and national leaders including Members of Parliament at a reception on Parliament Hill. Upon her return home, Diana will share her experiences, newfound knowledge and ideas to further awareness of the his-toric milestones in Greater Vancouver and get community members on-board with her CANADA 150 celebration idea. “I’m really looking forward to learning more about Canada and the ideas other youth have,” said Diana. “I’m truly hon-ored and excited about representing my community on the national stage, and I trust to bring back useful knowledge so Vancouver can be at the forefront of Can-ada’s 150th celebrations.” Diana and the other young leaders were selected from hundreds of eligible par-ticipants who were a part of Global Vi-

sion’s national recruitment and outreach campaign. To attend the National Youth Ambas-sador Caucus, Diana is responsible for raising $350.00 through corporate and community partnerships. This amount represents one-third of her participation costs. The Caucus will take place June 3–7. Global Vision was founded as a na-tional charitable organization in 1991 by former educator, Member of Parliament and member of the Order of Canada, Ter-ry Clifford. It provides young Canadian leaders aged 15-25 with hands-on lead-ership and entrepreneurial skills-building experiences representing their communi-ties in Canada and abroad. The organization has been recognized internationally for its work in global edu-cation and was most recently acknowl-edged as one of the top 10 youth leader-ship programs in Canada by the Globe & Mail. Editor’s Note: The Utown@UBC Youth Leadership Program and Andrew Clements, UNA Youth Program Coordi- Diana Marinescu

nator, will support Diana with a donation of $175 to attend the National Youth Am-bassador Caucus in Ottawa. If you are interested in helping Diana in fundraising efforts, please contact An-drew Clements at [email protected]

UNA Celebrates Community VolunteersEvery year during National Volunteer Week in April—the largest celebration of civic participation in Canada—the University Neighbourhoods Association holds a ceremony to recognize, celebrate and thank volunteers who offer their time and talent to make our community better. On April 29, UNA residents gathered

with excitement and joy at Wesbrook Community Centre for the fourth an-nual UNA Volunteer Awards ceremony. On behalf of the University Neighbour-hoods Association, Board Chair Richard Alexander and UNA Executive Director Jan Fialkowski thanked all volunteers who contributed their time and expertise

serving the UNA community in so many ways. The awards were presented to 11 win-ners in six categories. Please see photos below. Photography by Jasmine Zhang and Lani Yang.

Winners of 2015-2016 UNA Volunteer Awards (left to right): Megan Chorstowski on behalf of Roos Spanjers, Shirley Liu, Victoria Harrison, David He, Alice Hong, Ni An, Diana Marinescu, Priscille Michel and Natalie Jatskevich.

Jan Fialkowski

Richard Alexander

Winner of 2015-2016 UNA Volunteer Award Acadia Biking Group (University Hill Elementary School).

Winner of 2015-2016 UNA Volunteer Award Wesbrook Village Walking School Bus Team (Norma Rose Point School).

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT MAY 16, 2016 page 5

ARTISTCALLOUTCONTEST!Calling all artists! 4 art pieces will be selected to be displayed in the UNA's new recycling receptacles in the Wesbrook Village. Visit www.myuna.ca for full contest details and prizes!

PhotographyILLUSTRATIONTYPOGRAPHYDigital Art

GraphicsDRAWING

MOSAICDESIGN

Paint

SUPPORT LOCAL RE-USE

BOOK A TABLE TO SELL YOUR ITEMS $15.00 + TAXES WITH PROGRAM CODE 12110 OR PHONE 604.822.4227

YARD SALESATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016HAMPTON PLACE

10AM - 1PM

WEST 16TH AVE

WESBRO

OK M

ALL

YARD SALE!

HAMPTON PLACE

WWW.MYUNA.CA/REGISTRATION

Sustainability

Energy Efficiency: The Case for LED BulbsThey are more efficient than

halogen light bulbs; they produce less heat and are more durable

Wegland SitSustainability Manager

University Neighbourhoods Association

We have heard a lot about the energy ef-ficiency of LED (light-emitting diode) lamps recently. So, what is this buzz all about? Let’s talk about LED lighting.

