***Mar 2006 Focus pg 1-32 - Focus Magazine

FOCUSVictoria’s monthly magazine of people, ideas and culture April 2013 $3.95PM 40051145

contentsApril 2013 VOL. 25 NO. 7meridianShiatsu36 38 404 FOLLOWING THE MONEYDemocracy is a sham when donations rule.Leslie Campbell8 AT A GLANCE•Trend to “oral government” undermining accountability•Faux consultation on City budget?•Another fired drug researcher files suitRob Wipond, Derry McDonell, Alan Cassels10 THE SMOKING GUN & ACCOUNTABILITYDid Victoria’s City Manager misrepresent the financial state ofthe Johnson Street Bridge project before the 2011 civic election?David Broadland14 OFFICIALLY RIDICULOUSIn BC, two decades post-FIPPA, it’s harder to get government informationthan it was before the legislation came into force.Gerry Bliss and Brad Densmore16 HOW WILL WE RE-DEMOCRATIZE GOVERNMENT?Greater Victoria provincial election candidates speak out onhow to correct growing democratic deficits.Rob Wipond20 GRASSROOTS COPWATCHHeavy-handed policing of homeless and poor peopleis the focus of a new affadavit campaign.Simon Nattrass22 THE POLITICS OF NATURE (PART 1)What the auditor general and the scientists are saying.Briony Penn24 RE-BRANDING VICTORIALet’s recreate the city’s image by puttingthe land and its peoples front and centre.Chris Creighton-Kelly36 IN PERFECT UNISONThe Balkan Babes have travelled a long way.Joe Wiebe38 HERE AND NOWCharles Campbell’s Transporter activates a present spacefrom which to imagine possible futures.Aaren Madden40 BROKERING ACCESSA new book tells the story of how the public is deniedinformation about the public’s business.Amy Reiswig42 BRINGING BACK THE BLUEBIRDSVictoria was described as a “perfect Eden” by Sir James Douglas.But then the sweet song of bluebirds disappeared.Maleea Acker44 GROW OPThe City of Victoria is robbing the future to pay for today.Gene Miller46 HERE’S THE CHALLENGE, BC HYDROTell us how society (not business and government) will benefit from smart meters.Trudy Duivenvoorden MiticApril 2013 • www.focusonline.caeditor’s letter 4readers’ views 6at a glance 8talk of the town 10culture talks 24the arts in april 26vibe 36palette 38coastlines 40natural relations 42urbanities 44finding balance 46ON THE COVER“Gonzales Observatory,” by NancyRuhl, 24 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas.Ruhl’s paintings can be seen at MadronaGallery, 606 View Street, and atwww.nancyruhl.ca.gentle, deeply effective oriental medicinefor neck/shoulder tension, back/hip problemsmigraines, chronic fatigue/paininsomnia, anxiety/depression“While undergoing chemotherapy & radiation for colon cancer,weekly shiatsu with Sarah meant no side effects, only increasedenergy & well-being: blood pressure stabilized, breathingdeepened, & there was little discomfort in the final surgery. Sarah’sskills & empathy completed my healing process.” – Lili Soleil-GarbuttSarah SoweluTokyo Trained & Certified, 1985Meridian Diagnosis & TreatmentMeridian Yoga WorkshopsApril 14, May 5, June 9778-440-0871 • sarahsowelu@shaw.ca• Aromatic flavourful teas• High quality essential oils• Top quality herbs and tinctures foryour health & well being• Books, incense and other gift itemsEXPERIENCED STAFF• R.N. • aromatherapists • herbalists• consultations availableserving Victoria for over 37 years1106 Blanshard St. • 383-1913best prices • mail order available3

Leading edge dentistryDown to Earth dentistsDr. Benjamin Bell & Dr. SuAnn Ng• General & Cosmetic• Minimal exposuredigital X-rays& 3-D imaging• Invisalign orthodontics• Affordable implantplacement• IV sedation• Non-invasive laserdentistry• All ages welcome250.384.8028www.myvictoriadentist.ca#220 - 1070 Douglas St(TD Bank Bldg)Following the moneyeditor’s letterLESLIE CAMPBELLDemocracy is a sham when donations rule.As you read through this edition, you’ll likely note an underlyingtheme—a yearning for our institutions to be moredemocratic, to provide “the people” with greater power. Wewant to know what goes on behind the scenes so we can judge forourselves whether those running the show are acting wisely and responsibly,unbiased by money and friends.Rob Wipond’s article addresses this theme very directly with somecandidates in the upcoming provincial election, asking them how theywill “re-democratize” governance. Among many other recommendations,some mentioned the need to reform campaign financing. Rightnow in BC—unlike in most other provinces or at the federal level—there are no limits on donations to political parties.I want to apologize in advance about all the numbers about to comeat you. But they do paint a clear picture of a system at odds with democracy.Money should not be able to so blatantly buy political influence.Donations for 2012 are not yet available, but in 2011 the Liberalsraised about $8 million from 6729 donors. That works out to an averagedonation of about $1200. Almost two-thirds of the total came fromcorporations, which I’ll tell you more about momentarily.In that same one-year period, the BC NDP raised close to $3 millionfrom 26,053 voters averaging $111 each.The Green Party only raised $75,626 from 1046 donations for anaverage of $72 per donation. The BC Conservatives received $104kfrom 369 donations for an average donation of $283.Which corporations gave the Liberals all that money? Last month’sfeature by Alan Cassels got me looking into donations from pharmaceuticalcompanies (see his update this month on page 8). Most ofthe big drug firms are donors to the Liberals. Between 2008 and 2011they include: Pfizer ($21k), Merck Frost ($13k), GlaxoSmithKline($19k), Novartis ($19k), AstraZaneca ($6k), and Eli Lilly ($4.5k).Canada’s Research Based Pharmaceuticals, an association representingover 50 drug companies, donated over $18k.But it’s the resource sector that shows the most generosity to theLiberals. For instance, in the forest sector between 2008 and 2011,Brookfield Asset Management (parent company of Island Timberlands)provided $95k; Western Forest Products $72.5k, Weyerhauser $35.5k,Timberwest $87k and Catalyst $59k. No wonder forestry regulationshave been relaxed.Can we really expect the BC Liberals to be totally unbiased aboutthe pipelines set to advance across our province when they have accepteddonations amounting to $453k from energy heavyweight Encana—orEditor: Leslie Campbell Associate Editor: Rob Wipond Publisher: David BroadlandSales: Bonnie Light, Rosalinde ComptonADVERTISING & SUBSCRIPTIONS: 250-388-7231 Email focuspublish@shaw.caEDITORIAL INQUIRIES and letters to the editor: focusedit@shaw.caWEBSITE: www.focusonline.ca MAIL: Box 5310, Victoria, V8R 6S4Subscriptions (tax included): $33.60/year (12 editions); $56/2 years (24 editions)Copyright © 2013. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without writtenpermission of the publisher. The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher of Focus Magazine.Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 400511454 April 2013 • FOCUS

Focus presents: Rooster Interlocking BrickADVERTISEMENTlarly timely as more and more Canadiansare concerned about the role of Canada Pensionfunds and even so called “ethical” investmentsin supporting extraction industries fraughtwith environmental impacts and rights violations.We’re working on a video of Alain’spresentation, and as soon as it’s up we’ll posta link to it on the Mining Justice ActionCommittee Facebook page, along with upcomingevents focused on Canadian mining impactsand community resistance.Sharlene Patterson and Nedjo RogersMining Justice Action CommitteeBrick pavers: affordable, timeless, lasting beautyby Mollie KayeThe charming cobblestone streets of ancientEuropean cities have endured for many centuries.I ponder this as I stand in front of my Fairfieldhome and behold the non-functional hodgepodgeof crumbling, patched concrete, scraggly sod, and“Unlike asphalt or concrete, brick issemi-porous; the sand in the joints letsthe water soak into the ground below.”—Dallas RuudCity council ignores financial realitiesFor well over a decade, taxes and the operatingexpenses of the City of Victoria havegrown much faster than our population growthand inflation. In most years, the gap has beenlarge and there is no end in sight. In addition,we continue to ignore: (1) Aginginfrastructure and the need to build adequatereserves to refurbish or replace things likesewers, roads, buildings and bridges; (2) Atourism industry that is no longer what itused to be and is unlikely to recover in thenear- or mid-term based on global economies;(3) A downtown core that used to be theregion’s economic engine, but seems to bein decline; and (4) Though we are no longerthe centre of the region, we continue to actas if we are in our willingness to financiallysupport the larger region’s needs.The chatter about filling the gap by freezinga few dozen civil servants’ pay, cutting electedofficials’ stipends and curtailing inconsequentexpenditures is just that—idle talk in the faceof difficult facts. The City needs to look atmanaging its affairs in a sustainable fashion.We need a council that has a vision for dealingwith a significant and growing structuraldeficit. We need a council that is willing todeal with the challenges and not delay theinevitable. Some form of amalgamation orsharing of services with others, eliminatingextravagant expenditures on such things asjunkets to Asia are just a beginning. We needto think out of the box.The City of Victoria has governed itselfon false premises, which is another way ofsaying it hasn’t told itself the truth of whatis required to stabilize the City’s finances,today and tomorrow.Paul BrownLETTERSSend letters to: focusedit@shaw.caovergrown side beds we presently call our “driveway.”I’ve long admired brick driveways, so I call DallasRuud, owner of Rooster Interlocking Brick, to askabout the costs and benefits of pavers (“moderndaycobblestones”) compared to other options likeasphalt and concrete.“I’ve heard nasty rumours about weeds,” I tell himwhen he arrives. He shakes his head. “When we installthe bricks, we start with a six-inch base of graveland sand, so nothing will ever grow from underneath.Like any surface, if dirt builds up, little spores from theair can land and grow, so all you need to do is keepit clean and it will always look like new. If a brick ortwo get stained somehow, they can easily be switchedout with new ones to blend seamlessly.” I’m seeingdistinct advantages already.Drainage is another concern of mine. “Unlike asphaltor concrete, brick is semi-porous; the sand in the jointslets the water soak into the ground below,” Dallasexplains. Sounds perfect for our wet climate, andecologically preferable too. And durability? “Paversare three to four times stronger than poured concrete,”he adds, “and if you do need to get underneath thesurface for any reason, the bricks can be lifted outand reassembled.”I’m pretty well convinced, and Rooster’s estimateseems extremely reasonable. The final test is to see aRooster “reveal”—how are the owners liking it? Dallassends me to Sheila and Geoff Richards’ utterly charminghome on Oliver Street in Oak Bay. It’s a pristine Englishcottage with masonry accents, and the interlockingbrick driveway looks positively stunning. As I slide atoe around, admiring the smoothness of the joints,Sheila comes to greet me.“Isn’t it just wonderful?” She smiles excitedly. “Forthis particular house—the colours, the stone—it’sreally made it stand out.” I wholeheartedly agree. Shebeckons and I follow her up the long driveway, admiringthe way the bricks have been intricately cut and set tofit perfectly, just like an Italian mosaic. I’m led througha gate to the patio, a seamless continuation of theelegant pattern from the drive. “We had that awfulasphalt on the driveway, and ugly cracked concretehere on the patio. I’m so glad we had it all done in thePhoto: Tony BounsallDallas Ruud with the Richards’ new interlocking brick driveway.brick. It’s so tidy, and the area really looks larger now!”Sheila says she and Geoff figured they would haveto “wait to win the lottery” before Rooster createdthese durable, delicious-looking surfaces, but thequote came in comparable to replacing the asphalt,and “the quote was the final price. There were noextra charges. And I’ve never met such happy guys;it was like having four of my kids around doing it.Such fast, fast workers—the job was complete in justsix working days! It was a fascinating process; I tookso many photos. We’re just thoroughly delighted withthe whole experience!”I’ve asked Dallas if he can bring his “happy guys”over to my house to create a gorgeous, ever-lastingdriveway for my family to enjoy. I know our investmentin interlocking brick will be returned many fold,but would it be wise to get another quote? “Don’tlook any further,” advises Sheila. “Working with Dallasgave me faith in young people again. As our neighbourssaid after working with him, ’He is a princelyman.’ She gestures to the patio beneath us. “We’reso terribly impressed. It’s a work of art, really.”Rooster Interlocking BrickDallas Ruud, owner250-889-6655www.roosterbrick.comwww.focusonline.ca • April 2013 7

at a glanceTrend to “oral government” undermining accountabilityLast September, the non-profit Freedom of Information and PrivacyAssociation complained to BC Information and Privacy CommissionerElizabeth Denham about a growing trend for public informationrequests to the provincial government tocome up empty. Denham investigated,and in March issued her report.The Commissioner verified that “noresponsive records” replies to Freedomof Information requests have dramaticallyincreased across the BC governmentfrom 13 percent in 2008/09 to 25 percentof all requests in 2011/12.“These increases coincide with government’scentralization of the processing ofaccess to information requests under IAO,” Elizabeth Denhamobserved Denham. “Information AccessOperations” is a specialized branch the BC Liberals created, ostensiblyto speed up FOI processing. Could this centralization actuallybe making political interference easier and more common? Denhamdid not speculate, but supplied suspicion-inducing factoids.Denham determined that in some cases, IAO actually found therecords applicants had asked for, but not exactly where the applicantshad asked them to search—IAO then claimed there were “noresponsive records.” In other cases, applicants were “helped” by IAOto narrow their requests so that they wouldn’t have to pay hugefees for mammoth amounts of documents—but the revised requeststhen resulted in “no responsive records” replies.And whose requests were consistently the most likely to turn upempty? The media’s, wrote Denham. Last year, for example, halfof all media requests for documents to the Office of the Premierturned up zilch. It seems our premier and cohorts are operating inwhat Denham described as “a records-free way.”“According to the Office of the Premier,” wrote Denham, “thegeneral practice of staff in that office is to communicate verbally andin person. We were informed that staff members do not usually useemail for substantive communication relating to business matters,and that most emails are ‘transitory’ in nature and are deleted…”So what exactly is a “transitory” email that has nothing to do withthe Office of the Premier’s taxpayer-funded “business”? Well, forexample, the premier’s former Deputy Chief of Staff Kim Haakstadtold Denham that all emails leading up to the mysterious, high-profileresignation of former Chief of Staff Ken Boessenkool last September“would have been transitory in nature and were deleted.”Denham then overviewed a 20-year history of federal and provincialinformation commissioners and other experts urging Canadiangovernments to create “duty to document” legislation. “Without alegislated duty to document, government can effectively avoid publicscrutiny,” wrote Denham, pointing out that “oral government” underminesaccountability, democratic processes, and historical knowledge.Indeed, this latter issue leads to what is, in some ways, the mostdisturbing revelation in her report. “[T]here is a serious problem withgovernment’s practice of archiving records,” wrote Denham. In 2003,BC Archives introduced a “fee for service” model. “Since the introductionof this fee for service model,” wrote Denham, “governmenthas not transferred any permanent records to BC Archives.”—Rob WipondFaux consultation on City budget?In 2010 the City of Victoria adopted an internationally recognizedset of seven rules for conducting so-called “public engagementprograms,” including public input into its annual budget developmentand approval process.So just how closely did council adhere to these rules as it developedits 2013 Operating and Capital Budget—a budget with aself-imposed target of capping any tax increase to 3.25 percent andcutting $6 million in costs within the next three years? Judging bythe minutes of seven closed-door meetings held from May throughNovember 2012, the answer is, hardly at all.For starters, consider that all seven meetings were conducted behindclosed doors and that the minutes of those meetings—even the censoredversions obtained through a Freedom of Information request—donot appear on the City’s website.While certain tidbits of information and preliminary decisions didwend their way into the public eye over six months, far more was hiddenfrom view as council wrestled with the question of how to meet theirown target and the $6 million in cuts required to achieve it.What we can tell, even with the minutes shorn of the actual discussionand voting record, however, is that this January, when the Cityfinally started “engaging” the public in this important and even gamechangingbudget process, virtually all the key decisions had alreadybeen ratified by council. This includes the overall tax cap of 3.25percent itself. (Why, one might ask, was the target not 0 percent, atleast for starters? The answer, it appears, is that the original recommendation—fromstaff, of course, not the public—exceeded 4 percent.)On the other hand, the Victoria City Police force (24 percent ofthe budget) was assured of an annual 2 percent budget increase forthe next three years, again behind closed doors and with the discussionremoved from the minutes.Or how about the decision on a staff recommendation to drop thepaper version of Connect (the City’s newsletter) and make it availableonline instead? That was rejected by council before we evenheard about it. Yet cutting back on the communications departmentbudget was a favourite at public meetings held by CouncillorLisa Helps last July.We can also see that council opted to hive off the most contentiousaspect of the cost-cutting side of the process—chiefly anything thatcould lead to significant staff reductions and/or salary changes, whichaccount for about 50 percent of total expenditures—and hand itoff to an outside consultant, thus leaving the public to quibble overthe $1 million in minor cost containment items, such as perennialsfor annuals on City boulevards and fewer City-sponsored events inCentennial Square that it had come up with by November.—Derry McDonellAnother fired drug researcher files suitA few developments and even more questions have arisen since lastmonth’s article in Focus on the firing spree at the BC Ministry of Health.Two weeks ago Bob Hart, a former director of data access, researchand stewardship with the ministry, filed his notice of claim in BC’sSupreme Court, making him the third Ministry of Health employeeto sue for being terminated without just cause around this case. Hissuit lists the ministry officials who led an extraordinary set ofKafkaesque interrogations last summer which resulted in six employeesfired and a seventh suing for constructive dismissal. One of the fired8 April 2013 • FOCUS

employees is now dead and the coroner isstill investigating.Hart’s suit alleges that Dale Samsonoff,Wendy Taylor and Sarah Brownlee were partof the investigative team that called him toa meeting on August 31 last year, confrontedhim with allegations of workplace misconduct,and suspended him without pay. Twoweeks later Deputy Minister GrahamWhitmarsh brought the hammer down andthe 58-year-old employee, with an unblemishedrecord of 27 years of service in theMinistry of Health, was canned.This kind of swift and lethal applicationof justice is highly unusual in both corporateand government worlds where strict protocols,allowing employees leeway to correctshortcomings, are common.So far Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmidhas said that the current imbroglio at the ministrydid not involve personalized data used for nonhealthrelated purposes. That seems to be thebiggest crime when it comes to data breaches,and it made me wonder, what does happen inbureaucracies when someone, for personalgain, breaches an individual’s privacy?The most high-profile breach of personalprivacy in Canada probably concerns CaptainSean Bruyea, a Canadian air force officerwho served in the Persian Gulf War in 1991.He had his personal medical and financialfiles distributed across a wide swath of seniorofficials in the Department of Veteran’s Affairs(without his knowledge or permission) andthey used this information against him becausehe had the temerity to criticize the government’streatment of disabled veterans. Thecase is more nuanced than what I can sayhere, but of the 54 people who had inappropriatelyaccessed Bruyea’s file, 36 receivedan “administrative memo,” nine were reprimandedand nine received one-day suspensions.Nobody was fired.Let’s put this in context: When governmentemployees have egregiously broken thelaw in accessing personal files, there are wristslaps all around. But in Victoria, we fire sevenemployees, people like Bob Hart, on the whiffof wrongdoing for which no one can producea single credible allegation.Increasingly it appears Bob Hart and hisfired colleagues are collateral damage fromsomeone calling in a drone strike on theBC Ministry of Health’s drug safety evaluationapparatus. And the pharma conspiracytheorists are having a field day.—Alan CasselsGENERAL CONTRACTING CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT CHARACTER RENOVATIONDavid Dare250-883-5763roadsend.cawww.focusonline.ca • April 20139

