vancouver magazine december 2015

IN DEFENCE OF

SHAUGHNESSYHOT EVENTS THIS

WINTERWE SHOULD ALL EAT AT

TORAFUKU

The politicos, the developers, the philanthropistsplus this twelve-year-old activist

who took on a school board and won

POWER50POWERTHE

Whose city is this?

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HIGH ART. HIGH STYLE.

GUSTAVE COURBET, STILL-LIFE, (DETAIL) 1871. NATIONAL GALLERY OF CANADA, OTTAWA. PHOTO © NGC

Inspired by the paintings in the National Gallery’s European art collection, Oakridge is proud to present these stunning masterworks in a new way. This second edition of the series presents a work by Gustave Courbet (1819-1877), one of the most radical of 19th-century French artists.

Imprisoned for taking part in the 1871 populist uprising known as the Paris Commune, Courbet was limited to painting the fl owers and fruit his sister Zoé and his friends brought him. With his bold handling, Courbet made the traditional subject of the still-life into something expressive and defi antly modern, infl uencing the next generation of French artists.

A T R I B U T E T O T H E M A S T E R S .

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D E C E M B E R 2 O 1 5 | V A N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E 11

DEC V O L U M E 4 8 N U M B E R 10

C O V E R F E AT U R E

39 In a city forever consumed with change—aesthetically, ethically, socially, and politically—those who drive its evolution have a profound impact on everyone’s day-to-day lives. Our 15th annual survey of civic infl uencers fi nds some familiar names, some new arrivals, and—as always—plenty to talk about

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POWER50

THE CITY’S ENGINEIan Gillespie tops this year’s Power 50 list

See more at

VanMag.com/

Power50

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12 V A N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | D E C E M B E R 2 O 1 5

DECEMBER***“I FIND IT VERY DISRESPECTFUL WHEN

PEOPLE HAVE TO LINE UP. IT SHOWSTHE WORLD, ‘LOOK, I’M POOR. I HAVE TO

STAND IN LINE FOR FOOD”—pg. 22

32 TASTE MAKER The dynamic duo behind the beloved Le Tigre food truck have put walls around their addictive culinary creations at Main Street’s bustling Torafuku

34 THE DECANTERAll of us deserve an occasional indulgence. These bottles of wine don’t exactly break the bank, but they make good on their slightly higher price tags with fl a-vours and aromas that are defi nitively premium

22 VANCOUVER LIFE Meet the man who is reinvent-ing Vancouver’s relationship with its food banks.

24 BLOCK WATCHAs Vancouver’s fi rst-ever heritage conservation area, Shaughnessy is gables-deep in the confl ict between the City’s fi rm defense of his-tory and residents’ cries of municipal dictatorship.

26 THEESSENTIAL 6 The holiday season brings with it a fi re hose of entertain-ment options. Cut through the clutter with our hot picks for the most festive month.

76 LAST-MINUTE GIFT GUIDE Fear not the increasingly few days between now and the apex of holiday celebra-tions: the exchange of brightly wrapped goodies. Our expert selec-tion of covetable items will make you the star of the season

78 MODELCITIZEN A cosmetics expert’s sense of personal style extends far beyond makeup 82 MY SPACEA couple whose specialty is luxury interiors create an impeccably festive environment in their own home 84 SWEATEQUITY More than three decades in kick-boxing have made this woman a force to be reckoned with

86 FIELD TRIPThe road less travelled is worth it when it leads to the paradise that is Bora Bora

18 FROM THEPUBLISHER Our annual Power 50 list isn’t just a crucial part of this magazine’s edito-rial calendar; it’s a crucial snapshot of this city’s ceaseless transformation

90 SNAPCHATTER Philanthropy and the arts converged across the city’s social scene in recent weeks

T H E D I S H

T H E B R I E F

P L U S

T H E G O O D S

See hundreds of winners from past Restaurant Awards, with chef videos and more

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Ripe forchange

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VANCOUVER MAGAZINE is published 10 times a year by Yel-low Pages Homes Ltd. Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission. Not responsible for unsolicited editorial material. Privacy Policy: On occasion, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened organizations whose product or service might interest you. If you prefer that we not share your name and address (postal and/or email), you can easily remove your name from our mailing lists by reaching us at any of the listed contact points. You can review our complete Privacy Policy at Vanmag.com. Subscrip-tions in Canada: one year $39.99. Subscriptions in the United States: one year $59.99. Rates include GST. Back issues $10, includ-ing postage and handling. All fi gures in Canadian funds. For address change, send old and new address to our circulation department. Indexed in the Canadian Magazine Index by Micromedia Ltd. and also in the Canadian Periodical Index. International standard serial no. ISSN 0380-9552. Canadian publications mail product sales agreement #40064924. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Dept., Suite 560, 2608 Granville St., Vancouver, B.C., V6H 3V3. Printed in Canada by Transcontinental Printing G.P. (LGM Graphics), 737 Moray St., Winnipeg, MB, R3J 3S9. All reproduction requests must be made to: COPIBEC (paper reproduc-tions) 800-717-2022, or CEDROM-SNi (electronic reproductions) 800-563-5665. Distributed by Coast to Coast Ltd.

SENIOR EDITORMichael White

ART DIRECTORPaul Roelofs

ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTORNaomi MacDougall

TRAVEL & STYLE EDITORAmanda Ross

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTORJenny Reed

PRODUCERJennifer Elliott

ONLINE ASSISTANTRachel Morten

VIDEOGRAPHER Mark Philps

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSFrances Bula, Mario Canseco,DJ Kearney, Neal McLennan, Fiona Morrow, Malcolm Parry, Gary Ross, Timothy Taylor

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTSEydís Einarsdóttir, Clinton Hussey, Evaan Kheraj,Joe McKendry (contributor illustrations),Andrew Querner, Carlo Ricci, John Sinal, Martin Tessler, Milos Tosic, Luis Valdizon

EDITORIAL INTERNAshley Sparrow

ART INTERNSClaire Roskey, Jamie Yeung

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VANCOUVER OFFICESuite 560, 2608 Granville St. Vancouver, B.C., V6H 3V3604-877-7732

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F R O M T H E P U B L I S H E R

T h e B i g P i c t u r e

T H I S MO NT H

The Power Within

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ANDSPEAKING OFWELCOMES...We have a new editor-in-chief!

Max Fawcett is an award-winning editor and writer and the outgoing editor of Alberta Oil magazine. His work has been published in The Walrus, Hazlitt, Eighteen Bridges, The Globe and Mail, and The National Post.

Joining Max as Vancouver senior editor is Trevor Melanson, who joins us from BCBusiness where he was associate editor and, prior to that, ran the digital side of Canadian Business for Rogers Media in Toronto.

And yes, both are Vancouver born and raised.

�for years as a reader and over the past 12 months as publisher, I’ve always considered this issue you’re holding

to be Vancouver magazine’s most important of the year. It’s always been an annual gut-check on the place we call home, packaged and presented in 50 embodiments of what matters right now. For a nuanced cipher like Vancouver, studying people and their recent resonance by way of ambition and e� cacy was always less intimidating than conceptual policy.

What makes this issue such a keeper—whether to reference for local opportunities and partnerships or as a way to rule networking cocktails—is the methodology.

We spend the year surveying this city’s journalists, academ-ics, entrepreneurs, politicos and other such string-pullers. Vancouver turns 50 next year, so we’ve built up a bit of trust with those who run the city. From there, we invite about 20 of the most connected and engaged to a dinner party at the Vancouver Club where everything is o� the record, save for one madly scribbling Vancouver magazine editorial sta� er. And, unlike an endorsement-happy editorial board of a certain Toronto-owned local paper, we listen and discuss and debate. We also drink exceptional wine while doing so.

This year as Vancouver has, as never before, caught the planet’s imagination as an unparalleled place to live, play and (if you must) work, our Power 50 theme is “Whose city is this?”

There’s a tug of war for our future: Are we more international resort town or an innovation lab powered by citizens who feel like they belong and have a place in deciding Vancouver’s direction for themselves and their kids?

This magazine’s mandate has always been to help you get more out of your city. Helping you belong and contribute to its future at such a vital time is perhaps our greatest purpose.

As the great urban theorist Jane Jacobs put it, “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” Our 2015 Power 50 list celebrates the incredible women and men who consider inclusivity a part of calling Vancouver home. VM

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T DO THIS MONTH1. Let canned beans qualify as charity. Pg. 222. Spend a ton on inventive dining. Pg. 323. Spend a little on wine. Pg. 344. Scoff at the TED Conference as exclusionary. Pg. 665. Light candles with a boring old match. Pg. 82

“This magazine’s mandate has always been to help you get more out of your city”

We have a new editor-in-chief!

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Palladio Full Page Colour Ad for Vancouver MagazineTrim Size: 7.875" 10.75", Non-Bleed Size: 7.25" 10.125"

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Renee’s Transformation Story | PART 2: KEEPING MOTIVATED

“I have lost a total of 7 inches from my upper abdomen and 5 inches from my lower abdomen so far! Coolsculpting is the best thing I could have ever done for myself because it was a commitment to looking healthier and feeling great. I wake up in the morning and see myself getting smaller and it gives me a huge incentive to get out for that early morning run. My endurance is growing, my legs are stronger and I no longer crave the heavy carb loaded foods I did before going on this transformation journey. Having the team at Pender Medi Spa support and encourage me along the way also helps a lot. I feel their encouragement when we do before and after photos and when I step on the scale to measure the results. I’m still not willing to know what I weigh but I know I’m down 13 lbs despite the increase in muscle from the workouts! Needless to say, I’m pretty ecstatic right now and even more motivated to take my health to the next level. Equally exciting is that Pender Medi Spa now has the new mini-applicator that treats double chins and stubborn fat around the knees! I can’t wait to have those areas frozen away as well. My fi nal transformation will be revealed in the January/February issue. You can also follow my results with Pender Medi Spa on my Instagram page @my_new_me_journey and @pendermedispa”Renee – Vancouver hair salon professional

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Pray for Snow (That Stays on the Ground)

�W H E N I T COM E S T O SNOW, MO ST Vancouverites have short memo-

ries. So with a “super El Nino” in the forecast for 2016, let’s forget about last year and remember 1997, a similar El Nino confl uence when Cypress Moun-tain boasted a settled snow base of a thousand centimetres.

But before you use up all your vaca-tion days on a January staycation,remember our local mountains’ fl uctuating freezing level: that fi ckle reality that turns falling snow into surface rain, freezing the sweetest pow into crust by the time you leave for your “dentist appointment” at 3 o’clock.

Still, when the right combination of temperature and precipitation collide, an evening sesh under the lights at Cypress, Grouse, or Seymour o� ers a priceless powder experience and yet another validation for your $4,000 mortgage.

But even if the snow gods frustrate the powder hounds among us, let us remember the beginners. Artifi cial snowmaking on iconic learner’s slopes like Grouse Mountain’s Cut allows thousands of novices to try skiing and snowboarding each winter, creatingan entirely new generation that prays for snow each autumn.

“When people have to line up for food... it tells the outside world, ‘Look, I’m poor.’” PG. 22

V A N C O U V E R L I F E B L O C K W A T C H T H E E S S E N T I A L S

T H EThe month in politics, real estate, business & culture

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Night sliding at Grouse Mountain.

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VA N C O U V E R L I F E

Tr e n d i n g S t o r i e s

T H E BR I E F

B U S IN E S S

How to Winthe Hunger GameBy following the “know yourcustomers” credo, the new CEO of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank is restoring dignity and e� ciency

have to stand in line for food.’” Paul Michael Taylor, the execu-

tive director of Gordon Neighbour-hood House (GNH) in the West End, had stood in similar line-ups as a child. He also has a story about food: “I grew up near Kensington Market in Toronto with a single mother. One of the hardest things I learned as a child was that the beautiful mangoes and grapes in the market were not for me. So I avoided that area. I’ve never forgot-ten that experience.”

In early 2012, Taylor was an aggravating thorn in the side of the Food Bank. He was heavily involved in protests against the annual CBC fundraising drive. Emergency food, he tells me in an elegant argument, is something we provide to make ourselves feel bet-ter, rather than seeking a political solution to poverty.

“People at the o� ce were scared of Paul Taylor,” recalls Schuurman Hess. “I said, ‘Who is this guy? Let me talk to him.’”

After Taylor started at Gordon Neighbourhood House in 2013, the team began working on how GNH could host a community food hub to replace the weekly West End food depot. The Food Bank had just created this new model at the North Shore Neighbourhood House, featuring more store-like food displays, an area for co� ee and snacks, and in-season produce o� ered for cut-rate prices by the Edible Garden Project (50 cents for a bunch of carrots). Following their shared belief in the power of food to bring people together, the two groups opened the hub at GNH this past February, with room for people to sit, eat homemade soup, and talk. Schuurman Hess hopes to replace all 14 depots without the indignity of lining up.

aart schuurman hess says that everybody has a story about food. Here’s his: “My mother wasn’t the best cook in the world. She liked to boil endives in such a way that, to me, was a disaster. One day I was injured in a fi eld hockey game. And I was so happy that ball was in my eye because I didn’t have to eat endives.”

You might expect the CEO of the Greater Vancouver Food

Bank Society to choose a recol-lection with a bigger moral point. But in fact it’s a perfect story from the man with the enormous task of reinventing the 33-year-old institution. Schuurman Hess loves food. He tells you the recipe for French dressing with the reverent tones of a sorcerer. For those who think of the Food Bank as the pur-veyor of Kraft Dinner and canned beans, think again. Last year the Food Bank started saying no to certain poor-quality donations and pushed instead for fresh and healthy food. No one, he believes, should have to eat wilted endives.

As a young man in the Nether-lands, Schuurman Hess worked as a waiter in Michelin-starred restaurants, and then all over the world producing onboard meals for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. His three children were born on di� er-ent continents, and in 2007 he and his wife settled in Calgary. After a year of job hunting, he was hired as chief administrative o� cer of the Mustard Seed, an inner-city not-for-profi t that helps people in poverty. In 2012, the family moved to Vancouver, attracted by the mild weather.

When he took over the Food Bank, he was “shocked” to fi nd out that there were many third-generation users. No one knew why. Since 2008, the Food Bank’s membership has grown 10 percent annually; today, it exceeds 26,000 people.

Early on in his tenure, he visited each of the 14 depots in Vancou-ver, Burnaby, the North Shore, and New Westminster and was taken aback to see people waiting outside the buildings, usually churches. “I fi nd it very disrespectful when people have to line up. It shows the outside world, ‘Look, I’m poor. I

I FIND IT VERY DISRESPECTFUL WHEN PEOPLE HAVE TO LINE UP”—AART SCHUURMAN HESS, CEO, GREATER VANCOUVER FOOD BANK

Happy meals at the North Shore Hub.

VancouverLife.FINAL.N.indd 22 2015-10-28 11:22 AM

M O N T H 2 O 1 5 | V A N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E 23

Schuurman Hess also believes in the power of data, and he recruited a group of research-ers from SFU and UBC to look at questions like why people use the Food Bank. “In business terms,” he says, “it’s about knowing your customers.” That information is valuable for advocacy. The Food Bank used to state proudly on its website that it was independent of governments, but Schuurman Hess wants them at the table. So far, the Food Bank has worked with the City of Vancouver to help set up a Curbside Fresh Market, with the goal of adding four more in the next few years to improve food access. These street vendors o� er well-priced local produce (30-cent tomatoes) in low-income areas that have no grocery stores nearby. The Food Bank also completed a pilot project with Vancouver Coastal Health to improve the nutritional content of infant and youth pro-grams. The team currently works with social, health, and welfare agencies, such as the library and community nurses, to attend the hubs and help people with the root causes of hunger.