Background In my home, located in a multifam-ily building, I once used mainly recess lighting and ceiling spotlight fixtures—a common practice. The fixtures used mostly halogen GU 10 bulbs. Halogen bulbs are relatively cheap (about a dollar each); they produce an even colour temperature around 2800K (Kelvin); and they light up the room nicely (400-600 lumens) with a 50 degree wide beam angle. Unfortunately, halogen bulbs also consume three to four times more energy than similar LED bulbs. They also have a much shorter life span (about a year), and on hot summer days, they tend to warm up the room quickly. Personal Experience I consider myself an early adopter of

LED lighting technology, as I converted all my recess lighting to LED bulbs from halogen almost four years ago. I went through a lot of trial and error in adapting to LED bulbs technology. I would like to share this experience with you. Advantages of purchasing LED bulbs compared to halogen bulbs:• They are more efficient – consuming 85% less energy than comparable halo-gen bulbs. With consumption data avail-able online to BC Hydro customers, you will notice a sharp decrease in the hourly energy consumption when switching to LED bulbs.• They produce less heat – LED bulbs are a lot cooler. They tend to operate best at 40 C. Less heat from the bulbs results in a much cooler room.• They are more durable – LED bulbs last 25,000 hours compared to halogen bulbs which last only 1,000 hours. Disadvantages of purchasing LED bulbs compared to halogen bulbs:• The claimed color temperature of 2700K in a LED bulb is not comparable to the 2700K of a halogen bulb; it may be more of a 3000K, and sometimes it has a slight green or purple tint in light.• You may want a light bulb that can work with a dimmer, but not all LEDs are com-patible with dimmers.• To avoid a spotlight effect and to ensure the LED bulb evenly lightens you room, you may want to make sure the beam an-gle is wide enough at minimum 36°.

• Size may also be a disadvantage. LED bulbs tend to be longer than regular bulbs since their circuit boards and drive elec-tronics sit inside the unit. • Durability may be another disadvan-tage. Early LED bulbs tend to have much shorter lifetimes than is claimed, although newer technology seems to ad-dress this issue. From my experience, I recommend you look at an actual product prior to purchase. Make sure the color tempera-ture looks right to you, and it is equiva-lent to what is stated on the box. If it is a spotlight, make sure the beam angle is as stated on the box. Buy small from reputable retailers. Since LED bulbs are relatively more expensive, I recommend you to purchase only a small batch (1 or 2 bulbs) to test how they work in your home environment first. As to the purchase of a bulb, I recom-mend the following: IKEA LEDARE LED bulb GU10 400 lumen, dimmable. (Important: Not the 200 lumen bulb). It costs $6.99+ taxes. Why do I like it? At this price, a LED bulb is a bargain. It will produce warm halogen-like color temperature. At 400 lumen, its brightness can light up a room easily. Its wide-beam angle will evenly light up the room. It works with dimmer switch. In case you do not like it, you can return it. The dollars you spend upgrading to an energy-efficient LED bulbs will pay off

in lower electricity bills for years. Editor’s Note: Color temperature is not an indicator of lamp heat. It is a de-scription of the warmth or coolness of a light source. Color temperature is mea-sured in units called Kelvin, and its value determines whether light bulbs produce warm or cool light. By convention, yel-low-red colors are considered warm, and blue-green colors are considered cool. Cool light is preferred for visual tasks because it produces higher contrast than warm light. The Lumen is a unit for measuring brightness of light. The higher the num-ber, the brighter the light.

Wegland Sit


Meanwhile, responding to a further question raised by Mr. Eby in the B.C. Legislature, this one relating to the pe-destrian crossing at Chancellor and Ham-ber in the University Endowment Lands, Mr. Stone said, “This crosswalk is used for crossing from Chancellor Boulevard to the University Hill Elementary School. “The ministry has examined the cross-walk at this location and has been work-ing with the local parent advisory council and other key stakeholders about up-grades to this crosswalk. “The crossing is controlled by a full pe-destrian signal which displays a red light to motorists when children are crossing. “We did improve safety here by adding countdown timers about a month ago. “Further improvements are planned, including refreshing the crosswalk lines and, at the right turn, adding new cross-walk lines and additional signage. “Finally, in addition, sidewalk letdowns will be installed on Hamber Road to im-prove accessibility for pedestrians.” Editor’s Note: In a 2014 letter to Mr. Stone, sent on behalf of the Univer-sity Neighbourhoods Association, UNA

