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Volume 6, Issue 4 APRIL 20, 2015 Published by the University Neighbourhoods Association Asian languages on the incline UNA residents go to Victoria to glimpse democracy in action Man arrested after sexual assaults on buses traveling to UBC A man has been arrested by Metro Van- couver Transit Police after incidents of sexual assault on women traveling to UBC by bus. On March 2, around 8:00 am, a pas- senger witnessed the sexual assault of an- other passenger on the Route 33 bus trav- elling from the 29th Avenue SkyTrain Station to UBC. The witness advised the Three other assaults on women investigated recently in UBC area John Tompkins The Campus Resident Editor bus operator who called Transit Police, but the suspect got off the bus shortly af- terwards in the 2100 block of Wesbrook Mall. The victim and witness were both in- terviewed, with the witness saying that the same suspect had assaulted her in the same manner (groping of leg and thigh) in early February on the same bus route, but she had felt too frightened to report it at the time. An investigation was initiated into the incidents. Then, on March 17, the witness to the March 2 incident called police that she was on the Route 33 bus, and the suspect was also on board. Police attended the 2200 block West 16th Avenue and removed the suspect from the bus, placing him under arrest. The suspect was later released on a Prom- ise to Appear in Vancouver Provincial Court on April 29 and on an Undertaking Given to a Peace Officer with conditions that he not be found on any Coast Moun- tain Bus, any SeaBus or any SkyTrain or Canada Line train. He is a 57 year old Vancouver man, not previously known to police. ARREST continued on Page 10 A UNA report on demographics reveals how much English is on the decline as the primary language of campus residents. The UNA report compares data from the 2011 census with figures from a survey conducted in 2008 (the McAllister Com- munity Survey). The 2008 survey revealed that English was the primary language in 69% of cam- pus households. According to the census, the figure had dropped to 36% by 2011. In the same three-year period, the num- ber of households whose members speak primarily an Asian language doubled to 44% from 22%. The 2008 study broke down ‘Asian lan- guages’ into three categories: Mandarin 13%, Korean 6% and Cantonese 3%. English loses ground as primary language on campus LANGUAGE continued on Page 5 Route 33 bus at the UBC Bus Loop. UNA Civic Engagement Committee (CEC) organized an educational tour to BC legislature in Victoria in March. (Turn to Page 6 for story by Sabrina Zhang, CEC Chair). Photo by Qiu Hong. UNA voting procedures under discussion Elections Advisory Committee presents three options Members, Elections Advisory Committee When the University Neighbourhoods Association (UNA) was founded in 2002 and first developed the procedures to guide the election of its resident direc- tors, its total population was under 2,500. Currently, the UNA’s population hovers around 9,000—more than the population of about 100 of British Columbia’s 165 municipalities—and may reach 24,500 when all of the currently planned neigh- bourhoods are completed. The UNA’s current electoral procedures are rooted in the UNA’s humble beginnings and are not in line with the best practices of lo- cal governments in British Columbia. As a result, the directors of the UNA felt that it is time to consider reforming our elec- tion procedures. In January 2015, the UNA Board es- tablished the Elections Advisory Com- mittee and appointed the undersigned to serve as members. The UNA entrusted us to represent our community and mobilize our collective experience and expertise to conduct a review of UNA election poli- cies and procedures, consider reforms to these procedures and recommend proce- dures for future elections. The Committee has hued to a narrow interpretation of this mandate by, for in- stance, not examining issues linked to the timing of elections, the term for which elected directors are to serve, the stag- gering of directors’ terms (i.e., electing only half of the resident directors in each election) or the regulation of candidates’ conduct during the election period. Following numerous meetings, fact- finding assignments and spirited discus- sions, the Committee has developed three options for consideration: • Enhanced mail-in/delivery: This op- tion continues and enhances the current mail-in/delivery procedure by adding a three-envelope voting system—secrecy, certification and return envelopes—and requiring that voters sign a declaration. • In-person voting: In-person voting would occur at one or more polling sta- tions, with the ability to request a mail-in ballot instead. VOTING continued on Page 2

Campus Resident Volume 6 Issue 4, April 2015

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Page 1: Campus Resident Volume 6 Issue 4, April 2015

Volume 6, Issue 4 APRIL 20, 2015

Published by the University Neighbourhoods Association

Published monthly by the University Neighbourhoods Association, #202-5923 Berton Avenue, Vancouver BC, V6S0B3

Asian languages on the incline

UNA residents go to Victoria to glimpse democracy in action

Man arrested after sexual assaults on buses traveling

to UBC

A man has been arrested by Metro Van-couver Transit Police after incidents of sexual assault on women traveling to UBC by bus. On March 2, around 8:00 am, a pas-senger witnessed the sexual assault of an-other passenger on the Route 33 bus trav-elling from the 29th Avenue SkyTrain Station to UBC. The witness advised the

Three other assaults on women investigated recently in UBC area

John TompkinsThe Campus Resident Editor

bus operator who called Transit Police, but the suspect got off the bus shortly af-terwards in the 2100 block of Wesbrook Mall. The victim and witness were both in-terviewed, with the witness saying that the same suspect had assaulted her in the same manner (groping of leg and thigh) in early February on the same bus route, but she had felt too frightened to report it at the time. An investigation was initiated into the incidents. Then, on March 17, the witness to the March 2 incident called police that she was on the Route 33 bus, and the suspect was also on board. Police attended the 2200 block West 16th Avenue and removed the suspect from the bus, placing him under arrest. The suspect was later released on a Prom-ise to Appear in Vancouver Provincial Court on April 29 and on an Undertaking Given to a Peace Officer with conditions that he not be found on any Coast Moun-tain Bus, any SeaBus or any SkyTrain or Canada Line train. He is a 57 year old Vancouver man, not previously known to police.

ARREST continued on Page 10

A UNA report on demographics reveals how much English is on the decline as the primary language of campus residents. The UNA report compares data from the 2011 census with figures from a survey conducted in 2008 (the McAllister Com-munity Survey). The 2008 survey revealed that English was the primary language in 69% of cam-pus households. According to the census, the figure had dropped to 36% by 2011.In the same three-year period, the num-ber of households whose members speak primarily an Asian language doubled to 44% from 22%. The 2008 study broke down ‘Asian lan-guages’ into three categories: Mandarin 13%, Korean 6% and Cantonese 3%.

English loses ground as primary language

on campus

LANGUAGE continued on Page 5Route 33 bus at the UBC Bus Loop.

UNA Civic Engagement Committee (CEC) organized an educational tour to BC legislature in Victoria in March. (Turn to Page 6 for story by Sabrina Zhang, CEC Chair). Photo by Qiu Hong.