Thanks to the Food Bank’s partnerships with local farm-ers, started in 2013, more fresh produce is available in the grocer-ies that people take home. (A $1 donation to the Food Bank buys $3 worth of eggs, in-season potatoes, or plums.) There are also initiatives around food literacy, including a revamped community kitchen program that teaches people to cook healthy, simple meals. This is a new story about food, and maybe the institution needs a new name. Schuurman Hess’s proposal? “The Centre for Urban Food Excellence,” he says. —Marcie Good

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R e a l E s t a t e

B L O C K WAT C HT H E BR I E F

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In Defence of Shaughnessy A looky-loo’s guide to Vancouver’s fi rst-ever heritage conservation areaby marcie good

H E R I TA G E

�richard keate is well into a two-hour driving tour of First Shaughnessy,

winding around the wide boulevards and identifying the distinguishing features of early 20th-century homes. He is somewhat of a guardian here, having served for many years on the committee that advises council on what constitutes “heritage.” The hum-ming engine of his hybrid car shuts down every time he pauses, as if in deference. “Picturesque,” he says, pointing out a gabled manor partially veiled by landscaping. “It’s

an American style. What it means is a qual-ity of delight and mystery and surprise. That’s what we want to keep.”

This is what he would rather lose: “Cha-teau Gateau,” he says, shuddering in front of a Disneyesque castle with round turrets and decorative plates fi xed to the stucco. He points to the columns and explains how they don’t even look like they support anything. “People look at this and think, ‘There’s some-thing wrong.’”

What is also wrong, in his mind, is that

N O TA B L E P R O P E R T IE S

IN THE MARKET If the new heritage legislation hasn’t deterred you from purchasing your Shaughnessy dream home, the good news is there are more listings than buyers. Here are three options on the same street; one is even (comparatively) a� ordable.

1389 MATTHEWS AVE. PRICE $25,800,000SIZE 5 Bed, 8 Bath, 10,007 sq. ft.GROSS TAXES $30,904


Angus DriveBuilt: 1921

Matthews AvenueBuilt: 1910

Balfour AvenueBuilt: 1911

Selkirk StreetBuilt: 1912

Balfour AvenueBuilt: 1912

BlockWatch.FINAL_N1.indd 24 2015-10-28 11:22 AM


the palace recently replaced a Tudor-style home with red trim, window boxes, and nine-foot interior ceilings. The trade-o� won’t happen as easily now, with First Shaughnessy recently designated as Vancou-ver’s fi rst Heritage Conservation Area. The controversial plan, unanimously approved by council on Sept. 29, protects pre-1940 homes deemed “heritage” from being demolished. It also adds design guidelines to ensure that new houses fi t in with the overall character of the area.

Protection of neighbourhood aesthetic is nothing new here. These massive and vary-ing lots were fi rst cleared of forest and sold by the Canadian Pacifi c Railway to Vancou-ver’s most socially elite families in the early 1900s. Sir Thomas Shaughnessy, president of the CPR, ensured his company retained control over the quality of the development, reviewing and approving plans for every house. That iron-clad control loosened over the years, and even guidelines approved by council in 1992 were no longer standing up to the powerful forces of Vancouver real estate. More and more old homes were fac-ing the wrecking ball. Council fi nally drew the line last year, when 19 of the remaining 317 pre-1940 homes were up for demolition.

Keate has much personal invest-ment in this neighbourhood, being a


fourth-generation Shaughnessy resident. He also shows me the Dutch Revival Colonial mansion bought by his great-grandfather, a Minnesota senator, in 1926. Keate is a retired architect. His own home, which he built in 1989, shares a lot with a large Brit-ish Arts and Crafts specimen and is marked with a neat sign: Downton Shabby.

But other residents, concerned more about their fi nancial investment, are less enthusiastic. A large group of them wrote letters to council and have started legal proceedings to challenge the HCA. “It’s like the old days of kings and dukes,” says one disgruntled owner of a 1912 Craftsman-style home. “Noblesse oblige. The city can do anything they want. They can take your house.” He doesn’t want to be named or speak for the group, but he bought his home about 40 years ago and feels the pressure of the $20,000 property taxes and ongo-ing maintenance. He’s concerned about the additional maintenance requirements of the plan. This is his home, not a museum. If someone knocks down a home on his street and builds something that looks similar, that’s fi ne with him. He doesn’t want the city telling him, for example, what colour to paint his house. “People are idealistic that want to preserve everything. They don’t look at the property owner’s point of view and what you have to do to keep everything the way it has to be.”

As my tour with Keate winds up, it strikes me that his own interpretation of the new rules is not as stu� y as I expected. He estimates that 40 of the 317 homes could immediately be struck o� the protected list because they’ve been irrevocably renovated. We come to the question of colour. “There’s sort of a rumour out there that colours are going to be forced on people. That’s not going to happen. We can o� er them a grant and seed money for paint, and they can meet us halfway and do it in historical colours.” He points out a Tudor-style mansion used as a residential facility for mental health patients. It used to be painted yellow, the woodwork pink. The neighbour objected. “I thought it was great. It was cheerful. The poor people had enough problems.”

D E A R G R E G O R . . .

ANGRY WORDS Some furious Shaughnessy residents didn’t hold back in their complaint letters to the City…

Our house is not a museum nor is it open to the public, so how it looks on the inside should be our business and not the City’s.”

If the laws and regulation continue on this trajectory, next you will askus to furnish our home in such away consistent with how aCanadian Pacifi c Railway baron would have done so in the early 1900s.”

DRIVEWAY GUIDELINES

“VIEWS ALONG DRIVEWAYS MUST

BE MODERATED BY CURVING DRIVE-

WAYS AND USE OF LANDSCAPE

SCREENING AND LAYERING.”

LANDSCAPING

“CREATES PRIVACY FOR RESIDENTS,

CONCEALS VEHICLES, AND CON-

VEYS A SENSE OF GRACIOUSNESS

OF THE PROPERTY TO THE STREET.”

OFF LIMITS

“OUT-OF-CHARACTER MATERIALS

MUST BE AVOIDED, SUCH AS

ALUMINUM FENCING, ASPHALT

PAVING, AND ARTIFICIAL TURF.”

*The City of Vancouver’s First Shaughnessy Heritage Conservation Area Design Guidelines

BlockWatch.FINAL_N.indd 25 2015-10-26 10:22 AM


JOLLY SAINT NICKA veteran singer-songwriter gets

festive while keeping hisrock ’n’ roll bona fi des intact

NICK LOWE, DEC. 19, VOGUE THEATRE

What could be more festive than holiday clas-sics performed by an actual British rock legend? Nick Lowe—backed by Nashville’s Los Straitjackets—comes to Vancouver on his Quality Holiday Revue. Lowe will be reprising the classic and original tracks from his 2013 Christmas album, Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection for All the Family, as well as other winter-related musical wonders and some of his own non-festive tunes. Hugely infl uential, Lowe has worked as a producer with (among others) Elvis Costello, the Pretenders, and the Damned, and has written tracks that became bigger hits for oth-ers, including “(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” (covered by Costello) and “The Beast in Me,” now forever associated with Johnny Cash.

Lowe told NPR Music Radio that when he was approached to make a Christmas album, the Brit in him was “slightly appalled, really. We think it’s all a bit vulgar, you know: cashing in on Christmas.” In the end, though, he admits he had “a ball doing it.” Undoubtedly one of the best festive bashes on the holiday calendar—be there with bells on. Ticketfl y.com Ti

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Charles in ChargeA Vancouver funnyman has his way

with a British holiday traditionHANSEL AND GRETEL: AN EAST VAN PANTO, DEC. 2 TO JAN. 3, YORK THEATRE

�three years ago, vancou-ver comedian and writer

Charles Demers really didn’t know much about the curious British tradition of the panto. Neverthe-less, commissioned to write one such Christmas extravaganza by Theatre Replacement, he started learning about the various tropes that make a panto (or pantomime) an annual festive must-see across the pond. “That fi rst year, we had the narrator give a ‘how to’ from the stage,” says Demers.

He consistently delivers an East Van Panto fi rmly rooted in place.

This year’s—his third—is Hansel and Gretel, and attendees should expect much mirth extracted from the outcome the recent federal election. Because of the timing of the election, the script—usu-ally close to completion by early September—could not be fi nalized until six weeks later. “I warned them before I started this year that, depending on the result, I reserved the right to change just about everything.” Thecultch.com

WHISTLER’S CLOSE-UP

The little fi lm festivalup on the big mountain

keeps growingWHISTLER FILM FESTIVAL, DEC. 2 TO 6, VARIOUS VENUES

The Whistler Film Festival turns 15 this year. Executive director Shauna Hardy Mishaw talks about how far it’s come.

“The fi rst Whistler Film Fes-tival opened with a screening of John Zaritsky’s NFB documen-tary Ski Bums, and 1,300 people showed up. It was crazy. We hadn’t intended to start a fi lm festival, but after 3,600 people

attended screenings over three days, we thought, ‘Wait a sec-ond—maybe we’re on to some-thing.’ Whistler is different from many other festivals: once peo-ple come, they really are a cap-tive audience. There’s no city to navigate. One thing we quickly realized was that we wanted to bring in the fi lm-industry talent from Vancouver, so we began

building those partnerships early on, and I would say the festival has grown organically... I think we’ve created a really important industry event on the Canadian movie landscape—one that is now part of Whistler’s wider growth as a cultural tour-ism destination. And after 15 years, I’d say it’s about time.” Whistlerfi lmfestival.com

Read more from our interview with Charles Demers at Vanmag.com

Essentials.FINAL.indd 26 2015-10-22 12:12 PM

OutPutAds.indd 1 2015-10-14 11:18 AM


T H E AT R E

S C IE N C ES C IE N C E

S t u f f Yo u S h o u l d D o

T H E E S S E N T I A L ST H E BR I E F

R O O T S M U S I C

EUREKA!The dynamic duo behindMythbusters delivers anight of edu-tainment

MYTHBUSTERS: JAMIE & ADAM UNLEASHED!

DEC. 15, QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE

Big bangs and other assorted mind-bending scientifi c revelations are on the menu as Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage take their popular Discovery TV show, Mythbusters, on tour. Nerds and nerds-in-training are made to feel absolutely cool in this milieu, where popular myths are examined, debunked, and, yes, sometimes exploded. Prepare to be called upon to help the pair put any number of theories to the test, and fi nd out what really goes on behind the scenes of the hit show. Ticketmaster.ca

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To thePower of

OneFrazey Ford fl ourishes apart from her fellow

Be Good TanyasFRAZEY FORD, DEC. 10, VOGUE THEATRE

�frazey ford was born in Canada, the daughter of

Americans who fl ed the Vietnam draft. That desire to stay free, she has said, is the biggest infl uence on her songwriting. One of the founding members of folk trio the Be Good Tanyas, Ford is forging a signifi cant path as a solo artist on her second album, Indian Ocean, a smoky, soul-infl ected treat that shows o� her astonishing voice to its fullest.

What are you listening to today? Fathers & Sons, a collection of black gospel quartet groups from the ’30s; Shirley Caesar’s Stranger on the Road, also gospel but from the ’60s; and Blood Orange. You can pick fi ve albums to take to your desert island. Which ones? Fathers & Sons; Aretha Franklin, Amazing Grace; Donny Hatha-way’s self-titled album, Fela Kuti, Zombie; and J.J. Cale, Naturally. What was the last book you read? Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine.

Best gig ever (not including your own)? I saw D’Angelo last March in Utrecht, Holland. It was like the best church ever. Describe your perfect day. Probably driving out to my favourite secret ocean swim spot with some friends and my son, communing with waves, eating delicious snacks, laughing, drawing, playing ukelele, napping in the sun, and then head-ing back to the urban jungle for some Ethiopian food. Maybe even going dancing. When and where were you happi-est? Probably cruising around B.C. with my son last summer, living out of our RV, staying on friends’ land, drawing and painting, having co� ee with neighbours. I think the gypsy life at my own pace makes me the happiest. What’s your proudest achievement? Raising my son. I think it’s turning out okay. Also, my last album—it was the most challenging yet. Ticketfl y.com

BUGGIN’ OUTA tale of insect tyranny

walks into a former porn theatre…FLEE, UNTIL DEC. 6, FOX CABARET

A new production from Vancouver’s Electric Company Theatre is always a hot ticket, and the alluringly bizarre Flee (produced in collaboration with Studio 58) should prove no different.

Site-specifi c productions tend to bring a certain thrill, and considering Main Street’s Fox Cabaret was, until fairly recently, a notorious porn cinema, one can only speculate on the inspiration for this tale of desti-tute watchmaker Archibald Twill and his creation of a fl ea circus. More disturbingly, in a twist of Kafkaesque proportions, the insects eventually take control. Foxcabaret.com

Essentials.FINAL.indd 28 2015-10-22 12:12 PM

Cookware | Bakeware | Tableware | Accessories

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SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS

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The Meat of the Matter

�no matter how fast and furious the 21st century’s

culinary trends are evolving, the hamburger is seemingly immune to the whims of an increasingly fi ckle dining public. The masses’ only demand, it seems, is that burgers become better. Thus, while McDonald’s will be—for the fi rst time since 1970 —closing more U.S. outlets this year than opening, ambitious entrepreneurs who o� er a superior sandwich experience are fi nding their wares hungrily received. Recent arrivals in Vancouver include Toronto’s Big Smoke Burger (Bigsmokeburger.com), its fi rst West Coast location after forays into New York, Dubai, and elsewhere; Rel-ish Gourmet Burgers (Relishlife.com), from Fredericton, which claims its goal is to become “the Starbucks of the better burger industry”; and the homegrown Cannibal Café (Cannibalcafe.ca), where a menu of 10-plus burg-ers is served to ravenous patrons beneath a wall festooned with vintage local rock concert posters.

The Big Texas burger from Relish Gourmet Burgers

T H E

“The ultra-premium wine market has never been more competitive, more profi table, or more out of reach for wine drinkers of normal means” PG. 34

Hot restaurants, food trends, wines & chefs

T A S T E M A K E R T H E D E C A N T E R

DishOpener.FINAL_N.indd 31 2015-10-26 10:21 AM

TA S T E M A K E R

R e c e n t l y R e v i e w e d

T H E D I S H

Can’t Talk. EatingTorafuku, the fi rst bricks-and-mortar project from the partners behind Le Tigre food truck, is quickly becoming the Main Street culinary destination by timothy taylor || photos by luis valdizon

plating. But that was exactly the case recently at Torafuku, which opened in July on the gradually evolving 900 block of Main Street (the long-time home to Campag-nolo and, most recently, the site of the anticipated reincarnation of La Bodega, under the name Bodega on Main). The service was great: friendly and fast. The room is sleekly minimal—comfortable without drawing attention to itself. The concept is dead simple: pan-Asian small plates, essentially. But from the fi rst bite onward, all those things faded to a comfortable back-ground hum behind the experience of taking one bite after another.

