What Do We Have For You This Month?

Happy New Year, and welcome to The Talk of The Town for January 2021. Scroll through the following features (and click on images enlarge) to find:

The Month That Was: A roundup of West End-Coal Harbour community news, announcements, and other local gossip.
Milestones: Events of note in the lives of our community. Career moves, unions, births, and fond farewells.
Stanley Park Notebook: Jacqui Birchall’s monthly report from the park this month introduces us to the Mounted Squad of the Vancouver City Police, whose horses are a familiar West End sight.
Name That Lane: Three years ago the City started naming eight of the laneways that run east and west through the West End. This month Lucas Pilleri shares the story behind ted northe Lane.
West End-Coal Harbour In The News: Links to reports in BC’s leading news outlets relating directly to our community.

The Month That Was

REVOLVING DOOR(S) The past year has seen more than the usual number of West End businesses - especially restaurants - close their doors under pressure from soaring rents and the restraints of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fatburger on Denman was just one of the more recent casualties, but burger fans will be pleased to know that the Davie Street outlet remains open.

Bute and Nelson (Bernie Steininger Photo) — Bute and Nelson *(Bernie Steininger Photo)*

MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT It hasn’t been easy getting into the holiday spirit this year, but West End businesses and residents have done their best to share some cheer.

The residents of the lovely old house at the corner of Bute and Nelson certainly brighten the neighbourhood with their annual display.

Michael’s Tree on Beach Avenue. (Photo © Patrick O’Leary) — Michael’s Tree on Beach Avenue. (*Photo ©* *Patrick O’Leary*)

And we all look forward to the day each winter when the tree (actually a group of three trees) at the south foot of Bidwell, across Beach, are gloriously illuminated.

Your West End Journal editor Kevin Dale McKeown has a story about that. “Years ago, when I was living in Beach Towers” he reports, “I was dropped off at my front door one evening by a taxi driver who exclaimed ‘How wonderful to see Michael’s Tree lit up again!’”

“Michael’s Tree? I repeated with a question mark. She answered ‘Yes, we call it Michael’s Tree. On the first night the lights were turned on, years ago, a dear friend of ours named Michael passed away of AIDS at St. Paul’s Hospital. Ever since his friends have always called it Michael’s Tree.”

“I never saw that driver again” Kevin concludes, “and I’ve never met anyone else who knew who Michael was, but since then I’ve always called it Michael’s Tree and found an opportunity each year to share that story. I hope lots of people continue to know it by that meaningful name.”

Finally, if you take a stroll down Denman Street be sure to stop and admire the festive window decorations at Ofra’s Ktichen.

Ofra just celebrated her first year in business in December, and this display, created for her by West End artist Nicholas Frenette, seems a lovely way to say thank you to the community for its support.

BEE KIND, BEE SAFE Let's flood the West End streets and hangouts with the latest genius idea from our beloved friend and neighbour Joe Average -- face masks emblazoned with his most popular images.

These unique masks come in three sizes and two different images — Joe’s signature bees, and his celebrated “One World, One Hope” image. You’ll find them, and Joe’s other online sales catalogue of prints, here.

A $10 MILLION BARGAIN Condos are bought and sold every day in the West End, but it isn’t that often that a modest, older 24-unit apartment complex comes on the market. Lorron Apartments, at 1623 Haro, built in 1956, was listed last month for $10,300,000, and the particulars make for interesting reading.

For just over ten million you’ll get three stories plus the penthouse, featuring 21 one-bedroom and two two-bedroom suites, with rents averaging $1,382 and $2,183 respectively.

And for those of us who believe that greedy landlords are the root of all our problems (not to say that some aren’t), it’s interesting to note that from a $10,000,000 plus investment you’d get a net operating income, after expenses and the occasional vacancy, of about $310,000. Do the math and you’ll see that that’s a decent, but far from exorbitant, return.

And that’s our real estate report for this month. If you’re looking for a property and can raise the dosh, Mark Goodman of Goodman Commercial Inc. would love to hear from you!

Milestones

FOND FAREWELLS

Pamela Leaman. (Ken Armich Photo) — Pamela Leaman. *(Ken Armich Photo)*

PAMELA LEAMAN: On the evening of Saturday, December 5, 2020, an extraordinary member of Vancouver’s West End and LGBT communities, Pamela Leaman passed from this life at the age of 79.