TRAFFIC continued from Page 1

Yuan Zhi Gao, 23, of Vancouver, has been charged with one count of break-and-enter to commit robbery. The laying of charges comes after an investigation by RCMP University De-tachment, “E” Division Major Crime and other supporting units. Police confirm that the victims and suspects were not known to each other. Investigators are ensuring the victims are receiving appro-priate support at this time. In a news release, RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Annie Linteau said officers of the RCMP University Detachment received a 2:15 am report of a break-and-enter in progress in Wesbrook Place and re-sponded immediately. Sgt. Linteau said two men were taken into custody outside a Birney Avenue residence.

BREAK-IN continued from Page 1

It’s amazing what two artists and 38 com-munity volunteers can do with recycled materials! Under the direction of artists Mary Cut-bill and Nidhi Raina, three public work-shops at Wesbrook Community Centre provided opportunities for public partici-

CAPS4ART: Mural Convergence Grand Unveiling June 14pation in an on-going 3-D mural project. Some volunteers dropped by to place a cap or two while others worked for hours at a time. UNA Executive Director Jan Fialkowski led the creative UNA staff contingent in a welcome show of support. Vibrant colours, textural interest and

unlimited imagination fuelled collective enthusiasm and persistence. Thousands of plastic caps and lids were glued to painted plywood panels, contributing to the completion of the 10-panel artwork. Great work by a great community—and the UNA says thank you everyone!

The finished mural, entitled Conver-gence, will be installed in the Wesbrook Community Centre and the public is in-vited to attend the grand unveiling on June 14 at 4:00 pm.

Board Chair Richard Alexander ex-pressed UBC community concerns about excessive speeds on 16th Avenue—con-cerns elevated by the planned pedestrian crosswalk across 16th Avenue. “Residents, pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike state that speed limits must be lowered to support a safe com-munity. We request that the B.C. Minis-try of Transportation and Infrastructure lower the speed limit on 16th Avenue be-tween Blanca Street and Wesbrook Mall from 70 km/h to 50 km/h. The outcome would be a consistent 50 km/h speed limit between the City of Vancouver and UBC.” The speed limit on 16th Avenue and other ministry roads around UBC was set at a time when there was no residential community on campus. Now, however, there is a growing and thriving commu-nity of 10,000 residents. These residents use elementary schools, a high school, daycare, commercial and retail proper-ties and playing fields. “It is time to reduce the speed limit to support and match the needs and activity of our community,” Mr. Alexander said in his letter to the Ministry of Transporta-tion and Infrastructure.

Working on the mural Convergence (from left to right) UNA Executive Director Jan Fialkowski, artist Nidhi Raina, UNA receptionist Rocio Escalona and UNA Program Coordinator Laura Van Dyk.

The investigation is continuing. Any-one who may have seen anything suspi-cious around the time the complaint was received is asked to contact RCMP Uni-versity Detachment at 604.224.1322. Mr. Tucker and Mr. Gao are among five men and one youth facing charges following a concerted effort by Lower Mainland police after a number of violent sexual assaults against women through-out Metro Vancouver since January 2016. The assaults took place at UBC, in Burnaby, North Vancouver and Vancou-ver, though police stress that in all but one of the incidents, the assaults were committed individually. “These crimes justifiably scared people living and working in those communi-ties,” says Chief Superintendent Jodie Boudreau, Head of Operations for the RCMP in the Lower Mainland. “Fortu-

Workshop participants (from left to right) Rachel Kelly, artist Mary Cutbill and Jason Cutbill.

Mural Convergence will be ready for installation at the Wesbrook Community Centre in June. From left to right: UNA Sustainability Manager Wegland Sit, artist Mary Cutbill, artist Nidhi Raina and Director of Business Development at United We Can Jack O’Halloran.