Maybe this should come as no surprise. Torafuku is the fi rst bricks-and-mortar project of Le Tigre food-truck partners Clem-ent Chan and Steve Kuan. And

it’s been a couple of years since I started writing this column. And after having dined at many Vancouver restaurants, I’ve learned that it’s often not the dishes one ends up discussing during a meal. Sometimes it’s the service and the attitude, particularly when nei-ther is proving to be stellar. Other times, it’s the atmosphere—a con-versation whose likelihood tends to correspond with how much money has been spent on the place. On

quite a few occasions, I’ve found the table talk focusing on whatever concept seems to be driving the kitchen. These are the “big idea” restaurants: Cinara’s bid for Italian simplicity, the high-continental ideals evident at Bauhaus, Royal Dinette’s commitment to out-there experimentation.

What is surprisingly rare, I’ve found, is a meal where the food really dominates conversation: the specifi c fl avours, techniques, and

I


Tastemaker.FINAL.indd 32 2015-10-21 4:27 PM

T H E

T I C K E TTORAFUKU958 Main St.,

778-903-2006HOURS

5:30-11pm (closed Mondays)PRICES

At press time,all dishes were $13 or less, excepting a daily “market price”

fi sh specialNOTES

Bartender Max Borrowman’s

cocktails are made for food pairing. You

can’t go wrong

like a lot of food-truck fare, dishes at Torafuku tend to go big or go home. Take, for instance, “Rye So Messy” chicken wings, marinated in gochujang (a Korean fermented condiment) and, yes, rye, then fried and topped with ramen crumble. Dip one of them into the mango glaze and feel welcomed into a world of crunch, earthy heat, and sweetness. I predict you’ll take about two minutes to clear a plate.

Other dishes evoked the part-ners’ food-truck origins. “Brown Cow” is oxtail braised to excep-tional tenderness in Chinese Shaoxing wine, and served with cabbage, basil, and a fried egg on top of sticky rice cakes. “Me Like Papaya” salad was just as homey. These are comfort dishes that will just make more and more sense around here as winter sets in.

From left, opposite page: “‘Calamari’ Done the Right Way,” executive chef Clement Chan, “Dr. Octopus vs. Mr. Tuna,” “Brown Cow”

There’s some decidedly non-food-truck refi nement on other plates. Pork gyoza come with carrot-ginger purée and shiso, plus tiny translucent beets that deliver an unexpected fl are of heat. “Kickass Rice 2.0” is on another planet from the hearty version fi rst served out of Le Tigre’s window: the pork is torched Aburi-style and served over rice, cut into perfect rectangles, and garnished with microgreens and dabs of mayo and Sriracha-like “Angry Tiger Sauce.” Each bite is completely envelop-ing. A similar e� ect is achieved with “Dr. Octopus vs. Mr. Tuna.” Here you have a creamy octopus salad served with the refreshing

lightness of tomato, jalepeno, and scallion, with crisp nori and tuna crudo, and a binding base note of acid from Romesco sauce. Impres-sively complete, it makes you want to take another bite immediately.

We were entertaining a Greek friend when we came here, which is what made our fi nal dish of the evening so notable. She perused the squid, confi dently listed on the menu as “‘Calamari’ Done the Right Way,” with a dubious frown. She had eaten her mother’s seafood for enough years to know her way around a cephalopod. Here, Hum-boldt squid—coated in a corn-starch and yam batter and given a precise number of minutes (sec-onds?) in the fryer—comes in slices on an arugula salad brightly sea-soned with lychee and sweet chili. We didn’t talk about the dish while eating it. We didn’t talk about any-thing. We just ate in silence until it was gone. With respect to my friend’s mother, a new “Best Cala-mari Ever” has arrived.

Torafuku is the kind of place I’d take any visitor to Vancouver. It’s the right blend of explosive and calm, homey and refi ned, local and boldly everywhere. And if all that isn’t enough, consider that four of us polished o� eight dishes and left completely satisfi ed for $90, not including drinks. We’ll be back. VM

CLEMENT CHAN IS TORAFUKU’S EXECUTIVE

CHEF. A VANCOUVER NATIVE, THE FORMER

TOP CHEF CANADA COMPETITOR HONED HIS

SKILLS AT BLUE WATER CAFE, CHAMBAR,

HAPA IZAKAYA, AND MORE

TORAFUKU IS THE RIGHT BLEND OF EXPLOSIVE AND CALM, HOMEY AND REFINED, LOCAL AND BOLDLY EVERYWHERE


Tastemaker.FINAL.indd 33 2015-10-21 4:28 PM

T H E D E C A N T E R

W i n e s D i s c o v e r e d D J K E A R N E Y

N E X T U P

T H E D I S H

BE S T

C E L L A R


FONTODI CHIANTI CLASSICO 2011

($31.99)

Certifi ed organic and farmed in harmony with

nature’s rhythms, this 100-percent

sangiovese is replete with juicy

red-cherry fl a-vours, lacy tannins, earthy undertones, and a spicy stamp

of barrique. Stately and deeply fruited,

this Chianti punches well above

its price tag

TORRES MAS LA PLANA 2010

($59.99)

One-hundred percent cabernet sauvignon from a superb single-

vineyard site, this Spanish superstar smells gloriously of blackcurrant,

plum, and fragrant cedar, with traces of savoury grilled bell pepper. The rich and robust

40th edition may be the best yet

DOMINUS ESTATE NAPANOOK 2011

($64.99)

This glorious Napa blend (83 percent

cabernet sauv-ignon) is styled like modern Bordeaux. Plush cassis fruit

shows a minty note, with polished tan-nins and signature Napa dustiness to

the long fi nish. The cooler 2011 vintage brings elegance and refreshment, with

the structure to age for a decade

brings elegance and

CHÂTEAU DE BEAUCASTEL CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2011($82.99)

Full-bodied and expressive, the 2011 is an elegant vintage that will last for decades, but its potent black fruit, mineral-laced tannins, and overall balance make it approachable now. Combining 13 grape vari-eties from organically farmed old vines, it is one of the great, great wines of the world.

Veteran sommelier Owen Knowlton loves to drink splurge wines as much as he enjoys pouring them for his guests at West Restaurant (2881 Granville St., 604-738-8938), where he oversees a list worthy of executive chef Quang Dang’s refi ned cuisine. From established classics to the new and novel, Knowlton serves them with care and fl air.

�have you got the money and the moxie to drop $900

for a bottle of newly released Châ-teau Margaux 2012? Or $25K for a single bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, the most coveted red Burgundy on the planet? The ultra-premium wine market has never been more competitive, more profi table, or more out of reach for wine drinkers of normal means. Mercifully, though, most wine isn’t priced just for collectors, and we have the luxury of vast selection.

Here in B.C., we consume almost equal amounts of domes-tic and imported wine, and on average we tend to spend about 15 bucks per bottle. But there are times when we need to splurge: for a present or a special dinner, to squirrel away in a wine fridge or cellar, or simply to see what more money gets you. And what you usually get is a meticulous wine made from scrupulously selected grapes, carefully fermented, aged in top-quality oak, and hand-somely packaged. These wines tend to have extra concentration of fl avour and structural components that stand out in the glass. And for the patient, they’ll develop aromas and fl avours of greater complexity in the bottle.

Try these four knockout splurge wines that will impress now, but can also be aged for many years. VM

Little LuxuriesWhether for a loved one orfor yourself, you shouldn’t resist occasionally plumping for a premium bottle

Bra

ndon

Har

t

Decanter.FINAL.indd 34 2015-10-21 4:20 PM

SPONSORED REPORT

When the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel looked to rebrand their restaurant, Prestons Restaurant + Lounge, earlier this year their first move was to hire Shelley Robinson as Regional Executive

Chef. The collaboration has proven to be a match made in hospitality heaven as Vancouver-bred Robinson—a winner of the Food Network’s Chopped Canada and competitor on Canada’s Top Chef—continues to bring far more than her celebrity status to the renowned hotel chain.

“My concept was, ‘What do I want to cook? What do I want to eat? What’s important to me?’” The answer—refreshingly local food—became a motto the Coast hotel chain could embrace and apply across multiple unique locations.

For Robinson, the possibilities in Vancouver are particularly exciting. After spending almost two decades immersed in the Alberta culinary scene and most recently teaching at Vancouver Community College, Robinson is visibly inspired by her return to a West Coast kitchen. “We have everything at our fingertips,” she explains, raving about the ability to source authentic ingredients from Chinatown and the freshest produce from nearby partnering farms.

Robinson, who started connecting with local farmers and suppliers while owning and operating two restaurants, a café and an artisan grocery store in Alberta, is the first to celebrate the influence of the farm-to-table movement in Vancouver. “It’s just the way that we breathe now, as chefs,” she says, removing any pretension about the all-local, all-organic expectation. “At Prestons our food is elegant but not over-worked. It’s pleasurable.”

It is this exact straightforward approach that drives the refreshed establishment, where the emphasis is on rich, healthy and ultimately sustainable cuisine. “Our food is very approachable,” explains Robinson—and the holiday season is no exception. Prestons offers an express lunch, three-course tasting menu, inviting happy hour and holiday-themed dinners, perfect for business gatherings based downtown and small groups craving a comfortable upscale experience. Meanwhile, full and partial corporate buy-outs set the scene for relaxed seasonal celebrations founded on delicious food. “Prestons is a casual place; it’s an easy place to unwind, refresh and nourish.”

Chef Shelley Robinson brings refreshingly local cuisine to the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel

Created by the Vancouver advertising department in partnership with Coast Coal Harbour Hotel

MENU HIGHLIGHTS

buttermilk fried cauliflower jalapeno honey, green goddess, compressed watermelon

west coast chowder mussels, clams, ling cod, fennel, potato, salmon chorizo

48-hour beef short rib pemberton beef, sasquatch stout, chipotle, orange salsa, star anise, horseradish + potato puree

chicken + waffles buttermilk fried chicken, crispy quinoa waffles, house slaw, jalapeno honey, ranch dressing

vanilla cured wild salmon crispy skinned wild salmon, beetroot gnocchi, wilted greens, spiced pecans, goat brie

chef shell’s grilled double cut pork chop smoked fingerling potatoes, roasted rainbow carrots, shishito peppers, overnight apple butter

grilled pacific octopus smoked potato, pickled mushroom, chorizo aioli, fennel hay

HOLIDAY RECIPE

Chef Shelley’s Spiced Pecans

4 oz butter ¼ t smoked paprika½ cup brown sugar 2 t kosher salt½ cup maple syrup 8 cups pecan halves¼ t cinnamon

Combine butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and smoked paprika in a medium sized pot and bring to a slow simmer stirring often. Once the brown sugar is completely melted with the other ingredients, add the pecans, stir to coat evenly. Spread the coated nuts onto a parchment lined baking sheet, bake at 325F for 30 minutes. Stir the nuts every 8 minutes to ensure even cooking. Season the nuts with salt while still warm.

A perfect holiday treat to enjoy with family and friends!

Enjoy!

prestonsrestaurant.ca/vancouver@prlvancouver

Photos by Kevin Clark

CoastCoalHarbourDEC15.SR.DPS_sc.indd 2 2015-10-26 12:15 PM

SPONSORED REPORT

prestonsrestaurant.ca/vancouver

vanilla cured wild salmon crispy skinned wild salmon, beetroot gnocchi, wilted greens, spiced pecans, goat brie

CoastCoalHarbourDEC15.SR.DPS_sc.indd 3 2015-10-26 12:16 PM

European model shown. Features and equipment may vary in Canada. Visit volvo of vancouver or www.volvoofvancouver.com for complete details on Canadian models. See your participating Volvo retailer for details. © 2015 Volvo Cars of Canada Corp., 9130 Leslie St., Suite 101, Richmond Hill, ON, L4B 0B9. Always remember to wear your seat belt.

What is luxury? To us, it starts with people and what really matters: simplicity, confidence, connection. It’s why the all-new XC90 is not only the safest Volvo ever, it’s the most innovative. We’ve simplified the complex, designed technologies to be more intuitive, and given equal thought to each of the seven seats. The result? Every journey ends with you more relaxed than when you started. That’s our idea of luxury. That’s the all-new XC90. To learn more, visit Volvo of Vancouver or go to volvoofvancouver.com

THE ALL-NEW XC90.OUR IDEA OF LUXURY.

8530 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC V6P 6N6 604.325.1000 volvoofvancouver.com

VanMag_Volvo_1015_Final.indd 1 2015-10-28 1:10 PM



WHOSE CITY IS IT?

That simple question, easy to pose but di� cult to answer, helped to inform our

deliberations as we sorted through the scores of names of people with a legitimate

claim to a place on the list—our 15th annual ranking. Here are the people who are shaping

Vancouver’s future for all of us.

|| by frances bula, chris koentges, gary mason, gary stephen rossand the editors of vancouver magazine ||

POWER

50

See more at

VanMag.com/

Power50

Power50.FINAL.indd 39 2015-10-27 12:26 PM

A


as one of the most beautiful cities in one of the most stable countries on earth, Vancouver attracts people from all over the country, and the world. By 2041, Metro Van-couver is expected to be home to more than 3.2 million people. That demand drives up real-estate prices, forcing some young fami-lies to seek their fortune elsewhere.

But the fight for ownership of the city plays out in more obvious ways every day. Is Vancouver the city of the cyclists who stream, in ever-increasing numbers, into downtown each morning? Or of BMW driv-ers who can’t turn right because of the bike lane? Selfie-happy foodies who dress all in white and sip tiny bubbles, or bleary-eyed addicts lining up at a food bank? Developers eager to rezone prime locations, or First Nations elders who view those sites as sacred?

The answer, of course, is “all of the above.” Every city is a nexus of opposing forces—a dynamic that gives urban life its richness and vitality. One of the most valuable exercises of power is the wise and fair mediation of those forces. Power is the ability to get things done, using money or political muscle; but it’s also the ability to cooperate, to strike compromise, to include those we may oppose. Whose city is this? As the great urban theorist Jane Jacobs put it, “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”

M A S T E R B U I L D E R

1IAN GILLESPIEF O U N D E R & C E O , W E S T B A N K P R O J E C T S

A G E 54 M O V E M E N T (#6, 2014)

When leaders at First Baptist Church, at Nelson and Burrard, interviewed local developers to decide on a partner to build a condo skyscraper on their land, it was Ian Gillespie who most impressed them. His conviction that a building must be more than just a structure—that every building is a contribution to the fabric of a dynamic, well-functioning urban environment—is what swayed them. True to that philosophy, Gillespie is imagi-natively re-creating the city at dazzling speed these days. His massive Vancouver House project, woven around the north

end of the Granville Bridge, breaks downtown’s repetitive pattern of thin, straight-line glass towers with a design by Danish superstar architect Bjarke Ingels. Gillespie’s firm, Westbank, just completed the Telus Gardens office and condo tower and commissioned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma for another tower on Georgia. Gillespie steered the massive Oakridge shopping mall re-development (which will create a mini-city at 41st and Cambie) through city approvals. And then there are the major Westbank projects in Toronto, Seattle, and Hawaii. That would be more than a full plate for most develop-ers. But Gillespie also bought Vancouver’s downtown steam-heat power plant and is transforming it into a low-carbon energy generator that will service dozens of new buildings on the downtown peninsula. And he’s building a social and market-rental housing project in Blood Alley. No developer has a more diverse range of partners, and no one has had a more pro-found influence on Vancouver this year.