UNA voting procedures

under discussion

Elections Advisory Committee presents three options

Members, Elections Advisory Committee

When the University Neighbourhoods Association (UNA) was founded in 2002 and first developed the procedures to guide the election of its resident direc-tors, its total population was under 2,500. Currently, the UNA’s population hovers around 9,000—more than the population of about 100 of British Columbia’s 165 municipalities—and may reach 24,500 when all of the currently planned neigh-bourhoods are completed. The UNA’s current electoral procedures are rooted in the UNA’s humble beginnings and are not in line with the best practices of lo-cal governments in British Columbia. As a result, the directors of the UNA felt that it is time to consider reforming our elec-tion procedures. In January 2015, the UNA Board es-tablished the Elections Advisory Com-mittee and appointed the undersigned to serve as members. The UNA entrusted us to represent our community and mobilize our collective experience and expertise to conduct a review of UNA election poli-cies and procedures, consider reforms to these procedures and recommend proce-dures for future elections. The Committee has hued to a narrow interpretation of this mandate by, for in-stance, not examining issues linked to the timing of elections, the term for which elected directors are to serve, the stag-gering of directors’ terms (i.e., electing only half of the resident directors in each election) or the regulation of candidates’ conduct during the election period. Following numerous meetings, fact-finding assignments and spirited discus-sions, the Committee has developed three options for consideration: • Enhanced mail-in/delivery: This op-tion continues and enhances the current mail-in/delivery procedure by adding a three-envelope voting system—secrecy, certification and return envelopes—and requiring that voters sign a declaration. • In-person voting: In-person voting would occur at one or more polling sta-tions, with the ability to request a mail-in ballot instead.

VOTING continued on Page 2

Page 2: Campus Resident Volume 6 Issue 4, April 2015

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT APRIL 20, 2015page 2

• Online voting: Voting would be on-line, using a secure third-party software platform. These three options, as well as an over-view of the election system currently used at the UNA, are presented in far greater detail in a paper made available online at: www.myuna.ca.The Committee invites all residents of the UNA to provide feedback and com-ments on the options we’ve presented. In particular, we wish to know if you have a strong preference for one of the options or maybe you have ranked them from most to least desirable. Alternatively, you may prefer to maintain the current sys-tem. Whatever your views, we encourage you to provide your comments by email to [email protected]. The dead-line for doing so is Monday, May 11. The Committee will also be holding a town hall on Thursday, May 7 at MBA House (in Wesbrook Village), from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. This meeting will include a pre-sentation from Committee members and a discussion of all three options. The Committee wishes to highlight that the option that is most likely to be implemented in time for this year’s elec-tion is the enhanced mail-in/delivery op-tion. This does not mean, however, that the other two options will not to be con-sidered seriously, especially if members of the community express strong support for one of the other two options. If you prefer the in-person or online voting op-tion, please indicate what, if any, interim reforms you wish to see implemented in time for the 2015 election. The Committee will review the results of the consultation and will present a re-port to the UNA Standing Committee on Governance (a committee of the UNA Board of Directors) in time for its May 26 meeting. Based on the report, the Governance Committee will decide whether to rec-ommend to the UNA Board that it pro-ceed with reforming the UNA’s voting procedure. The final decision rests with the UNA Board and may be made at its June 9 meeting. If the Board were to de-cide to implement in-person or online voting, amendments would have to be made to the UNA Bylaws. The amend-ments would be subject to the approval of UNA members. The Committee very much looks for-ward to reading or hearing the communi-ty’s thoughts on this important issue. Our members will strive to propose a system that is as transparent and democratic as possible and is adapted to a rapidly grow-ing community. We welcome your input.

Members of the Elections Advisory Committee:-Max Cameron Committee Chair Hawthorn Place resident-Allan Craigie Hawthorn Place resident-Mike Feeley Hawthorn Place resident and Former UNA Chair-Bill Holmes Hampton Place resident-Sandy SongHawthorn Place resident-Pierre Cenerelli AMS, University & Government Relations Advisor-Chris Fay UBC Campus and Community Planning-Michal Jaworski UBC Office of University Counsel

VOTING continued from Page 1

Options - UNA Election Procedures

• Secret ballot• Incremental change to status quo• Comparable resource needs to current practice• Closer to municipal practice than status quo

• Secret ballot• Reflects municipal practice• In-person voting may provide an opportunity for community engagement• Limiting mail-in to those who request ballots encourages in-person voting• Mail-in allows voting for members who are away or have mobility issues

• Secret ballot• Allows voting for members who are away or have mobility issues• Provides flexible voting times• May reduce resource needs over long term• Eliminates spoiled ballots and errors• May increase turnout in certain demographics

• Less ballot secrecy compared to in-person voting• Change to current practice may lower turnout• May provide less opportunity for community engagement than in-person voting

• Requires additional resources• Requirement to vote in person or request ballot may decrease turnout• In-person voting may be inconvenient for certain voters

• Less ballot secrecy compared to in-person voting• Higher resource needs in short term• Departure from BC municipal practice• Technical uncertainty• Change to current practice may lower turnout• May discourage turnout in certain demographics

• Mail-in ballot sent to all members• Secrecy envelope for ballot, certification envelope signed by voter, return envelope for whole package• Voters signs to attest they meet voting requirements and have not already voted

• In-person voting at designated places and times• Voters must request mail-in ballot• Voter signs to attest they meet voting requirements and have not already voted

• Online voting via third-party platform• Voters authenticated by mailed-out or emailed PINs• Could be combined with in-person voting at designated locations (e.g., via iPads)• Voter electronically attests they meet voting requirements and have not already voted

OPTION B IN-PERSON +

ENHANCED MAIL-IN/DELIVERY

OPTION C ONLINE

OPTION AENHANCED MAIL-IN/DELIVERY

DESCRIPTION

PROS

CONS

Page 3: Campus Resident Volume 6 Issue 4, April 2015

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT APRIL 20, 2015

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

page 3

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

Design ProductionRebecca Indphone: 604.822.9675 email: [email protected]

Advertising enquiriesemail: [email protected]

Letter to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Include name, address and telephone number. Maximum lengths: Letters 400 words. Opinions 750 words. We may edit or decline to publish any

submission.

Have you ever noticed how clean the sidewalks are on the commercial area of West 10th Avenue? I don’t know if a lo-cal business association is paying to have this work done, but I do know that I have seen one individual picking up pieces of paper, weeding the flower beds around the tree wells, scrubbing the graffiti from the Telus building wall and generally cleaning up along the south side of the 4600 block. I have on occasion thanked him for the cleanliness of this street, and he just beams with pride that people notice his work. I stopped and talked with him the other day and found out his name is Angus, and that he does this work on both sides of the street down to the Shell station. If you see him express your appreciation for I am sure he would appreciate know-ing that people care for what he is doing to make our community better. Thank you, Angus!

Jim CaudleHampton Place resident

Editor’s Note: Local merchants are sup-portive and grateful for the work that An-

Thank you, Angus!gus does in the community, said Michelle Barile, Manager of Point Grey Village Business Association (BIA), in a letter to The Campus Resident. In addition to the efforts of local mer-chants and residents, the BIA operates—in partnership with Coast Mental Health, which provides social employment op-portunities—several programs that help to keep the area clean, including landscaping and hanging flower basket programs. Ms. Barile said, “Collectively, we can all make a positive difference to the area, and Angus is an inspirational individual for his contribution to the community.”