Her volunteer contributions began shortly after her arrival in Vancouver in 1980 when she noticed that some potted plants at the West End Community Centre (WECC) were dry and offered to water them. Offer accepted, and she became the weekly plant caretaker.

Soon thereafter, while teaching flower arranging, Pamela, a professional artist and painting instructor, offered to arrange the table centrepieces for the annual Seniors’ Christmas Dinner, a task she continued to undertake until a couple of years ago. And so began 40 years of giving.

Pamela’s many contributions included leading WECC day-trip outings, representing the WECC on the organizing committee for the 1990 Gay Games, initiating the Flea Market and the Art In The City events, serving two terms on the West End Community Centre Association Board of Directors, and until recently working the information WECC information desk every Saturday afternoon.

For decades whenever there was a community event taking place, you’d be sure to find Pamela lending a hand. When things needed doing, Pamela pitched in.

In 2019 Pamela was one of three finalists for the Vancouver Lifetime Senior Volunteer of the Year Award, and in 2020 the West End Community Centre Association named her the first and eponymous recipient of The Pamela Leaman Outstanding Contribution Award.

Thank you, Pamela. You are sorely missed.

JOANNE GRACEFFO, a popular West End building manager, was, according to one tenant, “ … one of those people who quietly make the world run, down here at ground level. She ran our building, and five others, with an iron fist in a velvet glove. And the glove was removable. Mess around and find out.”

Regular contributor to The Tyee, Steve Burgess penned those words in a heart-warming tribute to his building manager and across-the-hall neighbour “Jo G” after her passing in December. She had recently been diagnosed with a serious illness, was admitted to hospital, and quickly suffered a fatal stroke. She was 55.

Steve’s tribute, “An Elegy For My Building Manager”, can be found here.

SHARE YOUR MILESTONES WITH US … Send us the news about important milestones in your and your family’s life and share them with your West End friends and neighbours. Wedding and birth announcements and fond farewells are all welcome, along with photos. Forward to editor@thewestendjournal.ca and we’ll include your news in the next issue.

Stanley Park Notebook

by Jacqui Birchall

THE HEART AND SOUL OF STANLEY PARK

The Stanley Park Ecological Society (SPES) is the heart and soul of Stanley Park.

SPES evolved from The Stanley Park Zoological Society that was formed in 1988, becoming SPES in 1997, a society working towards conservation in Stanley Park. SPES is a non-profit organization that promotes stewardship and conservation in Stanley Park and is a respected partner of the Vancouver Park Board. SPES works on a modest budget and always needs donations (see links below).

SPES staff numbers range from twelve to fifteen depending on the season, supported by an army of volunteers. You can meet the talented staff on the SPES website. Consider volunteering in one of many roles.

The white-haired matriarch of the Lost Lagoon beaver colony.

Beavers are a big draw in Stanley Park. SPES advises there are five in Lost Lagoon and five in Beaver Lake. Visitors often see the chubby beaver grazing on Ceperley Meadow. SPES advises it is most likely the senior female. Little patches of white hair on her head identify this mom. SPES wraps the larger, more important trees around Lost Lagoon to prevent the industrious beavers from toppling them. SPES does not take down the beaver damns, although the Park Rangers sometimes have to in certain circumstances

LOST LAGOON is home to many species. SPES has been working hard to removes invasive plant species from the lagoon, including the Yellow Flag Iris. You may have seen the volunteers wading in the lagoon all summer, pulling out the irises and now cutting back the blackberries. SPES volunteers are also working hard to remove other invasive species in the park including ivy, Himalayan and Evergreen/Cutleaf Blackberries. The native blackberry in the park is the Trailing Blackberry. Japanese Knotweed and Giant Hogweed are also invasive.

Other invasive species in the lagoon include the red-eared turtle (dumped former pets), carp and bull frogs that have replaced the indigenous Pacific Tree Frogs and Red Legged Frogs.

Winter is a wonderful time to see visiting northern water birds on the lagoon. The frisky river otters can frequently be spotted near the beaver lodge or on a small island on the west side of the lagoon.