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2GREGOR ROBERTSONM AY O R , C I T Y O F VA N C O U V E R

A G E 51 M O V E M E N T (#3, 2014)

What a di� erence a year makes. Before last November’s election Gregor Robert-son had to apologize publicly to save his Vision Vancouver party from what looked like sure defeat. Vision’s win at council had a whi� of scraping through, though the mayor himself got a record-setting 83,000 votes. And he’s taken some hits, from friends and political allies, over the purchase and sale of his home, his di-vorce, and his relationship with Chinese-born pop star Wanting Qu. But he and his party still hold the reins as incredible change sweeps through Vancouver these days, and Robertson has lately been fl ex-ing his muscles and scoring some wins. Over the objections of some in his party, he decided that the rule of city manager Penny Ballem was over and terminated her contract. He’s garnered attention for his attendance at international climate-change gatherings in D.C., Paris, and the Vatican. During his New York trip in September he got starry-eyed coverage from Bloomberg, which supported his claims that Vancouver has transformed itself from a resource town to a high-tech hub. No Vancouver mayor has ever given the city such a high international profi le, and the Conference Board of Canada says that Vancouver’s economy is poised to perform better than that of any other city in the country. Politics, like comedy, is all about timing.

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MICHAEL AUDAIN // WHAT’S THE WORST THING ABOUT OUR CITY?

“TOO MANY OLD GEEZERS DIE RICH INSTEAD OF HAVING FUN AND GIVING IT ALL AWAY.”

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3CHIEF ROBERT JOSEPHC H I E F O F T H E G WAWA E N U K F I R S T N AT I O N

A G E 76 M O V E M E N T (First Appearance)

He wasn’t quite seven when he was taken from his family home and sent to St. Mi-chael’s residential school in Alert Bay, a village on Cormorant Island o� northern Vancouver Island. For the next 11 years, Robert Joseph’s life included abuse of the most disturbing and painful kind. Those experiences have left him with deep psychological scarring and haunting memories. But that pain would also give Joseph a gift: the power to speak with authority and authenticity on the subject of reconciliation. Today, Chief Robert Joseph, 76, is a leading voice—perhaps the leading voice—in the discussion about how to bridge the aboriginal-non-aborig-inal divide in this country.

A hereditary chief of the GwawaenukFirst Nation (on Watson Island o� the central B.C. coast), Joseph is the founder of Reconciliation Canada. He has described its mandate as encourag-ing and fostering reconciliation “through dialogue, economic reconciliation, educational outreach, and creating partnerships between multiple segments of society so we can have a more inclusive Canada where we can share prosperity.” His group organized the nationwide Walk for Reconciliation marches, including one in Vancouver in 2013 that drew thousands in the pouring rain and ended with a stirring plea by Dr. Bernice King, daughter of civil rights leader Martin Lu-ther King, Jr., for political action to deal with the unresolved issues of the First Nations in Canada.

Joseph was among those the federal government consulted on the wording of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s 2008 o� cial apology to the country’s First Nations for the residential school system. He was an advisor to the Truth and Rec-onciliation Commission and to Indian Residential School Resolutions Canada. He has served in an executive capac-ity with the Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society, an organization that provides crisis counselling and support for residential school survivors.

His eloquence is a great force because he speaks without animosity. “Every-thing Robert Joseph talks about is out of love and care,” says former Tsawwassen First Nations chief Kim Baird. “He has a powerful story to tell and a vision for rec-onciliation that is compelling. He touches a lot of people with his call for healing.”Joseph is helping shape the conversation around the role First Nations will play in Canada’s future. Part of that discus-sion involves coming to grips with the country’s racist past, one outlined in grim detail in the landmark Truth and Recon-ciliation Commission report released in June. It concluded that Canada’s treat-ment of aboriginal children at residential schools amounted to cultural genocide, and it called for a nation-to-nation relationship between the Crown and its fi rst peoples. Among its 94 recommenda-tions was a demand that Canada honour

the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which the federal government has so far viewed as a non-binding document.

In recent years the Supreme Court of Canada has put aboriginal people on a new economic footing with a ground-breaking ruling that gave First Nations rights over their ancestral lands unless their ownership had been signed away in a treaty. The historic Williams decision of 2014 gave them powerful leverage over development on their land—which, as the Christy Clark government is learning, has far-reaching implications for the province’s resource-industry aspirations. As the First Nations gain new powers and new confi dence, forging partnerships is crucial. It’s work that requires patience, understanding, and an outsized capacity for forgiveness—qualities embodied by Chief Robert Joseph.

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4BOB RENNIEF O U N D E R & D I R E C T O R ,

R E N N I E M A R K E T I N G S Y S T E M S

A G E 59 M O V E M E N T (#8, 2014)

Information is power, and nobody in this city gets better information, sooner, about buzzier things, from a more diverse network—and nobody uses that informa-tion more deliberately, or to greater e� ect—than the obsessively driven, seem-ingly ubiquitous Energizer Bunny that is Bob Rennie. He meets more players for co� ee, and has a busier BlackBerry, than someone of lesser energy might think possible. Christy Clark has publicly acknowledged the crucial role he played in her 2013 electoral victory and his e� ec-tive fundraising has made the provincial Liberals debt-free for the fi rst time in memory. At the municipal level, his sup-port of Gregor Robertson and the Vision team has been similarly vital. Meanwhile,

relying on data from his own pollsters, he helps developers fi gure out what to build where and how to market their projects; then his real estate agents sell the fi nished units—to the tune last year of some $1.5 billion. That’s why, in May, his annual presentation to the Urban Development Institute (he argued for greater density and blamed local speculation, not foreign investment, for our stratospheric real-estate prices) drew a standing ovation—and, of course, accusations of self-inter-est. Behind the scenes, he works diligently to address homelessness and the need for subsidized shelter. But his real passion is the collection of contemporary art he has assembled, one of the fi nest in the world. (Only a tiny portion is shown at his museum—the old Wing Sang building on Pender Street in Chinatown, which he transformed into a tasteful architectural gem.) His stature in the art world is clear: he’s about to step down as head of the North American acquisitions committee at the Tate Modern in London and accept a seat on the board of the Art Institute of Chicago. His stature in Vancouver is summed up by a City Hall insider, who explained, “Generally speaking, if Ren-nie’s behind something, it gets done.”

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L I F E L E S S O N

5 FRANK GIUSTRAF I N A N C I E R A N D P H I L A N T H R O P I S T

A G E 58 M O V E M E N T (#17, 2013)

The mining business has been in the dumpster, but these things are cyclical and Frank Giustra, who made his fortune in oil and mineral exploration, has plenty to keep him busy in the meantime. He has numerous food-related interests; one of them—his olive oil, Domenica Fiore, named for his mother and derived from his olive grove in Umbria—is regularly judged the world’s fi nest. His magazine startup, Modern Farmer, has won a loyal following and major accolades. He built and sold Lionsgate Entertainment, a Hollywood-type movie studio, here in Vancouver. The studio in which he’s now the major shareholder, Thunder-bird—with several recent acquisitions and a Blade Runner sequel, starring Ryan Gosling, in the works—looks nicely positioned to go public. Small wonder the Vancouver International Film Festival re-cently honoured Giustra with its inaugu-ral Screen Industry Builder Award. And he’s now in the music business as well, having founded Westsonic, a Vancouver

recording studio that allows him to indulge his passion for songwriting.

When a close friend passed away last year, Giustra realized he didn’t want to end up just another “dead rich guy.” He started doing a “Dear Rich People” col-umn for the Hu� ngton Post, explaining his philanthropic rationale and urging other wealthy people to follow suit. His commitment to helping others, via the high-profi le Clinton-Giustra foundation and the heavyweight International Crisis Group, caught the attention of no less a personage than His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who awarded him one of the fi rst-ever Dalai Lama Humanitarian Awards. But it’s the work Giustra does quietly, close to home, that makes him special. What other billionaire has gone on a midnight walkabout in the Downtown Eastside, doing a homeless count, to bet-ter understand the issue? And who else not only gives his time and money to the Boys Club Network, which provides di-rection and role models to at-risk youth, but also personally mentors former gang members? “There are very few people who have that sense of themselves as both a local and a global citizen,” says Louise Ar-bour, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and former CEO of the International Crisis Group. “Frank does.” Giustra can get almost anyone on the phone—he’s pals with business tycoons, movie stars, and world leaders—but his real distinction is that he’s made himself into a pragmatic philanthropist who’s not forgotten his humble Abbotsford roots.

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6THE AQUILINI FAMILYA Q U I L I N I I N V E S T M E N T G R O U P

M O V E M E N T (#1, 2014)

The exchange rate is playing havoc with Canadian NHL teams, which pay many expenses (including player salaries) in U.S. funds. Meaning the Canucks’ bottom line doesn’t look nearly as bright as it did a few years ago. The on-ice product also pales in comparison to the team that came within a game of a Stanley Cup championship in 2011. Don’t cry for the Aquilini family, though. With three towers rising above Rogers Arena, a second FlyOver attraction (after the one at Canada Place) soon to open in Minne-apolis, extensive blueberry-, cranberry-, and wine-growing properties in the Lower Mainland and Washington state, new restaurants in Whistler, multiple partnerships with the First Nations, and a potentially mammoth pipeline project in northern B.C., the Aquilini Group just keeps growing. The death in June of beloved matriarch Elisa dealt a blow to husband Luigi and their sons (below, left to right) Roberto, Francesco, and Paolo. But the astute hiring of former VPD chief Jim Chu adds depth to a powerful team.

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7JIMMY PATTISONC H A I R & C E O , J I M P AT T I S O N G R O U P

A G E 87 M O V E M E N T (#5, 2014)

For a guy who didn’t have positive net worth until he was in his fi fties, Pat-tison—one of the two or three richest people in Canada—has done all right ever since. Spend a day in Vancouver and you can’t help but interact with his empire: auto dealerships, grocery stores, bill-boards, radio stations; or perhaps you’ll spot his yacht, the Nova Spirit, slipping

under the Lions Gate Bridge. Pattison is ably supported by the all-star team he’s assembled over the years, including former Blake Cassels lawyer Michael Ko-renberg, former Hydro chief Dave Cobb, and former B.C. premier Glen Clark, who’s likely to assume control once the 87-year-old Saskatchewan native calls it quits. Pattison’s work ethic and smarts have made him a legend. But what makes him admirable is his quiet philanthropy, his support of fellow business people—who routinely seek his advice—and his mentorship of young entrepreneurs. Eric Pateman, who started Edible Canada at Granville Island, tells the story of sending Pattison a handwritten note, requesting half an hour of his time—and promptly being invited to HQ atop the Shaw Tower for a late-afternoon session at which Pat-tison opened his books, o� ered advice, and answered questions until 8 p.m.

U T I L I T Y P L AY E R

8JESSICA MCDONALDP R E S I D E N T & C E O , B C H Y D R O

A G E 46 M O V E M E N T (#22, 2014)

British Columbians who depend on BC Hydro for electricity don’t have to look far for reasons to resent the massive utility: ongoing rate increases, smart meters, and mega infrastructure projects such as the Site C dam. But CEO Jessica McDonald knows something about being on the hot seat, having been deputy minister to Premier Gordon Campbell from 2005 to 2009. Nor is she a stranger to running big, unwieldy organizations—she was also head of the province’s 30,000-plus-strong public service. An expert media-tor, she’ll fi nd her political background useful as she seeks to appease Hydro’s many stakeholders. The Crown corpora-tion’s mandate—to supply “reliable power, at low cost, for generations”—is complex and daunting; climate change, the empowered First Nations, and acts of God make it even more so. Like her predecessors—Marc Eliesen, Dave Cobb, Charles Reid—she’s discovered that run-ning a $5-billion utility with 5,500 em-ployees is a Herculean task for which you get faint praise and abundant criticism.


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9ROBIN SILVESTERP R E S I D E N T & C E O , P O R T M E T R O VA N C O V E R

A G E 47 M O V E M E N T (#16, 2014)

Port Metro Vancouver lies at the nexus of many of the forces that defi ne this city: global opportunity vs. local responsibil-ity; economic growth vs. environmental protection; federal oversight vs. municipal accountability—and Robin Silvester is the man on the spot. Overseeing the biggest, most active port in Canada—a complex organization that must deal with a plethora of unions and competing stake-holders—means there are always fi res to put out (sometimes literally, as in March, when a chemical fi re in a container on Burrard Inlet darkened the skies and prompted fears of toxicity). As the Lower Mainland continues to develop, the port needs more trade land to meet the growth mandated by the federal government and articulated in the Port 2050 plan Silvester introduced in 2010. That long-term vision repeatedly bumps up against the short-term priorities of politicians, munici-palities, and corporations. Which is what makes Silvester’s job so challenging—and so important to the region’s future.

Q U E E N O F V I C T O R I A

10CHRISTY CLARKB . C . P R E M I E R

A G E 50 M O V E M E N T (#2, 2014)

It hasn’t exactly been a banner year for the premier. Her support for LNG and the infrastructure needed to get it to market has been dealt a blow by the drop in energy prices, which may be dragging the country into recession. Putting the region’s transit future to a referendum—thus allowing voters to nix tax increases for improved mass transit—has, say critics, doomed the Lower Mainland to a congested, automotive future. The plan to close the Burrard Bridge for downward dog day, cancelled due to public ridicule,

was a PR disaster, as were a number of her tone-deaf tweets. The list of political sins goes on: the fi ring of Ministry of Health workers (one of whom committed suicide) and government claims of an RCMP investigation that never existed; tardy response to the summer’s forest fi res; the Site C dam controversy; a disappoint-ing attempt to update B.C.’s liquor laws; insensitive treatment of First Nations; the unexplained disappearance of 30 years’ worth of education records; an Abbots-ford teen who fell to his death through the cracks in the provincial child-care system; even Arvind Gupta’s messy departure from the president’s o� ce at UBC (the board is stacked with provincial appointees)—all attest to a government with a knack for getting it wrong. That said, B.C., compared to other provinces, is in sound fi nancial shape. And Christy Clark may be down, but that doesn’t mean she’s out, as she showed a couple of years ago in the last election, when the NDP were riding high and it was assumed the Liberals didn’t stand a chance.

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“POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS. WE NEED A PROVINCE-WIDE POVERTY REDUCTION PLAN

THAT INCLUDES FAIR WAGES, PUBLIC SERVICE AND

HOUSING WITH SUPPORT.”

IRENE LANZINGER // WHAT’S THE WORST THING ABOUT OUR CITY?