UBC Community Conversations – renewing partnership through dialogue

The UNA and UBC have had a long his-tory of partnership and collaboration. Over the past year, the two organizations have been focused on strengthening the rela-tionship. One of the outcomes of this is a new initiative, UBC Community Conver-sations. Increased engagement with the communityLast year, as part of UBC’s commitment to community engagement, Campus and Community Planning (C+CP) worked with campus stakeholders, including the UNA, to create ten engagement principles. The Engagement Principles are designed to en-able constructive dialogue and were cre-ated through a consultation process with the UNA, campus stakeholders and other neighbouring governments. They create a clarity and transparency to how C+CP de-fines, designs, implements and concludes public engagement in UBC’s land use and community planning processes. Ongoing conversationsThrough these principles, C+CP and UNA launched UBC Community Conversations in January 2015 to provide a platform for UBC residents, students, faculty and staff

to meet with UBC community leaders to discuss updates on upcoming planning, development projects and community programs. Michael White, Associate Vice President from C+CP explains, “The goal of the UBC Community Conversations is to create opportunities for transparent and ongoing dialogue with UNA and other campus interests on planning and devel-opment topics. We want to take the time to share the latest information and enable discussion on current and future projects. C+CP’s partnership with UNA is a very important part of building and shaping a vibrant and sustainable community.” The first UBC Community Conversations was a neighbourhood residents’ event. The event was held on January 6 at the Old Barn Community Centre and started with a Q&A session. Participants also reviewed display boards and asked follow up ques-tions with staff and UNA Board directors. The questions asked during the Q&A were largely focused on traffic management, including speeding issues on West 16th Avenue. Residents raised concerns on the traffic volume, flow, safety and speed at the roundabout at West 16th Avenue and Wesbrook Mall. Talking about transportationThe next UBC Community Conversa-tions neighbourhood residents’ event will have a transportation theme. It will be an

opportunity for residents to continue the conversation on transportation with C+CP transportation staff and to learn more about the transit referendum underway. This event will take place on May 5, 2015 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm on the 2nd floor meeting room of the Old Barn Community Centre. There will be UBC Community Conver-sations ‘Pop-up’ events scheduled for later this year where you will see C+CP info booths in neighbourhood and academic areas. More UNA-UBC connectionsUBC works in partnership with the UNA to continue building and shaping com-munity through collaborative community programs. One such program is the joint UBC-UNA Community Grants program. This program connects people living at UBC to their community by funding com-munity-driven projects that build capacity to foster greater community connections and community-led engagement. Past winning projects include The Caribbean African Association’s Connection Week, UNA Children’s Garden Winter Work-shop and UTown@UBC Youth Documen-tary Project. For more information on the Community Grants program, visit [email protected]. The UNA and UBC also work together to deliver several other community pro-

grams, including KidsFit, Walk n’ Roll, Nature Club and the Youth Leadership Program. Many of these youth and com-munity programs are the result of UBC working in partnership with the UNA to leverage academic facilities and resources like the School of Kinesiology, Museum of Anthropology, Botanical Gardens and Beatty Biodiversity Museum. The University is a place of engagement, and UBC remains strongly committed to working in partnership with the UNA to build and shape community and engag-ing meaningfully with residents. Programs like the UBC Community Conversations enable effective two way communication with the local residents on an on-going basis. By helping C+CP to have a clear understanding of residents’ questions and concerns, there will be more opportuni-ties to address these concerns and leverage shared efforts. As Richard Alexander, Board Chair of the UNA concludes, “UBC Community Conversations is an important initiative that is helping strengthen our community. Meeting with residents on a regular basis builds a better understanding of what mat-ters to people that live here. Our collabora-tion with C+CP is a key part of providing high quality community program and ser-vices to our residents.”

UBC Campus and Community Planning Staff

Charles Menzies steps down from executive posts

While remaining a Director of the UNA, Hawthorn Place resident Charles Menzies has stepped down both as Chair of the Standing Committee on Governance and Secretary of the UNA. In a surprise announcement at the April 14 UNA Board meeting, Mr. Menzies said he was “no longer able to support the ma-jority direction of the Board”. In his fourth year as a UNA Director, Mr. Menzies served for almost three years as Chair of the Standing Committee on Gov-ernance and UNA Secretary. “The first year was quite exhilarating. I felt the positive benefits of a shared politi-cal vision amongst the resident directors. While we would disagree on the finer de-tails, we did share a common vision that improvements in governance were need-ed.” Over time, however, “the reality of UBC’s overwhelming presence in the af-fairs of UNA governance has lead to grow-ing differences of perspective, both on the place of the UNA within UBC’s domain and the particular issues that the UNA should focus upon. He said, “These differences in perspec-tive have been intensified with the change over in resident directors.” A professor of anthropology at UBC,

the outspoken Mr. Menzies has long sub-scribed to the idea of self-governance for campus residents—of which there are now about 9,000. “It’s my view and the view of many oth-ers, that the best way to rule a community is through self-governance,” he told his seven fellow-directors. Reading from a prepared statement, Mr. Menzies said, “I take issue with the way some have used UNA structures to essen-tially create a political party within the UNA… I find it offensive to observe com-mittees of the UNA, ostensibly set up to engage the entire community, focus on one sub-set and then not regularly report to the Board on their activities.” The Director said “it is my heartfelt be-lief that we have a civic duty to advocate for our collective future as a self- governed community. We must attend to the details of day-to day operations, but we must also look to our community’s future. “It’s inconceivable that a community of our size and scale would still, in the 21st century, be managed like a late 19th cen-tury company town. I had hoped that my colleagues would share with me the desire to address the democratic deficit. But on this point we do not see eye to eye.”

Page 4: Campus Resident Volume 6 Issue 4, April 2015

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT APRIL 20, 2015page 4

Transit Funding PlebisciteMaria Harris

Member, Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation

and Electoral Area A Director, Metro Vancouver

Plebiscite statistics Elections BC publishes a report every Wednesday showing the number of reg-istered voters in each Metro Vancouver municipality and in Electoral Area A as well as the number of ballots returned

from each jurisdiction. The reports are available from the plebiscite results page of the Elections BC website (www.elec-tions.bc.ca). According to the April 15 report, there are 6,353 registered voters in Electoral Area A. Clearly, many eligible voters

Emergency notifications from UBC Alert, an emergency notification sys-tem, will be sent to UNA residents who are UNA members, or who have a UNA Access Card. Notification about signifi-cant emergencies/disasters impacting the campus will be sent to you by text mes-sage to cell phones. The following questions and answers will explain UBC Alert system. What is UBC Alert?UBC Alert is an emergency mass notifi-cation system that has the capability to disseminate important information out