SPES presents several online workshops each month through Zoom. Presented by the knowledgeable staff, the workshops cover a variety of subjects relating to the park. Check here for January’s presentations.

I recently enjoyed the Zoom presentation on owls. There are five varieties of owls in Stanley Park: Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Western Screech Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, and the tiny, rarely seen Northern Pygmy Owl. There is a chance to see them in daylight according to SPES. The Great Horned Owls are strong enough to pick up skunks! (A great resource to identify birds is allaboutbirds.org)

Mesh wraps protect Stanley Park trees from over-enthusiastic beaver activity.

SPES presents several online workshops each month through Zoom. Presented by the knowledgeable staff, the workshops cover a variety of subjects relating to the park. Check their website or Facebook page (see below) for upcoming presentations.

BEAVER LAKE is a focus of much of SPES’ efforts. The lake has diminished from 6.7 hectares in 1938 to 3.9 hectares today, and the water lilies planted to celebrate the 40th Jubilee of Dutch Queen Wilhelmina in 1938 are choking the lake. An invasive species, they cover much of the surface of the lake and when they die they produce a biomass that is filling the lake and making it shallower. There is no plan to eradicate the water lilies at this point but to reduce their presence. Luckily beavers like to forage water lilies. Dredging would deepen the water thus making it hard for the water lilies to grow. There are future plans for dredging, but at the moment there is work being done on a new outlet to Beaver Lake that will be less prone to blockage and will reduce flooding and maintain regular water movement. A fish ladder is being installed to allow native species to populate Beaver Lake again.

Hooded Mergansers spending their winter vacations in Stanley Park.

There are also plans afoot with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and the Dark Sky Program to make Beaver Lake a dark spot for night viewing of the sky. Stay tuned!

SPES has published its State of the Park Report. You can find it on their website. It is very descriptive and informative.

LIVING WITH COYOTES - AND OTHER WILDLIFE … SPES tracks the coyotes in Stanley Park and is part of a program called Co-existing With Coyotes, helping humans and coyotes to live together in Vancouver. If you see a coyote anywhere, report it online here or by telephone. Check the website for all information. Diana Piezas from SPES says there is one family pack of three to five coyotes in Stanley Park. Pups were born in the summer. SPES is going to partner with a UBC program to install motion-sensing cameras in the park to more accurately identify what is living there.

SPES counts the bird species in Stanley Park, takes care of the heron colony, removes dead and falling trees, and plants native trees and shrubs. Apparently, there are five eagle pairs in the park. SPES notes that eagles mate for life, return to the same nest, will lay eggs within days of the previous year’s date and are very territorial.

The little Douglas Squirrel is the only one native to Stanley Park.

The black and grey squirrels are invasive too! They are Eastern Squirrels, introduced into the park in the early twentieth century. The native squirrels are the small and very chatty Douglas Squirrels that some folks mistake for chipmunks.

SPES constructed an AirBee’n’Bee box just north of the Nature House on Lost Lagoon. This is home to the endangered mason bees. Check SPES website to find out how to make your own Air Bee’n’Bee.

SPES has also installed 12 bat boxes near Beaver Lake. These are for summer when the females have their pups. They also built wood duck boxes where 26 eggs hatched this summer.

SPES has been installing swallow nest boxes in Lost Lagoon since 2009. Swallows have difficulty in finding nesting spots due to the House Sparrows and European Starlings taking all the spots. The swallows are generally migrating from Mexico and by the time they arrive, the sparrows and starlings have nested in all the prime spots. Because the boxes are installed over water, invasive species do not use the boxes. Notice the spikes on top which dissuade bigger birds from landing and attacking the swallows.

Since 2010 SPES has planted 8000 natural plants in Stanley Park.

VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AND SUPPORT THEIR WORK … There are many aspects to SPES. I have written about what most fascinates me. Please check out their website and Facebook page and think about supporting them with donations or volunteer time.

SPES is the champion of wildlife, plant life, and waterways, and the enemy of invasive species. They are a great source of information on the natural wonders of Stanley Park. Their website is phenomenal. Check it out here and their Facebook page here.

To donate please call 604-257-6908 (ext 106) or donate through CanadaHelps.