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11MICHAEL AUDAINC H A I R , P O LY G O N H O M E S

A G E 78 M O V E M E N T (#31, 2014)

If you’re involved in the arts in British Columbia, you’re involved with Michael Audain. If you’re a young artist, the Audain Emerging Artist Acquisition Fund might buy a piece of your work. If you hit the big time, the Audain Prize might be your sweet reward. If you visit the National Gallery in Ottawa, the VAG, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, the Museum of Anthropology, the Bill Reid

museum, the Gordon Smith museum, or the newly branded Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver, you’re enjoying the ongoing support of Audain’s foundation. Ditto if you’re an art student at UVic, UBC, SFU, or Emily Carr. And the new year will bring the soft-spoken magnate’s crowning philanthropic achievement: the opening of the Audain Art Museum, a 56,000-sq.-ft. ode to the art of British Columbia, tucked up next to Whistler Village in a stunning Patkau-designed building. The museum will be everything the sexy new VAG (where he’s still honor-ary chairman) isn’t: focussed, funded, and actually built. All this while Polygon Homes, the development company that enabled his cultural largesse, clips along—with little fanfare and big re-turns—as the go-to builder for functional contemporary units in such places as Richmond, Coquitlam, Abbotsford, and South Surrey.

F I R S T A I D E

12MIKE MAGEEM AY O R ’ S C H I E F O F S TA F F

A G E 51 M O V E M E N T (#7, 2014)

If there’s an overlooked reason why Gregor Robertson won re-election as mayor last year, it’s his chief of staff. It was Mike Magee who, during the municipal campaign, mediated between the scorched-earth and kinder-gentler camps in the Vision Vancouver party. After the election, some blamed him for Vision losses on the school board and park board, but he steered the campaign deftly enough between aggression and humility to help Vision eke out a win. In the early 2000s Magee helped solidify Vision into a real party, and he’s been by the mayor’s side ever since. He and city manager Penny Ballem were considered the two who ran the show at city hall; now that Ballem is gone, and Magee’s close friend Sadhu Johnston is acting city manager, Magee is all the more powerful. There’s been speculation about whether he’ll decamp to the federal Liberals (he was involved in raising money for a group of union and centre-left types to run ads against Stephen Harper and the Tories). Meanwhile, he’s handling the difficult files and standing by the mayor’s side whenever Robertson gives a speech, cuts a ribbon, or meets a Pope.



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13PETER FASSBENDERM I N I S T E R R E S P O N S I B L E F O R T R A N S L I N K


Since jumping into provincial politics in 2013, the former Langley mayor has be-come one of Premier Christy Clark’s most trusted ministers. Clark didn’t hesitate to give the rookie MLA the always-tough education portfolio, along with the seem-ingly impossible job of trying to reach a long-term labour agreement with the province’s teachers. Mission accom-plished: the six-year deal is the longest ever signed by the B.C. Teachers’ Federa-tion. He also helped shape the massive curriculum overhaul being rolled out over the next couple of years. That accom-plished, Clark in July moved Fassbender to the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development with responsibil-ity for TransLink—the key part of his job. Fixing the broken governance model that has undermined the public’s confi dence in the beleaguered transit authority will be no easy task, but it says something about Clark’s faith in 69-year-old Fassbender that she gave him a role where others have failed. His past association with the region’s mayors should come in handy as he tries to fi nd a way to give them the in-creased say over the TransLink they seek, while ensuring the provincial government doesn’t forfeit total control.

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14HUNTER HARRISON C E O O F C A N A D I A N P A C I F I C R A I LWAY


A CEO who lives in Connecticut and runs a company headquartered in Calgary may seem an odd choice for this city’s Power 50. But the company is CP—the railway that helped build Canada—and the war it’s waging over the fate of the Arbutus corridor speaks directly to the theme of this list: Whose city is it? Hunter Har-rison, 71, son of a Memphis police o� cer and a notoriously tough “big personal-ity,” was brought in to turn CP around in 2012, after the vicious proxy fi ght led by a U.S. hedge-fund mogul that ousted former CEO Fred Green and remade the CP board. One of Harrison’s mantras is to “optimize assets.” That’s why CP moved its headquarters from downtown Calgary out to CP’s under-utilized Ogden Yards, and it’s why the fate of some long-disused, CP-owned real estate in Shaughnessy is the focus of an increasingly intense battle here. CP’s hardball tactics—tear-ing out community gardens, threatening to store railway cars in the midst of a pricey residential neighbourhood—have put tremendous pressure on city hall to come up with a win-win solution. Whether it’s trading city-owned property for CP-owned land elsewhere, or having a developer buy the Arbutus lands and then gift much of it back to the city (or something else altogether), the resolution of this showdown will shape the way the city evolves for years to come.

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15PATRICIA DALYC H I E F M E D I C A L H E A LT H O F F I C E R , V P O F

P U B L I C H E A LT H


Dr. Patricia Daly likes to tell friends that if they haven’t heard her on the radio, that’s probably a good thing. At a time when reason can be drowned out by hysterical online opinion, there’s much to be said for the steady voice of Vancouver’s chief medical health o� cer. “The risks that people perceive,” she says—speaking of Ebola and other tropical diseases—“are often much higher than the actual risks.” Instead, she says, people usually underes-timate the risks of the apparently benign. Daly is responsible for everything from the quality of the air we breathe to the safety of the food we eat to the drugs we consume—and where we can consume them. “After 20 years working in public health in Vancouver, there’s not a lot that could surprise me,” she says—even in a year that’s provided an especially textured glimpse into her quiet but widespread infl uence. In the spring, she helped the city navigate two environmen-tal emergencies: the port fi re in March and the oil spill in April. By June—in the absence of federal guidance—Vancouver city council began regulating the dozens of retail marijuana-related businesses that have sprung up. “Legalization and regulation of psychoactive substances like marijuana is the best way to reduce the harms associated with their use,” she says. On the radio, you could hear her nuanced explanation of why those under 19 would be prevented from entering dispensaries, and why cannabis “edibles” would be prohibited (because of the dra-matic rise in childhood poisonings in U.S. marijuana retail outlets).

Then came a summer of drought and record temperatures. “Drought conditions increased forest fi res in the province,” says Daly, “which had an impact on our local air quality, posing a risk to those with chronic health condi-tions such as asthma.” The city also faced an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness due to consumption of raw B.C. oysters contaminated by a marine bacterium that proliferates in warmer water. She

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ordered restaurants to stop serving raw B.C. oysters.

Daly even played a role in the transit referendum. “Advocacy is an important part of my job, and often my role is mak-ing a link to population health where it might not be obvious, to the public or to decision-makers. Advocating for a “yes” vote in the transit referendum was an easy decision—there’s “lots of good evidence around the world that people who use transit to commute to school or work are more likely to be physically ac-tive and less likely to be obese than those using cars,” she says. She also relied on results from a community health survey of 43,000 people in Metro Vancouver.

“Ultimately, the decision-making process comes down to one question: will it improve population health?”

Vancouver has one of the healthiest populations in the world. When Daly travels, she tells others about the city’s low rates of smoking and obesity, the long life expectancy. Unfortunately, these numbers don’t tell the whole story. “There are people in Vancouver who don’t enjoy the same good health, and opportuni-ties for it, as everyone else,” says Daly. “My most important job is to help reduce those population health inequities, par-ticularly for those living in poverty, ab-original people, and some of Vancouver’s immigrant and refugee populations.”

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16RICH COLEMANM I N I S T E R O F N AT U R A L G A S D E V E L O P M E N T

& H O U S I N G , D E P U T Y P R E M I E R

A G E 61 M O V E M E N T (#4, 2014)

Not for nothing is Rich Coleman referred to as “Minister of Everything.” First elected in 1996, he’s held many of govern-ment’s trickiest ministries and knows where all the bodies are buried. His repu-tation was forged under Premier Gordon Campbell and continues under Christy Clark. When Clark needed someone to handle her most important file—liquefied natural gas—Coleman was handed the job. It may be his toughest assignment yet. With a provincial election only two years off, the government is desperate to ink at least one major LNG deal. After all, the riches that LNG is supposed to deliver formed the basis of Clark’s 2013 election win. Of course, there have been setbacks. The company expected to be the first to sign a major deal, the Malaysian energy giant Petronas, is dealing with horrible publicity after an audit exposed catastrophic lapses in safety at their operations. To make matters worse, the Malaysian government, which owns Petronas, has been rocked by a scandal involving the country’s PM, Najib Razak. Through it all, Coleman has remained a picture of calm. He was one of the few who assured naysayers that the Liberals would win another majority in 2013, and he’s anxious to show LNG doubters—who are also legion—that they, too, are wrong.



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17CHIEF IAN CAMPBELLC H I E F O F T H E S Q U A M I S H N AT I O N


When Woodfi bre LNG Ltd. wanted to build a facility in Howe Sound, it soon discovered that the B.C. government would not be the only political entity with which it would be dealing. The company would quickly learn that concerns of the Squamish Nation, under the dynamic leadership of Chief Ian Campbell, would also have to be satisfi ed. The First Nation released 25 conditions that Woodfi bre LNG had to meet before it could proceed with the project on ancestral Squamish land. Campbell, 42, has emerged as the new face of the Squamish Nation, fol-lowing the defeat of Gibby Jacob in band elections in 2013. The band claims a vast territory from Whistler to downtown Vancouver. Under Campbell’s leadership, the band has begun expanding its busi-ness interests. Among other ventures, it is partnering with the Aquilini Group to develop the Willingdon Lands in Burn-aby. The band—which has a population of 4,100, about 2,400 of whom live on re-serve—declared revenues of $94 million last year, the most of any First Nation in the province. It derives lease dollars from the Park Royal Shopping Centre, among several other land holdings. For his part, Campbell, who completed the aboriginal MBA program at Simon Fraser Univer-sity, has become a strong advocate for the language and culture of his community— and a new political force in the province.

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18DARREN ENTWISTLEP R E S I D E N T & C E O , T E L U S

A G E 53 M O V E M E N T (#7, 2013)

During Darren Entwistle’s 14 years as president and CEO, Telus grew from a regional carrier into the second-largest telecommunications company in the country (ahead of Bell, behind Rogers) with close to 8 million subscribers and 2014 revenues of $12 billion. Today it’s easily the biggest Vancouver-based fi rm (ahead of the publicly traded Teck Corp. and the privately held Pattison Group). When Entwistle stepped down as presi-dent and chair last year in favour of long-time senior executive Joe Natale, it looked as if a clear succession plan had been executed. The unexpected announcement in August that Natale was himself bowing out and Entwistle was returning to the CEO’s chair caught many analysts o� guard. Telus’s explanation—that Natale wasn’t ready to move his family here from Toronto (as if this wouldn’t have been sorted out prior to his appointment)—sounded like the kind of “personal reasons” blanket that boards sometimes throw over disappointing performance. In any case, Entwistle’s restoration was timely: Telus Garden, the strikingly in-novative new company headquarters that occupies a downtown block, was his baby all along. Because he worked closely with architect Gregory Henriquez on virtually every detail of the $750-million project, it’s only fi tting that he presided over the o� cial opening in September.

H O M E M A K E R

19SHAYNE RAMSAYC E O , B C H O U S I N G

A G E 54 M O V E M E N T (#19, 2014)

When you’re CEO of the provincial agen-cy responsible for creating social housing in one of the world’s most expensive real estate markets, you’re in the thick of one of the thorniest public-policy issues in the province. Welcome to Shayne Ramsay’s world. Head of BC Housing since 2000, Ramsay has been at the heart of some of the most contentious debates in the city, particularly as they pertain to the Down-town Eastside and what to do about housing the troubled souls who walk (and often sleep on) its streets. Ramsay has overseen perhaps the most ambi-tious expansion of social housing in the province’s history. Over the past 15 years, billions have been poured into building supportive housing here and around the province, turning dingy single-room oc-cupancy hotels in downtown Vancouver into something people are proud to live in. His tenure has been productive and widely applauded, though it has not been without controversy: he’s married to Jan-ice Abbott, a powerful housing advocate in her own right and executive director of the Atira Women’s Resource Society, one of the largest social housing agencies in the DTES. Given that Ramsay oversees the provincial body responsible for fund-ing, there have been charges of confl ict of interest. His response? He simply excuses himself, he says, whenever matters arise involving his wife’s non-profi t.

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20TRU WILSONS T U D E N T


“I remember when I was in kindergarten, the teacher got a new dollhouse,” says Tru Wilson, a bright-eyed 12-year-old with shiny braces on her front teeth. “I started playing with the dolls, and one of my guy friends was like, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘Playing with the dollies.’ He’s like, ‘But that’s not what boys do.’ And I’m thinking, yeah, but I’m not a boy.”

“At first we thought Trey was gay,” says Michelle Wilson, a graphic artist. She and her husband, Garfield, an actor and personal trainer, share their Ladner home with their three children and a dog. Having grown up in a Jamaican house-hold in Edmonton, Garfield—macho and muscular—at first had trouble accepting that his son was not a little version of himself. Michelle was caught between not wanting her child to be bullied, and want-ing her to be able to live as her true self.

One day Trey told his teacher at Sacred Heart elementary in Delta that he was “a girly-boy.” The vice-principal called Michelle and said, “We’re a little concerned with the language your son is using. You might want to tone that stuff down.”

Instead, understanding that Trey had gender dysphoria, the Wilsons began lobbying the school to let her attend as a girl. The school firmly refused. Garfield was polite and rational in the discussions, thinking that would yield the best results. Michelle got quietly furious that he was treating school officials with the respect and consideration they were failing to show their child. “There was a lot of stress,” says Garfield. “It put our marriage in a rocky place.”

“They kept asking for supporting material from doctors,” says Tru. “When we gave it to them, they’d ask for an opinion from a doctor they chose.” Then they wanted a third opinion. “Then they played the religion card,” says Garfield. Recognizing a transgender child, they said, would go against Catholic teach-ings. Tru was living as a girl at home, at her dance class, on her basketball team. “Then I had to go to school and pretend to be a boy.”

“We wanted her to be able to wear the girl’s uniform and they just shut us right down,” says Michelle. “I remember sitting in the parking lot after one meeting, bawling my eyes out, thinking, so this is what it’s going to be like.”

Tru transferred to a public school, and the Wilsons filed a human rights complaint. “We wanted a policy in place so that other kids wouldn’t have to go through what we did,” says Michelle. The Catholic School Board was finally pressured into developing such a policy; the Vancouver School Board was already working on one. Meanwhile, an interview on Global TV, which the family posted on Facebook, became a way to let everyone hear their story in a safe way. “We had no idea what the reaction would be,” says Michelle. “Would people shun us? Which friends would be left standing? Would we have to move?”

On the contrary. They were amazed by how open and supportive friends, family, and even strangers were. “It was overwhelming,” says Michelle. “Even Garfield’s parents, who are pretty tradi-tional, said, ‘We don’t understand it, but we love you and support you.’” A year later, as the Vanouver Parks Board was develop-ing a transgender policy, they asked Tru to be a poster child. A photo of Tru and her parents now appears on Parks & Recreation posters around in the city.

It wasn’t until the whole family was benefitting from therapy that they began taking comfort in the realization that normalcy and conformity don’t move the world forward. “If you look back,” says Garfield, “you see that people who make a real difference usually go through hard-ships along the way.”

Gender identity is the social-justice issue of our time, brought into focus, and media prominence, by the likes of Chelsea Manning, Laverne Cox on Orange is the New Black, Jazz Jennings on the reality show I Am Jazz, Caitlyn Jenner on the cover of Vanity Fair—and by a child at a Catholic School in Delta who knew she belonged in a girl’s uniform.