Alert System for UNA residentsCalvin Cheung

Director, Operations and Risk Management

University Neighbourhoods Association

to residents, faculty, staff and students during a major emergency or disaster on campus. How does this work in the event of an emergency or disaster?If an event is deemed to negatively im-pact or put individuals at risk on campus, UBC will send a notification with perti-nent information about the situation via text to individuals who have registered their cell phone numbers under the UBC Alert system. It should be noted that de-pending on the scale and impact of the emergency, residents should expect that notifications can be delayed or may not arrive. UBC Alert is intended to serve as a primary method of emergency notifica-tion, however, if available, the UNA and UBC will post emergency notifications on their main websites and other social media. How am I eligible?Any UNA resident that has signed up for

the UNA Access Card or UNA Member-ship will be automatically enrolled to re-ceive emergency notification messages via cell phone. How would I benefit from having it?Residents who are registered for UBC Alert can receive emergency notification and updates to the situation that may im-pact their life-safety on campus. What are consequences for not join-ing UBC Alert?Residents who are not enrolled for UBC Alert may not be informed about major emergencies or disasters on campus as quickly or effectively. What happens if my cell phone isn’t working?You will not receive a text message if your cell phone is not working during the time when the text has been sent. What is the history of this system?UBC Alert is a newly acquired emer-gency mass notification system which

replaces UBC’s legacy system. This new system is more robust and has a larger capability for future system functionality expansion. What role does UNA and UBC play in this?As part of UBC’s commitment to inte-grate the UNA within their Emergency Management Plan, emergency notifica-tion for the residential neighbourhoods was also contemplated. Through col-laborative efforts between the UNA and UBC, UBC Alert is made available as a method of emergency notification to resi-dents in the event of a large scale event or incident on campus. UBC is the owner and administrator for the UBC Alert sys-tem. The UNA will continue to work with UBC on many upcoming facets of emergency management, to increase the overall level of readiness on campus.

have not registered. By my estimate, at least 10,000 residents are eligible to vote.The report shows 494 ballot packages as having been returned from Electoral Area A, which is 7.8% of registered voters. However, that understates the number actually returned. Ballot packages are not counted until they have been screened by Elections BC, a process that appears to take a couple of weeks. The return rate for the region as a whole is 15.1%. Given the significant lag between the receipt of ballots and their inclusion in the report, the percentage may actually be much higher. Have You Received Your Voting Pack-age? If you haven’t yet received a voting package for the transit funding plebiscite and are eligible to vote, you should call Elections BC at 1-800-661-8683. The phone lines are open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 8 pm and Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm. It takes only a couple of minutes to register and request a voting package. You will need to give either your Social Insurance Number or your B.C. driver’s licence number. Your pack-age should be on its way to you by mail within a couple of business days. Do not register online. Elections BC is severely backlogged in processing on-line registrations and it could take several weeks to receive a voting package. If you have registered online and are waiting for your package to arrive, a phone call will speed it up. Before marking your ballot, I encourage you to become familiar with the Mayors’ Council plan, available at mayorscouncil.ca. Please, consider carefully the reasons you read or hear to vote one way or the other. My website (www.mariaharris.ca) has a set of FAQs (frequently asked ques-tions) which you will find informative. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if you would like to discuss anything relat-ing to the plebiscite. You can reach me at 604.225.2254 or by email at [email protected].

Page 5: Campus Resident Volume 6 Issue 4, April 2015

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT APRIL 20, 2015 page 5

Team up with our fun and energetic leader for an action packed party!

Book a Saturday birthday party now!!

604.822.9675 or [email protected]

LANGUAGE continued from Page 1

2011 PRIMARY LANGUAGE

2008 PRIMARY LANGUAGE

Meanwhile, the 2011 census lists Asian languages as: Mandarin 16%, Chinese (not otherwise specified) 15%, Korean 9% and Cantonese 4%. ( Please note: Chinese ‘not otherwise specified’ means this portion of the population indicated they primarily speak an Asian language but did not specify which one). While the number of households speak-ing other languages in 2008 totalled only 9%, this figure had increased to 20% by 2011 with French 2%, Spanish 2% and Farsi 2% among them. Complete with graphs, the UNA report also focuses on three other sets of demo-

graphics:• UNA population growth. From 2008 to 2011, the UNA population increased from 6,058 to 7,255. Since 2011, it has climbed again—and it now believed to be about 9,000.• Age demographics across all UNA neighbourhoods. From 2008 to 2011, the UNA population of seniors (55+) has de-creased. • Age demographics for each UNA neighbourhood, 2011. In Hampton Place, there is a large number of residents who are seniors, but few children. In Hawthorn, there are many young families as this neighbourhood has the largest pop-ulation of children under the age of 14.

The UNA has recommended the new community centre in Wesbrook Place be called the Wesbrook Community Centre. The UNA will pass the recommenda-tion on to UBC Campus and Community Centre for review and submission to the UBC Naming Committee. The Wesbrook Community Centre is scheduled to be operational in the summer of 2015. The

UNA Board Briefs

Directors decline to donateThe Parents Advisory Council (PAC) of the Norma Rose Point School ap-proached the UNA in search of funding for playground equipment and construc-tion in amount of $25,000. The UNA Board, citing budget cutbacks and with-drawals from reserves to achieve a bal-

anced budget, declined to donate. In the last budget year, the UNA Board of Di-rectors approved funding of $27,500 in two requests received from Norma Rose Point PAC for playground equipment and construction.

Appointments to Volunteer Recognition Committee

Directors appointed three UNA residents Laura Cottle of Hawthorn Place, Rose Wang of Hawthorn Place and Qaisar Ja-han Niazi of East Campus to be the mem-bers of the 2015 UNA Volunteer Recog-

nition Committee. The committee will review nominations and decide on the award recipients. (Please turn to Page 9 for stories on nominees).

New community centre named30,000 sq ft facility will be the largest community centre the UNA will man-age and operate. It is located in the heart of Wesbrook Village, the commercial core of the Wesbrook Place neighbour-hood. It will be a highly visible structure and should become the landmark of the neighbourhood.

The YMCA, one of the largest provid-ers of childcare services in Vancouver, has expressed an interest in partnering with the UNA to provide childcare ser-

YMCA expresses interest in running childcare services

vices in the new Wesbrook Community Centre. The UNA Board of Directors has agreed to sign the Letter of Intent with the YMCA.