talkof thetownGerry Bliss & Brad Densmore 14 Rob Wipond16 Simon Nattrass20 Briony Penn22The smoking gun & accountabilityDAVID BROADLANDDid Victoria’s City Manager misrepresent the financial state of the Johnson Street Bridge project before the 2011 civic election?Last month I wrote here about the circumstancessurrounding the City of Victoria’sefforts last year to bar three people (freelancejournalist Ross Crockford, Focus editorLeslie Campbell, and myself) from obtainingcertain records the City apparently wishedto keep secret. The City had applied under ararely-used provision of the Freedom ofInformation and Protection of Privacy Act toeffectively block access to those records. TheCity abandoned that process once the Officeof the Information and Privacy Commissionerunexpectedly called an expedited hearing ofthe City’s Section 43 application. I ended lastmonth’s story by telling you that a portionof the records being sought had finally beenreleased to Ross Crockford—10 months afterhe first requested them—through provisionsof FIPPA. The information contained in thatrelease—which has been dubbed “the smokinggun”—raises serious questions about theveracity of a public statement made by theCity’s top executive just before the 2011 civicelection. The following series of events havebeen reconstructed from that release, otherFOI releases, and public records.AT A MEETING OF VICTORIA CITYCouncil on October 6, 2011, City ManagerGail Stephens introduced an update on thethen two-year-old Johnson Street BridgeReplacement Project by noting, “interest inthe bridge remains very high.” She went onto tell councillors, media and members of thepublic, “A lot of work is being done to preparefor the construction, but it’s all behind-thesceneskinds of work, and not clearly visibleto the public. However this preparatory workis critical to the successful delivering of theproject, that I’m pleased to note continues tobe within the budget of $77 million and theMarch 2016 timeline.”Near the end of her short address, Stephensannounced the project had received confirmationof an $8 million grant from the CRDwhich, she said, “can be applied to reduce theamount of money we have to borrow” tocomplete the project.That the project was on budget and onschedule and was so well-managed that theSmoking gun: City of Victoria Director of FinanceBrenda Warner informed Stephens of millions ofdollars of unbudgeted costs in June 2011.City wouldn’t need to borrow as deeply aspreviously thought must have sounded likebeautiful music to the ears of Victoria MayorDean Fortin. After all, he would soon bepounding the pavement and knocking on doorsin search of votes so he could retain his $100,000-a-year job in the upcoming civic election, just45 days away. Stephens’ public reassuranceswould surely help him in that effort. Indeed,two days after the meeting, Fortin wrote onhis Facebook page: “The good news VictoriaCity Council received this Thursday is thatthe amount we need to borrow for bridgeconstruction has dropped 8 million due to afederal gas tax grant administered by the CRD.”But as buoying as this news was for Fortinand his pro-replacement councillors, it camewith a potentially serious problem attachedfor Stephens, who is a certified general accountant.As such she was required, as stated inher professional association’s Code of EthicalPrinciples, to “not be associated with informationwhich the Member knows, or shouldknow, to be false or misleading, whether bystatement or omission.” And her “within thebudget of $77 million” statement, along withPHOTO: CITY OF VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORTher inference that the City would be able “toreduce the amount of money we have toborrow” was directly at odds with informationand recommendations given to Stephensby the City’s finance department monthsbefore.THE JOHNSON STREET BRIDGEReplacement Project Steering Committee,hereafter referred to as the Steering Committee,was established by the project’s Charter inJanuary 2011. To borrow from the Charter’sbureaucratese, the Steering Committee occupiesthe position in the accountability structurebetween City council and the City engineerrunning the project. That is to say, the SteeringCommittee controls what information is passedon to councillors. And as Stephens had beenat the helm of that committee since its inception,she was the gatekeeper that separatedcouncillors from the rest of City staff workingon the project back in 2011. So when the City’sDirector of Finance Brenda Warner firstapproached the Steering Committee in thespring of 2011 with concerns about the project’sbudget, Stephens was guarding the pass.Warner had identified millions of dollars inproject-related costs that were not included inthe $77-million project budget approved byCity councillors before the referendum in 2010.But that was the only approved budget that shecould assign those costs to, and they were steadilyeating up the project’s contingency fund.Warner had initially been assured councillorswould be informed of these costs at a councilmeeting scheduled for July 2011. But afterattending a Steering Committee meeting onJune 24, 2011, where she provided an accountof these costs, she was told by Stephens thatcouncillors would not, in fact, be informeduntil October, when new drawings and a projectcost update were to be completed by the City’sconsultant, MMM Group, a private engineeringand project management company. An hourafter that June 24 meeting, Warner was toldby the City’s JSB Project Director Mike Laithat “we will need to strategize with the SteeringCommittee on the timing of that update.”Why the secrecy and strategizing? Why notjust tell councillors the truth about the project10 April 2013 • FOCUS

Victoria’s Asian Decor CentrePut something AMAZING in your homeSmoking gun: In August 2011, Acting Assistant Director of Finance TroyRestell calculated the project had not included $5.2 million in known costs.and get their input and direction? Well, that would have dumped themillions in unaccounted costs into public view just before an election,and the Steering Committee had previously identified a “changeof council” in an election as a definite risk facing the project. Moreover,both Lai and Stephens were aware of other serious problems: the overallcost had been badly underestimated in 2010 and now the project teamwas furiously reworking the design to contain costs. But keeping a lidon costs also meant reductions in the functionality, expected life, amenitiesand architectural qualities of the bridge, and that could result in alegal challenge to the referendum that approved borrowing for theproject. As well, the lifting mechanism had undergone a radical designchange, necessitating additional construction cost increases. Revealingall this at the wrong time—especially before an election—mightforce a public reconsideration of the entire project.A few days after that June 24 meeting, Warner, perhaps sensing theproject had gone beyond the point where council approval ought to besought, asked Acting Assistant Director of Finance Troy Restell to puttogether a detailed account of the unbudgeted costs. On August 12,2011, Restell, a certified management accountant who had been withthe City since 2006, sent a memo to Lai that was circulated to Stephens.Restell’s memo stated, in part, “$5.2 million of construction/ design andBEST OF BOTHWORLDSIMPORTS AND DESIGN2713 QUADRA (AT HILLSIDE)250.386.8325WWW.BESTOFBOTHWORLDSIMPORTS.COMwww.focusonline.ca • April 201311

City costs have been identified that are in additionto the original $77 million budget…Thetotal revised estimate for the Johnson StreetBridge project is $82.2 million.” Restell wenton to say, “It is recommended that council beadvised, based on the attached analysis, of itemsnot included in the budget that will be requiredto complete the project.”Two months later, Stephens made her“continues to be within the budget of $77million” statement. Was there something thathappened in between to reduce costs? No. KeyCity staff had to be aware that costs were onthe rise. Look at what happened two days afterVictoria electors had cast their votes. OnNovember 21, MMM Group, the companyproviding the City with project managementand engineering for the new bridge, deliveredto the City a document called the ProjectDefinition Report that showed constructioncosts had climbed $5.85 million above andbeyond the costs outlined in the Restell memo,bringing the total cost estimate to over $88million. Originally, this report and budget updatehad been planned for release before the election.Its delivery two days after the election waslikely no coincidence.And the cost escalations weren’t over. OnJanuary 6, 2012, Assistant Director of FinanceSusanne Thompson estimated costs at $91.25million; she noted that the project had used upall but $660,000 of its $8.9 million contingency;and she recommended council be informed.By mid-January the cost was set at $92.8 million.So at the time when Stephens said the project“continues to be within the budget of $77million,” she should have been aware that costson various fronts were escalating rapidly.None of the cost escalations were revealedto councillors or the public until March 2012.Focus asked Stephens for an explanationof why the warnings and recommendationsof Warner and Restell, made months beforeher October 6 statement, were apparently notfactored into her announcement that the project“continues to be within the budget of $77million.” Here is Stephens’ full response:“Based on the preliminary information Ihad received as of October 2011, I believedthe project was within the approved budget.In preparation for a budget update for council,I instructed staff to do a full review of the costsand funding related to the project, and atthe same time the project team was finalizingthe 30 percent design drawings necessary forthe Project Definition Report [deliveredNovember 21, 2011]. Upon completion offurther engineering and financial analysis, Iwas confident in the information and a councilmeeting was scheduled for early March [2012].The complete information was presented toall of council at the same time. Information isbrought to council when it is complete andthe proper due diligence has been conducted.”I asked Stephens, again, if the “preliminaryinformation” on which she based her “withinbudget” public statement had included Warner’sand Restell’s information. She replied, “Thepreliminary information I received was incompleteand was related to pre-constructioncosts. In addition, the Project Definition Reportand value engineering had not been completed,which significantly informs budget analysis.Complete and tested budget information waspresented to council when the necessary duediligence had been completed.”What Stephens seems to be saying is thatshe could not have declared the project overbudgetat that October 6 meeting until a numberof things had happened, roughly summarizedby her expression “due diligence.” But shouldn’tthat same logic have applied to a declarationthat the project “continues to be within thebudget of $77 million”?Stephens’ decision to characterize the financialstate of the project as rosy had realconsequences. Most obviously, voters weregiven an inaccurate picture of a controversialproject just as they were being asked to makedecisions about how to cast their ballots inan election. I recently asked Victoria CouncillorLisa Helps, a first-time candidate in that election,what she had experienced during hercampaign in terms of the bridge. Was it anissue? Helps said, “When I was door knockingduring the 2011 election campaign, the singleissue that I heard most about was the bridge.I’m not saying that everyone on every doorstep mentioned it. But uninvited and unprovoked,people wanted to comment on thebridge—on the public engagement strategyaround it, on the cost, on the necessity of onebig infrastructure project when there were somany other important things the City couldspend their money on. I’m not sure how muchthe bridge actually swayed people on votingday, but there was certainly a lot of discussion—andmore critique than praise—in themonths leading up to it.”I asked Stephens if she had withheld theinformation Warner and Restell had providedher in order that the escalating cost of thebridge project did not become an issue duringthe 2011 civic election. She responded, “Civicelections do not factor into the timing of staffreports to council.”Stephens did not respond to questions aboutwhether Mayor Fortin had been informed ofthe information provided to her by Warnerand Restell, or whether Fortin had advisedStephens to make public Warner’s and Restell’sinformation on unbudgeted costs. Fortindid not respond to emailed questions.WAS STEPHENS SIMPLY EXERCISINGdue diligence when she claimed the projectwas on budget? Or did she know costs wereescalating and misled voters before an election?And why does it matter?I asked Colin Macleod this last question.Macleod is a UVic associate professor in lawand philosophy whose research focuses onissues in contemporary moral, political andlegal theory, including democratic ethics. Heis also the associate editor of the CanadianJournal of Philosophy.Macleod explained that civil servants playa crucial role in facilitating the proper functioningof democratic governance by providingaccurate information: “Such information isrelevant to democratic deliberation amongstcitizens and politicians about the wisdom ofdifferent policies and projects…If civil servantsdistort or withhold relevant informationbearing on matters of public interest, theyfrustrate deliberation by the public. The confidencethat citizens should have in civil serviceand the government is threatened by deceptionor misrepresentation. In the absence ofsome genuine emergency that somehow poseda significant threat to the immediate healthor safety of the community, it is hard to imaginea case in which a municipal civil servant wouldbe justified in knowingly misleading the public.”Ross Crockford has carefully scrutinizedthe bridge project for the past three years asa director of the watchdog group johnsonstreetbridge.org.He was told about the “smokinggun” by a concerned City Hall insider.I asked Crockford what action he thoughtwas needed so that the theoretical accountabilitythat’s at the heart of access to informationlaws could be turned into actual accountability—avery tricky process. “Normally, acity manager would have to answer to mayorand council,” Crockford said. “In this case,though, they could be in a perceived conflictof interest: the members of council runningfor re-election in 2011 may have benefittedfrom voters getting a false impression that theproject was ‘within the budget of $77 million.’So I think the mayor and council need toappoint an independent inquiry. I believe oneis needed here if we’re ever going to findout what’s really going on at City Hall.”David Broadland is the publisher of Focus.12 April 2013 • FOCUS

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Officially ridiculousGERRY BLISS AND BRAD DENSMOREtalk of the townIn BC, two decades post-FIPPA, it’s harder S. 13(1) to Policy get government Advice or Recommendations information than it was before the legislation came into force.When the Freedom of Informationand Protection of Privacy Act(FIPPA) was introduced in 1993,BC was at the leading edge of citizen access togovernment information. Architects of transparencyand accountability legislation aroundthe world had a vision of better educated citizens,the press holding government accountablefor its policies and actions, and legislatorsbringing the light of day into the public service.In fact, there hasn’t been a major politicalparty in Canada in the last 30 years withouta formally stated commitment to transparencyand strengthening public access to governmentinformation. People today have everyreason to expect to be able to get any informationthey need to be informed citizens andstakeholders of government services.But something went wrong.In BC, two decades post-FIPPA, it is harderto get government information than it wasbefore the legislation came into force. Fundingcutbacks have reduced the number and contentof published reports. Special reports are nolonger published. Information technology,instead of improving public access, is used todo an end-run around it: intentionally writingdocuments a certain way in order to be coveredunder FIPPA exemptions, using instant messagesor phone calls, or even using personal emailsoutside of the reach of FIPPA. InformationAccess Operations, the department responsiblefor upholding FIPPA for most of the publicservice, recently issued an RFP looking for ITsolutions that would help them handle an everincreasingvolume of FOI requests—admittingthat their current model is “not sustainable.”To find out more about the consequencesof FIPPA’s devolution, we went to the mainusers of government information. We talkedS. 14 Solicitor Client Privilegewith legislators who oversee governance ofthe province, and surveyed BC journalists whokeep the public interest on their mind.As a former cabinet minister and currentIndependent MLA, John van Dongen has hada lot of experience on both sides of FIPPA.“This legislation was drafted to ensure dueprocess when the public seeks informationfrom the government. However,” he admits,“the source of the information can ensurepractices are followed that limit the amountof information available.”MLA Vicki Huntington, elected as an independentin 2009, worries that these practicesfeed an adversarial culture among governmentstaff who often prevent MLAs andjournalists from doing their jobs. “As an MLA,it is my job to delve into issues that matter tomy constituents. To be effective legislators,we rely on access to the bureaucracy. Ourability to ask how our tax dollars are beingspent—and receive a timely and knowledgeableresponse—is directly proportional tohow much influence we have on governmentdecision-making.”However, when Huntington, or any otheropposition MLA submits an inquiry to a governmentministry, current government practicemandates that they are only to be handled bypolitical staff in the ministry—staff who carefullyvet and spin responses that can be delayedfor months. “Civil servants are afraid of repercussionsif they candidly discuss any aspect oftheir work. It’s a form of muzzling, and it ultimatelyundermines democracy by keeping BCresidents and their elected representatives inthe dark about how their government worksfor them and how their tax dollars are spent,”said Huntington. “When you have to go througha minister’s office to get a map otherwise availableto the public, censorship is a reality andit is out of control.”BC’s first Information and PrivacyCommissioner and world-renowned architectof FIPPA legislation, David Flaherty, saysthe extent to which FIPPA access requests havebecome relied on was never even imagined in1993. “It was never conceived that parliamentarianswould have to use FIPPA to access theinformation they need to do their jobs.”Today legislators like Huntington are, unfortunately,some of the primary users of FIPPAaccess to information provisions. These documentsare then censored according to exemptioncriteria such as personal privacy and legaladvice to government.Journalists have similarly complained ofcensored and delayed access. In one case, aVancouver Sun FOI request for a warehousedHST brochure printed for the entire provincewas rejected under Section 13, “advice to theMinister.” Vancouver Sun reporter JonathanS. 17 (1) (c) Disclosure harmful tofinancial interests of a public bodyFowlie eventually appealed the frivolous useof Section 13, and won—but many journalistsdon’t bother, or are turned off by potentiallegal costs.Some journalists go to Vincent Gogolek,executive director of the non-profit BC Freedomof Information and Privacy Association, whichregularly takes government to court over informationdisclosure. Gogolek said while FIPPAis a “good framework,” he feels the process isnot working well, and many responses, such asthe one the Sun received, are “officially ridiculous.”And despite the intention of the Act,people are increasingly relying on FIPPA tounderstand the actions of the same civil servantsthey used to have access to. One journalistsurveyed in our recent online survey of BC journalists,commented: “The major change I’venoticed during my career (15+ years) is themove away from letting knowledgeable governmentstaff speak and towards the use of designatedspokespeople, usually an elected representative(who may not have direct practical ortechnical knowledge of the area in question).A designated spokesperson is also more likelyto provide a canned or scripted response, or inlieu of that one person’s availability, a vettedand scripted response may be provided. Thisfurther reduces the chance of dynamic, responsivecomment to specific questions…”“It’s a waste of everybody’s time, and a wasteof public resources,” Gogolek said. He alsosaid that one of the worst offences by governmentis their failure to document—a duty onlyloosely alluded to in Section 71 of FIPPA.As evidenced by the recent leak of a controversialmulticultural outreach strategy distributedvia private email accounts out of reach ofFIPPA, civil servants are simply not documentingtheir work in many cases, furtherfrustrating the process. “The numbers [of nonresponsiverequests] have been going up, fromten per cent to almost a quarter,” Gogolekadded, echoing the message of ElizabethDenham’s May 4 Conflict of InterestCommissioner Report, stating governmentshould be obligated to document decisionmakingand respond in “a more open, accurateand complete manner.”14 April 2013 • FOCUS