“I didn’t expect to be on posters and people recognizing me and making a difference for other kids,” says Tru. “I just wanted to be me.”20

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R I C H M A N , P O O R M A N

21DJAVAD MOWAFAGHIANP H I L A N T H R O P I S T

A G E 88 M O V E M E N T (#49, 2012)

Raised in Iran by a widowed mother who taught him and his siblings about selfl essness and community, Djavad Mowafaghian made his fortune in con-struction. There he also built schools in the country’s poorest neighbourhoods,understanding that health and education are the keys to a child’s—and a nation’s—future. After the Iranian revolution of 1979 he moved to Switzerland and then,

G A M E C H A N G E R

23STEWART BUTTERFIELDC O - F O U N D E R & C E O , S L A C K


After Stewart Butterfi eld sold Flickr, the photo-sharing startup he co-founded, to Yahoo for $35 million in 2005, he began assembling a team of programmers in Vancouver to develop a weird online mul-tiplayer game called Glitch. Flickr had been a happy accident that grew out of his fi rst attempt to develop such a game. As Glitch neared completion, it turned out that it was not the game itself but the tool the programmers created to communi-cate with each other that had great value. Slack is now valued at $2.8 billion, and Butterfi eld is a beacon in the burgeoning tech scene in this city. Born in a cabin in Lund, B.C., he taught himself to code growing up and then studied philosophy at the University of Victoria and at Cam-bridge. His sensibility is perhaps best captured in the resignation letter he sent Yahoo, which is legendary in tech circles: “I will be spending more time with my family, tending to my small but growing alpaca herd and of course getting back to working with tin, my fi rst love.”

in 1987, to Vancouver. He has since used his resources to further health and social development in Africa, India, Haiti, Swit-zerland, England, and here in his adopted city. His extraordinary generosity has enriched everything from the Children’s Hospital to SFU, Lions Gate Hospital, and the Centre for Child Development in Surrey. His $15-million contribution to the Centre for Brain Health allowed UBC to leverage government funding and create one of the top brain research and treatment facilities on the continent. Slowed by a stroke in 2010 and now partially disabled, Mowafaghian, 88, puts life in refreshing perspective. “How much money do you need?” he asks. “You need money for eating and to sleep—a place for a bed. If you have a billion dollars, you cannot spend it. I love to help other people—my heart becomes happy.” That sunny outlook makes a lot of other people happy, too.

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E A S T- W E S T C O N N E C T O R

22THOMAS FUNGC H A I R & C E O , FA I R C H I L D G R O U P

A G E 64 M O V E M E N T (#28, 2013)

Eager to escape the shadow of his legend-ary father, Fung King Hey, Thomas Fung left Hong Kong for North America at age 15. He arrived in Vancouver on July 1, 1967—Canada’s centennial—deter-mined to make it on his own. Almost half a century later, you’d have to say he’s succeeded. With Fairchild Media, he controls the largest Chinese media company in Canada. As the developer of

N AT I V E S O N

24WADE GRANTS P E C I A L A D V I S O R T O T H E P R E M I E R

A G E 37 M O V E M E N T (#31, 2013)

Wade Grant was called on recently to wel-come an incoming class of UBC students. He did it gracefully, evoking the history of his Musqueam people in a way that made clear that he remembers the past without being embittered by it. Then he had to leave for his job at Premier Christy Clark’s o� ce. He was named her special adviser on First Nations issues in June 2014; Clark called him her “relationship guide.” He has since been convening groups to talk with the province about the many unresolved issues with B.C. First Nations. Grant, not yet 40, has made a name for himself as an ambas-sador for the Musqueam and a bridge between two worlds. He lives on the Musqueam reserve with his wife and two children but doesn’t isolate himself there. His mother is former Musqueam chief Wendy Grant, his stepfather the former NDP minister Ed John. He himself was a band councillor for several years and, until recently, also the Musqueam’s economic development manager. Small wonder that he’s been courted by more than one political party. He’s interested in politics, he tells these suitors, only if it directly helps his community.

Richmond’s thriving Aberdeen Centre, he owns not just the mall but many business-es in it, including Chef Hung Beef Noodle (a Korean chain to which he has North American rights) and Daiso (a remarkably profi table Japanese-based dollar store, which he plans to roll out across Canada). His Saint Germain Bakery in Richmond supplies dozens of airlines, and he intends to franchise the Aimé Pâtisserie he opened in Shanghai. The 1,200-person guest list at his son’s wedding last year at the Convention Centre included Hong Kong’s who’s-who. Fung is the epitome of the international businessman: he travels frequently, is at home on both sides of the Pacifi c, helps other Asian immigrants, and next year will open a school in Hong Kong that o� ers a Canadian private-school curriculum to students hoping one day to follow in his footsteps.



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LOGO

C O M M U N I T Y B U I L D E R

25BING THOMF O U N D E R , B I N G T H O M A R C H I T E C T S

A G E 74 M O V E M E N T (#31, 2011)

“My client is more than the person who pays me,” the architect Bing Thom once told architecture critic Witold Rybczyn-ski. “My client is society and the public.” Thom is one of those rare architects who lives his idealism. And he does so on both sides of the Pacifi c. Born in Hong Kong, educated at UBC and Berkeley, he worked with Fumihiko Maki and Arthur Erickson before striking out on his own in Vancouver. He’s established the kind of eclectic practice that sees him shortlisted to design the Canoe Museum in Peter-borough, Ontario (could there be a more defi nitively Canadian project?), while at the same time landing the prestigious Xiqu Centre, a $347-million sanctuary dedicated to traditional Chinese opera in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District. To say nothing of his acclaimed redesign of Surrey Centre, or the many buildings he’s designed in Vancouver. But it’s not his buildings that get mentioned fi rst in conversations about Bing Thom. It’s his contribution to the communities where he builds them.

L A D Y I N WA I T I N G

26ANDREA REIMERC I T Y C O U N C I L L O R

A G E 43 M O V E M E N T (#32, 2014)

Is she Vancouver’s next mayor? Andrea Reimer is Vision Vancouver’s secret weapon—the councillor who doesn’t get bashed by the party’s left-wing supporters as a development sell-out. The one who can deliver an impassioned, verge-of-tears speech at city council, or be sent out among the hostile crowds that Mayor Gregor Robertson avoids. Named permanent deputy mayor shortly after Vision was elected for the third time last November, Reimer is relentless on her fi les—environment, sustainability, First Nations, public engagement. No environ-mental initiative at the city goes forward without her support. A former executive director of the Western Canada Wilder-ness Committee, she’s the loyal soldier for now. But she’s working hard at taming her patronizing-remark impulses and demonstrating her engaged, emotional, empathetic self. A former street kid and the mother of a transgender teen, she’s the very embodiment of the city’s diver-sity. If she does reach the mayor’s o� ce, she’ll certainly be familiar with the room. She’s the only councillor, say insiders, who’s free to walk into Robertson’s o� ce any time for one of their frequent chats.

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T H E A C C E L E R AT O R

27RYAN HOLMESC E O , H O O T S U I T E

A G E 40 M O V E M E N T (#18, 2014)

Vancouver’s tech poster boy is a big fan of the word “hustle.” Life advice? “Now is the best time to hustle.” Core value? “Hustle.” Words to live by from the founder of the local social-media-dash-board success story that counts the NHL, eBay, the White House, and Sony Music Entertainment among its high-profile

T R A D E S P E R S O N

28KATHY KINLOCHP R E S I D E N T, B C I T

M O V E M E N T (First Appearance)

Say “post-secondary education” in Van-couver and people think UBC and SFU. The B.C. Institute of Technology may not get the same recognition, but the B.C. Liberal government’s jobs plan—which helped get them re-elected in 2013—is built around the innovation and resource economies, and LNG in particular. Those sectors need skilled workers, not young people with degrees in art history, Eng-lish literature, or women’s studies. Which is why Kathy Kinloch’s role as president of BCIT is so important to the future of the city and the province. A former nurse who moved into health care and then into edu-cation, she took the reins at BCIT after a stint as president of Vancouver Commu-nity College. Her mandate is clear: satisfy what she calls the “insatiable demand” created by the government’s message that we need more people in the economy who have technical skills. To that end, as com-petition for government funding intensi-fies, she’s seeking to develop alternative sources of revenue. One approach is to bring educators, businesses, and students together by collaborating with startups in need of applied research. Her success to date became clear in September, when BCIT opened a new campus—its fifth—on Annacis Island.

clients. It’s unclear whether the (private) company is even close to profitable, though it probably would be if it halted its aggressive global growth strategy. Holmes himself—fiercely independent and committed to Vancouver—is now in-vesting in local startups as a way of build-ing the tech industry here. Meanwhile, Hootsuite is building its own campus by connecting the three buildings it occupies west of Main Street. It may well go public in the next couple of years, analysts say, particularly after news that Open Text’s principal accounting officer has accepted the CFO position. (The success of Shopify, the e-commerce software company that went public, has inspired Holmes.) “You must always be open to taking risks,” he says. “Learn from failure; don’t fear it.”

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29ADAM PALMERC H I E F C O N S TA B L E , V P D


When the city was looking for a new chief constable last year, Adam Palmer was one of three internal candidates who ticked all the boxes. After studying business administration at SFU, he worked as a corrections o� cer before joining the force in 1987. He’s served everywhere from the jail to the gang crime unit, and from police/Crown liaison to the plan-ning, research, and audit section. As an inspector, he oversaw the city’s tough-est neighbourhoods, as well as the port and marine division. During the Winter Games, he was venue commander for the Pacifi c Coliseum. Deputy chief since 2010, he ended up with responsibility for all investigative areas of the force. Along the way he’s also led executive leadership programs with the FBI. Palmer clearly had the resume and the experience the position demands, and was appointed the VPD’s 31st chief constable in May. The intangibles of leadership are harder to assess. Peter Brown, the Canaccord founder and honourary VPD chief, called Palmer’s predecessor, Jim Chu, “one of the fi nest people I’ve ever met, a natural leader who’s quick to credit others for any success and to take responsibility for any failures or shortcomings.” Chu’s legacy is a police force considered among the best in North America; Palmer’s challenge is to build on that legacy while making the force his own.

C H A N G E A G E N T

30MARY ACKENHUSENP R E S I D E N T & C E O , C O A S TA L H E A LT H


Mary Ackenhusen began her career as an industrial engineer before completing an MBA at Harvard Business School. In 2014 she was named Vancouver Coastal Health’s president and CEO, in no small part because she could see opportunities where others saw hopeless contradictions. “My selling point,” she recalls, “which I think resonated, was my passion and courage to work aggressively to make our current public healthcare system sustain-able in the face of increasing demand and stagnant budgets.” As the demographic bulge of aging baby boomers strained the healthcare system, her white whale became the Clinical & Systems Trans-formation (CST)—a single electronic health record, accessible to clinicians and patients anytime, anywhere. “This is an essential building block of modern healthcare that we have not yet achieved,” she says. “We must do so, and soon.” The mega-IT project Ackenhusen inherited, reported to cost $842 million, had, as she puts it, “gone o� the rails.” Her team parted ways with IBM and, engaging Coastal Health’s 15,000 employees and more than 2,000 physicians, relaunched an initiative to design a viable system. “My goal is to make sure that our system is still working for all of us in 10 years.”

G R E E N G I A N T

31SADHU JOHNSTONA C T I N G C I T Y M A N A G E R

A G E 41 M O V E M E N T (#14, 2014)

Now that Vancouver’s bureaucratic overlord, Penny Ballem, has left the building, Johnston—hired from Richard Daley’s Chicago administration in 2009 to drive Mayor Gregor Robertson’s green agenda here—is at the helm as acting city manager. While Ballem handled the high-profi le political and money fi les, Johnston tackled the longer-term projects: managing the city’s emergency-response plan; overseeing the overall infrastructure plan; and, of course, trans-forming Vancouver into the greenest city in the universe. That won’t be achieved solely through idealism and policy; it starts with understanding the business case for new environmental standards and innovations. Johnston—a woodwork-ing afi cionado who hand-crafted his own canoe—is the go-to guy for companies scouting Vancouver for a place to pilot new products and projects because he understands both the theory and the practice. His name isn’t widely known in the city, but in the global green-cities movement he’s viewed as an infl uencer. And though he has said that he doesn’t want the city manager post, he wouldn’t be the fi rst acting executive who grew into the permanent gig.

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L A B O U R O F L O V E

32IRENE LANZINGERP R E S I D E N T, B C F E D E R AT I O N O F L A B O U R


When she was elected head of the BC Federation of Labour late last year, Irene Lanzinger had big boots to fill. Her prede-cessor, Jim Sinclair, was a loud, passion-ate advocate for the province’s workers, a one-time journalist whose popularity

R I S I N G S O N

33TOM GAGLARDIP R E S I D E N T, N O R T H L A N D P R O P E R T I E S


The family name is part of provincial history. Tom Gaglardi’s grandfather was “Flyin’ Phil” Gaglardi, a cabinet minister in the Social Credit government of W.A.C. Bennett in the 1950s and ’60s. Phil’s son Bob founded Northland Properties, starting with real estate, restaurants, and budget motels. After nearly going under in the 1980s (Gaglardi was saved from bankruptcy thanks to help from Jimmy Pattison and Luigi Aquilini), Northland has since grown into one of the largest privately held companies in the province. Besides real estate and the Sandman and Signature chains, the Gaglardis own Moxie’s, Denny’s, and the Sutton Place Hotel here (as well as the Sutton Place in Edmonton and the right to build else-where in Canada). Business, like politics, makes strange bedfellows. Tom Gaglardi may be best known for having (with Ryan Beedie) come out on the losing end of a court battle with the Aquilinis over ownership of the Vancouver Canucks, but he’s now an NHL owner and governor himself, having bought the Dallas Stars in 2011. And the Gaglardis have long been involved with the Aquilinis in an expansive, all-seasons resort they hope to build north of Squamish.

was evidenced by his unprecedented 15-year term. Lanzinger, a former teacher who went on to become president of the BC Teachers’ Federation, is the first woman to head the organization (even though women make up more than half of union membership in the province) and thus serves as a ground-breaking, if belated, role model. Her more concrete goals—a $15 minimum wage; stronger health and safety laws; countering the temporary foreign workers program—will likely prove more elusive. With union membership declining sharply over the past decade, and a Liberal government hostile to unions making it more difficult to organize them, Lanzinger has her work cut out for her—and the half million members whose interests she represents.


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34CAROL LEEC E O A N D C O - F O U N D E R ,

L I N A C A R E C O S M E T H E R A P Y

M O V E M E N T (#21, 2014)

“I like to do things that are important to me,” explains Carol Lee, the daughter of real-estate billionaire and noted phi-lanthropist Robert H. Lee, whose name graces UBC’s new alumni centre. “It’s a combination of interest and curiosity in di� erent projects.” Lee is plainly having an impact as chair of both the Vancouver Chinatown Revitalization Committee and the Vancouver Chinatown Founda-tion; and on the board of the Rideau Hall Foundation, a position that requires her to visit Ottawa two or three times a year. To say nothing of her main business endeavour: Linacare is a skin-care line that’s both cosmetic and therapeutic, specializing in aiding cancer patients and burn victims. Lee’s focus is the changing role of the Chinese community in this city. The three restaurants she just bought in Chinatown are, in that sense, less about food than about the neighbour-hood they occupy. She’s not talking about gentrifi cation; she’s nurturing inclusive-ness by walking the fi ne line between respecting tradition and encouraging growth. “I can’t do it on my own,” she says. “It’s all about teamwork. The secret to success is always fi nding the right people.”