Page 6: Campus Resident Volume 6 Issue 4, April 2015

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT APRIL 20, 2015page 6

UNA members at BC Legislature… Sabrina Zhang

Chair, UNA Civic Engagement Committee

The UNA Civic Engagement Committee (CEC) organized a trip to the BC Leg-islature for 49 UNA residents—most of them newcomers and active volunteers in the community. This was an excellent opportunity for the immigrants to get acquainted with the provincial government system and proce-dures of governance in Canada. The trip was planned with the help of David Eby, Member of Legislative As-sembly (MLA) for Vancouver-Point Grey, and on March 25, our group arrived in Victoria eager to see democracy in ac-tion. There were four highlights on this trip:• Brief orientation session—David Eby answered questions from the group about their concerns. • MLAs’ introduction—visitors were in-troduced to the House. • Question Period—David Eby and his colleagues in the Opposition asked ques-tions of government ministers.• Tour of the building of the legislature and tours of the ministries. We spent the whole afternoon in the legislature and were impressed observing Question Period: we all realized how de-mocracy works in Canada! Please read below comments of par-ticipants.Alice Bradley & Nils Bradley We had to agree that the day was use-ful in helping newcomers understand how democracy works at the provincial level. During the Question Period, we observed the incumbent Liberal MLA’s

answering questions posed by the oppo-sition. Following this session, we did a tour of the building, and guides explained the history of parliament and our democ-racy. There were many questions from the newcomers about the processes, and why Question Period was important, and how citizens bring about change in the system. Many of our newcomers come from countries where there might be some kind of “vote”, but where the process is done with more secrecy and less oversight by the public. Furthermore, the politicians do not come under public and journalistic scrutiny during government sessions. In Canada, elected representatives are expected to conduct the running of gov-ernment with openness and honesty. Also, there is accountability, and the public and press are able to watch the proceedings. This is probably one of the best ways to give newcomers an all encompassing

3月25日,UNA居民参与委员会组织居民实地考察维多利亚岛上的省政府大楼。本次活动得到了省议员David Eby办公室的大力支持,主要目的是帮助新移民了解加拿大的政治体系和政府工作的会议流程等。 一共有49个居民参加了本次活动,大部分是新移民和社区的积极义工。这是一个很好的机会让新移民理解省政府的民主体制是如何运行的。 本次考察活动主要分四个部分:1)省议员David Eby简单介绍了省政府的会议流程和注意事项,并回答居民各种问题;2)每个省议员2分钟介绍 3)问题和讨论:省医院门(执政党和反对党)针对各种议题进行讨论和辩论,政府部门的各部长针对议员们的提问进行解答。4)参观省政府大楼 居民们整个下午都在省政府大楼里现场观摩省议员的政府工作会议,并深刻感受到加拿大政治体系所提倡的民主的含义。 以下是参加本次活动的几个居民的收货和感想: ALICE BRADLEY & NILS BRADLEY这次的活动很有意义,尤其能有效地帮助新移民了解和理解省政府民主议事的流程。 在各议员们的提问阶段,我们可以观察到执政的自由党是如何回复反对党的各种问题。 议员工作会议后,我们在省政府大楼的工作人员的带领下参观了整个大楼, 了解到议会大楼的历史和民主的政治体系。 参观过程中新移民们针对政府流程、议员工作会议的重要性、公民如何通过自身的参与去改变政治体系等展开了积极的讨论。 许多新移民所在的国家可能也有“投票”,但这些投票流程可能都是秘密进行,或缺少公众的监督。而且政客们的政府工作会议都不会开放给大众和新闻媒体。 在加拿大,当选的议员们在行驶政府事务时要公开和诚信,同时,大众和媒

体都会进行监督。 让新移民综合地了解加拿大的民主政治体系,实地考察省政府大楼和观看议员工作会议也许是最好的方法之一。因为现场地交流和参与观摩政府工作会议能让新来的人容易接受和了解。 希望这样的活动能每年举办一次,帮助新移民尽快融合到我们的社区。 ROSE WANG这是一次很好的机会让我们这些新加拿大人了解省政府系统如何运作以及省议员如何为民众服务.通过这次活动,我会更多参与社区活动,通过志愿者工作,为社会多做贡献。 BELLA ZHOU在议员的会议室和反对党的官员见面,David 介绍他时半开玩笑地说“这是我的 Boss。” 官员立刻说“我不是他的boss,你们才是他的boss.” 作为访问者与其说佩服他的机智,不如说佩服他们在民主体制下形成的公众利益至上的思维方式。 QAISAR JAHAN NIAZI对我来说,实地考察和观摩维多利亚省政府议员们的工作会议是一个很好的机会。我个人觉得由于每个国家的政治体系都是不一样的,因此参加这样的活动对新移民是非常有用的。 HUNTER LUO通过观摩省议会会议众议员的激烈辩论,以及与省议员David Eby先生的交流,我们可以断定,大众的一切诉求都有望实现,而实现大众诉求的唯一工具就是“选票”。通过你的选票,选出能代表你诉求的议员,通过议员的表决权来改变不合理的法律制度,通过改变法律制度进而改变不符合大众利益的社会现状。我们也知道,一张选票的作用微乎其微,但我们可以通过种种方式向其他大众传达我们的声音,并彼此交流意见。

overview of how democracy works in Canada. The fact that there was inter-pretation through the visit made it easier for participants to get involved. It is our consideration that this should be an an-nual event as it goes a long way to help-ing newcomers integrate into our com-munity.Rose Wang It was a great opportunity for our new Canadian citizens to understand how the government system works, and how the MLAs serve BC residents. It also en-courages me to get more involved in the community services and do more volun-teer work to contribute to our society.Bella Zhou I was impressed at one small thing be-fore we went to observe Questions Pe-riod. When David Eby introduced John Horgan, the Leader of the Opposition, he said, “This is my boss”. John replied, “No, I am not his boss. You all (partici-

pants) are our boss.” As a newcomer, I admire their way of thinking under the Canadian democracy system. Qaisar Jahan Niazi It was a good opportunity for me to visit and witness a session of the Legislature in Victoria. I also feel that this visit was very beneficial to many new immigrants who come from countries with different political systems.Hunter Luo After discussion with David Eby and observing MLAs’ Question Period, I re-alized how they tried democratically to resolve concerns of the citizens in differ-ent areas. These MLAs represent the resi-dents of British Columbia, and we really should use our votes to push forward the right person to express our voice and do the real things for this society.

Chinese translation of above article考察维多利亚省政府大楼之行

In the Legislature, UNA residents are joined by NDP MLA for Vancouver-Point Grey David Eby (centre, back row) and John Horgan, NDP Leader. Photo by Qiu Hong.

Page 7: Campus Resident Volume 6 Issue 4, April 2015

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT APRIL 20, 2015 page 7

On March 25, I welcomed about 50 guests from the UNA to the BC Legis-lature. It must have been a long and re-warding day for them! A visit to BC’s legislature—while it is sitting—is a chance to not just see your representative (me) in action, but also a chance to learn more about the Canadian parliamentary system based on the British system. The building is open to the public all year long, and free tours are regularly held where you can learn more about the remarkable history of this place. From the full in-house broadcasting centre of the Hansard Services that re-cords and transcribes almost every word said in the House to the stunning central alcove and dome of the main building, there’s lots to see. Thanks to the efforts of the UNA Civic Engagement Committee, UNA staff and my staff in Vancouver and Victoria, we were able to plan a full day of tours, lunch and passes to the legislature’s visi-tor gallery – a first for many of the UNA guests. For the visitors from the UNA, many of whom are new Canadians or in the pro-cess of becoming citizens, this visit was a first chance to see Canadian democracy in action. The highlight of any visit to the legislature is certainly Question Period, where the opposition NDP gets to ask questions of the governing BC Liberal Party. On the day of the UNA visit, our guests were in luck: the Premier was attending and answering questions. She often at-