Resuscitate the legislature’s committeesParliamentary committees have been so underutilized in recentyears, many British Columbians probably don't even remember whatthey are. The BC government’s website explains that committeesare made up of small, representative groups of MLAs who cantravel around the province soliciting input and holding hearings onissues, which they can then summarize into reports and recommendationsto the whole legislature.Carole James: There are currently standingcommittees of the legislature in a range of topicareas, such as education, First Nations, andhealth. These committees have members fromboth government and opposition…They rarelymeet. I believe these committees could be betterused, taking topic areas out to the public forreal public engagement.Rob Fleming: As the NDP’s environmentcritic, I’m always pointing out that the Legislature’s Standing Committeeon the Environment hasn’t met since 1996! At a time when BC needsa well-informed public to understand the climate change and energychallenges and policy choices we face, this just makes no sense. We needa robust committee system that addresses the big issues out there. Andthis will give MLAs more opportunities to work across party lines whileproviding a key avenue for the public to influence government.Andrew Weaver: The Legislative Committee structure needs to bereinvigorated. The last time the Standing Committee on Education metwas in 2006 when they developed a report outlining a strategy for adultliteracy…As far as I can tell, the Select Standing Committee on AboriginalAffairs has not met since 2001. Policy needs to be debated openlyand needs to be informed through input from diverse stakeholders,such as those who would present to standing committees.Empower independent officesJessica Van der Veen: The Liberal government has weakened ourenvironmental assessment process…and undermined key governmentwatchdogs such as the Auditor Generaland the BC Utilities Commission. Two specificnegative outcomes are: the giveaway of forestlands at Jordan River, despite the findings ofthe Auditor General; and the privatizing ofrivers and streams for private power projects,despite the finding of the BC UtilitiesCommission that these projects are “not inthe public interest.” We need to strengthenenvironmental assessments and fully includethe public…[and we] need to give government watchdogs the powerthey need to do their jobs.Reform campaign financingRob Fleming: The BC Liberals get more than 75 percent of their fundsfrom corporate donations and a very small percent from actual peoplewho can vote…I’m all for getting big money out of politics by putting inplace limits on donations from corporations and unions like we see federallyand in Manitoba. This will put the average voter at the centre ofpolitics again. Campaign finance reform would reduce cynicism aboutpoliticians being in someone’s pocket and increase voter participation.Jane Sterk: [The Green Party would] eliminate corporate and uniondonations to restrict donations to British Columbian [citizens], andlimit the size of donations. We would also lower the amount of moneythat could be spent on campaigns.Branko Mustafovic: How can we expect that a politician will be unbiased,when they literally owe those who made substantial contributionsto their campaign to have their needs heard loudand clear? There’s only one way to be 100 percentsure no elected politicians will ever dangle fromthe strings pulled by special-interest groups whohelped put them there. The ultimate solution isfor government to provide an identical amountto each eligible candidate to spend on theircampaign, with that amount being the maximumthey may spend. That’s truly democratic.Engage disenfranchised and cynical votersAccording to Elections BC, about 75 percent of eligible BC votersare registered, while in 21 districts that number falls to fewer than halfof eligible voters.Jane Sterk: The fixed election date is in the spring, which disenfranchisesstudents…We no longer enumerate house to house. “Registered”voters are now identified by driver’s licence and filed tax returns. Thisdisenfranchises people who don’t drive and those who don’t pay taxes.Rob Fleming: Reversing the decline in voter participation won’tbe accomplished overnight. But we have to make voting opportunitieseasier so that low-participation groups, like young people, get on thevoters list…I like Adrian Dix’s idea to begin voter registration earlier,at age 16, in order to be enumerated by their 18th birthday…We alsohave to change the tone of how politics is conducted. BC has a reputationfor “politics as a blood sport” and this is reflected in statementsby politicians and the media. It seems to me that this may be the biggestcontributor to disenfranchising voters and turning them off what governmentand public service in elected office ought to be about.Carole James: We have seen the government using public money forpartisan advertising, creating cynicism in politics and the politicalsystem, which leads to lower voter turnout and involvement…TheNDP has introduced legislation that would result in the Auditor Generalreviewing all government advertising to build back trust in the processof the use of public dollars.Implement electoral reformJane Sterk: Should I be elected premier…[I would] instruct ElectionsBC to prepare a plan to implement a system of proportional representationfor the 2017 election. To avoid debate about which system toadopt, I would mandate use of the Single Transferable Vote (STV),which was recommended by the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reformand accepted in 2005 by 58 percent of BC voters. To prepare for useof this system, I would include a requirement that Elections BC finda structure for STV that would address the concerns from the large andrural ridings. I would also require that Elections BC conduct a processof [educating the public about STV].Rob Wipond thanks all the candidates for participatingin our democracy by running for election.18 April 2013 • FOCUS

How to gain an extra hour a day —by Janet YoungADVERTISEMENTIMAGINE IF YOU COULD HAVE an extrahour a day to do whatever you wanted:Get some needed exercise, read, spendtime with loved ones, learn somethingnew or just have a relaxing evening meal.Sounds good doesn’t it? Well thathour can be yours if you get yourself organized.It’s been documented that mostpeople spend an hour a day just lookingfor things. Cleaning professionals indicatethat clearing out the excess clutterwould easily eliminate 40 percent or moreof the housework in the average home.Being organized also saves money and is more ecologically responsiblebecause you don’t misplace things only to buy them over again.You have heard: “A place for everything, and everything in itsplace.” This often means de-cluttering. Clutter robs us of peace, tranquility,time, and enjoyment, and causes stress. Get rid of clutter andkeeping your home organized becomes a lot easier. You’ll be able tofind what you need when you need it, rather than wasting preciousminutes searching—and feeling stressed.Here’s a simple formula for how to declutter your home: Organizingyour home cannot be done all at once. It is actually a set of smallprojects—chop the big job down into projects that you can organizein 30 minutes—a counter top, one dresser, one closet. Workon projects in one room till that room is completed before movingon to the next room.First things to get rid of:• Clothes that don’t fit or are uncomfortable.• Objects you don’t like even if they were gifts.• Outdated papers (newspapers, magazines, calendars,coupons, invitations)• Expired items (food, cleaners, cosmetics, etc.)• Broken, worn, or tired items. (Face it, you are notgoing to get them fixed.)• Multiples—items you have more than one of. How manydo you need?• Items you haven’t used in the last year—you are not likelyto use this year either.Always keep in mind this “get rid of” list, and whenever de-clutteringan area, pick up one item at a time and make a decision about it,before putting it down. There are actually just six choices you canmake for any object. Follow the “one touch rule” once you makethe decision—and stick with it: (1) Keep it; (2) Put it away in anotherroom; (3) Donate it or give away (put inbox marked donate); (4) Sell (put in boxmarked sell); (5) Put in garbage—unlesstoxic; see the CRD website for wastedisposal; (6) Put in the recycle bin.Clean the area and, if needed, theitems to be kept, and put them away.Once you have finished declutteringthe area, assess whether an organizingtool or accessory might help with storageand access. If you need an organizingproduct (see the top ten), take measurementsof the available space—height,width, depth and anything that may be in your way such aspipes. Finally, besides taking out the trash and recycling, rememberto deal with your “sell” and “donate” items within a short deadline,or they will continue to clutter up your space.Now breathe deeply and enjoy your clutter-free home. And startdreaming about how to spend those extra hours.Top 10 Organizing Tools:1. Closet organizer2. Pull-out shelves (kitchen and bath).3. Drawer dividers and organizers4. Baskets and containers5. Cosmetic organizers6. Jewelry organizers7. Shoe and boot organizers8. Specialty hangers (scarf, tie, belt, pant)9. Garment rack10. Fridge and freezer organizersJANET YOUNG is a Trained Professional Organizerand owner of All Organized Storage Ltd. Inbusiness since 1997, Janet is the “closet andorganizing authority in Victoria.” Her primaryservice is custom closets, and All OrganizedStorage carries the largest selection of closetmaterials available in Western Canada, alongwith a full range of organizing accessories.Janet also provides small office and home organizing for clients notup to the organizing challenge themselves; and teaches and empowersclients with the basic skills necessary to de-clutter.You can see closets on display along with many unique and innovativeorganizing accessories at her store on Tennyson.All Organized StorageHours Mon–Fri 11–5, Sat 11–33370 Tennyson Avenue (near UpTown) • 250-590-6328 • www.AllOrganizedStorage.cawww.focusonline.ca • April 201319

Grassroots cop watchtalk of the townSIMON NATTRASSHeavy-handed policing of homeless and poor people is the focus of a new affadavit campaign.Marianne was visiting a friend the firsttime it happened. Like a scene froma TV crime drama, officers with theVictoria Police Department entered the homeand, after a brief search, began accusing herof using illegal drugs based on her proximityto paraphernalia belonging to the house’s occupant.Marianne told the officers that shehad stopped using. Finding no evidence tosupport their assumption, police left withoutpursuing charges.So it came as a surprise when Marianne’semployer called the next day to ask about theincident. Officers had contacted her boss withdetails of the previous day’s events, violatingboth her privacy and the Police Act. Followinganother similar incident—again resolvedwithout charges but followed by a second interactionbetween officers and Marianne’semployer—a phone call from her boss informedher that she had been fired.This is just one of a growing number ofstories being collected from members of thestreet community by the Vancouver IslandPublic Interest Research Group (VIPIRG)under the organization’s affidavit program.The program is part of the organization’scurrent campaign known as the “CommunityAction Plan (CAP) on Discrimination,” andhas outreach workers collecting sworn statementsdetailing instances of profiling anddiscrimination by the Victoria Police.The CAP on Discrimination mirrors thework of Vancouver’s Pivot Legal Society, whichin 2002 collected 50 affidavits in a similarprogram targetting the Vancouver PoliceDepartment. The resulting report To Serveand Protect detailed the aggressive and illegalstyle of policing that had become routine inthe Downtown East Side under the commandof then VPD Chief Jamie Graham. Statementsfrom both homeless and housed people revealedthe VPD’s use of excessive force, enforcementof illegal no-go zones, unlawful and demoralizingstrip searches, and mistreatment ofprisoners and detainees matching the UnitedNations definition of torture.“The reason we have the police force thatwe have now in Vancouver is because therewas an organized effort on behalf of and inpartnership with marginalized communities,”remembers civil liberties critic David Eby. AfterVictoria Police Chief Jamie Grahamreleasing To Serve and Protect, Pivot and otherorganizations called on the VPD, City ofVancouver, and the province to conduct aninquiry into systemic abuse of authority andto implement improvements to monitoringand complaints processes. The resulting controversyprompted the Vancouver Police to issuea public apology and implement drastic changesto policing in the Downtown East Side.According to Eby, whether officers see themselvesas serving and protecting marginalizedcitizens or as standing between criminals andhonest citizens depends on the orders fromabove. “Those two perspectives are very alivein policing…the question about how that actuallygoes down is generally the role of the chiefand the deputy chiefs. They set the tone forthe rest of the force.” Pivot’s work in 2002was a response to the aggressive style of enforcementthat filtered down from the office ofChief Jamie Graham. A decade later, and withGraham in command of the Victoria Police,it should come as no surprise that VIPIRG isreacting to the same type of complaints fromstreet-involved people.While the complaints levelled against theVictoria Police fall short of the extreme abusesexhibited in Vancouver, the affidavits collectedby VIPIRG staff, along with the organization’s2012 report Out of Sight: Policing Povertyin Victoria, reveal a similar trend in localpolicing. A majority of respondents to theOut of Sight survey said they witnessedofficers using excessive force, and nearly halfhad been on the receiving end of that force.Most also claimed to have experienced harassment,illegal stop-and-searches, or unreasonableconfiscation of property like family photosand safer drug use supplies.PHOTO: PETE ROCKWELLThe recent affidavits indicate that theseincidents have remained just as much a problemfor Victoria’s homeless over the past year.One man detailed a series of encounters witha particular officer. After losing his job andbecoming homeless for the first time in hislife at the age of 45, Barry somehow provokedthe ire of an officer of the Victoria Police.Over the coming months, that same officerfollowed Barry around town, issuing around40 citations for petty infractions like sittingon a set of stairs or resting his backpack onthe sidewalk. Homeless due to a brief periodof poverty, Barry is now saddled with hundredsof dollars in fines.“We need to learn from mistakes inVancouver,” says VIPIRG board member MarkWillson. “Victoria can protect the safety of allmembers of the community by taking all indicationsof abuse seriously, recognizing thatexisting complaints processes can be inadequate,and taking clear steps to prevent injusticestowards underprivileged groups.” While someof the City’s current commitments (like becominga signatory to the Canadian Coalition ofMunicipalities Against Racism andDiscrimination) provide a framework fordealing with certain kinds of profiling, Willsonsays it’s not as clear when it comes down tostreet-involved populations who are discriminatedagainst based on their way of life, ratherthan on skin colour or cultural background.On March 28, VIPIRG will ask VictoriaCity Council first to endorse a statement ofprincipals condemning discriminatory practicesand then to adopt a series of commitmentsaimed at improving monitoring and accountability.The organization’s demands centrearound the creation of a committee composedof service providers, City representatives, andmembers of the street community which wouldoversee the implementation of a half-dozenrecommendations contained within the CAPon Discrimination.For months, VIPIRG has been drummingup support by sending representatives of thestreet community and supporting organizationsto council meetings, explaining over andover the value of the CAP on Discrimination.Further tipping the scales in favour of approvalat the March 28 meeting, the organizationinvolved two sitting councillors—Lisa Helps20 April 2013 • FOCUS

Focus presents: Canadian Diabetes AssociationADVERTISEMENTWHILE THE COMPLAINTS levelledagainst the Victoria Police fall short ofthe extreme abuses exhibited in Vancouver,the affidavits collected by VIPIRGstaff...reveal a similar trend in local policing.Foot care: a step toward good healthand Marianne Alto—in drafting its recommendations.For her part, Helps says thediversity of organizations involved in the projectcould win favour from Council. It is this diversityof voices, says Helps, which is “reallyimportant both in terms of receiving CityCouncil support as well as giving life to theactions that will come out of the document.”The organization’s recommendations focuson strengthening non-discriminatory policiesamongst various government bodies andensuring the behaviours of police and serviceproviders are more closely monitored. “We’reseeing this as a first step,” says Willson. “We’reasking the City to recognize social profilingalongside racial profiling as things that needto be addressed and then we can look at whatare the next steps.”While the next steps for VIPIRG and itspartner organizations may not be set in stone,the history of Vancouver’s response to theVPD’s harassment provides a few hints. Theunification of the Downtown Eastside neighbourhoodprompted the development ofthe Pivot Legal Society and strengthened organizationslike the Downtown Eastside ResidentsAssociation and Vancouver Area Network ofDrug Users. Today these organizations forma sort of grassroots cop watch, springing outof the same community-based response topolice harassment that VIPIRG is leading now.Vancouver moved on from Jamie Graham’sapproach to policing in large part thanks tothe grassroots activism of Downtown Eastsideresidents and NGOs. Graham’s contractexpires at the end of this year, and neither theChief nor the City have publicized any planto renew, so Victoria may soon be one stepcloser to revitalizing its police force. Regardlessof whether the City supports the CAP onDiscrimination, by rallying the communityaround this issue, VIPIRG and its partnersare laying the groundwork for a more accountablepolice force in 2014.Simon Nattrass is a politicalcolumnist and writer specializingin radical politics.Anyone who has ever suffered from a sore orbroken foot will tell you that healthy feetare crucial to our ability to move and therebymaintain our health as we age. Yet three out of fourpeople develop foot problems as they age.Staying fit means maintaining both muscle andbone strength and emotional and mental health. Italso means not falling—a major cause of disability inseniors. But if your feet are in poor shape, it’s very hardto move comfortably, so you don’t get enough exercise,and of course, your risk of falling increases. Healthyfeet are definitely a foundation of overall health.Good foot care is essential for all people, but especiallyso for those with diabetes. Diabetes affects thecirculation and immune system, which in turn impairsthe body’s ability to heal itself. Over time, diabetes candamage sensory nerves (this is known as “neuropathy”),especially in the hands and feet. As a result, peoplewith diabetes are less likely to feel a foot injury, suchas a blister or cut. Unnoticed and untreated, even smallfoot injuries can quickly become infected, potentiallyleading to serious complications.The good news is that even those with diabetes canprevent most of these problems. From foot self-examsto doctor checkups, there are many things you can doto keep your feet in good shape, improve circulation,and catch a problem before it becomes severe, avoidingcomplications and amputation, a sad reality for somewith diabetes. Dr. Todd Yip, head of the Foot & LegUlcer Clinic at the Royal Jubilee Hospital, says, “Thevast majority of foot wounds are preventable aslong as people with diabetes are equipped with theknowledge to take the appropriate steps.”On Saturday, May 11, the Canadian DiabetesAssociation will host Foot Care: A Step Toward GoodHealth. Dr. Yip and his foot-care team will walk youthrough the ins and outs of foot care. Says Dr. Yip: “Inmy opinion, healthcare is a shared responsibility.Patients, with the assistance of those involved withtheir healthcare, such as the team that works with meand my patients, are able to achieve a great deal bypulling together.”Dr. Yip will take a model case of a patient with asmall foot ulcer and walk the audience through theassessment and management, from healing to preventingrecurrent ulcers. The case will be used as the seguefor other foot-care specialists to speak to the audiencefrom their perspective.Come and hear what steps you can take and howyour foot-care team can support you. Topics will include:neuropathy, dressings and wound care, footwear,orthotics, foot care best practices, services available,medical coverage and benefit plans, advocacy andgetting involved.Speakers at the event include Dr. Yip; diabetes nurseeducator Beena Kashyap; foot-care nurse Lisa Macdonell;podiatrist Dr. Hiedi Postowski; orthotists James Tarrantand Tim Witoski; and pedorthist Nevin Pettyjohn.The Canadian Diabetes AssociationpresentsFoot Care: A Step Toward Good HealthSaturday May 11, 2013Registration & Expo: 7:30 am to 8:30 amProgram: 8:30 am to 12:30 pmBob Wright Centre, Earth & Ocean SciencesBuilding, University of Victoria(http://goo.gl/maps/2TMlQ)Parking: $2.25 all dayPre-registration and payment required$10 includes refreshmentsPhone: 250-382-5454 ext. 221Email: Victoria.reception@diabetes.caFor more information and to register online:www.diabetes.ca/victoriafootcarewww.focusonline.ca • April 201321