nately, Lower Mainland police and law enforcement have an unparalleled ability to rapidly share intelligence information, analysis, tips and more. I know this con-tributed to police finding these suspects and advancing charges. Our message should be loud and clear - those who prey on others will be held accountable.” Superintendent Mike Porteous of the Vancouver Police Department says, “These men committed violent acts against women in our communities—women who should feel safe to walk, work and go about their business without being victimized or being concerned for their safety. As a result of the courage of these women to come forward and tell their story, we have been able to take a number of these violent offenders off the street.” Investigators commend the women who

reported these crimes for showing both bravery and strength as they shared hor-rific details with police about the trauma they endured.While the RCMP recognizes that the onus is on all of us to ensure we treat others in a respectful manner, they recommend the public consider the following safety tips:• Lock windows and doors even when ab-sent for a short amount of time.• Don’t prop open exterior doors.• Don’t allow strangers to ‘tailgate’ you into apartment buildings.• Walk with a friend.• Beware of your surroundings by avoid-ing the use of headphones and the dis-tracted use of cellular telephones when in public places.• Report promptly all suspicious persons and activities to the RCMP.


The materials and application process was launched by the YMCA with the un-derstanding that priority for child care spaces are given first to UNA residents who have no access to UBC child care, then to UBC-affiliated residents, then to UBC faculty/staff/students generally and finally, to the general public. Informational materials, an FAQ and the invitation to apply are available on the UNA website and YMCA website https://gv.ymca.ca/About-Us/News/

CHILD CARE continued from Page 1 Vista-Point-YMCA-Child-Care-Centre-Opening-June-20. Ms. Fialkowski said, “Applications are always open.” Offering a brief history of the Vista Point Child Care project, Ms. Fialkowski said that in 2013, the UNA started work-ing to secure a service provider to deliv-er child care services in the Vista Point building in East Campus. After evalu-ating the three proposals received, the Board of Directors agreed, on the advice of a consultant, to contact the YMCA to gauge its interest in partnering with the

UNA. A Letter of Intent was signed with the YMCA in early 2015. The child care facility would be con-structed with funding of $350,000 through the Community Access Charges and an additional contribution through the UNA of $40,000 if required. The Executive Director said that a Project Coordination Committee—com-prised of staff from UBC, UBC Proper-ties Trust, the UNA and the YMCA—is overseeing the project.

The Brock House Society invites you to attend its annual Summer Fair at the Brock House Seniors Activity Centre on Saturday July 9, 10 am to 3 pm. Brock House Seniors Activity Centre is located in Brock House, a 100-year-old heritage house on beautiful Jericho Beach at 3875 Point Grey Road. Admission to this event is free, and all are welcome. Visitors will find high quality items handcrafted onsite by Brock House mem-bers (art, ladies crafts, porcelain paint-ing and woodwork), a Silent Auction, a “thrift sale” featuring books, jewellery, various household items, and delicious home cooked jams and baked goods for sale. Enjoy the live music and don’t forget reasonably priced lunch items hot off the grill. If you are feeling lucky, buy a raffle ticket with a $1,000.00 first prize. For more information, please contact Raymond Greenwood, Director of Mar-keting and Outreach, at 604.351.3450 or [email protected]. You are also invited to attend The Brock House Kerrisdale Choir Concert “Around the World in Song” on Sunday, June 12, at 3 pm, at St. John’s Shaughnessy An-glican Church 1490 Nanton Ave., Van-couver. Tickets ($10.00) are available at the door or from a choir member at the Kerrisdale Community Centre. Contact Diana Bragg 604.224.3897.

Brock House Summer Fair - Everyone is

Welcome!


As part of Metro Vancouver’s ongoing water conservation measures, sprinkling regulations came into effect May 15 at UBC and elsewhere in the Metro area. The Stage 1 regulations—which con-tinue until October 15—allow outdoor watering within these hours:Residential lawn sprinkling• Even-numbered addresses - Monday, Wednesday or Saturday mornings, 4 am to 9 am.• Odd-numbered addresses - Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday mornings, 4 am to 9 am. Non-residential lawn sprinkling• Even-numbered addresses - Monday or Wednesday mornings, 1 am to 6 am.• Odd-numbered addresses - Tuesday or Thursday mornings, 1 am to 6 am.• All non-residential addresses - Friday mornings, 4 am to 9 am. Non-residential addresses include buildings with commercial addresses on the main floor and apartments above. Lawn sprinkling regulations help to manage water use throughout the sum-mer when there is low rainfall and a high demand for outdoor watering. They also shift demand from evening to morning (which reduces daily spikes in water de-mand) and reduce operational costs to treat and distribute our water. Shifting