David EbyMember of the Legislative

Assembly (MLA), Vancouver-Point Grey

Official Opposition Spokesperson for Housing, Liquor, Gaming,

Tourism and BC Pavilion Corporation

tends just one sitting per week, preferring not to be in Victoria. Many people are surprised to hear that the only attendance requirement for an elected representative is to attend at least one day of the session! Before Question Period—with the loud desk banging on both sides of the legis-lature—I had a chance to join the UNA visitors for lunch where, with the help of some informal translation, we held a lively question and answer period about issues like education, healthcare and housing. Leader of the BC NDP John Horgan stopped by to say ‘Hi’ and intro-duce himself to the group as well. If you’re planning on visiting Victoria, be sure to do what the UNA Civic En-gagement Committee did—contact my office! We can help arrange guest passes, tours and make your visit that much more exciting. Thank you very much to everyone that helped make this visit to Victoria a fun time for everyone. I hope we can do it again soon. Vancouver-Point Grey, where MLA Da-vid Eby is provincial government rep-resentative, includes UBC and the Uni-versity neighbourhoods. Mr. Eby can be reached at his office at (604) 660-1297 or [email protected] to arrange a tour or for any questions related to pro-vincial government policy.

... House welcomes UNA residents

David Eby speaks with UNA residents. Photo by Qiu Hong.

UNA居民参观维多利亚省府,实时体验民主议事程序

Chinese translation of above article

尹大卫,Vancouver-Point Grey区省议员,反对党发言人,负责住房、酒类专卖、博彩业、旅游和BC Pavilion

Corporation

3月25日,五十位UNA居民一大早乘大巴前往维多利亚参观BC省议会,傍晚才返回。

这是一个颇有收获的一天! 参观正在议事中的BC省议会,不仅能看到辖区代表(我本人)的工作状态,还能有机会了解更多BC省的议会体制。议会大厅全年对公众开放,有定时的免费讲解团帮助你更深地了解省府大楼非凡的历史。 从几乎能一字不漏地记录议员发言的全直播中心, 到大厅里的精美的壁龛穹顶,有很丰富的内容可供浏览。 感谢UNA居民参与委员会、UNA员工以及我在温哥华和维多利亚同事的共同努力,我们能够安排这样一个整天的访问,在议会大厦内午餐在公众席落座聆听议员辩论 — 这对很多UNA居民来说是一次新鲜的体验。 参与此次活动的UNA居民中,不少是新移民,有些正在申请成为公民,这是他们第一次实时体验加拿大民主体制。作为反对

党的新民主党向 BC 自由党政府进行提问和质询,是此次参观一个重要的部分。

这是幸运的一天,因为省长当天也出席了议会并回答提问。她一般每周只出席一次议会议会,尽量不在维多利亚久留。大家有点惊讶,当知道当选代表每周必须至少出席一次会议。 质询开始之前,议会双方代表拍桌子发出很大的声音,我有机会和UNA居民共进午餐。在翻译的帮助下, 我们讨论了关于教育、医疗和住房等话题。BC新民主党领袖John Horgan也和大家进行了简短的会面。 如果你计划游览维多利亚,记住像UNA公民参与委员会所做的一样——联系我的办公室。我们可以协助安排你们参观省府大楼,使你的旅行更加有趣。

感谢UNA居民参与委员会的每一位成员、UNA员工以及我的同事,安排了一次有趣的维多利亚之行。 我希望不久我能够再次接待大家。 尹大卫是 Vancouver-Point Grey区省议员,代表UBC 和UNA社区。如果你希望安排访问省府或咨询省政府政策,可联系尹先生,他的办公室电话:(604) 660-1297;他的邮箱:[email protected]

UNA residents receive a guided tour. Photo by Qiu Hong.

Page 8: Campus Resident Volume 6 Issue 4, April 2015

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT APRIL 20, 2015page 8

Campus and Community Planning has received a Development Permit applica-tion for Phase 1 of the Brock Commons Student Residence, an 18-storey building with 408 upper year and graduate student beds. This project, also known as the Tall Wood Student Residence, is adjacent to

UBC introduces Tall Wood building to neighbours

the Chancellor Place residential neigh-bourhood. An information session will take place April 23 with an open house to follow. Details will be posted at: http://planning.ubc.ca/vancouver/projectscon-sultations/application/academic-lands/brock-commons-student-residence.

UBC plans to develop additional under-graduate student housing in the Totem Park Residence. The proposal is for 350 first-year student beds, bringing Totem Park’s total student population to 2,100.

More students beds planned across from Hawthorn Place

The project would be constructed in place of the existing tennis courts adja-cent to Marine Drive, located across To-tem Field from the Hawthorn Place resi-dential neighbourhood.

Campus and Community Planning has approved a minor Development Per-mit amendment changing the use of a ground-floor unit in Wesbrook Place’s Yu

Shops planned for residential buildingModern Green residential building from ‘Institutional/Research Facility’ to ‘Com-mercial/Retail Use.’

UBC expects construction on the Wes-brook Mall roundabout safety enhance-ments to be completed in late April 2015. Traffic control details including detours

Wesbrook Mall roundabout due for completion in late April

and closures will be posted as they are available at: www.planning.ubc.ca/binning.

UBC Updates

Page 9: Campus Resident Volume 6 Issue 4, April 2015

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT APRIL 20, 2015 page 9

2015 UNA Volunteer Awards nominee stories

UNA Volunteer Awards

Connie comes from Taiwan originally. Her family joined the great UBC com-munity in 2009. With her background in nursing, caring for family, friends, com-munity and environment is in Connie’s nature. Starting as a classroom volunteer and attending Parents Advisory Council (PAC) meetings at U Hill Elementary School (which is her children’s school), Connie has been always amazed by the positive mentorship and support that the school community has offered to her.

What motivates you to be a volunteer?My best friend and mentor Nancy Brown, who is also a parent, has led my volunteer journey to go a long way. Nancy loves her family and this community whole-heartedly. Her fearless contribution to the community inspires me to follow her. All my volunteer work—Young Naturalist Club, School Garden Project, UBC Farm Friends, U Hill Elementary School PAC as well as helping advise the community about school transition—could not have been done without her wisdom. There are many other great leaders and volunteers in the community. Working with them helps me to evolve my inner strength. My children and their friends have benefited as well. Knowing what previous volunteers accomplished also motivates me to keep volunteering! What is your vision of the UNA Community?Our community uniquely appreciates three major values: education, nature and culture. We live on a world-class uni-versity campus, surrounded by Pacific Spirit Regional Park and embraced by the ocean. We also celebrate abundant cultural diversity. People keep immi-grating into this fantastic community to build here their new home. In the begin-ning, some of them—like me—might hesitate to connect with this community due to language barriers. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage them to take small steps to volunteer at the school or community. The more you get to know your community, the more you find how inclusive it is!

Paulyn worked in a hotel, a bank, a health centre and a hospital prior to immigrating to Canada. Volunteered extensively in various positions in elementary and high schools, church and community: safe ar-rival & hot lunch programs, audio-visual and photography set-ups, teachers’ ap-preciation and festive cultural event plan-ning, Grad Parent Committee & Strata Council executive positions. Enjoys physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (Forest Bathing), exploring new places, learning new skills and experimenting with recipes from different cuisines.

