THE TALK OF THE TOWN

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What Do We Have For You This Month?

Welcome to “The Talk of The Town” for February, 2024. Scroll through the following features to find:

  • Our Lead Story: VPD surveillance cameras have appeared on Denman Street in response to threats made against Ofra’s Kitchen.

  • West End News & Notes: Write your Love Letter to the West End and win prizes, a photo essay from our recent winter wonderland, and a new feature by artist Oraf Orafsson.

  • West End Moments: Our West End is, to say the least, picturesque, and we have many talented photographers to capture those moments. Be sure to click the images to enjoy.

  • Developing Stories: Two years behind schedule and beset by accidents and law suits, The Butterfly at 1019 Nelson is schedule to open this spring.

  • West End / Coal Harbour In The News: In case you missed them, here’s a roundup of our commuity news that made the mainstream media.

Our Lead Story

VPD RESPONDS TO THREATS AGAINST OFRA’S KITCHEN

VPD surveillance cameras across the street from Ofra’s Kitchen.

by John Streit
(click images to enlarge)

A West End restaurant is being provided with extra security by Vancouver Police (VPD) due to threats related to the ongoing violence in the Middle East. Over the past week, a VPD cruiser has been stationed on Denman Street near Comox opposite Ofra’s Kitchen. 

Now, Vancouver Police have set up a Public Safety Trailer on Denman to monitor the restaurant. The trailer is essentially a white metal box on wheels with a 24/7 running generator out of which extends a tower affixed with four cameras. It is clearly marked with the VPD logo and the fact it is a Public Safety Trailer. A sign reads, “All Suspicious Activity Reported to the Vancouver Police Department.”

The VPD’s Tania Visintin tells The West End Journal that Ofra Sixto, owner of the restaurant, has been reporting serious threats that date back to 2021.“It is important to note the cameras will only capture areas visible to the public and will not surpass what would be observable by any person. The cameras will not look into any private residences or property attached to any private residences.” Visintin adds the placement of the Public Safety Trailer would give the public a sense of security. “As much as practicable there will be notices placed in the area informing people about the presence of the Public Safety Trailer,” she said.

The VPD trailer connected to the cameras.

Sixto has been operating Ofra’s Kitchen since 2019. Ofra’s Kitchen is described as a “laid back destination” Israeli restaurant dishing up “vegan and veggie Middle Eastern Food in a colourful, cozy venue.” It serves popular regional items like Hummus plates, Shakshuka soup and Falafel.

The white and blue Israeli flag has been prominently displayed in the front window since the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Hundreds of Israelis were also taken as hostages. Israel’s ongoing military response has destroyed large parts of Gaza and killed more than 26,000 people, most of them women and children according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Many groups have been calling for a humanitarian ceasefire to preserve civilian life in the enclave. On January 26, the United Nations top court ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of the U.N. convention on genocide.

Ofra Sixto, who immigrated to Canada from Israel more than 30 years ago, has been outspoken about the latest violence in the Middle East.

When pro-Palestinian supporters in Vancouver drive or walk by her restaurant honking horns or waving flags, Sixto will come out of her restaurant waving the Israeli flag and verbally spar with the protesters. Police have had to step in at times.

Ofra Sixto in her kitchen. (Photo courtesy Ofra’s Kitchen)

On social media, Sixto has been outspoken and controversial in her comments about the conflict. In one Instagram post from January 2, she said, “Everyday people walk into the restaurant… and they tell me poor Palestinians and I don’t understand it, I don’t see it. So, as I tell everybody, maybe not every Palestinian is a terrorist, but every terrorist is surely a Palestinian. You do the math as I told you before. If he’s not a terrorist right now he will grow up to be a terrorist.”

This post of Sixto’s was reposted on X (formerly Twitter) by an account called Stop Arab Hate. The post sparked anger and debate, with over 16 thousand likes and almost 7,000 reposts. Many comments and quotes encouraged users to leave negative online reviews of Ofra’s Kitchen. In their description, Stop Arab Hate writes “we oppose all forms of hate: from anti-Arab hate to antisemitism and everything else.”

In another post on Instagram, Sixto references the “serious threats” mentioned by the VPD. “You’re calling me, threatening me, saying all kinds of bad stuff against me and what I said, which I didn’t. You tried to intimidate me. Let me tell you one thing. You don’t. You don’t scare me, you don’t intimidate me. You don’t even bother me. Keep doing it. Keep doing what you’re doing and showing the world how terrible you are. And all that you are for is violence and criminal activities and bothering a woman in her business. Shame on you, you terrorist, shame on you,” Sixto said.

No word from police on how long the VPD Public Safety Trailer will remain outside Ofra’s Kitchen. In the past, the trailer has been deployed to locations including Chinatown, Oppenheimer Park, and Robson Street, the latter after an uptick in store thefts and vandalism.

You can read The West End Journal’s January, 2023 “Restaurant Spotlight” feature on Ofra’s Kitchen here.