talk of the townNature rarely makes it onto political platforms,but this election it could become awedge issue amongst the progressive parties—especially in the capital. Here, if there is one thingthat we rally around it’s the natural world. We gatherin large crowds to save the salmon, the old growthor other iconic symbols of nature.Yet the political parties are, as ever, reluctant tolead with the words “nature” or “biodiversity” intheir platforms.But that might be changing. Auditor GeneralJohn Doyle states in his March report—An Auditof Biodiversity in BC—that “Biodiversity is criticalfor the health and well-being of BritishColumbians.” And the BC Liberals have left aperfect vacuum for other political parties to fill,since, according to Doyle, the current governmenthas no comprehensive understanding of biodiversity in BC, doesn’tknow whether its actions are resulting in conservation of species, andis neither adequately measuring nor reporting on its progress.How the NDP and Greens position themselves on this file couldinfluence the critical swing voters. This month, I’ll report on theAG’s report, background and responses from the scientific communityand NGOs. Next month, as platforms are unveiled, I’ll report on thepolitical responses.Lying just behind the AG’s report are the key findings on BC’s performanceon nature, distilled from major scientific reports which have beenraising the alarms over the last few years. These include the AG’s earlierreport on BC’s protected area management. But leading the charge wereour own government scientists warning us, five whole years ago, thatour “globally significant” flora and fauna “without immediate action,were vulnerable to rapid deterioration, especially in light of climatechange.” In Taking Nature’s Pulse by Biodiversity BC, a collaborationof government scientists and NGOs, scientists recommended:• Increasing the network of protected areas in British Columbia withlarger areas and corridors to enable species to shift their distributionsin response to climate change.• Addressing climate change by protecting sinks and reducing emissionsthat result from cutting down forests and converting land-uses.• Slowing down conversion of natural ecosystems to urban developmentand agriculture in the three rarest ecosystems in Canada, righton our doorstep: Coastal Douglas-fir/Garry oak ecosystems, and theOkanagan’s bunchgrass and Ponderosa pine ecosystems.• Reducing ecosystem degradation from forestry, oil and gas development,and transportation and utility corridors.• Addressing cumulative impacts of human activities in BritishColumbia, which are increasing and resulting in the loss of ecosystems’ability to adapt to changes—i.e. ecosystem resilience.“Cumulative impacts” are the hottest political potato for biologiststo handle these days because they involve the assessment of impactsof any new project, such as a pipeline, in the context of all the otherimpacts going on in a region, e.g. mining, shale gas, hydro, forestry,The politics of nature (part 1)BRIONY PENNWhat the auditor general and the scientists are saying.Auditor General John Doyleetc. In other words, scientists ask the question, ifyou are a moose population in the Peace Rivercountry, will one more resource infrastructure—an LNG pipeline or Site C dam, for instance—putyour survival over the edge?The other hot topic is how much is enough?How much land needs to be protected to provideresilience for the changes coming. We onceused to think that 15 percent protected areas wasa goal and humans could do whatever we wantedon the other 85 percent. But that was 1972. Thingshave changed.Ex-provincial forest ecologist Dr Jim Pojar askedthe question about how much land to protect in hisseminal 2010 report, A New Climate for Conservation.After reviewing the existing literature on BC’s biodiversity,he concluded that if our life support systemsare going to weather the storms ahead, then legal protection for biodiversityneeds to cover at least half of the provincial land base. Thatmeans we have to think about wildlife everywhere, not just in parks.And this is not just because we need room for bears, but to ensure airand water quality and carbon sequestration.Pojar’s recommendation is to integrate a climate strategy with anature strategy and utilize climate-funding mechanisms. The reason issimple when you connect the dots. Climate change scientists call forcutting emissions and saving carbon sinks. BC has sinks galore. Fromour rainforests to our estuaries, they all capture carbon with naturalforests capturing the most. And when you destroy a forest, you alsorelease emissions. In fact, more net emissions are released from liquidatingforests than comes out of the tailpipes of BC’s cars (this dirtysecret is buried in the BC Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report 2010). Soconsuming forests is hardly carbon neutral—rather it adds carbon twice,once in losing emissions stored, and again by losing that productivesink for 30 years until it is replanted and starts growing again.On the other hand, if you protect your carbon sinks then you endup saving salmon, grizzlies and emissions. So our wild places providea double benefit, and climate policy should recognize that saving natureis the first line of defence against climate change.So the AG is on good authority when he recommends the governmentget serious about rehiring scientists and listening to them. In someministries, scientists were axed by as much as 50 percent when researchbranches were dismantled. When we have $400 billion of industryprojects on the books with only a $9 million budget for review by theEnvironmental Assessment Office (less than the premier spends runningher office), we have some problems.The AG points out that our current laws don’t support the objectiveof conserving biodiversity on our public lands that lie outside ofprotected areas (94 percent of the province is Crown land; only 15percent of that is protected). And even in our parks, wildlife isn’tgetting much help.The remaining AG recommendations are: Make biodiversity protectiona high priority in all our land use laws and planning; monitor22 April 2013 • FOCUS

Focus presents: Triangle HealingADVERTISEMENTTips to prepare for your 10K experienceHOW THE NDP and Greens position themselves onthis file could influence the critical swing voters.our progress; assign the responsibility to someone who can enforce itwith timelines and report back to the public.There have been some solid endorsements from the NGOs on theserecommendations. The indefatigable Jessica Clogg of West CoastEnvironmental Law in Land Use Planning for Nature, Climate andCommunities makes comprehensive suggestions for the legislative overhaul,including a reinstatement of provincial land-use planning thattakes public input, scientific/indigenous knowledge, and climate changeinto account, targetting areas where biodiversity and high carbon storageareas coincide. It calls for rigorous assessments of cumulative impactsand using those assessments to guide decisions within an integratedland use system.Meanwhile, another team of ecosystem-mapping specialists andscientists, including what is left of our once-enviable Ministry ofEnvironment, has translated these principles into actions on the groundin a brilliant mapping exercise and report called Drawing the Line,written by Marlene Cummings of ForestEthics. They have cross-referencedmaps of existing conserved lands or lands restricted from certainresource activities and demonstrated that existing conservation landshave no ability to protect biological diversity; in fact only 15.6 percentof these lands have a higher conservation potential. Especially in thisera of dramatic climate change, this is simply not enough.Recommendations from Drawing the Line are consistent with theother two reports: Establish a conservation network across the provincethat connects legally-designated protected areas and conservation lands.Beef up land-use plans at all scales. Manage the land base for conservationoutside of protected areas and conservation lands and get thelaws and policies in place to do that.The language used in these reports doesn’t veer from the messagethat has been delivered by the scientific community now for over adecade—we have to do this to safeguard our life support systems.The big question, however, is: How will any political parties framethis in terms of the current rhetoric around jobs, families and theeconomy? For example, there is no escaping the fact that removingforests from annual allowable cut calculations leads to a decline inrevenue for the business-as-usual types. So what are the politiciansrecommending to deal with such realities? If we are looking at cumulativeimpacts of pipelines and a real commitment to biodiversity,will the NDP forego LNG pipelines and plants in favour of wildlifepopulations in the Peace? What of the exports of coal and bitumen thatsome argue we require to fund our social services? The Green Party ofBC advocates a full-cost accounting approach to energy harvest, transportationand use, with taxes used to deter emissions. But how willthey prioritize and balance biodiversity and economic health? Staytuned for some answers next month.www.focusonline.ca • April 2013Briony Penn has been reporting on the environment sinceher first article in The Islander in 1975 on Garry oakmeadows and has been a columnist in Victoria publicationssince 1993.In Victoria, April means training for many. This year will mark the 24th year thatVictoria’s running enthusiasts have taken to the streets in what has become oneof the most popular running weekends in North America. The TC 10K and ThriftyFoods Family Fun Run will be held on April 28th this year with an expected12,000 people taking part.Whether you’re a runner, or a walker—and whether you’re competing or not—taking good care of your body so it will perform how and when you want it to isessential. “Hydrate, suit-up, warm-up, challenge yourself—but don’t over-do it—warm-down, and then pamper,” advises Regan.Triangle can help every step of the way.“Pure, dynamically-enhanced structured water hydrates faster and more efficientlythan tap water alone, and is so much better for you then high-fructose cornsyrup-laced sports drinks,” says Regan.Triangle carries water purificationsystems for the home, the tap, or evensingle water bottles. They also carrya wide range of water supplementssuch as the healing Double Helix Wateror ASEA, a life-changing heath aidthat provides superior support toathletes. And coming soon is the KenricoAlkaline Water Stick Purifier with alifetime guarantee.Getting your feet into shape isessential for any kind of exercise. WithBarefoot Science, you can correct theissues like plantar fasciitis, fallenarches, and bunions—instead ofattempting to simply comfort damagedfeet. And you can do it for a fractionof the cost of expensive orthoticsor specialized running shoes. BarefootScience’s patented insoles actuallyheal and strengthen feet so that painTeeter Hang-Ups Inversion Tableis permanently eliminated.This one you know: Take care of your back. “So many people are suffering needlesslyfrom back pain and taking painkillers just to walk, never mind run,” says Regan.“There’s a better way—a Teeter Hang-Ups Inversion Table. In just a few minutes onthe table, the body decompresses, naturally using your body weight and gravity so softtissue in the joints can hydrate and decompress.” You’ll quickly understand why peoplerely on this ancient therapy to relieve back pain, stress and improve their quality of life.And finally: Pamper yourself every night—not just race night—with anexceptionally comfortable and supportive mattress. Triangle’s latex mattresses areall-natural, so contain no harmful gasses or compounds, and they balance supportand comfort like no other product on the market—and they are guaranteed for25 years not to hammock.You really have to experience these amazing products to fully appreciate them.Stop into Triangle and try out the Teeter Hang-Ups Inversion Table and have a laydown on a latex mattress. You won’t believe how comfy and relaxing getting intoshape can be!Happy running!Triangle Healing Products770 Spruce Avenue, Victoria, BC250-370-1818 • www.trianglehealingproducts.comTriangle Healing Products, its owner, its employees do not provide medical advice or treatment. They provide information andproducts that you may choose after evaluating your health needs and in consultation with health professionals of your choosing.23

CreativeCoast culture talks24 the arts in april26 vibe36 palette38 coastlines 40Re-branding VictoriaCHRIS CREIGHTON-KELLYLet’s recreate the city’s image by putting the land and its peoples front and centre.Tzinquaw and Thunderbird Bentwood Box, by John Marston (Coast Salish),2005, 28 x 15.5 x 15.5 inches, yellow and red cedar, cedar bark, paint, abaloneHe has had a few glasses of wine. So he, a non-native person,insists on telling me this: “There could be colourful banners,murals on the side of buildings, outdoor pole carvers and businessesselling aboriginal art.”I respond by saying this is what we already have in Victoria. He countersby saying yes, but we need more of it. He is well-intentioned, butapparently, in some cases, there is a limit to the human imagination!This exchange has sprouted from a lively dinner party conversation.All eight of us agree on one thing—the “little bit of old England” imagethat Victoria has projected to the world is in serious need of an update.A number of suggestions are floating at and above the table—an ecosustainablecity; an island/marine-based city; a high-tech city; an educationcity; an arts city. What would that look like? Who would need to investin that? Who would be the stakeholders in changing this image?Who would not want this to change?A few weeks earlier, giving four teenagers a ride into town, I overheartheir spirited mockery of fish and chips, tartan shops and tea inPHOTO COURTESY ALCHERINGA GALLERYthe afternoon. Someone suggests that the Inner Harbour feels like amovie set. I catch that most of this is for old people, that Victoria is notreally hip enough.And yesterday, at an art opening, the artist, while talking abouthis work, mentions that his creative community includes some musicalPeruvian friends, “…not what we usually associate with Victoria, it isnot known as a hotbed of Peruvian music.” Giggles all around thegallery audience.So it is in the body politic. Re-branding Victoria. Let’s face it, thislittle bit of old England thing was a little bit ill-fitting in the firstplace. Certainly it is true that folks from the UK were some of thefirst settlers to make contact with the indigenous people of this land.But telling a complete, honest tale of our city has to take into accountother folks with an Asian, African or South Asian heritage. Not tomention different countries in Europe.And most critically, any story—any history—of Victoria must putFirst Peoples first. I asked Janet Rogers, a Mohawk writer and Victoria’spoet laureate, about a new image.“First of all, I am curious about the intention of this re-invention.For me, if it is simply linked to tourism, that is problematic.”We talk about where any city’s image comes from. Usually it has itsroots in history and geography, however vaguely. From these two,certain myths are created. But sometimes these myths are imposedwithout a truthful evaluation of the past, without due consideration toall of its citizens.Rogers puts it this way: “For this image to be more authenticallyAboriginal, it has to be more than branding. Indigenous people need tobe consulted from day one. They need to drive the project, to design theprocess and to direct the activities that would comprise any new image.”Thinking about art, she continues, “Of course, there needs to be agreater presence of aboriginal art in the city. But we need to go fullcircle—there needs to be aboriginal culture, aboriginal life ways, foods,plant life...”She has my imagination stirring. This would mean a real re-think. Itwould involve starting with the land.I recall the vital work of Cheryl Bryce, a Lekwungen woman andlands manager of the Songhees People. Over the last two decades,she has devoted herself to researching, remembering and restoringIndigenous food systems in what is now called the CRD. She sees thisancient/new method of identifying, reclaiming and harvesting plantsas part of a de-colonizing process. She regularly gives what she calls“De-colonizing Tours.”I ask her if her work is for locals or tourists. “It can be both. Thereis a fine line there. I want to show people that the history of colonizationhas impacted the land and that this, in turn, affects all of us wholive here plus anyone who comes to visit—what we harvest, what weeat, what we consider as harvestable. The reason that our lush, localland base even exists is due to my ancestors. Especially the women bentover in the fields weeding, harvesting and burning.”She talks about how, “...an ecosystem works together and impacts24 April 2013 • FOCUS

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, indigenous peoplehave stood here before us. To understand the meaningof this place, to (re)create an image for this place wenow call Victoria, we have an unambiguous, palpableresponsibility to begin with this fact.everything—history and culture. People need to know the truth, thereal story of colonization. We need to go farther back in time and godeeper in the present time.”I feel inspired. But I wonder how this could work in real life. I wonderhow to make us care about this—both the throngs of visitors and thoseof us who are lucky to live here.Cheryl affirms that she wants to see “the living presence of FirstNations people. I want to see it everywhere—owning the businessesthat sell our art, changing the street names, sharing the stories.”Maybe such an image change is not possible. Tourism is generallyaligned with relaxation, downtime and resting, not heated discussionsabout Canada’s colonial history!Marketing a place is not usually associated with being provocative.Those folks who are invested in a certain way of promoting our cornerof the planet do not really want controversy—contested history, contestedfutures—to intrude on a placid, easy-going narrative. Just jump on thedouble-decker bus, next we are off to see a castle.But all of this simply begs the question: Who decides a city’s image?Could it be its citizens, rather than its power brokers? Could it becommunity values instead of the imperative of commerce?It is hard to put a finger on Victoria’s exact values. It is some sortof amalgam that cares about outdoor activities; public and communityservice; respect for elders; local heritage; environmental sensitivity—especiallywater-based; art, performance and literary appreciation;gardening year-round; wellness at all ages; and a locavore, sustainablefood supply.Now put First Peoples—all of the Coast Salish people that aboundon the southern tip of our island—at the centre of this list. Notadded on, as an afterthought.If re-branding is to have any depth, it will mean re-imagining andthen re-constructing a new Victoria image. In our mediated world,more and more folks are seeking the real thing, the genuine article.And there is nothing more genuine than our relationship to the land.Perhaps a city’s image can be evocative, rather than provocative.Imagine standing at your favourite spot on the land. Or even better foran island, where this land meets the water. Now close your eyes. Forthousands of years, indigenous people have stood here before us. Tounderstand the meaning of this place, to (re)create an image for thisland we now call Victoria, we have an unambiguous, palpable responsibilityto begin with this fact.So, my fellow citizens, it is time to bid bye-bye to teatime at theEmpress. To Union Jacks on red buses.Are you ready for an extreme makeover?Chris Creighton-Kelly is a Canadian artist and writerwho lives in the Victoria area. Along with FranceTrépanier, he is the co-author of Understanding AboriginalArts in Canada Today.Holistic DentistDr Deanna Geddo DDS• aesthetic work emphasizingyour natural smile• amalgam removal• metal-free crowns,bridges, dentures• ceramic implants404 - 645 Fort St (across from Bay Centre)doctor_dg@shaw.ca • 250-389-0669www.integrateddentalstudio.caSupporting arts,culture and our community.John West & Holly Harper1286 Fairfield Road, Victoria250-385-2033 • www.HollyAndJohn.cawww.newportrealty.comWith 50 years ofcombined real estateexperience, Johnand Holly share yourpassion for GreaterVictoria's unique andexciting housingopportunities.www.focusonline.ca • April 201325

the arts in aprilvisual artsContinuing to April 6PRECARIOUS CIRCUMSTANCEGallery 1580Paper cutout sculpture and charcoaldrawings by Victoria artists Sarah Cowanand Joanne Hewko. Closing receptionApril 4, 7-9 pm. Tues-Sat 12-5. 250-415-2307. www.gallery1580.com.Continuing to April 7OUT OF (IN)SIGHTFifty Fifty Arts CollectiveA solo show by Jason Stovall. 2516Douglas St, www.thefiftyfifty.net,www.jasonstovallart.com.Continuing to April 13DRAMA OF PERCEPTIONDeluge Contemporary ArtPaintings by Stephanie Aitken, KatieLyle, Shelley Penfold, curated by SandraMeigs, who teaches at UVic. All 3 artistshave MFAs and exhibit widely. 636 YatesSt, Wed to Sat, 12-5pm, 250-385-3327,http://deluge.ws.Continuing to April 21TRACESArt Gallery of Greater VictoriaSubtitled “Fantasy Worlds and Talesof Truth,” Traces features works by DanielBarrow, Alison Norlen, Ed Pien. Like allgood storytellers, the artists captivate theviewer with their imagined worlds informedby eerily familiar narratives. Drop-in toursApril 2, 13, 21 at 2pm. Also at AGGV:Emily Carr; and Koshashin: one of theworld’s largest collections of early Japanesephotography. 1040 Moss St, www.aggv.ca.April 1-30OAK BAY ART CLUBAbkhazi GardenMembers of the Oak Bay Art Club,many also members of FCA, the SketchClub and SPAC, present a spring showof original art. www.oakbayartclub.comfor artist bios and current events. 1964Fairfield Rd. 250-598-8096.April 1-30URBAN REFLECTIONSSooke Harbour House GalleryVisual artist Ira Hoffecker is the gallery’sfeatured artist of the month. Openingreception April 7, 2-5pm. 250-642-3421, www.sookeharbourhouse.com,www.irahoffecker.com.April 1-May 1VISTA 45Goward HouseNenagh Molson & Ann Redford Nolte.Opens Apr 7, 1:30-3:30 pm. 2495 Arbutus.250-477-4401, www.gowardhouse.com.April 3-7PROJECT SPACE: JACK COYNESlide Room GalleryDiploma student Jack Coyne createsan installation with his and others’ art.Reception April 5 at 7:30pm, 2549 QuadraSt. www.slideroomgallery.com.April 4-14CHOICE WORKSMercurio GalleryWorks by Ken Faulks. 4357 MetchosinRd, 250-388-5158, www.mercurio.ca.April 4-28FROM THE RIDGEMetchosin Art GalleryBones, bullets, fish skin and plasticsall find their way into the 2D and 3Dartworks of Will Gordon. Also launchingthe Homage Project, participatory performances.Opens Apr 6, 2-5pm. Thurs-Sun,12-5pm. 4496 Happy Valley Rd, 250-478-9223, www.metchosinartgallery.ca.April 5CLAYWORKSMary Winspear CentreAnnual pottery show and sale featuringfunctional, decorative and sculptural workby local clay artists and guests. Free. 5-8 pm April 5, 10am-4pm April 6-7 at2243 Beacon Ave, Sidney.April 5-28STUDENT INVITATIONALXchanges GalleryDiverse works by 20 local high schoolstudents selected by Xchanges memberartists. Opening Apr 5, 7pm; gallery hoursSat & Sun, 12-4pm. 2333 Government St.250-382-0442, www.xchangesgallery.org.April 6-27GEOMETRIC BOUNDARIESWinchester ModernWorks by Ric Evans. Opening April 6,2-4pm. 758 Humboldt St, 250-386-2773,www.winchestergalleriesltd.com.April 9-27ANDY WOOLDRIDGE/RONALD MARKHAMWinchester Galleries,Oak BayWooldridge’s dramatic new Chiaroscuroworks; and Markham’s collages. OpensApril 13, 1-5pm, 2260 Oak Bay Ave, 250-595-2777, www.winchestergalleriesltd.com.April 11-2714TH ANNUAL LOOKThe Bay Centre, 3rd floorCommunity Arts Council of GreaterVictoria features visual art displays, demonstrations,literary and performance events.Opening April 11, 6-8pm with awardsceremony at 7pm.26 April 2013 • FOCUS