T R A I L B L A Z E R

35JODY WILSON-RAYBOULDL I B E R A L M P, VA N C O U V E R G R A N V I L L E

A G E 4 4 M O V E M E N T (#36, 2014)

She’s not a natural politician. She doesn’t network easily or promote herself. She’s not a natural politician. She doesn’t network easily or promote herself. In fact, in one debate during the election campaign, it was her NDP opponent, Mira Oreck, who stepped in to say that Jody Wilson-Raybould was hiding her light under a bushel and should get credit for her work on treaty negotiations. But if the new MP for Vancouver-Granville is quiet and unassuming, it’s not because she lacks a power resume. The daughter of Chief Bill Wilson, Wilson-Raybould is a former Crown prosecutor who worked in Vancouver’s gritty provincial court on Main Street, worked with the B.C. Treaty Commission, and until recently served as a regional chief with the Assembly of First Nations. Colleagues describe her as more policy wonk than campaigner, more comfortable revising a report in detail than participating in a rapid-fi re debate. As a negotiator, she’s known as someone who knows how to get everybody to a win. She’ll be a key voice in Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, bringing an aborigi-nal and western voice to the table, as well as a determination to empower women. It’s an important fi rst for the province.

B A R G E A N D I N C H A R G E

36KYLE WASHINGTONC H A I R , S E A S P A N C O R P.

A G E 45 M O V E M E N T (#30, 2013)

Since being sent to Vancouver in 1994 by his father to oversee the family’s huge marine division, Kyle Washington has become a force in the city’s business com-munity. As executive chair of Seaspan Corp., he’s overseen major gains by the shipbuilding, drydock, and barge opera-tor, highlighted by an $8-billion (and growing) contract to build 12 vessels for the federal government that e� ectively resuscitated a dying industry on the West Coast. Washington is also an active direc-tor on the boards of several companies owned by the family and keeps in close touch with his 81-year-old father, Den-nis, who amassed a multi-billion-dollar fortune in construction, mining, and shipping. Kyle, 45, and his wife, Janelle, support many charitable causes, but he has also earned a reputation as a work-hard, play-harder party guy. Earlier this year, he was handed a three-month driving ban after a bizarre incident when, leaving the West Vancouver Yacht Club, he drove one of his many pricey cars into a ditch. When he blew above the limit, his lawyer argued in court that Washington’s “bizarre behaviour” that night was a reac-tion to a prescription sleeping pill.

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right people.” light under a bushel and should get credit for her work on treaty negotiations. But if the new MP for Vancouver-Granville is quiet and unassuming, it’s not because she lacks a power resume. The daughter of Chief Bill Wilson, Wilson-Raybould is a former Crown prosecutor who worked in Vancouver’s gritty provincial court on Main Street, worked with the B.C. Treaty Commission, and until recently served as a regional chief with the Assembly of First Nations. Colleagues describe her as more policy wonk than campaigner, more comfortable revising a report in detail than participating in a rapid-fi re debate. As a negotiator, she’s known as someone who knows how to get everybody to a win. She’ll be a key voice in Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, bringing an aborigi-nal and western voice to the table, as well as a determination to empower women. It’s an important fi rst for the province.


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37DAVID SUZUKIC O - F O U N D E R , D AV I D S U Z U K I F O U N D AT I O N

A G E 79 M O V E M E N T (#2, 2011)

For half a century he’s been warning that our short-sighted stewardship of the planet is leading toward disaster, and the world has fi nally started to listen. David Suzuki frankly fears it may be too late, though he knows that’s no reason to abandon hope and hard work. Soon to turn 80, he shows few signs of slow-ing down, giving speeches, publishing books (the most recent, Letters to My Grandchildren, is the 55th title that bears his name), marching in climate-change demonstrations along with the likes of Jane Fonda and Bill McKibben, and pad-dling the Peace River in solidarity with First Nations protesting the Site C dam approval. He’s a polarizing fi gure (just ask Justin Trudeau, with whom he has publicly quarrelled), and corporate types like to paint him as a hypocrite for living in a multi-million-dollar Point Grey home (which he bought, four decades ago, for $135,000). Some young environmental-ists feel his message and his methods have become outdated, but no one can deny that the geneticist-turned-TV-host-turned-environmental activist—who’s regularly voted among the most admired and trusted Canadians—will leave a legacy that places him in the company of Wendell Berry, Rachel Carson, and Jacques Cousteau.

D O W N B Y L AW

38JOSEPH ARVAYP A R T N E R , FA R R I S , VA U G H A N ,

W I L L S & M U R P H Y

A G E 66 M O V E M E N T (#20, 2014)

Knowing something about the plight of minorities—he was confi ned to a wheelchair after a car accident while a student at the University of Western Ontario—Arvay has long fought for the underdog. He helped strike down the law preventing same-sex marriage, fought for the rights of the children of sperm donors, and argued all the way to the Supreme Court that the Canada Border Services Agency’s withholding of gay materials violated the constitutional rights of Little Sister’s bookstore and its owner, the late Jim Deva. Arvay has represented clients dealing with issues of all legal stripes, but it’s his work in helping to defi ne what the Charter of Rights and Freedoms actually means that has made him perhaps the pre-eminent constitutional lawyer in the country. He represented Gloria Taylor in the case that led the Supreme Court to strike down the law banning assisted sui-cide, forcing the government to come up with a legislative response and prompt-ing the Canadian Medical Association to instruct its members to follow their con-science in dealing with individual cases. As increasing numbers of baby boomers watch their parents endure protracted deaths, and public opinion polls favour more humane end-of-life options—not to mention the new Liberal government it Ottawa—it seems inevitable that the laws will soon be changed. And that Joseph Arvay will one of the people making it happen.

S E E Y O U I N C O U R T

39KATRINA PACEYE X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R ,

P I V O T L E G A L S O C I E T Y


As a lifelong activist, Katrina Pacey is leery of appearing on lists such as this. But as the executive director of Pivot—a group of legal professionals committed to social justice on the Downtown East-side—she appreciates having access to the other people on such lists. “Because we’re lawyers,” says Pacey, “we can get invited to meetings that frontline activists or sex workers may not be invited to.” Bring-ing the frontline to Ottawa has become an e� ective MO for Pivot. “It becomes much harder when you have somebody in front of you telling you, ‘Your laws are forcing me into the darkest corners of the Downtown Eastside where I don’t know if I’m going to make it home tonight.’” Pacey has spent almost a decade arguing that Canada’s prostitution laws are unconsti-tutional. Canadian Lawyer named her to its “25 Most Infl uential” list for “helping change draconian laws that threaten the lives of sex-trade workers and restore dignity to people who have been margin-alized.” Not long after Canada’s Supreme Court ruled that the law violated sex workers’ rights to improve their safety and health, the Conservative government introduced new legislation to undermine the decision. And Pacey began working on her next piece of litigation.

POWER

5050


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40RICK HANSENC E O , R I C K H A N S E N F O U N D AT I O N

A G E 58 M O V E M E N T (#50, 2007)

A paraplegic since he was thrown from a truck at age 15, Rick Hansen is best known for his Man in Motion tour, from March 1985 to May 1987, when he cir-cumnavigated the globe in his wheelchair (damaging his shoulder on the fi rst day) to raise awareness and money for people with disabilities. That journey made him a hero in the Terry Fox mould, but it’s what he’s done in the decades since—from counselling newly paralyzed people to lobbying for the rights of the disabled to establishing a foundation that has raised more than $200 million—that makes him an enduring role model. Many of the things that physically challenged people in Vancouver (and elsewhere) take for granted—curb ramps, handicapped park-ing spots, fully accessible washrooms—have grown directly out of Hansen’s advocacy and example. A champion Para-lympic athlete in 1984, and a torchbearer at the 2010 Winter Games, he’s made the city more inclusive and become a civic beacon by turning personal misfortune into an ongoing crusade to help others.

S TAT I O N M A S T E R

41JILL KROPN E W S D I R E C T O R , G L O B A L B C


When Jill Krop, 52, arrived at BCTV in her early thirties, the idea that a woman would run either the newsroom or the station seemed unlikely. Last April, she was placed in charge of both. The most-watched local newscast in the region had slipped in the ratings, so she went to work. She turned beloved anchors back into reporters, where they could break news. She anointed a Chinese-Canadian breakfast show host as co-anchor of the six o’clock news. And she began trans-forming her daily newsroom into a robust online presence. Today, at BCTV’s current incarnation as Global, Krop orchestrates the daily conversation that takes places in the sweet spot where urban Vancouver turns into the suburbs. “In the golden era of news, you had one middle-aged Caucasian male speaking to an audience that by and large matched him,” she says. “That just doesn’t exist anymore. How do I appeal to an immigrant from South Asia who’s just learning English but inter-ested in understanding where they live? A 40-year-old mother who works all day and has to still cook dinner and barely has time to watch news? And a senior who’s long been a viewer from our BCTV days and lives up north and doesn’t want a thing to change?” Answer: by doing what she did as a reporter almost two decades ago—hold the powerful accountable.

D AT E K N I G H T

42MARKUS FRINDF O U N D E R , P L E N T Y O F F I S H . C O M


Only last year, Markus Frind was quoted as saying he had “no intention of selling to any of the many investors who have ex-pressed an interest in Plenty of Fish,” the dating website he created in two weeks in 2003. This year, he sold it to Match.comfor US$575-million cash, joining the likes of Roger Hardy (of Coastal Contacts and Shoes.com) and Charles Chang (who cashed out of Vega plant-based food and nutritional products) as the city’s latest self-made multi-millionaires. What will the 36-year-old developer do with his newfound riches? He wants to spend more time with his baby daughter, he loves to travel, and he’s beginning to invest in local startups, including Cymax, an online furniture retailer, and banking-meets-tech outfi t Grouplend. “He has a brilliant mind,” says an investment bank-er who knows him well. “He used to play chess with his dad when he was growing up, but constantly got his ass beat. He started winning when he started think-ing fi ve or six steps ahead. That’s how he operates, and I think that’s why he’s so successful today. He’s always ahead of the game, and that’s rare in Vancouver.”

POWER

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+

WITH GREAT POWER, CAME GREAT CONVERSATION

A YEAR OF THE M POWER SPEAKER SERIES

Every year, Vancouver magazine unveils an index of 50 infl uential and powerful people who run Vancouver—from philanthropists, developers,

activists and politicos. This is our Power 50.The December issue—the one you’re holding—is one of our most popular of the year, and our revealing profi les resonate online months after they’re published.

This past year, for the fi rst time ever, Vancouver magazine and Brian Jessel BMW teamed up to bring select 2015 Power 50 winners to the stage in a

quarterly networking and thought–leadership event hosted at the stunning Brian Jessel BMW showroom.

More than 600 Brian Jessel BMW customers, VIPs and engaged Vancouverites attended our fi ve conversations, featuring new

Vancouver Granville Liberal MP Jody Wilson-Raybould, Bob Rennie, Polygon Homes founder and arts patron

Michael Audain, local TED organizers Janet and Katherine McCartney and many other prominent city builders.

The powerful conversations on stage were just the beginning. Great food and wine before and after the event fueled some of

the best networking opportunities in the city. We hope you join us for

next year’s series. Check out VanMag.com/MPower for details.

Bob RennieRennie

Marketing Systems

Anne GiardiniSFU Chancellor

Michael AudainPolygon Homes

Chair and Audain Art Museum Founder

Anthony Von MandlProprietor of Mission Hill

Family Estate

Diana Zoppa Brian Jessel BMW

Marketing Manager

Jim Murray Brian Jessel BMW

Managing Partner

Tom GierasimczukVancouver magazine

Publisher

Party

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Jody Wilson-RaybouldVancouver Granville

Liberal MP

Shayne RamsayCEO, BC Housing

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D E S I G N E R G E N E S

43GREGORY HENRIQUEZA R C H I T E C T, H E N R I Q U E Z P A R T N E R S


There are architects in this town who design nothing but high-end towers. Oth-ers specialize in modest projects of social housing or low-cost rentals. There’s only one who does both. Gregory Henriquez is the mind behind the big-bang Telus Garden project that opened in Septem-ber, with its giant archway and unusual glass boxes hovering over the downtown sidewalks. He’s helping to turn the three Hootsuite buildings o� Main Street into an interlinked campus. He’s working with developer Ian Gillespie on the billion-dollar Oakridge shopping mall redevelop-ment—luxury stores! condos that look like terraced hillsides in China!—and, again with Gillespie, on the remake of the crumbling Stanley/New Fountain build-ing in Gastown that operated for the last decade as a combination of shelter and transitional housing. It will become new, livable social housing, combined with stacks of market-rental units. Henriquez produced a book earlier this year, Citizen City, that examines how developers, architects, governments, and non-profi ts can work together to capture wealth from real estate to use for social good. That’s unabashedly his aim: to merge architec-ture and social justice in the e� ort to give people of all income levels a city they can call home.

S I S T E R A C T

44JANET & KATHERINE McCARTNEYD I R E C T O R S , P D W I N C .

A G E S 57 M O V E M E N T (#35, 2014)

For the past two years, during a week in March, billions of dollars of net worth has sat, thigh-to-thigh, in a custom-built theatre in the west ballroom of the Van-couver Convention Centre. It’s possibly the largest concentration of wealth on the planet during that time, with attendees sych as Al Gore, Amazon’s Je� Bezos, Bill Gates, and Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin. For all the star power, though, the éminences grises behind this digital Davos are the twins Janet and Katherine McCartney. With a sta� of about 40 full timers and 15 part timers, they help coordinate TED’s $60-million conference business out of the North Van o� ces of PDW (Procreation Design Works), the event production company that has worked with TED curator Chris Anderson since 2002.

“TED in Vancouver is more than simply fi lling hotels and a convention centre,” says Greg Klassen, who as former CEO of the Canadian Tourism Commis-sion (now Destination Canada) worked with the sisters to bring TED to town from Long Beach for the fi rst time last year. “It’s about the scientists, engineers, venture capitalists, Hollywood stars, and decision-makers in Vancouver year after year who develop a relationship with our business community.” Everybody wins. Burnaby-based General Fusion Inc. appointed astronaut Mark Kelly to its ad-visory council after meeting him at TED, and—coincidence or not—Microsoft announced its Vancouver expansion (and 400 projected new jobs) six weeks after the temporary theatre was disassembled last March.

Thanks to the sisters’ negotiating acumen, PRW’s production expertise, and the overwhelming success of the fi rst Vancouver TED back in 2014, the conference is here to stay. Chris Anderson announced earlier this year: “This is our home for the foreseeable future.”

F R I E N D I N D E E D

45JOEL SOLOMONC H A I R M A N , R E N E WA L F U N D S

A G E 60 M O V E M E N T (#15, 2011)

A native of Tennessee, Joel Solomon learned about political organizing while working on Jimmy Carter’s U.S. presidential campaign in the 1970s. A serious health issue led to some soul-searching on Cortes Island, where in 1993 he met a young organic farmer named Gregor Robertson. Their views aligned, especially on the urgent need to address environmental issues, and they became fast friends. Solomon has supported Robertson, from his business ventures to the provincial legislature to the mayor’s o� ce, ever since. His own work revolves around Renewal Funds—a venture capi-tal fi rm that generates impressive returns by investing in businesses built on social and environmental innovation—and chairing the board of Hollyhock, the retreat and learning centre on Cortes. All of this dovetails nicely with Vancouver’s “Greenest City by 2020” vision, which Solomon robustly supports and, indeed, helped to create. Gregor Robertson’s career in public life is not likely to end at the mayor’s o� ce. Wherever it leads, he’ll have the support of his most important sponsor, mentor, and friend.