West End News & Notes

LOVE LETTERS TO YOUR WEST END
Join The Love Your City Contest

Love is in the air with colourful street installations in Vancouver retail neighbourhoods, including the West End. The West End Business Improvement Association (WEBIA) has teamed up with 14 other BIAs across the city to host a month-long #FindLove initiative throughout February, and you are invited to participate.

“Find the ‘Love Letter’ installations at the Jim Deva Plaza and at 1800 Davie Plaza, as well as scattered little love notes along Denman and Davie streets to warm your heart and bring a smile to your face. We could all use a little more love right now,” said WEBIA executive director Teri Smith.

“We also invite you to share your love story or love for the West End by submitting your own love letter to the neighbourhood for a chance to win daily prizes and our grand prize of a date night for two! Each day of February, we will be giving away a West End toque to a lucky someone who submitted a love story or letter to the West End. Read our love letter to the West End below, and submit your very own for a chance to win! (see below)

A LOVE LETTER TO THE WEST END

Dearest West End, 

In the heart of Vancouver, where the city’s pulse echoes through our streets, it’s you who captures our heart. Your tree-lined streets, adorned with a tapestry of colours, create a symphony of diversity that dances in the wind breeze. From English Bay’s captivating sunsets to the lively energy of Davie Street, every corner reveals a new chapter of our love story.

Your parks provide a sanctuary where moments of tranquility intertwine with the vibrant urban rhythm. Oh, the charm of your historic architecture, from heritage homes to modern marvels, paints a canvas of timelessness that we’re grateful to explore and uncover with you.

But it’s not just the physical beauty that captivates us; it’s the spirit of community that thrives within your embrace. The shared laughter in the cafes, the warmth of merchants and neighbours greeting each other, and the acceptance that permeates your air—it all weaves a story of unity and acceptance.

As the sun sets behind the mountains, casting a golden glow on your streets, we can’t help but feel the warmth of our connection. West End, you are not just a neighbourhood; you are the soul of our city and a testament to the beauty of love, diversity, hope and the boundless possibilities that unfold when many souls intertwine in your embrace. 

Forever Yours, 

The West End BIA

Learn more about the Love Your City initiative and submit your own Love Letter to the West End here.

PS: The West End Journal loves the West End and all our wonderful West Enders too. Thank you for reading!

(click image to enlarge)

FROM THE ORAFEUM

Vancouver artist Oraf Orafsson often photographs West End sites and scenes, and his posts, recent and from his extensive archives, with his sometimes witty, sometimes trenchant comments can be found on his Facebook page which you can follow here.

“Not everything Picasso did was good is all i have to say about this,” Oraf says of this item at The Stack (1133 Melville).

West End Moments

(Click on images below to enlarge)

OUR 23/24 WINTER WONDERLAND

This month West End Moments brings you a gallery of images by our ace photographer Ewan Streit, proving to anyone who thought that we’d all imagined it that we did, in fact, have a winter wonderland moment last month. (click on images to enlarge)

Developing Stories

the Butterfly, at 1019 Nelson, is scheduled to open this spring.

1019 NELSON
The Butterfly

By Jake McGrail
(click images to enlarge)

One of the biggest construction projects in Vancouver is nearing its completion. The Butterfly, a 587-foot tall luxury condo tower at 1019 Nelson Street, is now the third-tallest building in the city. The project was originally scheduled to finish in 2022, but the completion date is now the spring of this year, around half a decade since ground was broken at the site.

It’s not just the tower that’s being built, as The Butterfly is meant to be the centrepiece of an entire community complex. Along with the 331 luxury condos in the main tower, there will also be a seven-storey building with 61 social housing units, a small daycare centre, a gymnasium and swimming pool, and other community spaces.

The development of the site also includes the restoration of the next-door First Baptist Church, originally built in 1911. The church partnered with Westbank, the developer of The Butterfly, for this dual-project. The development of spaces like the daycare and gym are on the church’s floor plate, which is being greatly expanded.

Construction on the site might not even be finished once the current plans are complete, at least in the medium to long-term. Westbank and Revery Architecture have left open the possibility of adding another massive condo tower to the property, but they first have to at least finish the initial project before starting work on that.

There are no rental units in the main tower, and the price for the strata housing isn’t cheap. Listing websites homebaba and livabl put the price point at between $3.5 and $7.9 million for the condos.

The first 39 floors are one or two-bedroom homes ranging anywhere from 600 to 1,400 square feet. The 40th to 52nd floors are “estate” condos with two or three bedrooms each and between 1,750 and 2,200 square feet. Then there are the “sub penthouses” on the top four floors that are a little over 4,000 square feet with three or four bedrooms.

The project’s construction hasn’t been without its challenges. Various structural issues bogged down the process, which helped delay the completion of the project by around two years. The site also suffered an accident in late November, when a piece of the church collapsed and injured three workers.

Another potential red flag is that Westbank was sued in the fall by four construction companies in Toronto. The suit alleged that Westbank was millions of dollars behind in payments. The company denied that it was facing financial troubles, and there hasn’t been an indication that The Butterfly project is in danger, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

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Thank you!
Kevin Dale McKeown
Editor & Publisher
editor@thewestendjournal.ca