Sprinkling Regulations Come into Effect at UBC and Elsewhere in Metro

Regulations are required to help Metro Vancouver manage water

use throughout the summer when rainfall is low and demand

for outdoor watering is high

demand and reducing operational costs contribute a lot to the size and cost of overall water storage and distribution system. Through reasonable conserva-tion efforts, Metro Vancouver residents can defer the financial and environmental costs of providing more storage. Meanwhile, Maria Harris, Metro Van-couver Director for Electoral Area A (than includes UBC and UEL), reports that the Greater Vancouver Water District Board received its annual spring update on water supply and water consumption for summer 2016 at its April 29 meet-ing. Ms. Harris said the update concluded that, with the snowpack levels only slightly below average as of late March and significantly above spring 2015 lev-els, it is expected that source lake storage will be sufficient to ensure adequate wa-ter supply for the 2016 summer season. Overall precipitation in the form of rain-fall through the fall, winter and spring also contributes to the water levels in the three source reservoirs. Further to this, per capita water use in the region continues to decline, off-setting the impact of population growth and keeping total consumption relatively steady. In November 2015, the Water Dis-trict Board amended the Water Shortage Response Plan to extend Stage 1 Lawn Sprinkling restrictions from June 1 – September 30 to May 15 – October 15. In the event of an extreme drought or unusually high demand for water, Metro Vancouver has the ability to implement additional demand management mea-sures, if necessary.

Roar of Rooftop Machines Robs Residents of Serene

Life at UBCResidents in East Campus

complain to UNA about noisy UBC buildings across Wesbrook

Mall from where they live; residents say UBC is indifferent

to their plight

A group of residents has complained to the UNA about both daytime and night-time noise from machinery atop a trio of UBC buildings. The residents, who live in either East Campus or nearby University Endow-ment Lands, appeared at the May meet-ing of the UNA Board of Directors. They identified the troublesome noise as coming from three sources: the Life Sciences Centre at 2350 Health Sciences Mall, the Pharmaceutical Sciences Build-ing at 2405 Wesbrook Mall and—to a lesser extent—the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health at 2215 Wes-brook Mall. Buildings in which the residents live stand immediately across Wesbrook Mall from these UBC buildings. Dr. Alan Mak, strata council president at the Stikine residential building at 5868 Agronomy Road, which is “right across the street” from the Pharmaceutical Sci-ences Building, referred to “the sad iro-ny” of the situation in which residents of his building find themselves. On the one hand, Dr. Mak praised the wonderful work in the field of medical science done in these buildings and their “significant contributions to the health and well-being of humankind.” On the other hand, he said “the Pharmaceutical Sciences Building and the Life Sciences Centre are now creating a health hazard for people living in the residential neigh-bourhood nearby”. Connie Chen, a Stikine strata council member, explained the lengths to which residents of her building have gone to present UBC with a factual case about the offensive industrial noise caused by its buildings. “A sound pressure-level meter was set up on September 30, 2015 at one of the residential units to capture a full-day his-tory experienced by residents,” Ms. Chen

said. She presented directors with a chart showing noise levels exceeding 55 deci-bels (dB) through the whole of this 24-hour period. According to both the UNA Noise Con-trol Bylaw (passed in 2012) and the City of Vancouver Noise Control Bylaw, the level of (continuous) residential noise shall not exceed 45 dB at night and 55 dB during the day. The UNA Noise Bylaw was developed to manage noise or sound within the UNA neighbourhoods. Tony Dean, a long-time resident of the University Endowment Lands in the area immediately adjacent to the Stikine building, alleged UBC was indifferent to the discomfort which the mechani-cal roar of machinery atop its three big UBC medical science buildings caused residents. He said noise levels exceed 55 dB at night and 65-70 dB during the day—describing the night-time noise as “a howl”. “We complained to UBC when the Life Sciences came on in 2007, and again when the Pharmaceutical Sciences Building came on in 2012.” However, only vague—and unfulfilled—promises to investigate the problem followed, Mr. Dean said, wondering if the UNA Board would have more sway with UBC than a group of residents. In his letter to the UNA, Dr. Alan Mak said he understood that the UNA has a unique relationship with UBC. “One of its primary missions is ‘to support and enhance the University of British Colum-bia’s academic mission.’ This is a noble cause but I hope it is not done at the ex-pense of the health of people living in the community.” Jan Fialkowski, UNA Executive Direc-tor, reminded directors that the UNA had no governance authority on academic land at UBC. Despite this, staff had com-plained to UBC several times about how the high level of industrial noise from its big buildings is adversely affecting resi-dents who live close by in East Campus. However, nothing has come of its sub-mission. After discussion among the di-rectors, UNA Board Chair Richard Alex-ander asked that staff send UBC another letter requesting actions be taking to re-solve this long-lasting noise problem.