April 13VISA OPEN HOUSE andTALES FROM THE BACKYARDSlide Room Gallery, VISAVancouver Island School of Art hostsan open house and exhibition of studentwork from noon-4pm, with art, collagemaking, short fiction readings, and refreshments.In its Slide Room Gallery, the workof independent studio student Cat Thomis on display with reception at 2pm; showcontinues to April 29. 2549 Quadra St.250-380-3500, www.slideroomgallery.comand www.vancouverislandschoolart.com.April 13-27BONNIE MCCOMB KREYEGallery 1580Recent abstracts in acrylic. Opens April13, 2-5pm; or Tues-Sat, 12-5pm.1580Cook St. www.gallery1580.com.April 16-29PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT SHOWCACGV GalleryVictoria Camera Club’s annual show.Gallery. At Cedar Hill Recreation Centre,3220 Cedar Hill Rd, 250-475-7121.April 20 & 21OAK BAY ARTISTS TOURArtists’ StudiosMeet Oak Bay artists and see theirjewellery, hand-painted porcelain, printmaking,paintings and more on thisfree self-guided tour. Noon-4:30pmboth days. Tour maps at local librariesand www.recreation.oakbay.ca.April 23-30FLOWER POWERRed Art GalleryFunky petal paintings (not your mothers’florals). 2033 Oak Bay Ave. 250-881-0462, www.redartgallery.ca.April 27 & 2860TH SPAC EXHIBITIONMary Winspear CentreSaanich Peninsula Arts & Crafts Societypresents fibre arts, jewellery, painting,pottery and sculpture by members, plusguest artists: weaver Pat Bennett andglass blowers Shannon Proctor McLeodand Bob McLeod. 10-6pm Sat, 10-4:30pmSun. $4. 2243 Beacon Ave, Sidney.www.spacsociety.com.April 27 & 28FAIRFIELD ARTISTS TOURMultiple Fairfield venuesThe 12th annual event is a free, selfguidedtour of 38 artist studios in Fairfield.,featuring painting, pottery, glass, jewellery,textiles and photography. 11am-5pmboth days. Artist info and map atwww.fairfieldartistsstudiotour.com.theatreApril 12-14SINGIN’ IN THE RAINMcPherson TheatreKaleidoscope’s new production fromdirector Pat Rundell features a gloriousscore including the classics Good Morning,and Singin’ in the Rain; plus stylishchoreography from Jana Morrison.Thisis Kaleidoscope’s 16th Annual FundraisingGala. $60 at 250-386-6121,www.rmts.bc.ca. www.kaleidoscope.bc.caApril 16-May 19LET ME CALL YOU SWEETHEARTBelfry TheatreThe world premiere of a new musicalfrom Victoria’s Bruce Ruddell and SaltSpring Island’s Bill Henderson, fusingnostalgic tunes with new songs thatswing, sway and syncopate. In a seasidehotel, 85 year-old Nora sings beside ababy grand, and dances with her ageingbeau. Increasingly in need of extendedcare, and told she must leave her homein the seniors’ residence, Nora resolvesto follow her heart. 250-385-6815,www.belfry.bc.ca.April 25-May 11BETTER LIVINGLangham Court TheatreJoin Nora as she jackhammers her wayto a safe haven in the basement of hereccentric Toronto home. You’ll wonder“what next?” at every plot turn of thisaction-packed farce written by George F.Walker, directed by Wendy Merk. Someviolence and coarse language. 250-384-2142, www.langhamtheatre.ca.April 26 to May 18DELICIOUS LIESChemainus TheatreScapin has just one problem—he can’ttell the truth. A master manipulator, hecatapults through mischief, mayhem andmatrimony. Add 2 stingy misers, 4 starcrossedlovers and some well-made twists,and this wild physical comedy by Moliereis a flurry of spoof, goof and loads of wellmeaninguntruth! 1-800-565-7738,www.chemainustheatrefestival.ca.April 29THE HARDER THEY COMENorway HouseUnzip the patriarchy. Radical burlesquedrag cabaret featuring Janet Rogers (RedErotic), Mitzy Turnpike, Ruby Slippers, EllaLove–15 performers in all; local brews,and a DJ afterparty. Benefit for Victoriaenvironmental group WildCoast.ca, partof the Save Juan de Fuca Park coalition.Tickets $20 advance, $22 door. 19+.Doors 7 pm, show at 8. Wildcoast.ca/events.www.focusonline.ca • April 201327

“MORNING VIEW” KEN FAULKS, 12 X 16 INCHES, OIL ON PANELApril 6-18KEN FAULKS: A BREATH OF FRESH AIRWest End GalleryVictoria-based artist Ken Faulks debuts a solo exhibition of new works. Employingthe methods and media popular with the Group of Seven–oil paint on small woodpanels–Ken takes to painting outside, “en plein air,” like no other artist. Lushbrushstrokes, a bold palette and a keen compositional sense have become synonymouswith his style, while his grand skies and the familiar landscapes of southernVancouver Island have delighted both new and established collectors. OpeningApril 6 with artist in attendance from 1-4pm. 1203 Broad St, 250-388-0009,www.westendgalleryltd.com.“SKAGIT RIVER SLOUGH” HELEN ROGAK, 36 X 48 INCHES, OIL ON CANVASApril 6-May 2CHERYL MCBRIDE, BETTY MEYERS & HELEN ROGAKMartin Batchelor GalleryNew paintings by three artists. Betty Meyers has explored and painted BC’swaterfalls–from Strathcona Park to Sooke Potholes to Wells Grey Park. Helen Rogak’slarge-scale landscapes are a continuation of her studied exploration of painted spaceand light. Cheryl McBride’s emotionally charged abstract realism, like short storiestold in colour and form, are open to interpretation but evoke a playful curiosity anda tender vulnerability. Artists’ reception April 6, 1- 4pm, 712 Cormorant St, Mon-Sat10am-5pm, 250-385-7919.LINEA PENDANT BY MIRANDA SCOTT, STERLING SILVER, 14K GOLD, WHITE SAPPHIRESThroughout AprilINTRODUCING: MIRANDA SCOTT, JEWELLERThe Avenue GalleryWith an interest in exploring metalwork and fine jewellery, Scott attended theJewellery Arts program at George Brown College in Toronto. Upon graduation, sheestablished House on Hudson Jewellery, and set up her first studio in her hometownof Kingston, Ontario. Over the years, she has designed many custom pieces for clients,always exploring new techniques and ideas. Now residing in Edmonton, her workhas evolved into the textural and organic designs that make up her collection today.2184 Oak Bay Ave, 250-598-2184, www.theavenuegallery.com.“UNTITLED” PATRICIA HINDMARCH-WATSON, 24 X 36April 13-27MORLEY MYERS & PATRICIA HINDMARCH-WATSONMadrona GalleryThis exhibition looks at non-traditional approaches to figurative imagery: MorleyMyers through stone and bronze and Patricia Hindmarch-Watson through her interpretationof stone with paint on canvas. Salt Spring Island artist Myers lets the stonesthemselves guide the composition. Viewed from different angles, these pieces takeon new life and offer viewers the opportunity to put their own interpretation on theworks. Hindmarch-Watson’s paintings are the perfect complement, as they play withthe figurative elements of landscapes. Opening Reception April 13,1-4 pm. 606 ViewSt. 250-380-4660, www.madronagallery.com.28 April 2013 • FOCUS

“Cobble Cottage” Deryk Houston, 24 x 32 inches, acrylic on canvasDeryk HoustonLocal Shadow and LightMarch 25 - May 4Artist reception April 4, 6 - 8 pmeclectic gallery2170 Oak Bay Avenue250.590.8095 • www.eclecticgallery.caCarol Evans“Little Bay at Pirate’s Cove” 14.5 x 28.5 inches, watercolour2506 Beacon Ave, Sidney250.655.1282 www.pengal.comwww.focusonline.ca • April 201329

We make and sell potteryPottery classes for all levelsEarth & Fire Pottery Studio1820 Government Street250-380-7227www.earthandfirepotterystudio.caVICTOR LOTTOOpen StudioRecent Paintings“Cattle Point, Oak Bay” 12 x 16 inches, acrylicSaturday & SundayMay 4 & 5noon – 4:30pm2605 Cotswold Roadwww.victorlotto.camusicApril 4-14TOSCARoyal TheatrePuccini’s Tosca has all the ingredients for spectacularopera—lust, jealousy, murder, suicide, an explosivelove triangle, breathtaking plot twists–along withglorious melodies, lush orchestral colours, and lyrical,heart-breaking arias. Conductor: Giuseppe Pietraroia;director: Amiel Gladstone; the career-defining role ofTosca will be performed by soprano Joni Henson. Withthe Victoria Symphony and the Pacific Opera VictoriaChorus. $37.50 and up, 250-386-6121, www.rmts.bc.caor season’s tix at www.pov.bc.ca.April 5QUEENIE AND THE GROOVE KINGSHermann’s Jazz ClubVocalist Jill Galt will be fronting an 8-memberband to re-create the sounds of Motown, GloriaEstefan, Gladys Knight, Chicago and more. Doorsat 6pm, music at 8pm. $15. 753 View St. Reserve:info@hermannsjazz.com or 250-388-9166.www.queenieandthegroovekings.com.April 6 & 7PARTY TIME!Monterey Recreation CentreThe 17th annual variety show presented by theMonterey Note-Ables, a group of seniors (ages 50 to90). Sat: 2 & 7:30 pm; Sun: 7pm, 1442 Monterey Ave.$10. Profits to Monterey Centre facility improvements. 250-477-5207.April 6 & 7RUDDIGOREMcPherson PlayhouseThe Victoria Gilbert and Sullivan Society presentsone of the duo’s lesser-known operettas, essentially, aparody of the domestic melodrama–about a witch’scurse, hidden identity, and a gallery of ancestorswho come to life to exact their will on the unhappymortal in their power. $40, 250-386-6121,www.rmts.bc.ca..April 12DON THOMPSON AND PHIL DWYERGlenlyon Norfolk SchoolNon-profit U-JAM, with the support of GlenlyonNorfolk School’s music department, presents theseCanadian jazz superstars. Dwyer, a resident of QualicumBeach, is a pianist, saxophonist, arranger, composer,and educator. Thompson, a native of Powell River, playspiano, bass, and vibraphone. www.u-jam.ca. Advance$20/10 at www.ticketbud.com or Long & McQuadeMusic, Larsen Music, or Glenlyon Norfolk School. Atdoor $25/15. 8pm, 801 Bank St.April 13STILE ANTICOAlix Goolden HallPresented by the Early Music Society of the Islands,this group of young British singers is now establishedas one of the most original and exciting ensembles inthe field of vocal early music. See www.stileantico.co.uk.8pm, $26-32 at Munro’s Books and Ivy’s Book Shopor 250-386-6121, www.rmts.bc.ca.the arts in aprilApril 19THE KRELLSOpen SpaceThe Krells, an extinct alien civilization fromForbidden Planet, lands in Victoria and vapourizesOpen Space with a live electronica trio featuring DanielGodlovitch, Kirk McNally and John Celona. Analog,digital, and interactive signal-processing combinein a new media electroacoustic experience. Listen atwww.thekrells.com. 8pm, $15/10 students and members,at door or KrellsAtOS.brownpapertickets.com. 510 FortSt. 250-383-8833, www.openspace.caApril 20DIEMAHLER STRING QUARTETSt Mary’s the Virgin ChurchThe first concert in the quartet’s 2013 Spring/Chambermusic series, featuring music by Haydn, Arriaga andMozart, with Maestro Pablo Diemecke. 7pm, 1701Elgin Rd, $25 at door, Ivy’s Book Store, or www.rmts.bc.ca.April 21GREATER VIC YOUTH ORCHESTRAUniversity Centre Farquhar AuditoriumMusic Director & Conductor Yariv Aloni leads theorchestra’s 27th season. This concert includes: ProkofievViolin Concerto No. 1 (Eehjoon Kwon, Violin), GrondahlConcerto for Trombone and Orchestra (Liam Caveney,Trombone), and Brahms Symphony No. 2 in D. $10-25, 250-721-8480, www.auditorium.uvic.caApril 21JUDY & DAVID’S SYMPHONIC ADVENTURERoyal TheatreThe Victoria Symphony presents this popular Concertfor Kids series designed to engage children in thewonderful world of music with orchestral adventuresand fun stories. 2:30pm (pre-concert activities beginat 1:30pm in the lobby), 250-386-6121, www.rmts.bc.ca.April 22DVORAK’S SYMPHONY NO.5Royal TheatreThe Victoria Symphony’s concertmaster Terence Tamperforms the work he recently recorded with the orchestra,Zwaag’s Violin Concerto. Music Director Tania Millerbegins the concert with Rossini’s popular Overture toWilliam Tell, and closes with Dvorák’s Symphony No.5. 8pm, 250-386-6121, www.rmts.bc.ca.April 25COWBOY JUNKIESAlix Goolden Performance HallPresented by Vic Jazz Society. This Canadian alternativecountry/blues/folk rock band has released closeto 20 albums. Tix $40 at Victoria Jazz Society Office,1031 Vancouver Street, 250-388-4423, Lyles Place,Ditch Records and online at www.rmts.bc.ca.April 28JOHN PIZZARELLIAlix Goolden HallThe Victoria Jazz Society presents guitarist/vocalist/songwriter/bandleader John Pizzarelli, one of today’s mostrenowned interpreters of the Great American Songbook;with his own quartet. 7:30pm, $43.50. 250-386-6121,www.rmts.bc.ca.30 April 2013 • FOCUS

Focus presents: Kate Cino and Art OpeningsADVERTISEMENTApril 28ENSEMBLE LAUDE: VOYAGEFirst Church of Christ ScientistThis award-winning women’s community choirdedicated to the performance of medieval repertoireand contemporary choral works is directed by ElizabethMacIsaac. The Voyage will feature pieces based onthe work of Hildegard von Bingen, medieval writer,composer, philosopher and mystic, including a visualpresentation of Hildegard’s brilliantly coloured illuminations.By donation. 7:30pm, 1205 Pandora Ave.www.ensemblelaude.org.April 28THE GREAT GUITARSArt Gallery of VictoriaPart of the Jazz at the Gallery series, April’s concertfeatures Oliver Gannon, Rob Cheramy, and QuinnBachand. 2-4pm, $30 at 250-384-4171, include complimentaryadmission to the Gallery’s exhibits. www.aggv.ca.filmApril 24OPEN CINEMA: ELEMENTALVictoria Event CentreElemental tells the story of three individuals unitedby their deep connection with nature and driven toconfront some of the most pressing ecological challengesof our time: an Indian government official takesa 40-day pilgrimage down India’s once pristine Gangesriver, now polluted and dying; a young mother andnative Denè struggles with family challenges whilecampaigning tirelessly against the Tar Sands and theKeystone XL Pipeline; and an Australian inventor andentrepreneur believes nature’s own systems hold thekey to our world’s ecological problems. This seasonfinale and fundraiser is in partnership with SierraClub BC. Doors at 5:30 (cash bar, pizza etc). Suggesteddonation $10-20 at door,1415 Broad St, 250-381-4428, www.opencinema.ca.April 10SALMON CONFIDENTIALEdward Milne School TheatreThis new documentary follows biologist AlexandraMorton as she unravels the mysteries of BC’s decliningsalmon stocks using some of the world’s top fish labs.Learn about changing coastal ecology, grassrootsscience-based activism, and the shocking inner workingsof government agencies tasked with overseeingour fish and the safety of our food supply. AlexandraMorton and filmmaker Twyla Roscovich will be at thepost-screening discussion. 7pm, 6218 Sooke Rd. Bydonation. www.awarenessfilmnight.caApril 10 & 17WHITE WATER BLACK GOLDChurch of the AdventEsquimalt UnitedChurchA powerful documentary chronicling director DavidLavallee’s 3-year journey in search of answers aboutthe world’s thirstiest oil industry. 7pm, April 10 at, 510Mt View Ave, Colwood or 7pm, April 17 at 500 AdmiralsRoad, Esquimalt. Free www.sierraclub.bc.ca/events.hat is unique and special about you, andyour creative enterprise? Do you have avision to share and goals to achieve?“Everyone does,” says Kate Cino from Art Openings,“and telling your story to the world is now easier withon-line promotional tools.”Kate launched artopenings.ca in 2009, after 18years of covering the arts for a local magazine. Withher considerable writing, photography and digital skills,she provides creative people with three services:“Art Openings” previews and attends cultural events,while “Studio Visits” profiles artists and organizations.A new service, “Atelier,” promotes entrepreneurs andcreativity in the workplace. Kate has completed over80 webpages in a photojournalism format perfect forweb audiences.Kate, who has a history in art degree and a publicrelations certificate from the University of Victoria, says,“Creative people and places come alive on the websitethrough photos, video clips and interesting quotes.”The webpage link she creates for clients is easilyposted on websites, social media sites and emails. Thetext and images can also be imported into websites.The British Columbia Arts Council chose this optionfor Kate’s profiles of 15 artists and organizations whichthey funded. She talked to grant recipients from aroundBC and abroad (one in Moscow) and told their talesusing digital tools.These and Kate’s many other artist-clients benefitfrom an international audience. After sculptor BirgitPiskor’s Studio Visit, Birgit was contacted by KristalGallerie in Geneva. Birgit now has gallery representationin Geneva and European clients.Digital storytelling for creative peopleKate Cino talks with visual artist Eva Campbell about her painting “Listening and Seeing: FilmmakerKemi Craig” at the Women's Day Show, presented by the Community Arts Council of Greater Victoria.WTerence Marner’s Studio Visit webpage (completedin November 2012) resulted in a sale to a Zurichcollector. “Kate created an updated, professional profilefor me, he says, “that included a bio, commentary bycolleagues, recent awards and good quality photos.”“When the link went out to Kate’s contacts, the[Zurich] collector spotted a painting called ‘EightRed Trunks’ and contacted me about purchase.” Terryis pleased that the link on his website gives visitors amore complete picture. He promotes himself by sendingthe link to colleagues and galleries.Kate, an entrepreneur who ran an art gallery forten years, began Atelier to support small local businesses.Her first Atelier showcased Leka Design’sunique clothing line and the entrepreneurial spirit ofowner Aase Lium-Hall. “Kate took the time to listento my ideas and direction for Leka Design,” shesays. “Then she organized my ideas into a plan forthe webpage, including my vision, goals and keymessages.” The testimonials from two loyal Lekacustomers included their photos and quotes, whichbrought the page to life.We are an international community now, notesKate, brought together through digital technology andease of travel. But with all our techno toys, we stillcrave human interest stories with fascinating details.“It’s a pleasure to use my skills and experience tosupport others,” says Kate, “and help confirm ourcommon humanity.”To see Kate Cino’s work, please check her website.250-598-4009 • kate-cino@shaw.cawww.artopenings.caPhoto: Leah Freedmanwww.focusonline.ca • April 201331