During these COVID months, Stanley Park has been my respite, the renewer of my soul, the reason to venture forth on foot or bike each day. I am sure many feel the same.

We who appreciate all that Stanley Park brings have much to thank the Stanley Park Ecological Society for.

Name That Lane

In 2017, the City of Vancouver started to rename eight laneways in the West End after local prominent figures. Who were these people? Why are we honouring their names? What legacy did they leave behind? Let’s find out about the little-known stories of some of our greatest leaders, activists and pioneers.

PETER JEPSON-YOUNG LANE

by Lucas Pilleri

Located between Comox and Pendrell streets, Jepson-Young Lane runs from Thurlow to Cardero, and from Bidwell to Stanley Park.

Peter Jepson-Young (1957-1992) was a doctor in Vancouver who became famous for promoting AIDS and HIV awareness in the early 1990s. He appeared regularly on CBC-TV with a series called The Dr. Peter Diaries, in which he documented his own life as a person living with AIDS, becoming the face of the tragic epidemic in the eyes of the public.

Ultimately best known simply as Dr. Peter, he was born in New Westminster, raised in Nanaimo and North Vancouver, and graduated from the University of British Columbia in the 1980s. The future was promising for the 29-year-old physician until he was diagnosed with AIDS and given nine to 14 months to live. This was 1986 and the disease was still very much unknown.

After surviving a rare form of pneumonia and two heart attacks in the same year, Dr. Peter slowly recovered and returned to work. But AIDS symptoms returned three years later with an eye infection, eventually turning him blind. The young physician would become unable to practise medicine.

He then decided to educate the public about AIDS with his own series – The Dr. Peter Diaries. The show was broadcast nationwide after the evening news on CBC-TV from September 1990 up to his death in November 1992. Throughout the 111 episodes, Dr. Peter would show the world what it meant to be struck by this new, devastating disease. The segments are still accessible on CBC’s website.

Although Jepson-Young’s parents were worried about the public’s response, CBC received thousands of positive comments, and a big viewer base allowed the show to return for so many episodes on a weekly basis.

"If I have managed to reach out and educate people, to touch them and perhaps change their viewpoint about people with AIDS and gay people, then I think that will be my greatest contribution," he once said in an episode of the Diaries.

Conscious of how fortunate he was to be surrounded by friends and family – and his guide dog Harvey, Dr. Peter knew this wasn’t the case for all people affected by the virus. Just a few weeks before his death, he therefore created the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation with the help of his partner Andrew Hiscox and his sister Nancy Hennessy. The Foundation later opened the Dr. Peter Centre, a 24-hour care residence for people living with HIV/AIDS. As of 2018, his mother Shirley was still volunteering at the centre.

“No one has ownership of this disease – unfortunately, it belongs to all of us and the only way we’re going to conquer this is through cooperation,” Dr. Peter said.

Dr. Peter died in 1992, leaving behind an educated public and having broken down some of the stigmas associated with AIDS. To this day, his brave actions have helped thousands of Canadians on their journey against HIV/AIDS.

In 1993, the documentary The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. A biography by journalist Daniel Gawthrop was published in 1994, titled Affirmation: The AIDS Odyssey of Dr. Peter.

West End-Coal Harbour In The News

Each month West End Journal brings you a summary of the previous month’s stories in local media about West End and Coal Harbour events and issues, with links to the articles — just in case you missed them.

Towers To Replace City View Apartments On Haro: Plans unveiled for 1980s-era former strata building on Haro Street. (urban YVR / Dec. 6)
City To Make Interim Safety and Design Upgrades To Beach Avenue: The City of Vancouver today (Friday, Dec. 4) announced plans for a number of interim changes to Beach Avenue, including the return of transit and vehicle traffic eastbound between Denman and Jervis, improved crosswalks, better access to parking in the waterfront parking lot near Bute Street, and retention of the two-way protected bike path. (City of Vancouver / Dec. 4) .
A follow-up announcing the start of work was reported here. (CTV News / Dec. 8)
Berkley Tower Renoviction Renos Under Way: The fight is over for former tenants of Berkeley Tower. The building at the foot of Davie Street is empty and renovations are moving ahead. (NEWS 1130 / Dec. 3)