What motivates you to be a volunteer?I stumbled into volunteering as a way of settling my young children into a new school environment in a new country. When I joined the inaugural Walk and Talk Club on September 10, 2012, I did not set out to volunteer there. My goal was to regain my own physical fitness as well as to explore the Pacific Spirit Park and the UNA neighborhood. Volunteer-ing was just a natural progression from sharing the passion for the beauty of our natural woods and group photos more ef-ficiently with fellow walkers. Ben, our volunteer leader, generously shared his photographic skills and wealth of knowl-edge about the fauna and flora in Pacific Spirit Park and UNA, while I collated our growing email list and organized social gatherings. Although the original group of participants dwindled away with the fall of the autumn rains, the most en-thusiastic and resilient ones stuck to the Club’s motto to walk rain or shine or snow. To date, the Club has attracted numerous walkers three times weekly not only from the UNA community but as far away as Richmond, Burnaby and West Vancouver.In retrospect, volunteering has allowed me the opportunity to meet new people and share with them my experience while strengthening existing relationships; learn new skills while honing my social and organizational skills in different settings; reach out and give back to the community to make it a better and more enjoyable place. Volunteering is not only fun but also mentally, physically and emotionally enriching.

What is your vision of the UNA Community?To foster good neighborliness in our mul-ticultural UNA community, to help new residents feel connected and encourage them to enjoy the beauty and restorative health benefits of walking in the Pacific Spirit Park all year round.

Paulyn LimWesbrook Walk and Talk Club Leader

Connie ChenCo-Chair of UHill Elementary PAC

Mahta AmanianYouth Volunteer supporting Children and Seniors

I graduated from Altarbia Alislamia Sec-ondary School, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1986. Subsequently, I gained a diploma in computer science from King Saud Uni-versity in 1992 and did secretarial work for the Institute of Public Administration in 2002. I also studied English Literature in Richmond International College of Canada in 1997. Finally, I have attended a course in basic life support. My hobbies are glass staining— for which I attended two classes in Vancouver in 1997—and photography. I also enjoy fishing, trav-elling, walking and volunteering in the community.

What motivates you to be a volunteer?Born and brought up in the Middle East where charity and volunteering are not so popular despite the extreme needs, I always sensed the huge need for such projects. Unfortunately, many women and I were ‘inhibited’ by local traditions and rules. When my family and I moved to Canada in 2011, I simply ‘unleashed’ my passion and got involved in many volunteer projects: the hot lunch program at Norma Rose Point schools, walking school bus, constructing the school play-ground, school trips, secretary in the Par-ents Advisory Council and many others. Being a mother of five children who has no time for full-time job, the volunteer work is my satisfaction.

What is your vision of the UNA community?From the first moment, I felt the unique-ness of the UNA community, where members come from different ethnic and cultural background but live in unbeliev-able harmony as a big family. The place has grown from being a small village back in the 1990s—when my husband and I came to Canada temporarily for his study—to a wonderful glorious city. Sustaining this beautiful place needs a tremendous effort from all of us, and be-ing a member of this family, I am deter-mined to do my share with great pleasure.

Maram S. BabsailNorma Rose Point Elementary Hot Lunch Program Coordinator

My name is Mahta Amanian, and I am in grade 12 at University Hill Second-ary School. I came to Canada in 2001 and have been living at UBC ever since. Aside from attending school, I play the guitar, bike and draw. I enjoy meeting new people and volunteering in the UNA community. What motivates you to be a volunteer?Volunteering has allowed me to connect with both my community and myself. Throughout the years, I have dedicated myself to supporting children, youth and seniors. In the process, I have learned valuable skills such as adapting to new situations, problem solving and teaching. Whether I am helping children with arts and crafts or guiding seniors on how to use technology, I feel like I am making a difference through my small actions. It is a rewarding feeling that I hope everyone can experience. What is your vision of the UNA community?The UNA community is a place that I call home, and so do many others. It consists of helpful and inspiring people work-ing together to form a welcoming and fun environment. There is never a dull moment since there are so many engag-ing and exciting events that occur here. I hope that these events continue bring-ing neighbours together to form strong relationships between people. The future for this community is bright, and I look forward to experiencing it with my peers and neighbours.

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Association

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Keep up to date with the latest UNA news, announcements, events, and programming!

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Page 10: Campus Resident Volume 6 Issue 4, April 2015

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT APRIL 20, 2015page 10

The victim of the March 2 event is an ESL student from Japan who is returning home shortly. She has no plans to return to Vancouver which has caused Crown Counsel to decide that charges relating to her incident cannot be approved. The February incident, in which the witness from March 2 was actually the victim, is being processed with a charge of Sexual Assault pending. Meanwhile, in the same general time frame, police report three other cases of sexual assault on women in the UBC area. In one case, Vancouver Police continue looking for evidence and potential wit-nesses to an assault on a female jogger. On March 26, shortly after 6:00 am, a 30-year-old woman was jogging on West 16th Avenue near Discovery Street. She was attacked from behind by a man who threw her to the ground and sexually as-saulted her. The victim managed to scream and fight off her attacker. She received some minor injuries in the assault and was extremely distraught and shaken by the incident. An extensive search of the area by officers and a police service dog failed to locate the suspect. Investigators will continue their efforts to identify the attacker by looking for evidence and canvassing the neighbourhood for witnesses. In a second case, UBC Campus Secu-rity and the RCMP jointly reported that quick community response led to the ar-rest of a suspect following an assault on a woman near the Totem Park Student

Residence on campus. Campus Security issued the following statement: “UBC would like to acknowl-edge the caring actions of the UBC com-munity that alerted them to an incident near Totem Park Residence before 1:00 am this morning (March 18). RCMP and Campus Security were quick to reach the scene and apprehended a suspect, who was arrested and faces charges of at-tempted sexual assault and assault of a police officer. The RCMP has confirmed this incident is unrelated to the 2013 sex-ual assaults at UBC or the recent assault on the South Campus in February. “This incident serves as a timely re-minder of the importance of taking safety precautions, such as paying attention to your surroundings, looking out for your classmates and colleagues and call-ing police via 9-11 in an emergency or Campus Security at 604-822-2222 if you see anything suspicious. In this case, the timely interventions of the UBC campus community led to a safe outcome, and we applaud all of those who proactively intervened to help a fellow community member.” In a third case (which was reported in our March issue), an 18-year-old woman was walking alone in the area of Mun-dell Park in South Campus on February 22 when an unknown male grabbed her from behind. The woman struggled and managed to break free from the lone man who then fled the area. Police patrols, in-cluding a search by a police-dog team of the Integrated Police Dog Services, failed to locate the suspect.