“BIOMORPHIC” JACK SHADBOLT (1988)Continuing to June 15CREATING CON[TEXT]Legacy GalleryCreating Con[text] activates works of art in the University of Victoria’s MichaelWilliams Bequest Collection through the oral history research of Dr Carolyn ButlerPalmer and her graduate students, who gathered interviews with people associatedwith the late downtown businessman and art supporter Michael Collard Williams.Featuring paintings by Angela Grossman, Jack Shadbolt and Emily Carr, andothers, the exhibition allows the stories of artists, dealers, collectors, and viewersto infuse the works of art with more deeply understood meaning. Wed-Sat, 10-4.630 Yates St, 250-721-6562, www.uvac.uvic.ca."PACIFIC 20 RED" ROB OWEN, 30 X 40 INCHES, OIL ON CANVASThroughout AprilROB OWENMorris GalleryRob Owen’s dramatic paintings of the West Coast are just one example of themultiple works by local artists always on display in this large gallery. Owen’s highlyoriginal works are the result of years of study and have been recognized with severalJurors Choice Awards at Sooke Fine Arts plus a Best in Show and 3 honourablementions with the Federation of Canadian Artists, as well as a top ten selection forthe BC Festival of the Arts. On Alpha St at 428 Burnside Rd E. 250-388-6652,www.morrisgallery.ca.“SHADOWS AND LIGHT” DERYK HOUSTON, 32 X 24 INCHES, ACRYLIC ON CANVASMarch 25-May 4.DERYK HOUSTON: LOCAL SHADOWS & LIGHTEclectic GalleryFifteen new paintings by Deryk Houston, who says, “I love the experience of divinginto a new series of works for a show because one never knows where it will lead.In this case, I find myself reaching backwards to earlier works where I let the brushslide and roll.” Houston loves exploring the shadows and the light and often paintsviews from high above the ground, ignoring the obvious rules of perspective.Artist reception April 4, 6-8pm, 2170 Oak Bay Ave, 250-590-8095, www.eclecticgallery.ca.”APPLE PECKING–PILEATED WOODPECKER” W. ALLAN HANCOCK, ACRYLIC,Throughout AprilW. ALLAN HANCOCKPeninsula GalleryNature’s beauty is the subject of W. Allan Hancock’s paintings, with its fragilitythe underlying theme. Whether it’s a hawk on the short grass prairie, waterfowl ina marsh, or an eagle on North America’s west coast, the daily struggle for survivalof wildlife species and habitats is portrayed in his paintings with lifelike detail.Each painting captures a moment in time, causing the viewer to ponder its subject’sfuture, both momentary and distant, and the role of mankind. 2506 Beacon Ave,Sidney, 250-655-1722, www.pengal.com.32 April 2013 • FOCUS

“Battle Scars” Morley Myers, 14 x 10 x 10 inches, chlorite“Seals & Cormorants” by Ken Faulks, 11 x 14 inches, oil on panel“East 70th” 9 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvasMorley Myers & Patricia Hindmarch-WatsonApril 13 - 27Opening reception: April 13, 1 - 4pm606 View Street • 250.380.4660 • www.madronagallery.comWEST END GALLERYExclusive RepresentationKen FaulksA Breath of Fresh AirNew Plein Air Works, April 6 - 18, 2013Gallery Hours: Mon - Fri 10 - 5:30, Sat 10 - 5, Sun 11 - 41203 Broad Street • 250-388-0009 • www.westendgalleryltd.comMichael den HertogNew Collection2184 OAK BAY AVENUE VICTORIAwww.theavenuegallery.com 250-598-2184nancy ruhlMadrona Gallery, Victoriawww.nancyruhl.ca“Reflections” by Nancy Ruhl, 16 x 16 inches, acrylic on canvaswww.focusonline.ca • April 201333

the arts in aprilCelebrating Local ArtistsGreat selection of localpottery, glass, craftsand giftwareOffering Jewellery Making& Precious Metal Classes2000 Fernwood Road250.361.3372 • www.shesaidgallery.caCirque de la Symphonie’s Alexander Streltsov and Christine Van LooOak Bay Artists’Studio TourApril 20 & 21Noon-4:30pmPaintings, pottery, jewellerytextiles, photography and more.Tour map available at:recreation.oakbay.caO’Malley’sGreenscapesCertified HorticulturistGARDEN SERVICES• pruning• bed tending• lawn maintenance• what have youBryan O’Malley250.389.1783April 26-28CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIERoyal TheatreCIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE TEAMS WITHthe Victoria Symphony to amaze and delightVictorian audiences for a second time.The concept originated in 1998 when aerialistAlexander Streltsov, from the celebratedMoscow Circus family, performed with theCincinnati Pops Orchestra. Knowing he wason to something, he worked with friend,circus and music enthusiast Bill Allen to recruitother top notch artists from the world ofcirque, and in 2005 the official Cirque de laSymphonie was born.The emphasis on top-notch artists is a keyelement of this particular Cirque manifestation,with aerial flyers, acrobats, contortionists,dancers, jugglers, balancers, and strongmenperforming on stage with, or above, the orchestra.In smaller theatres like Victoria’s Royal Theatre,it’s all up close and personal with absolutelyno room for error. Because of this, producerBill Allen is adamant that the Cirque de laSymphonie is not a place in which to cut one’scirque teeth. So no one has to worry about anacrobat falling into a tuba.It’s all collaboration, from the selection ofthe music, choreography, rigging, to thefinished performance. Each Cirque artist’sperformance is professionally choreographedto classical masterpieces and popular contemporarymusic performed by Victoria Symphony,conducted by Giuseppe Pietraroia.Aerialist and former local girl Shana Lordcomments on the enormous satisfaction shederives from her work with Cirque de laSymphonie: “I love it; personally, I can’t thinkof a better way to perform…It’s nice tocommunicate with the maestro, and they’recommunicating and onboard with you. Theysee your act ahead of time, and they kindof know what you’re doing at what partsof the music. It’s just like a really nice marriage,and when it’s live, it’s that much more fulfillingfor the performer.” And for the audience too,who will witness death-defying musical andvisual artistry.Victoria Symphony Executive DirectorMitchell Krieger also likens the experienceto a marriage: “First of all it’s a great marriagebecause it’s great symphonic music playedby the fantastic Victoria Symphony and spectacularstuff happening in front of the orchestra,and above the orchestra and above the audience!”He does acknowledge a slight downsidefor the musicians who “have to concentrateon their playing and they can’t see what’sgoing on…they can’t catch everything becausethey have a lot of notes to play!”These performances are all entirely newand include aerial performances to Wagner’s“Ride of the Valkyries,” a magic act to Gounod’s“Funeral March of a Marionette,” and thefinale, a beautiful aerial duo to Rimsky-Korsakov’s“Capriccio Espagnol” with Alexander Fedortchevand our own Shana Lord.Performances at 8pm April 26, 27; 2pmon April 28. Single tickets from $35 at 250-385-6515 or visit www.victoriasymphony.ca.—Lisa Szeker-Madden34 April 2013 • FOCUS

eadings & presentationsApril 15PEN-IN-HAND POETRYSerious CoffeeInternational Poetry Month readings include HeidiGreco & Beatriz Hausner, Patricia Young, Patrick Friesen& Isa Milman. Open mic, 7pm, 230 Cook St Village.April 20ANNY SCOONES’ “HOMETOWN” LAUNCHWinchester Galleries, Humboldt Valley“Hometown, Out and About in Victoria’sNeighbourhoods” by Anny Scoones features uniqueobservations about the Victoria scene and 120 watercoloursby Robert Amos. Author & artist will be present2-4pm; reading at 3pm. 796 Humboldt St.April 20 & 21CREATIVELY UNITED for the PLANETSt Ann’s AcademyThis annual free, fun-filled, family event will benefitnot only those non-profit and charitable organizationsdoing the hero work in our community, but will givethe public quick and easy solutions to learn more aboutthe many ways they can help support, preserve andprotect our fragile ecosystem while enjoying a festive,creative atmosphere that showcases local talent inmany forms.The Festival will feature continuous entertainment,including: live music, displays, lectures, children’sprograms, photography workshops, dancing, singing,food, art and art making, and more. Free, with someticketed events.Films include Groundswell, Occupy Love, TheIncomappleux. Music includes Holly Arntzen, Gettin’Higher Choir, Grandpa Phunk, Lorraine Nygaard & herpopular jazz trio, Three Worlds and Anne Schaefer.Speakers include Robert Bateman, Carolyn Herriot, GuyDauncy, Dr. Kate Moran, Dr. Andrew Weaver, Ken Wu,TJ Watt. See www.creativelyunitedfortheplanet.com.for schedule. All at 835 Humboldt St.April 21THE DOUGLAS TREATIESNewcombe Conference HallThe Vancouver Island Treaties or Douglas Treaties(1850-54) record early encounters between NorthwestCoast native peoples and Europeans. Archivist RaymondFrogner will discuss these documents as both historicalevidence and modern sources of rights. 2pm, RoyalBC Museum, 675 Belleville St. $5 (Museum ‘Friends’free), 250-477-2734, www.bcarchives.bc.caApril 25SIR RICHARD MCBRIDE, 1870-1917James Bay New Horizons CentreVictoria Historical Society presents ProfessorEmeritus Dr Pat Roy discussing her recently-publishedbiography on one of BC’s most notable premiers,who helped shape party politics in the early decadesof the 20th century. 7:30 pm, 234 Menzies St.www.victoriahistoricalsociety.bc.ca.SEND EVENTS TO focusedit@shaw.ca by 10th of monthpreceeding month of event. Please use format as shown.www.focusonline.ca • April 201335

In perfect unisonJOE WIEBEThe Balkan Babes have travelled a long way.vibeIn performance, the Balkan Babes exhibit a calm serenity that underscoresthe eerily beautiful eastern European melodies and harmoniesthey sing. At their CD release concert in Duncan in early February,the music is mesmerizing, punctuated occasionally by trills or whoops.Some songs are soft and elegiac, while others are belted out withfervent ferocity. For an all-female choir, the range of voices is impressive.Some songs begin with one or two singers and then slowly growin complexity until all nine women are singing. Even though theysing unaccompanied without a conductor, no one ever seems to missa mark or wander off key.Between songs, members take turns introducing each tune, which areall sung in the original language: Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian,Georgian or Ukrainian. Each quirky, folksy synopsis earns a warm chucklefrom the audience: “Marry me off, old mother, while I’m young andthe girls are still interested in me,” or “The grass has grown high in mybeautiful green field. The proud girl will cut it and feed it to her horse.”The Balkan Babes clearly love singing these songs: their eyes shinebrightly as they sing, smiling at each other in obvious friendship. It’snot surprising, considering the long journey they have travelled togethergoing back 13 years, a story they shared with me at a rehearsal abouta month before the concert.What a different scene. Seated in a circle in one of the member’sliving rooms, with tea available for all, the Babes (as they refer to themselves)make it clear that they are a group of individuals. They haveno leader by choice, making all decisions collectively, even if thatprocess sometimes drives them all crazy. That dynamic becomes immediatelyapparent as they answer my questions—often interrupting eachother with corrections, anecdotes or inside jokes that send them allinto raucous fits of laughter. My head is on a swivel, bouncing fromvoice to voice. It is very entertaining, if a little confusing.Faro Sullivan starts off describing how it all began with a Thursdaymorning musical get-together for women in Fernwood. A lot of theoriginal members were stay-at-home moms with young children, soit was something to do socially.“It’s definitely still a group of women that need to meet and vent,”Chantal Leblond adds, earning a big laugh. “It’s a sisterhood, for sure.”“Almost everybody had a baby on the floor at some point,” Faro says.“A lot of our babies ended up at shows, too,” Chantal says. “Holdingthem. Nursing them.” Karen Visser recounts how she had her infantson asleep in a sling at an early concert. One song, “Dobro Do?le,” hassome loud keening in it—which woke him up—so she nursed himonstage. “He wasn’t hungry, but it kept him quiet.”The original group began performing publicly and recorded a coupleof CDs, but their sheer size made it difficult to grow in ability. “It wascrazy,” Faro says. “At one time we were in a basement recording studiowith 17 of us.”Not everyone could attend practices regularly, so it was difficult tolearn new songs and expand their repertoire. As a result, in 2004they decided to form a performance group made up of those who couldcommit to a regular weekly practice schedule. That pared the groupdown to 13 members; a couple more left over the next few years. Andnow they are nine.PHOTO: TONY BOUNSALLThe Balkan BabesTop row (l-r): Karen Visser, Faro Annie Sullivan, Kristin Scott, Chantal LeblondMiddle: Laura Wilder, Rebekkah Dickson, Kelly SherwinFront: Genevieve Charbonneau, Pam CampbellThey grew in ability and repertoire, and began performing at festivalssuch as Luminara, Victoria Folkfest, and the Islands Folk Festival.Then, in 2008, they sent a four-song CD to CBC Radio’s Choral 2008choir competition.“We were not even thinking about it, and then we found out we hadalready been through three or four tiers of the competition,” explainsGenevieve Charbonneau.They found themselves singing in the live-to-radio final of the Pan-Traditional category against a Georgian men’s choir. The Balkan Babesperformed at Ryerson Church in Vancouver while the male choir sangin Toronto.“We heard the other choir singing while we were standing there,”and then it was their turn. “It was terrifying,” recounts Genevieve.But to their surprise, they won. The prize was a trip to Montreal toperform in a choral festival that featured all of the various categorywinners. That success has given them more confidence.36 April 2013 • FOCUS

“WE ALMOST WENT INSTRUMENTAL on the latestCD. A cowbell. There was a huge debate.”—Chantal“It’s almost an unconditional commitment now,” says Kelly Sherwin.“We see each other every week. It’s part of our lives.”“It’s like being married,” agrees Genevieve.No one in the choir actually speaks any of the Balkan languages, andonly one member, Laura Matthias Wilder, has any connection to theregion in her family background (she is “Slovakian, among other things”),but they have all developed a strong interest in Balkan culture andwould love to travel and perform there if they can ever find the moneyfor such a trip.“I think the complexity of the music is a big part of the draw,”Genevieve insists. “The material is getting more challenging as we goalong, and we are more drawn to try to work on songs that are harder,or even more foreign.”They find new material in a variety of ways, including workshopswith native Balkan singers. They worked with one couple who, Chantalsays, “toured into remote villages and collected field recordings of songsso they’re not even widely published or heard.” Three of those songsended up on their newest CD, Volio, which came out in December.Regardless of how they learn the music, the Balkan Babes definitelyput their own stamp on each song. Some are meant for male or mixedchoirs, but that doesn’t stop them. And they have resisted the urge toadd any instrumentation.“We almost went instrumental on the latest CD,” Chantal admits.“A cowbell. There was a huge debate.”“Hours and hours were devoted to the cowbell,” Karen adds abovebig laughter from the entire group.Now that they have released Volio, they are looking forward toperforming more. What else does the future hold?“Bulgaria 2015!” shouts Genevieve. It’s just a dream, but it is somethingthey’d love to do. “If we sell our CDs, maybe we can think aboutthat kind of thing,” adds Chantal.As the interview ends, I hang around to listen as the Babes get readyto rehearse. Chantal fetches her baby, Will, who just woke up from a nap.He ends up in someone else’s arms as they stand to sing a warm-up song.One moment, they are all chatting, multiple conversations overlapping,and then, suddenly, they are singing in perfect unison. It’s a cliché,but a shiver really does go up and down my spine. It’s such beautifulmusic. And I can still picture them standing in a close semicircle, smilingat each other, with baby Will in the middle, gazing up at the shining,smiling faces above him. He couldn’t be happier, and neither, it seems,could the Balkan Babes, doing what they love best: singing together.Symphony patron Maria Sanchez died in 1984.On Friday night, she’ll present a programof Bach, Brahms and Beethoven.A lifelong music lover, Maria never missed a classicalconcert. The works of the old masters made her heartsoar. Other hearts will soar because Maria includeda bequest to the symphony in her will.Thanks to Maria, her beloved orchestra won’t missa beat. Include your favourite cause in your will orestate plan. Contact a charitable organization, lawyer,financial advisor or local LEAVE A LEGACY programto learn how.The Balkan Babes will be performing April 6 at the United Churchin Ganges on Salt Spring Island; on May 5 at the Victoria Folk MusicSociety at Norway House on Hillside Ave, Victoria; and on June 22 atthe Campbell Bay Music Festival on Mayne Island.www.focusonline.ca • April 2013Joe Wiebe is a Victoria writer who specializes in storiesabout the arts, sports, travel and beer. His guidebookto BC's booming craft beer scene, Craft Beer Revolution,will be published in May. www.joewiebe.com orwww.thirstywriter.com.Consider a gift in your will for your favourite charities.Alan, 250-414-4781 or Barbara, 250-721-6207www.leavealegacy.ca37