In the month of May for 90 years, the members of Dunbar Lawn Bowling Club have welcomed new bowlers into their midst at the start of a new season. At the club, located just west of Dun-bar Community Centre, friendly bowlers provide introductory lessons and encour-agement while initiating newcomers into the fun of lawn bowling. Dunbar Lawn Bowling Club is a friend-ly social club where newcomers need not be experienced bowlers to start. People of any age can enjoy lawn bowling—a healthy, outdoor social sport which al-lows for competitive challenges and out-ings with other local teams. Croquet is also played at the Dunbar club. Dunbar Lawn Bowling Club has had its share of leading competitive bowlers over the years, but anyone can learn and develop the sport to the level they choose while enjoying the camaraderie of the Club. Informal free practice sessions are scheduled on Saturday mornings for those who wish to develop their skills and learn from an experienced bowler. The Club has spare bowls for those who wish to use them. Members and others regard Dunbar Lawn Bowling Club as having one of the most beautiful greens in British Colum-bia. The Dunbar green is ringed by a va-riety of tall trees, providing a serene and

Members of Historic Lawn Bowling Club in Dunbar Make Newcomers Feel Welcome

Bowling club is open for 2016 season; greens are considered

among best in B.C.

enclosed space for players to exercise and enjoy the outdoors. The historic clubhouse has a meeting room, washrooms, kitchen and lockers, and is used for dinners and other club functions. Ample parking is immediately adjacent, making access convenient. During the year, there are several spe-cial dinners and special events held at the Clubhouse with visiting bowling clubs from as far away as California. Mean-while, for those wishing to participate, teams from Dunbar Lawn Bowling Club visit other clubs during the year. Dunbar Lawn Bowling Club is located at 3850 West 31st Street (at Highbury) and is a member of Vancouver and Dis-trict Lawn Bowling Association as well as Bowls B.C. For more information please contact Ray Griffin at 604.738.1461 and visit the website www.dunbarlawnbowling.com.

Members of the Dunbar Lawn Bowling Club in 1937 with existing Clubhouse in the background. Photo credit Vancouver Archives.

A relaxing summer afternoon on the greens at the Dunbar Lawn Bowling Club.

A federal fund—the Federal Gas Tax Fund—is making $563,500 available to local groups at UBC and in the Univer-sity Endowment Lands for community projects over the next five years. Maria Harris, Electoral Area A Director on the Board of Metro Vancouver, met on April 14 with representatives of UBC, the University Neighbourhoods Association and the Community Advisory Council on the University Endowment Lands to dis-cuss how the funds might be awarded to worthy community projects. Ms. Harris reports that at this meeting, “we discussed which projects would be eligible, what general principles would guide our decisions, identified some proj-ect ideas that already exist, and gained an understanding of how each representa-tive will discuss potential projects with their respective bodies.” Metro Vancouver staff will be gather-ing information on potential projects for a more detailed discussion at the next meeting which is expected to take place in June 2016. As part of the New Building Canada

$563,500 Available to UBC and UEL Community

Projects over 5 YearsFederal Gas Tax is source

of funding Plan, the Government of Canada trans-fers funds to local governments through the Federal Gas Tax Fund. At their April 29 meeting, the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors endorsed the distribution of funds from its Com-munity Works Fund to areas within Elec-toral Area A based on population. With a 2011 population of 9,636, UBC will get $424,925 for community grants from the gas tax fund. With a population of 3,141, UEL will get $138,575.