ARREST continued from Page 1

As we all know, there is an abundance of pedestrian and bicycle traffic within the UBC and UEL communities. Therefore, it is timely to review some safety tips and rules of the road for cyclists and pedes-trians. Arguably the most important safety tip for cyclists is wearing a helmet—and in-cidentally is required by law. Helmets have to be worn properly to be effective. The cost of purchasing a helmet and pro-tecting oneself outweighs the violation ticket of $29.00. The BC Motor Vehicle Act applies to cyclists, so it is imperative to know and obey the law and rules of the road. Re-fer to section 183 of the BC Motor Ve-hicle Act (Rights and duties of operator of cycle). Some road rules:• Ride on the right-hand side of the street, so you travel in the same direction as the cars.• Use bike lanes or designated bike routes

Safe cycling and walking on campus

Community Policing

whenever you can.• Stop at all stop signs and obey traffic lights. • Ride single file on the street. • Do not ride on the sidewalk. • Do not wear ear-buds: Be aware of your surroundings and vehicle traffic. If found operating a bicycle in violation of any of the provincial laws, you may face charges. We encourage cyclists, pe-destrians and motorists to be responsible and know their obligations to ensure the safety of everyone while traveling. Below are some tips that everyone should practice:

Cpl. Brenda Winpenny

Cpl. Brenda WinpennyUniversity RCMP,

Community Relations

• Walk on the inside edge of the sidewalk, so you are further away from traffic.• If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traf-fic, so you can see oncoming vehicles.• Cross only at intersections or marked crosswalks, never jay walk.• Make sure you can hear and see oncom-ing cars. Remove your headphones and your hood when crossing the street.• Make eye contact with drivers. Keep your head up and look where you are walking. Never assume that drivers see you.• At controlled crossings, activate the pe-destrian crossing signal lighting to warn drivers.• At controlled intersections, obey the

traffic signals and only walk when di-rected to. Refer to section 132 and 133 of the BC Motor Vehicle Act for more specific in-formation as to the obligations of a pe-destrian. Again, if found violating one of these laws, a pedestrian make be fined.If we all do our part to follow the rules of the road, we can undoubtedly enjoy a safer commuting environment. Reminder, Walk ‘n Roll to School Cel-ebration Week is May 4 to 8. The RCMP, in conjunction with our community part-ners, will be present to educate and en-force proper practices of the commuting public. Let’s all be accountable and be safe out there!

RCMP Campus Statistics: Week of April 6-12Theft of bicycles: 600 block Walter Gage Rd., 2100 block West Mall, 6300 block Agricultural Rd., 2000 block Main Mall, 2200 block of Lower Mall, 1800 block Main Mall.

Break and Enter: 5800 block of Gray Ave. Theft from vehicle: 5700 block of Dalhousie, 5500 block of NW Marine Dr.

Directors discuss noisy playstation

in Chancellor PlaceRelocation of Iona Green playstation is proposed by

resident

UNA directors voted unanimously April 14 to consider a proposal to relocate the Iona Green playstation to another corner of Chancellor Place. The vote came after a presentation by Chancellor Place resident John Bourne about the “intolerable” noise generated by children playing in the Iona Green, though Mr. Bourne stressed that he and his neighbours recognise the need of chil-dren to play. He said adults also see the need for peace and quiet. Mr. Bourne addressed a meeting of di-rectors by calling Iona Green as “acous-tically unique space,” and gave them a recount of life there on warm days in spring, summer and fall. Iona Green opened in the Chancellor Place residential neighbourhood in 2008.

“It is unique in that it is surrounded on four sides by high concrete buildings, and in the spring of 2012, a playstation was installed there. “Prior to installation of the playstation, there were no reports of noise issues with Iona Green. Since installation, however, multiple nearby residents have reported intolerable noise levels in summer. The noise is the sounds of young children - and sometimes their parents - at play.” The Chancellor Place resident con-cluded his remarks by asking the UNA to participate in a planning process set up by UBC Campus and Community Plan-ning. Under this process, the UNA Board would be asked to endorse the relocation, and—as custodian of Iona Green—to provide the funding (from contingency reserves) to execute it. The proposed relocation site is on the north side of the Iona Building compare to the Iona Green which is on the south side.

Proposed relocation site for the playstation.

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Biodiversity in your backyard

Warm spring temperatures have gotten garden enthusiasts outside preparing the soil and sowing seeds. Home gardening is something that can be enjoyed by those with or without a green thumb, and is possible in large and small spaces alike. In early spring, you will want to pre-pare any garden plots or containers you have. If just starting out, you will need to choose the best place to put a garden bed, raised bed or containers. Be sure to choose somewhere with plenty of direct light—six hours or more is recommend-ed. If you have a garden plot or raised bed, now is the time to turn in some ani-mal or mushroom manure, compost, or-ganic fertilizers or other organic amend-ments and let it sit for a few days before planting. Once the soil is prepped and ready to go, it’s time to consider planting. Choose vegetables that you like to eat, and refer to a planting guide for the region when plan-ning. For Vancouver’s climate you can start many things outdoors in March such as radish, peas, beets and salad greens. You may wish to start warm-season veg-etables like tomatoes and squash indoors

now and move them outside when tem-peratures are consistently above ~10C. In May and June many other veggies like bush beans, spinach and Swiss chard can be directly seeded. Don’t forget to gently water after sowing any seeds. When working with containers, focus on what will be the best use of space: this will provide you with vegetables you use often or those that can be costly in the supermarket. Salad greens, herbs, toma-toes, beans, peppers, carrots and radishes are all worth considering. After planting, continuous maintenance is required. The main thing is making sure to water regularly (early morning is best). Weeds will inevitably appear. They compete with your crops for light, water and valuable nutrients in the soil. Her-bicides could harm your crops and con-taminate your vegetables, so they should be avoided. This leaves organic methods such as hand-pulling weeds, mulching or hoeing between rows. Creatures in the garden can be prob-lematic as well as beneficial. Pests can do a lot of damage, however pesticides are not recommended as they can harm wanted insect visitors. Instead, turn to companion planting (charts are available for this). Nasturtiums help with aphids, marigolds with nematodes, and onions can deter slugs. It’s important to consider attracting pollinators for any garden. Flies, bees, butterflies and even birds move pollen from one flower to another,

Taisha MitchellPast workstudy student and

Botany Photo of the Day contributor at UBC Botanical Garden

Families gardening in the UNA Community Gardens

which ultimately improves vegetable yields. (Adapted from Vegetable Gardening for Beginners by Tony Maniezzo—original-ly published on the UBC Botanical Gar-den website in 2007).

In the CollectionUBC Botanical Garden will be hosting our annual A Growing Affair Plant Sale May 9. Plants available will include gar-den favourites, rare and unusual plants as

well as native plants, edibles and more. UBC Botanical Garden also has over 30 workshops planned for 2015. For details about the plant sale and the complete list of workshops visit our site at botanical-garden.ubc.ca. Bonkers for birds? Come to the Beaty Biodiversity Museum for a full day of bird fun in honour of Bird Week. Beaty’s Birding Bonanza is Sunday, May 3, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. Visit www.beatymuseum.ubc.ca/birding-bonanza.

It’s time to plant your garden - Vegetable gardening 101

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