palettePHOTO: TONY BOUNSALLHere and nowAAREN MADDENCharles Campbell’s Transporter activates a present space from which to imagine possible futures.In Open Space Gallery right now, five geodesic spheres a la BuckminsterFuller sit about waist high in random locations across the floor. Theyare made of heavy cardstock triangles with the interior spaces cutaway, leaving only the open lattice of supporting sides held togetherfrom the inside by simple binder clips. A different repetition of a singleimage is overlaid onto the surface of each sphere. As such, from anydistance, these spheres appear as light and airy as giant bubbles: attractive,playful, and fascinating. In fact, at the opening reception of CharlesCampbell’s Transporter exhibition, of which these spheres form a majorcomponent, a few people couldn’t resist the temptation to set them ingentle motion, then retreat and watch as they slowly came to rest.Once you step closer to the spheres, however, you are confrontedwith powerful images weighted with human history. Their gravity is atodds with the weightlessness of the spheres, whose rational geometryis further at odds with the inherent messiness of human nature.The bubbles are at risk of bursting—until you step back and let theshapes lift off once again.These spheres emerged from an exhibition Campbell was asked todo in conjunction with a conference on human trafficking at DukeUniversity. The organizers “were interested in a dialogue betweenthe past and the present in human trafficking, and the forces of attractionand repulsion in that system.” In turn, it fed Campbell’s generalfascination with human migration, both forced and voluntary.He knows something about the latter. Born in Jamaica, Campbell’sfamily moved to Canada’s East Coast when he was five years old. Hestudied fine arts at Concordia University in Montreal, then returned toJamaica at 19 and continued to hone both a painting practice and agrowing social awareness. A few years later, he completed an MA at theUniversity of London’s Goldsmiths College, then ran an arts outreachprogram for at-risk youth. Seeking proximity to family and an idealenvironment for the two young children he now had, Campbell movedto Victoria about ten years ago. Since then he has engaged his interestsin art and activism with roles as coordinator for Xchanges Galleryand communications director for the Dogwood Initiative. All the while,he has exhibited in Europe, North America and the Caribbean.Campbell’s work often refers to slavery, colonialism and, in particular,Jamaica’s violent past; it’s why the conference organizerssought him out. But planning that exhibition initiated new investigationsfor Campbell as well. It got him “thinking about why peoplemove—both the push and pull of it, and these ideals of a better world,”he says. “I happened upon ideas around Buckminster Fuller and hisutopian ideals; that you could figure out how everything should workif you applied yourself enough; that everything can lead toward thismaximum efficiency.” Quite literally, it brought another dimension tohis work and brought incredible tension to his imagery.“They are all about conflict and complicity; violence in some cases,”he says. One image shows a slave canoe, wherein Africans row otherAfricans to a waiting slave ship. “You could talk about Africans andAfricans, but it’s just humans, really…that set up the economic systemthat motivated the Africans,” Campbell explains. “Even the idea ofwhat is an African, it all starts to fall apart when you look at individualmotivations of people.”Other spheres show equally conflicting imagery: open shackles couldsuggest liberty or imminent capture; Jamaican vultures either feed onthe misery of others or perform the important ecological role of cleaningup the waste. One sphere is encircled by flocks of birds in silhouette,38 April 2013 • FOCUS

seemingly unencumbered by narrative. But they are in migration,and flying in all directions: neither here nor there, if you will.One final image begs contemplation. Arranged with careful precisioninto polygons, mimicking the structure of the spheres themselves,machetes flash their blades in various directions. It’s an initially violentimage, but consider this: “A machete in Jamaica is used for absolutelyeverything, from cutting your lawn to chopping up your neighbour.”It’s a tool of cultivation as much as it is of violence.Faced with such overwhelming contradictions, the viewer is leftgrasping a bit. You have gained a rich aesthetic experience, true, butcertainty and meaning dissolves. Attraction and repulsion are certainlyengaged, resulting in more questions than answers. It’s disorienting—which is the whole point. Campbell explains, “There are always twothings going on. There is this aesthetic quality, which pulls you in onedirection and engages one part of your mind, and then there’s thisnarrative of the image, which engages another part. So the idea is, byactivating both of those parts, it makes them both uncertain. It pullsthe meaning away from the image, in some respects.”This creates a gap, a contemplative mental space open to new meaning.When he says his work “inhabits the interstices of artistic and politicalconcerns,” it is this space to which he refers. It’s not necessarily acomfortable place to be, but neither is it unpleasant. It’s where theimbalance of uncertainty intersects with the beauty of potential. “Itdoesn’t change the facts, but it changes the possible directions you cango with the facts,” says Campbell.He clarifies: “In Jamaica, there is very much a feeling that our violentpast has led to our violent present, which will lead to our violent future.There is lots of justification for that, in that the scars keep being perpetuated.”The legacy of residential schools here in Canada is anotherexample of abuse and exploitation rippling across generations. Campbell’swork seeks to break down the inevitability and momentum of historyby offering this space for dreaming up alternative, “aspirational” futures.“History has its weight and its baggage,” Campbell acknowledges,noting that choice may not appear as a possibility. His work is “not inany way a denial of history, or to say that it’s not relevant to our behaviouror actions,” he explains, “but it’s a way of saying you have to putyourself into the present. That’s where decisions are made; that’s wherechoices are made.”Which means the present is not an easy space to occupy; it comeswith responsibility. Like Campbell’s spheres, it is as delicate and ephemeralas a bubble, yet weighted with the past. It involves the same intimacythat makes Campbell’s work at once attractive, compelling and challenging.“[My work] doesn’t give an answer to how you should thinkabout this stuff,” he concludes, “but it does declare its presence andrelevance.” What you derive has everything to do with where youare and what it means to you to be there. The future, you could say, isin the eye of the beholder.handmade just for youThe world-famous Cape Cod Screwball Braceletutilizes a unique hidden clasp designed by JohnCarey. Though simple and elegant, its productionrequires painstaking craftsmanship. Carey’s grandsonAlex Carey carries on the family tradition of craftingartful jewellery, including customized ScrewballBracelets, at Adore Jewellery in Market Square.jewellery539 Pandora Ave • www.adorejewellery.ca • 250.383.7722Transporter is at Open Space Gallery, 510 Fort Street, second floor,until April 6, noon-5pm, Tues-Sat. On April 6 at 3pm Charles Campbellwill be interviewed by Megan Dickie about his residency at the gallery;250-383-8833, www.openspace.ca.Aaren Madden is a Victoria writer constantly seeking gracein the present.www.focusonline.ca • April 201339

Brokering AccessAMY REISWIGA new book tells the story of how the public is denied information about the public’s business.coastlinesWhen a journalist sought two-months’worth of records around theCanadian Food Inspection Agency’shandling of the listeriosis outbreak in 2008,he was told the Agency would take a timeextension of 555 days to complete the request.Unfortunately, as a recent book edited by UVicassistant professor of sociology Kevin Walbymakes clear, such end-runs around Canada’sinformation access laws are far from unusual.Described as a “ground-breaking volume,”Brokering Access: Power, Politics, and Freedomof Information Process in Canada (co-editedwith Mike Larsen, UBC Press), brings togetheressays by sociologists, journalists, and accessto-informationadvocates who stand up forthe idea, expressed by Ontario Attorney GeneralIan Scott in 1985, that “We do not now andnever will accept the proposition that the businessof the public is none of the public’s business.”Walby is a publishing powerhouse. In justthe 14 months between March 2012 and June2013, he will have published, as either authoror editor, four books reflecting areas of interestas diverse as policing, male-for-male escorts,emotions and freedom of information.Walby—who began his undergrad careerin drama before discovering sociology—lectured at the Institute of Criminology andCriminal Justice at Carleton before beinghired at UVic in 2011. Besides his teachingand book editing, he has published articles innumerous academic journals and also helpsedit the Journal of Prisoners on Prisons, apeer-reviewed journal published by Universityof Ottawa Press. He’s a young, busy guy whoadmits: “I get up pretty early.”While Walby’s books aren’t likely to berecommended at weekend book clubs ortaken on escapist beach vacations, BrokeringAccess deals with an issue at the very heartof our democracy.Freedom of information (FOI) is the assumptionthat, particularly in a democracy, peoplehave the right to know what goes on in governmentand the public sector and that suchinformation should be disclosed with minimalinterference. Only through such access canwe hold those in government accountable.Access to information (ATI) refers to theprocess by which that concept is applied—theadministration of the idea—at the federal,PHOTO: TONY BOUNSALLKevin Walbyprovincial and municipal levels. The term“brokering access” is all about how access toinformation happens: the way gatekeepers(access coordinators, civil servants, governmentoffices, legislation) handle, flag, delayor deny requests and why.Divided into four sections, this 370-pagebooks covers the history of access to informationin Canada; topics of security and informationcontrol; access’ role in research strategies; and,finally, access’ role in investigative journalism.The tone varies from essay to essay, rangingfrom formal academic jargon to more colourfulcomments describing the handing over of datato a journalist as “a full body X-ray, strip search,and finger up you know where. It’s indeed thefull monty of freedom of information…requests,and things tend to get weird, fast.” In fact thebook is full of weird, as each writer tells theirown story of engaging with ATI requests ona variety of topics, such as airport security infiltrationtests, Maple Leaf’s listeriosis outbreak,the BC softwood lumber dispute, the Liberalsponsorship scandal, Maher Arar, Afghandetainee torture, Aboriginal activism, streetscapevideo surveillance, and more.“The essays are different ways of telling astory,” the winter-shorts-wearing cyclist Walbyexplains. “Having a collection allows morevoices to tell the story of access. Some of thebook’s voices may be contradictory, but that’sokay. Hopefully it will stimulate debate, createa conversation.”For the most part, it’s a critical ratherthan cheerful story, detailing arbitrary decisions,lack of staff training and consistency,unreasonable delays, staggering fees (e.g.$1,599,840 for a copy of a database aboutCanada’s criminals that could be easily modifiedto protect privacy), and the flagging ofcertain categories of requesters, among othersystemic pitfalls. While Brokering Access looksmainly at federal legislation, these are issuesfaced at all levels, including municipal andpolice departments and provincial bodies.The book is not all bad news. It offerstips on becoming an effective requester aswell as some hope for the future. While someauthors see increased demand for accountability(including an increasing awareness ofand engagement with the ATI process) asleading to greater secrecy and more creativemethods of burying information, others notethe very real progress and policy change thatpersistent requesting has brought about andcan continue to spur. “It pushes in both directionsat the same time,” Walby believes. “Therehave been lots of surface gains toward thenotion of open government,” he says, at thesame time warning that we must remain vigilantabout “contrary tendencies to keepinformation submerged”—even telling meabout the discovery of an internal RCMPdocument titled “How to avoid an access toinformation request.”The book therefore asks the question “Whatis to be done?” Walby’s introduction, co-writtenwith Mike Larsen of Kwantlen PolytechnicUniversity, claims that “broad law reform willcome to fruition only as the result of agitationby an organized social movement.” When Iask what that movement would look like andwhat the role for Joe and Jane Average is, hesays: “People who have never identified asactivists before are getting more and moreconcerned about why something is happening40 April 2013 • FOCUS

in their backyard that is state-led. There is apoliticization of folks in Canada now, and itseems like various publics are coming togetherin an organic way regarding how governmentis operating.” Therefore, any social movementfor reform of either legislation or practice can’tcome just from academics or journalists. “Wedon’t need a special cadre of activists. It needsto be broad-based if it is going to succeed.”In fact, Walby believes that broad base mustinclude access practitioners themselves, “civilservants on the other side” who he hopes willread the book and even write their own accounts(there have been few so far). “That’s the nextthing we need—to hear about it from insidefor true understanding.”There is a long way to go before the cultureof secrecy or of antagonism between information-seekersand government will change.But as Einstein observed, the world we havecreated is a product of our thinking and canonly be changed by changing our thinking.Through this book, Walby and his colleaguesare aiming to do just that.Everything you could want in a juicer and From Shangxi, China this colorful hand-paintedmore. It can handle wheatgrass, pasta andtwo-piece cabinet is small in sizebaby foods...all without destructive heat.but big in design punch.Triangle Healing ProductsBest of Both Worlds Imports770 Spruce Avenue2713 Quadra Street • 250-386-8325www.trianglehealing.com • 250-370-1818www.bestofbothworldsimports.comgreat finds for your homeRoyalties from Brokering Access are beingdonated to the BC Civil Liberties Association.www.focusonline.ca • April 2013Writer and editor Amy Reiswigencourages people to checkout the various activities puton during Canada’s annualRight to Know Week eachSeptember, but reminds youthat our right to know appliesall year, every year.Transform your property with the timelessbeauty of eco-friendly, BC-made interlockingbrick—endless design possibilities, 3 timesthe strength of concrete, and lasts a lifetime.Rooster Interlocking Brick250-889-6655 • www.roosterbrick.comShoe Tree holds 36 pairs of shoes in12 x 12 inch floor space.All Organized Storage Ltd3370 Tennyson Avenue (near UpTown)Store hours: Mon–Fri, 11–5; Sat 11–3 pmwww.AllOrganizedStorage.ca • 250-590-632841

thisplacenatural relations 42 urbanities 44 finding balance 46This spring after darkness descends,thousands of songbirds will navigateup the Pacific Flyway, travelling northto their summer breeding territories. Migratingfrom Central America, Central Mexico andthe Southwestern United States, it’s possibleto see their slight forms against the moon,or even hear their furious wing beats as theytraverse the Olympic Peninsula, Juan de FucaStrait, the San Juan and Gulf Islands, and upthe reaches of Vancouver Island.Amidst the Violet-green swallows, Goldencrownedsparrows, and Yellow warblers,Julia Daly, project technician with Victoria’sGarry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team(GOERT), is crossing her fingers for thereturn of a few Western bluebirds, whichhave not bred here since 1995. That is, until last year.Buoyant in flight, carrying, as Thoreau wrote, “the sky on its back,”the bluebird is a gorgeous harbinger of spring across North America.With its convivial habits and warbling song, the male Western bluebirdis unmistakable: rich, cerulean blue colours its head, wings and tail, setoff by an orange and white breast. Its soft, tentative calls once echoedover our region’s open meadow landscapes.Population decline began in the 1950s, due to pesticide use,habitat loss, and predation by domestic and feral cats, invasive housesparrows and starlings. Since the 1990s, only rare sightings of Westernbluebirds have been reported. “Our South Coast region—includingVictoria, the Gulf Islands, the San Juan Islands and the Seattle area—once contained an abundance of Garry oak meadows,” Daly describedover coffee. “As little as 100 years ago, birds could hopscotch over largeswaths of native habitat since buried under suburban sprawl.” Migratorsnow navigate through highly modified urban landscapes. Pesticideshave reduced bluebirds’ insect food supply; development has overtakengrassland and pasture areas; standing dead trees have disappeared—essential for cavity-nesting birds—and invasive European house sparrowsand starlings now compete with bluebirds, occupying nesting sites andkilling nestlings.The few bluebirds that Daly has pinned her hopes to could be thefirst of many, as GOERT begins year two of its “Bring Back the Bluebirds”project, collaborating with, amongst others, Ecostudies Institute, USFish and Wildlife Service, and San Juan Preservation Trust. In the nextfour springs, 45 nesting pairs from Washington State will be translocatedby car and ferry (unless GOERT can find an airline willing tosponsor their travel). Each pair will be housed in an aviary on eitherthe Nature Conservancy of Canada’s 21 hectare Cowichan Garry OakPreserve, one of the largest deep-soil Garry oak ecosystems on theisland, or on private property in the Somenos-Quamichan Lake area.In 2012, GOERT translocated four adult birds and nine nestlingsto the Cowichan Valley. One of the pairs produced a second clutchBringing back the bluebirdsMALEEA ACKERVictoria was described as a “perfect Eden” by Sir James Douglas. But then the sweet song of bluebirds disappeared.Western bluebird fledglingof four nestlings—the first bluebirds knownto have hatched on Vancouver Island in 17years. Eight more pairs and their nestlingswill be translocated to the island this spring.As this article went to press, GOERT receiveda report of the first sighting on San JuanIsland for 2013. CRD residents are encouragedto report their own sightings tobluebird@goert.ca.Though bluebirds are an easy sell, withtheir stunning plumage and long historylauded by song as a friend to happiness andliberty, one of GOERT’s biggest goals is toraise awareness of threats to their primaryhabitat—Garry oak ecosystems. To survive,bluebirds need nesting sites above expansivegrasslands—the quintessential Garryoak meadow landscape—where insects and native berries are plentiful.Farmland can substitute for wild meadows when nest boxes mountedon fences allow birds to stay out of harm’s way. Even then, predatorswho climb fences are a threat.Irvin Banman, caretaker of the Cowichan Preserve, says this iswhere residents in the Capital Region come in. We need to appreciateand cultivate gardens that look more like the wild beauty onMount Tolmie or the lower reaches of Government House in Rockland.Get to know native species, Banman recommends, and support themon our own property. Push for the continued expansion of parkland.As Daly affirms, “We’ve already lost bluebirds once. This reintroductionprogram isn’t going to work without the participation of southisland residents.”Daly also has advice that might fly in the face of some. “Keep yourcat inside. Western bluebirds are ground foraging birds and very vulnerableto predation.” By some accounts, domestic cats kill more than abillion songbirds every year in North America. Daly argues that outdoorcats are a major threat to the survival of not just bluebirds, but allresident songbirds.GOERT’s project is modelled after San Juan Preservation Trust’srecently completed bluebird project, the first successful songbird reintroductionprogram in the US. According to program director KathleenFoley, the organization translocated 92 adults; 238 fledglings hatchedonsite; and San Juan currently has a resident returning population of38 birds. When I attended SJPT’s 2011 bluebird celebration in asupporting landowner’s barn, Kathryn Martell of GOERT acceptedan honorary nest box and travelled back with two large aviaries, whichhold GOERT’s translocated pairs until they have adjusted to their newenvironment. “The release of at least 90 individuals has been linkedwith reintroduction success,” said Daly. It’s hoped that Cowichan Valleybluebirds will mingle with birds from nearby San Juan and expand intoother regions—from the Comox Valley south to Greater Victoria,Metchosin, and the Gulf Islands.PHOTO: BILL PENNELL42 April 2013 • FOCUS