Maria Harris


Chasing Dreams: One Recycled Instrument at a TimePublic concert scheduled for

UBC on May 30th

Winny SunUniversity Hill Secondary School, Grade 12 Student

A much-anticipated performance will take place at the Museum of Anthropol-ogy on campus at the end of this month! Recycled Orchestra Ensemble, from Ca-teura, Paraguy, is ready to wow its audi-ence with a fantastic and heartwarming show. Backed by a Vancouver organiza-tion named Instruments Beyond Borders, concert organizers hope to raise aware-ness as well as to fundraise for musical education in the world’s most disadvan-taged areas. Young musicians from this orches-tra, many of whom have dropped out of school at a young age, play instruments made entirely from recycled material in the landfill. Despite living in one of the world’s most impoverished places, Ca-teura, these aspiring instrumentalists re-lentlessly pursue their dreams. Through learning about music, the youths discover a passion that not only keeps them out of the slums but also gives them hope for the future. Since its formation, this orchestra has captured the hearts of many fans with its sincere and moving music. It achieved in-ternational acclaim when a documentary, Landfill Harmonic, vividly presented the aspiring musicians’ heartwarming and inspiring stories in front of a worldwide audience. Recycled Orchestra Ensemble also won the hearts of many Vancouver

fans last year when it was awarded the International Audience Award at the 2015 Vancouver International Film Festival. A trailer of the award-winnig documentary can be found on YouTube at https://you-tu.be/fXynrsrTKbI . In addition to inspiring the audience to contemplate youth empowerment and education, this performance will also give people new perspectives about en-vironmental preservation. As a leader in

sustainability, UBC strives to inform the public about resource consumption and effective waste reduction. UBC Sustain-ability Initiative, in collaboration with the Museum of Anthropology, UBC School of Music, UBC Liu Institute for Global Studies, UBC Arts & Culture and the UBC Faculty of Arts, hopes to use this valuable opportunity to encourage students and residents to be environmen-tally conscious and responsible. Recycled Orchestra Ensemble will perform at two events this month. On May 29th, it will perform at the Van-couver Playhouse, along with top local musicians. On May 30th, it will make an appearance at the UBC Museum of An-thropology. The museum, due to open at 5 pm, will allow guests to first view ex-hibitions as well as to buy delicious food before attending the performance at 7:00 pm. The admission for this show is high-ly affordable: only $5 for students and

$10 for others. All proceeds will go to the orchestra to provide more children with opportunities to learn music. What bet-ter way to spend an evening immersed in history and music with friends and family while supporting a wonderful cause? “Our goal is to show that culture is a ba-sic human need. That music can change lives. And even when we live in the most unfavorable conditions, we must never stop dreaming. To have nothing is not an excuse for doing nothing,” said Fa-vio Chavez, Director of the Recycled Orchestra. The ambitious and hardwork-ing musicians of the orchestra have over-come innumerable obstacles to come to where they are today. As global ambas-sadors for the transformative power of music to better children’s lives, said In-struments Beyond Borders, they hope to deliver music that can move and unite the community. Come to the show to enjoy a fabulous feast of sound and music!

Recycled Orchestra Ensemble from Cateura, Paraguy, will perform at UBC Museum of Anthropology. Photo credit Landfill Harmonic movie.

UBC closes its Centennial year and in-vites you to attend closing events at the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre. On May 24, the afternoon event begins at 2:30 pm with a celebration of the grad-uating class of UBC’s new Asian Cana-dian and Asian Migration (ACAM) Stud-ies program with keynote speaker Elder Larry Grant followed by a community reception. At 4:00 pm, a new series of videos on the history of Asian Canadian alumni at UBC will be showcased followed by a special intergenerational conversation with former UBC Chancellor Dr. Robert H. Lee. Registration is required for this free event. Register at https://www.eply.com/acamgrad. On May 28, UBC invites you at-tend three key events titled UBC 100: WHAT’S NEXT? to hear from some great minds providing perspectives on topics of the future and take advantage of

Closing Centennial Events at UBC

complimentary admission to select UBC attractions. Be sure to visit the beer gar-den with event main stage and food truck festival near the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre. This day of exploring the future culminates in a talk from William Shat-ner about the importance of living a life driven by curiosity. The program is as follows:1:30-2:30 pm Rick Hansen, BPE’86, LLD’87 – Future of Accessibility. 1:30-2:30 pm Tzeporah Berman, LLD’13 – Future of the Planet.3:00-4:00 pm Meeru Dhalwala, LLD (May 2016) – Future of Food Sources.1:30-2:30 pm Elizabeth Croft, BASc’88 – Future of Robotics.5:00 pm William Shatner – The Curi-ous Life. Registration for the free attractions pass is required. Tickets for all talks are on sale now. For more information about the program and to buy tickets, visit alumni.ubc.ca/whatsnext.