Focus presents: Victoria HospiceADVERTISEMENTTeam up to hike for HospicePHOTO: JULIA DALYWestern bluebird eggs inside a nest boxTo prepare for the bluebirds’ arrival, volunteers built and installedover 300 nest boxes in parks and on participating landowners’ properties.Now they’ll monitor the boxes and discourage invasive birds.GOERT has had a lot of volunteer help from groups like the MetchosinBiodiversity Project, the Victoria Natural History Society, École MillBay, Metchosin Technical Centre and the Nanaimo Navy League.Wildlife translocation isn’t a new idea; thanks to global warming, itnow takes place worldwide. As early as the 1880s, Australia movedKoala to its outlying islands; Scotland has reintroduced Ospreys toEngland; sage-grouse reintroduction programs are underway in Utahand along the border.Most often, we resort to translocation due to changes we have madeto habitat. Over the last 150 years, dozens of species have dwindled inthe CRD’s Garry oak meadows, as coverage plummeted from 10,443hectares in 1800 to just 512 hectares in 1997. Developments on the slopesof Christmas Hill and Bear Mountain are only the most recent examplesof urbanization replacing meadows where bluebirds once nested.Translocation success hinges on habitat quality, potential productivityof the released species, historical presence, and the length of areintroduction program. GOERT chose Cowichan because thevalley hasn’t been as affected by urban ecosystem fragmentation, whichmeans more protected spaces and oak meadows.Julia Daly hopes that GOERT’s project will be but the first in a seriesof regional reintroduction initiatives. “The best part of our first yearwas witnessing an entire bluebird family grow up and flourish inlocal habitat, but this gorgeous bird is still just a flagship species.” Thereare 117 others at risk of extinction in Garry oak ecosystems, she pointsout. “The CRD has been lauded for its efforts, and it has some intactecosystem pockets, but we need the whole community on board, creatingcontiguous green spaces in people’s back yards.”Daly’s passion and her hope keep her going. “Before they migratedsouth last fall, this new bluebird family hung out on the western sideof Mount Tzouhalem [North Cowichan]. That was also the lastplace Western bluebirds were seen in 1995. It was,” she pauses andsmiles, “as if things had come full circle.”On May 4, from 1-4pm the Nature Conservancy of Canada willhold an open house at the Cowichan Preserve to view the spring bloom,demonstrate native gardening techniques, and talk about projectsunderway; visit natureconservancy.ca. For more information onGOERT’s Bluebird Project, visit www.goert.ca/bluebird.www.focusonline.ca • April 2013Maleea Acker, the author of Gardens Aflame: Garry OakMeadows on BC’s South Coast and The Reflecting Pool(poetry), has converted her own yard to a native plantmeadow. On April 18 at 7pm, she’ll be giving a talk andslide show on Garry oak ecosystem gardening at VictoriaNative Plant Study Group. See www.maleeaacker.com.The 10th Annual Hike for Hospice takes place May 5Walking has long been a natural way for people to cope with the unexpected.That’s why years ago, Victoria Hospice began offering walkinggroups to help grieving family members work through the loss of theirloved ones in a supportive, healthy environment.So the decision to create Hike for Hospice, an annual fundraising event for VictoriaHospice, was an easy one. On May 5, teams and individuals will gather at Fishermans’Wharf Park and enjoy a scenic 3.5 km loop walk along Victoria’s waterfront. Thehike lets families remember loved ones and encourages supporters to team up toraise funds and awareness for quality end-of-life care.“This is our second year for Hike for Hospice in Victoria. But we’re part of a larger,nation-wide Hike for Hospice event, which is now in its tenth year, put on by theCanadian Hospice Palliative Care Association,” says Wendy Innes, Victoria Hospice’sCommunity Relations officer. “We depend on the support of the community, andan event like this, which brings together people with all kinds of connections withHospice, is a great opportunity for us. But like so much of what we do, the impetuscame from our own community of support.”Two years ago, the Hospice Foundation office was next door to the Victoria branchof Bayshore Home Health. Hospice is the national charity of this Canadian company—they share the vision of “dignity at home”—and when Area Director Stasia Hartley,and HR Coordinator and Community Liaison Sophia Ali saw how successful Hikefor Hospice had become at one of the national events, they decided to help makea Hike for Hospice in Victoria happen.Stasia and Sophia offered up the Bayshore boardroom for meetings of thelocal organizing committee and also volunteered to be on the committee. Andentering their own Bayshore team in the Hike gave them a chance to rally theirco-workers through unique fundraising efforts, like bake sales and raffles.“We appreciate our shared values and by organizing and participating in thehike we show who we are and that we care about our community,” says Stasia. “Sophiahas a personal interest in Hospice. Her family received bereavement counselling fromHospice after her father’s death, and it struck a chord with her,” she added.Hike for Hospice draws other community members, like schools and care homes,who are encouraged to enter teams. This year, the organizers hope to expand onlast year’s friendly fund-raising challenge between local police and fire departments.How can you get involved? Challenge friends and family to gather sponsors, orenter as an individual, or see what creative fundraiser you can organize at work.This year’s Hike for Hospice is Sunday May 5 at 9 am in Fisherman’s Wharf Park.Register or sponsor a participant at www.victoriahospice.org/hike-for-hospice/Victoria Hospice250-519-1744 • Give online at www.VictoriaHospice.org43

urbanitiesGrow opGENE MILLERThe City of Victoria is robbing the future to pay for today.Iwant to enlist your help in fleshing out anidea for the City of Victoria and a strategyfor its implementation. I’m proposing thatwe generate some fresh thinking about ourDowntown and the city’s problematic economy.In doing this we’ll open new ground in citizeninnovation and City/citizen collaboration, andassist the city we love—a place clearly overwhelmedand temporarily out of ideas. We cando this in Focus (send in your thoughts); oraround a table in a coffee shop (call or writeme); maybe as a small conference or workshop.The current mis-ordering of importancesby our political leadership and civic managementis driving the City of Victoria to its kneesfinancially. Believe me: right at the very bordersof calamity, these folks are perpetuating aruinous and fatal approach to the City’seconomic strategy.Victoria’s council and key staff have formonths been wrestling with a budget so tightthat the effort to boil out a mere $1.6 million(less than 1 percent) has produced major braindamage in City Hall and bizarre, funny-if-theyweren’t-so-tragicproposals like switchingfrom annuals to perennials in some of theCity’s flower beds. And all of this Herculeaneffort is in aid of tabling a budget for thefollowing three years not with a zero increase,but one that will continue to increase by 3.25percent a year—an 11 percent cumulative3-year jump.No portrait of Victoria’s present politicaland administrative leadership will be completeor accurate without making this simple factclear: The City is robbing the future to payfor today. The Blue Bridge—a subject exhaustivelydiscussed on the pages of Focus—is alucid illustration of stealing from the future.In the City’s deal with the devil to keep thereplacement bridge “within budget,” the structure’sengineering standards have been relaxed,shaving not just amenities but two-and-a-halfdecades (25 percent) off its functional 100-year life—a clear case of the City essentiallycrapping in tomorrowland.It’s not just the bridge, it’s a pattern: TheCity is under-allocating incoming revenueto its capital account (the money needed torepair, upgrade, replace or add infrastructure),in favour of its operating account (what itspends today). None of this is sustainable andit’s going to get us into even more troubledown the road.Ask yourself: How do these things happen,how did it come to this? The answer is that,as with personal behaviour, institutional behaviourfollows the laws of circumstance andconsequences—essentially, an ecological principle.Smoke for 30 years, you get cancer orlung disease. Spew a lot of carbon into theatmosphere for a century, the glaciers meltand the global weather roils.In this vein, the City’s current budget dilemmadidn’t come out of nowhere. It has been yearsin the making and is best understood as a longbrewing,slowly evolving set of political andmanagerial miscalculations and missteps movingus toward the inevitability of consequences.Some of those consequences are here now;others are quickly approaching. The miscalculationsspan successive mayoral leaderships,beginning somewhere in the political dry gulchof the post-Pollen years, and speak to the everexpandingfuddle culture at the City. Thecurrent challenge of boiling $1.6 million orso out of the budget? Believe me, just a symptomand not the disease.Honestly, if you really imagine the solutionto Victoria’s economic problems lies in switchingfrom annuals to perennials in City flower beds,automating parkade payment, freezing a fewpay packages, and eliminating free egg saladsandwiches at committee meetings, you shouldstop reading now.Consider leaky boat syndrome: Water’scoming in through a dozen holes! You can’tbail fast enough! The boat is getting heavierand less maneuverable! The tide’s pushing youaway from the shore! Big, swamping wavesare approaching! Oh-oh! As things deteriorate,all options are compromised.The City is trying desperately to reduce thebudget (essentially, a 4.25 percent increase)by a mere 1 percent and clearly not having aneasy time of it. But much bigger rollers are justoffshore, and the City is under-equipped foran economic event-horizon likely to feature:• a regional sewage treatment levy imposedon taxpayers;• the growing drag of three-quarter-billiondollars in unfunded City infrastructure projectsincluding underground systems, streets, parks,facilities and community amenities;• potential cost overruns (in any event) onthat embarrassment of a Blue Bridge replacement,coupled to the prospect of a legal challengeof the City for betraying the terms of thespending referendum approved by voters;• continued softening of the real estatemarket with drops in assessments and the needfor compensatory mill rate increases;• relentless commercial predation from the’burbs and accelerated erosion of downtownretail and service/office assets;• financial challenges to the sustainability/viability of various City recreational andcultural assets;• an emptying piggy bank, hampering theCity’s ability to mount new initiatives, exploitemergent opportunities, respond to rainy-dayconditions, or compete aggressively in the faceof regional economic challenges in the farfrom-rosynear-future.These prospects point to an enfeebled Cityless and less able to invest in its own well-being.Our well-being.Here’s something that happened in the lasttwo years that brings a fine point to understandingthe City’s dilemma. Under its newland use policies, the City telegraphed that itwas prepared to allow densities of up to 6:1(total building square footage six times thesite square footage) in certain areas in andaround the core. With guidance from an outof-townconsultant who demonstrated littleintuitive understanding of either the competitiveregional economic condition or localbusiness culture, the City came up with a bonusdensity policy that said to developers: “Okay,you can build up to 6:1, but we’re going tocharge you a ‘density bonus’ for every squarefoot over 3:1.” In other words: “No problem…,but we’re going to punish you with a significantfinancial disincentive if you try.” As businessmessaging, this is perverse and anti-market,contradictory and un-partnerlike. It doesn’tsay to industry: “Let’s build this city together!”Why this push-pull insanity? The simpleanswer is that the City desperately needs thedough. Driven by that need, it literally cannotafford the costs of acting more entrepreneurially.Next, there is an extremely murky socialand political mindset in Victoria—sniffy,contemptuous and distrusting of business andenterprise, second-rate in its business skills44 April 2013 • FOCUS

and energies. Finally: the City doesn’t seeitself as a partner in or facilitator of successfulbusiness outcomes, just as an administratorand regulator.As a citizen and taxpayer, I don’t like seeingmy city and my downtown at risk. And as aninvestor in real estate—essentially, my home—I don’t like chilly reminders that no law preventsVictoria real estate values from tumbling ifthis place loses its lustre. Addicted to the hoped-(and prayed-) for constancy of provincial civilservice presence in and around downtown (acrapshoot) and the sugar-high of seasonaltourism, Victoria coupon-clips as if these conditionswere ordained. As downtown retailvacancy and the City’s budget challengesdemonstrate, they’re not.I’ve noted in a recent column that if allthe central area condos and rental units underconstruction or somewhere in the pipeline hitthe market in the coming years, it will addto the central area about 2000 additional residentialunits trolling for roughly 3000 occupants.Take my word for it: 3000 additional residentsliving and shopping and, with luck and effort,working in and near downtown wouldprofoundly improve the economy and thestreet tone of the city.However, downtown commercial rentalvacancies are gradually rising, nudging 8percent. Suburban retail is eating downtown’slunch; and under current circumstances andtrends, a lot more downtown retail is at riskof falling below the threshold of businessviability—with all due respect to comic bookshops, tattoo joints and specialty tea stores,which are great but not exactly cornerstoneenterprises in today’s urban economy.To the extent that it’s possible to divine Citythinking on the subject, the only strategy operatingright now is to try to woo suburbanshoppers downtown by dangling the “specialness”of the place: Fizzy bribes like parades,festivals, fireworks, unique character, and soon. This will not work to any appreciabledegree. Car culture finds its own level and,trust me, the Market On Millstream makesthe Market On Yates look like a lemonadestand. My guess is that the Downtown publicrealm—streets and other public spaces—probablyneeds a serious $20-million fluff-up. Anda mobility strategy designed to whisk people(and their shopping dollars) Downtown costfreefrom James Bay, Fairfield, Fernwood,Gorge-Burnside and Vic West hasn’t even beenconceived, leave alone priced.Not surprisingly, a Downtown jobs/livingparadigm hasn’t been formulated either. Notby anyone. The vision of an emergingDowntown, as expressed in planning documentsand policies, as articulated and ratifiedby mayor and council, is un-dreaming, unsure,underwhelming, un-strategic.Years and years of inattention and neglect—the result of hubris, complacency, budgetarybotch and mis-investment—have taken us tothis place. It really is time for a local politicalrevolution, which is to say it’s time for public(voter) outrage and action. It’s also time for anew crop of political hopefuls who can articulatevision, intention, substance and a detailedplan—before this city goes smelly with rot.That said, changing the multifarious habits—the culture, really—of this place is going to beexhausting and nearly thankless. It starts withthe need to replace conceits about howDowntown is the “centre of it all” with amuscular plan to actually re-make the centreas the centre—on its own terms. The onlyshopping carts I see in and around Downtownare filled with beer and wine empties and thescant possessions of the marginal, not food ormerchandise. By contrast, Greater Victoria’ssuburbs are almost totally self-sufficient—economically, culturally, recreationally, socially;so the continuing effort to invite suburbanitesto live their economic lives Downtown mustbe acknowledged as an ever-more-threadyand pointless undertaking.Instead, how to ensure that an eventual10,000-15,000 new residents are able to live,work and function south of Bay Street, westof Cook is, in my view, the City’s job #1. Ourjob as citizens and voters is to send the Citythat message, as quickly as possible.Funny, but obscured by our dewy love ofthe old Victoria—mostly, the buildings downhillof Government Street—is the realizationthat they were shoulder-to-shoulder commercialstructures created largely by a bumptiousmerchant class—people who were confidentabout the city’s economic future and theiropportunity to make dough.The buildings weren’t an earlier generation’sidea of a legacy heritage project. Thestructures—and the merchant dreams thatfounded them—are at their centenary. Frankly,I can’t think of a better way to celebrate oldbricks than with new plans for economic regeneration.If you’ve got ideas, contact us.Gene Miller, founder of MondayMagazine and the GainingGround Conferences, is currentlywriting The Hundred-MileEconomy: Preparing For Local Life.Dispute resolution supportfor your parenting, yourfamily and your workplace.• MEDIATION• DECISIONMAKINGSUPPORT• PARENTINGCO-ORDINATIONPATRICIALANEC. Med, LL.BLawyer*/Mediator250.598.3992*denotes Law Corporationwww.focusonline.ca • April 201345

Here’s the challenge, BC HydroTRUDY DUIVENVOORDEN MITICTell us how society—not business and government—will benefit from smart meters.finding balanceOne of these days, I suppose,the BC Hydro folks will sendsomeone to our door toinquire why we’ve been so contrarywith respect to the “smart meter.”They might be surprised to see thatwe don’t wear the metaphorical tinfoilhats that some critics, both local andaway, have used to berate anyonewho’s been hesitant about Hydro’sbehemoth meter replacement project.The messy history of this sagabegan—at least for the public—in2010 and has already been coveredby Focus. (See Rob Wipond’s articlesonline in the September and November,2011 issues.) But a few milestonesare worth reiterating. The beginning,for example, when the BC governmentfast-tracked a Clean Air Act thatset the stage for replacing all 1.8 millionanalogue power meters in the provincewith smart meters. Estimated cost: Abillion dollars. You’d think that wouldcall for some independent analysisand public consultation, but no, thesewere waved aside because, for reasonsnot clear, the project needed to be done by December 2012. (It’s obviouslybehind schedule.)What we do know is that the analogue meters were working fineuntil the day a serious gnashing of teeth at both the legislature andBC Hydro relegated them to the scrap heap. The contract to replacethem was swiftly handed to a company named Corix, which is halfownedby CAI Capital Management. The threads that connect thistriumvirate of government, BC Hydro and CAI weave an intricatecat’s cradle of sorts, most notably through a woman named TraceyMcVicar who heads up western Canada operations at CAI and sitson BC Hydro’s board of directors. David Emerson, the prominentfederal Liberal-turned-Conservative politician, is also a CAI executivewho happens to know the entry code to inner circles at both thegovernment and BC Hydro.But let’s assume these beginnings were ethical, and let’s also notbelabour the possibly genuine health concerns surrounding smartmeters. (Truth is, smart meter or not, we’ve already created a stew ofelectromagnetic sludge and we’re living in the bottom of the pot.)My biggest stumbling block is the project’s lack of legitimateraison d’être. That the old meters are old, that stolen electricity will berecouped, and that power outages can now be reported in nanoseconds(i.e. “improved customer service”) don’t add up to viable reasonsfor a billion-dollar retrofit. BC Hydro glibly pitches the rhetoric—“the$930 million investment in the Smart Metering Program will deliver$1.6 billion in savings to our customers over the next 20 years”—butoffers no numbers to back that up. Itdoesn’t dare mention time-of-daypricing, which is the specific moneyand-electricity-savingapplication thatsmart meters have been designed for.Yes, the rates will go up. Rates do:that’s part of life. Hydro rates increasedlast year and will again in 2013. Buttime-of-day pricing would give usmore control over our bill than thecurrent stepped-rate formula does,and it would also be fairer. Of coursewe won’t be up in the night, washingand cooking, but our machines couldbe. Already there are devices to helpshift our usage away from peak periods.Dishwashers have had delayed-startoptions for years, and many washingmachines now have them too. Thermalstorage systems can heat up duringthe night and store the heat until weneed it in the morning, like a Thermosbottle. (Nova Scotia Power has longbeen promoting them.) Hot waterheaters will inevitably do the same.This load transfer to off-peak hourswould even-out our usage and, alongwith increased conservation and expanded alternate energy sourcesthat have been touted as priorities by BC Hydro, would definitely easeour draw on the grid, perhaps even enough to put the Site C Damproject on hold. (It’s scheduled to flood a devastating 5550 hectaresof pristine land.) Avoiding that would be worth a billion dollars.So, BC Hydro, talk if you want me to buy into your smart meterproject. Tell me how society—not business and government—willbenefit from this massive overhaul. Show me a business plan that’s goodfor us and the environment. Tell me about the permanent jobs you’llcreate and how you’ll offset the hardship for the 400 meter readersalready declared redundant. Tell me how the mountain of valuableresources in the old meters is being reclaimed. Share your serious planfor alternate energy development, and your programs for helping usreduce our use, including when you plan to introduce time-of-daypricing. Tell me about privacy protection, a serious and rightful concern.And don’t make so much of that power outage feature. I’m still quitecapable of using the phone.ILLUSTRATION: APRIL CAVERHILLTrudy Duivenvoorden recently had her attic insulatedto a cozy R50 and dreams of the day when truly greenenergy will be the norm.46 April 2013 • FOCUS

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