Biodiversity in your backyard

How to Deal with the European Chafer Beetle

The European chafer beetle (Rhizotrogus majalis) first appeared on North Ameri-can shores in the 1940s. Fast-forward to 2016, and it has comfortably made the transition to living in the Lower Main-land…but underneath your lawn! Un-fortunately for you, crows, skunks and raccoons all love to feast on these grubs. And by the time you see signs of damage at the surface level, the real damage to the grass root systems has already hap-pened. Why does the chafer beetle live be-low the surface of your lawn? Well, for nine months (generally August to May) of their life span, they like to eat fibrous roots in preparation to turn into adult bee-tles. They find these roots approximately 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches) below your lawn. Besides grass, they have also been known to snack on the occasional peren-nial or juvenile tree. What can you do to manage the Eu-ropean chafer beetle? Like any healthy ecosystem, a healthy lawn is the key! Stronger, better grass root systems will allow your lawn to weather the feeding tendencies of this pesky pest.First, start thinking about diversifying the types of grass and plants within your

Kerrie van GaalenUBC Botanical Garden staff

lawn to help encourage a better, more environmentally friendly ecosystem. Consider adding grass alternatives such as micro-clover, western yarrow, English daisies or sweet violets. Grass requires a balance of water, air, food and light to grow healthy, deep

roots. Considering the amount of traffic and abuse that turf can take, it’s impor-tant to follow these annual lawn mainte-nance tips to keep your lawn healthy:• In March or April, consider adding 2.5 cm (1 inch) of topsoil over your existing turf, then spread grass seed on top.• In spring or early fall, aerate your lawn to maintain good air and water relations in the soil. Make sure to select an aerator that physically pulls up a ‘plug’ of soil and distributes it onto the grass. • Grass prefers a near-neutral soil pH to grow best. To reduce overall acidity, spread dolomite lime in the spring and fall.• Thatch is the layer of dead grass that can build up and prevent your lawn from get-ting the moisture and air it needs. Every couple of years you may need to dethatch your lawn using a convex or power rake.• With proper top dressing and mowing techniques, you can avoid using fertiliz-ers entirely! And don’t forget weekly lawn main-tenance. In hot weather, a lawn needs 2.5 to 3.5 cm (1 to 1.5 inches) of water per week to stop it from going dormant. When adult chafer beetles are landing to lay eggs in June and July, it’s best to allow your grass to grow longer to dis-courage them from landing in your lawn. Never cut more than 1/3 of the grass blade at one time. In the Collection

On Sunday, May 22, celebrate Interna-tional Biodiversity Day by attending Beaty Biodiversity Museum’s free talk by author Joe Wilson on The Bees in Your Backyard at 2:00 pm. beatymuseum.ubc.ca/events.

Finding grubs in the lawn at UBC Botanical Garden. Photo credit Kerrie van Gaalen.

2016 CensusIt’s not too late to complete your

census questionnaire!The census is one of the most important sources

of statistics for our country. Census information is important for all communities and is vital for planning

services such as schools, daycare, housing, police services, fire protection, roads, public transit, and skills

training for employment.

Complete your questionnaire today. It’s important!

Go to www.census.gc.ca to complete it online. Enter your 16-digit secure access code and follow the instructions. If you received a census letter, your

secure access code is located at top of the page. If you received a paper census questionnaire, your secure

access code is located at the top right corner of the first page. Alternatively, you can complete a paper copy

and return it in the green envelope accompanying the questionnaire.

For more information, visit www.census.gc.ca or call 1-855-700-2016. Respondents who use TTY (a telecommunications device for people who are deaf)

can call 1-866-753-7083.

European chafer beetle found under easily removed turf layer at UBC Bo-tanical Garden. Photo credit Kerrie van Gaalen.

campus resident volume 7 issue 5, may 2016

Documents