POWER

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B R I G H T L I G H T

46OMER ARBELC R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R , B O C C I


Vancouver may love Omer Arbel, but that doesn’t mean the feeling is en-tirely mutual. He’s the city’s best-known designer—equally at home in interior design, industrial design, and archi-tecture—and widely celebrated on the international stage (Gwyneth Paltrow just named his Bocci light installation

one of her favourite picks from London Design Week)—but the design scene here, he says, is not ideal. “I’m not say-ing Vancouver designers are weak, but the culture is just too undeveloped to sustain a career. I’ve been splitting my time between here and Berlin. Vancouver designers often have to move and fight for their ground in other markets where they might not be connected.” His message reverberates through the local art and design communities: housing costs are high, the city is more intent on the tech and green industries, support systems are simply not in place. There’s speculation that he himself may move to Germany. Let’s hope he chooses instead to stay and help build the vibrant community he’d like to be part of.

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WADE GRANT // WHO SHOULD BE NO. 1 ON THIS LIST?

“THE THREE LOCAL FIRST NATIONS CHIEFS WHOSE TERRITORY VANCOUVER IS BUILT UPON.”

POWER

50

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F I E L D O F D R E A M S

47DAVID SIDOOC H A I R , E A S T W E S T P E T R O L E U M

A G E 56 M O V E M E N T (#47, 2012)

Before he struck it rich in the oil business, David Sidoo was a football star at UBC. His love of the game—and of his alma mater—has been a constant through his career: as a CFL defensive back with Sas-katchewan and the B.C. Lions, then as a partner at Yorkton Securities, and fi nally as an investment banker. His fi rst big win, American Oil & Gas, made him wealthy when it was acquired by Hess. His success has allowed him to pursue philanthropy and return the support he received from coaches and friends when his sawmill-worker father died suddenly and he thought he’d have to drop out of university to help his fam-ily. His Sidoo Family Giving founda-tion funds everything from children’s breakfast programs to community scholarships. But the initiative closest to his heart is the football program at UBC, which was facing deep, perhaps mortal, cuts. Sidoo stepped up and put together a group of alumni to form the 13th Man Foundation. New corporate sponsor-ships, new facilities, a new coach, and new recruits have made the Thunderbirds a force once again. Which makes it only fi tting that the turf at Thunderbird Stadium is now called David Sidoo Field.

F O O D F I G H T E R S

48BUS FULLER/STAN FULLER/JEFF FULLERR E S TA U R AT E U R S

A G E 86, 62, 50 M O V E M E N T (2001)

In the beginning, Bus created Earls. That’s Leroy Earl “Bus” Fuller, an 86-year-old dynamo who got out of the oil business and into restaurants via a little spot in Sunburst, Montana, called The Green & White. He moved on to A&W franchises then opened the fi rst Earls (in Edmonton) in 1982 and the second (on Marine Drive in North Vancouver) in 1983. Bus also created four sons. Two of them—Stan, and Je� —now head Earls and JOEY, respectively. Those chains, along with Cactus Club and Browns Social House—which are both presided over by Earls alumni—are rapidly replicating their respective “premium casual” concepts throughout North America. Cactus Club just opened a spectacular complex at First Canadian Place, their fi rst outpost in Toronto. Earls and JOEY already have multiple rooms there, in many other Canadian cities, and, increasingly, in U.S. markets as well. Earls is killing it in Miami, Boston, Chicago, and Washington; JOEY has four rooms in Seattle and just opened their fi rst Los Angeles location (they also have the fast-growing Local Public Eatery brand). The Fuller chains are aggressive, well managed, and intensely competitive. They are privately held, but industry analysts suggest that their com-bined annual sales will soon approach a billion dollars. Stadium is now called David Sidoo Field. billion dollars.

POWER

50

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M A N W I T H A P L A N

49ANDY YANS E N I O R U R B A N P L A N N E R / R E S E A R C H E R ,

B I N G T H O M A R C H I T E C T S


In 2009, Bing Thom Architects spun o� a research and development division to identify the many infl uences converging in Vancouver. A young urban planner named Andy Yan soon gained infl uence by dispelling urban myths and makingsense of a sort of ground-truth that everyone in this city seemed to believe but nobody in power would address. Yan had grown up in Vancouver, and he remem-bered Granville Street in the mid-’80s as “a very cool menagerie of people of all stripes. The greatness of cities is in the weird and the strange.” He’d felt that vibrancy ebb, and he tracked the ghost stories that have taken hold in the city, attempting to make sense of the zombie neighbourhoods of Coal Harbour, the bogeymen reputation of China driving up housing prices. His research mostly became fodder for nerdy urbanists. And then, in 2014, there he was in the New Yorker, explaining how a city with per-capita income similar to that of Reno, Nevada, could have San Francisco’s housing prices. He loves to say, “Anecdote is not the plural of data!” Today, people are listening. He’s been reappointed to the city’s planning commission. He’s on the roundtable for the mayor’s task force on housing a� ordability, the board of the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House, and the David Suzuki Founda-tion’s climate council. “How do you scare o� the bogeymen?” Yan asks. “You shine a bright light on them.”o� the bogeymen?” Yan asks. “You shine a bright light on them.”

POWER

50

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H O M E T O W N H E R O

50DOMINIC BARTONM A N A G I N G D I R E C T O R , M C K I N S E Y A N D C O .


McKinsey & Co. is the world’s leading management consulting firm—or was, until one of its senior partners, Anil Kumar, pled guilty in 2010 to revealing client secrets to a Wall Street hedge-fund manager, who went to prison for insider trading. As the managing director of McKinsey, Dominic Barton has spent much of his time in recent years seeking to restore the firm’s tarnished image and introduce change and innovation at the global behemoth, which operates in 50 countries and has revenues of more than $6 billion. Earlier this year McKinsey opened an office here, a sign of the city’s emergence. “We are very bullish on Vancouver,” Barton says. “The city and the region are full of amazing talent, are central to an increasingly globally impor-tant trade route with Asia, and are flexing their muscles in sectors from natural resources to tech. We were overdue for an office here.” Vancouver also represents a homecoming of sorts for Barton, 53, who grew up in the Fraser Valley and studied economics at the University of British Columbia before heading to Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. He’s now based in London and, as global managing director, travels the world constantly. His passion for this city extends beyond McKinsey to his role as a strategic adviser to HQ Vancouver, an initiative that seeks to persuade Asian companies to locate their global headquarters here. VM

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The Vancouver Aquarium would like to thank all of our sponsors for making Toast to the Coast 2015 a success. We raised over $165,000 on October 16 for conservation, research and education programs. THANK YOU.

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POWER OUTAGEAs of late October, 44 senior executive positions were unfi lled across the city of Vancouver. We can’t remember a time when municipal leadership ranks were this thin. And there are other glaring vacancies all over town. Here are some of the biggest shoes to fi ll . . .by frances bula

TRANSLINK CEOL AST OCCUPANT: Ian JarvisOSTENSIBLE REASON FOR DEPARTURE: Fired by the board in February, which cited a “lack of public confi dence” in the agency Jarvis led.SAL ARY R ANGE: $325,092 – $406,364WHY FILL IT ? The CEO oversees a complex, billion-dollar transit operation that moves an average half-million people a day, not to mention taking care of fi ve major bridges and several roads.

PRESIDENT OF UBCL AST OCCUPANT: Arvind GuptaOSTENSIBLE REASON FOR DEPARTURE: Resigned in August, with a statement from the board claiming he’d said he could best serve the university by returning to teaching and research.SAL ARY R ANGE: $446,750 (Gupta’s contract)WHY FILL IT ? The president oversees one of the major economic engines of the city, a university whose impact on the local economy was assessed at $10-billion annually a few years go.

VANCOUVER PLANNING DIRECTORL AST OCCUPANT: Brian JacksonOSTENSIBLE REASON FOR DEPARTURE: Wanted to have a more balanced life. Also said that former sta� had made life unbearable.SAL ARY R ANGE: $288,015 ( 2014)WHY FILL IT ? This person decides how and where the city’s rampant growth is going to be chan-neled, balancing the demands of politicians, developers, and residents.

UBC PROVOSTL AST OCCUPANT: David FarrarOSTENSIBLE REASON FOR DEPARTURE: UBC president Arvind Gupta announced in April that Farrar had “decided to step down” and that the university would be “initiating a review of the provost model.”SAL ARY R ANGE: $340,000 ( 2014)WHY FILL IT ? The provost is the chief academic o� cer for a university, carrying out its strategic plan and managing the academic budget, which was $721 million for the past fi scal year.

VANCOUVER CITY MANAGERL AST OCCUPANT: Penny BallemOSTENSIBLE REASON FOR DEPARTURE: Contract terminated in September, with Mayor Gregor Robertson citing his election promise to run things di� erently.SAL ARY R ANGE: $334,617 (2014)WHY FILL IT ? This person runs an organization that regulates land development and business operations, as well as providing the basics: water, sewer, garbage pick-up and roads.

VANCOUVER ENGINEERING DIRECTORL AST OCCUPANT: Peter JuddOSTENSIBLE REASON FOR DEPARTURE: Retired, with no hint of any other reason than wanting to retire, at the end of April.SAL ARY R ANGE: $265,175 (2014)WHY FILL IT ? The city’s chief engineer will be the one handling the viaduct removals, planning new bike paths, and supervising Burrard Bridge renovations over the next few years.

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Shen Yun’s one-of-a-kind perfor-mance revives stories and leg-ends from thousands of years of Chinese culture. With the richly expressive art of classical Chinese dance, groundbreaking musical compositions, and cutting-edge, interactive stage effects, Shen Yun is leaving millions around the world in awe.

Shen Yun has only been around for a decade, but these days, wherever it goes theaters are packed. Some people fly from other countries or drive hundreds of miles to see it. Others see the same show five times. Why? Many say there are no words to describe it—you have to see it with your own eyes.

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H O L I D A Y G I F T G U I D E M O D E L C I T I Z E N M Y S P A C E S W E A T E Q U I T Y F I E L D T R I P

A Christmas Story

�all too often, holiday decorating runs more

kitsch than clean. Design sparely and you run the risk of underwhelming your space (see page 82 to learn how to hit just the right note); add too much and your home looks Griswoldian. But each year, no matter what your age, there’s always something childlike about decorating the Christ-mas tree—suddenly, we’re 10 years old again and giddy with excitement and promise.

We’re especially enchanted with these new glass orna-ments by Italian design house Alessi, which unite two great traditions—the nativity scene from southern Italy and the annual tree decorating ritual from the north. From baby Jesus to the little donkey, the baubles combine both elegance and sophistication in hand-painted gold, with Japanese anime-like wit and whimsy. Designed by Marcello Jori, the Le PallePresepe glass-ball characters evoke the best and brightest

T H E“We’re encouraged to be ourselves and to treat makeup as fashion, not beauty.” PG. 78

The best shops, fashion, beauty, design, travel & fi tness

Luminous gold ornamentsby Alessi ($29 each/$257for a set of 10). Available atDesignhouse; Designhouse.ca

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T H E G OO DS L a s t- M i n u t e G i f t I d e a s

H O L I D AY G I F T G U I D E

Clé de Peau Beauté’s Bal Masqué limited-edition makeup co� ret ($250) takes its cues from the dra-ma of a masquerade ball with four eyeshadows in antique shades, Bordeaux mascara, and crimson lipstick. Holt Renfrew, 737 Dunsmuir St., 604-681-3121; Holtrenfrew.com

Tick Tock, Beat the ClockWe’ve made a list and checked it twice: here’s how to be a holiday star with the best new fi nds by amanda ross

Classic monogramgifts get a contemporary makeover with thesesilvertone and goldtone Initial cut-out bracelets ($45) by jewellery designer Robert Lee Morris. The Bay, 674 Granville St., 604-681-6211; Thebay.com

Christmas Jewel tea ($62/100 grams) by TWG Tea is a mix of green tea, festive spices, sweet orange, and jasmine pearls plated with molten 24-carat gold—all perfectly packed in a jewellery box. The Ur-ban Tea Merchant, 1070 W. Georgia St., 604-692-0071; Urbantea.com

Hipsters and the Filofax-forward will rejoice with Vancouver-based Design Love Co.’s 2016 limited-edition Marble/Smokey Lavender daytimer ($65), featuring a 12-month format, a budgeting section, tear-out to-do lists, and three pockets for receipts. LYNNsteven Boutique, 225 Carrall St., 604-899-0808; Lynnsteven.com

The limited-edition Nirvana Black mini rollerball fragrance ($14/.24 oz) by Elizabeth and James evokes sandal-wood and vanilla—and doubles as a tree ornament. Sephora, 1045 Robson St., 604-681-9704; Sephora.ca

Because you need Stocking Stuffers

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***THE SPARKLE & SHINE BOX SET—BLOW DRYER,

CERAMIC BRUSH, SAKE BOMB SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER, 100-PROOF TREATMENT OIL, AND SPARKLING SODA SHINE MIST—DELIVERS THE

PERFECT DIY BLOWOUT FOR HOLIDAY PARTIES($269.67; Nordstrom.ca)

For the tub devotee, there’s the Ultimate Bath Jewels es-sential oils collection ($122) by Brit-based Aromatherapy & Associates—10 9-ml bottles of all-natural bath and shower oils to relax, reboot, and rejuvenate. Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont Pacifi c Rim, 1038 Canada Place, 604-695-5300; Fairmont.com

The classic Christmas sweater gets a modern Cowichan-style makeover with this zip wool car-digan ($259) by J.Crew. 1088 Robson St., 604-684-2367; Jcrew.ca

Vancouver-based People Footwear (from the founders of Native Shoes) o� er ultra-light, cushy shoes with locally inspired monikers—the Cypress, the Stanley, and here, the Phillips sneaker ($60) in Highland Red with mesh side, removable sock liner, and high-tech, crack-resistant construc-tion. Boys Co., 1044 Rob-son St., 604-684-5656; Boysco.com

Handmade in France, the Nez du Whiskey box ($549.99) features 54 tiny bottles of the most commonly found whiskey aromas in the world. From fl oral and spicy to vinous and peaty, learn the scent and you’ll be a tasting connoisseur by New Year’s. Atkinson’s, 1501 W. Sixth Ave., 604-736-3378; Atkinsonsofvancouver.com

Holiday cheer starts with Kate Spade’s Two of a Kind Mask bottle opener ($40) and stainless steel Top Hat ice bucket ($89) etched with “Bottoms Up.” The Bay, 674 Granville St., 604-681-6211; Thebay.com

Holidays are for kids, big & small

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T H E G OO DS P e r s o n a l S t y l e

M O D E L C I T I Z E N

�one of only three senior mac cosmetic artists in Canada (and the

only one based in Vancouver), Caitlin Callahan is just as likely to be artfully applying runway makeup at New York Fashion Week as she is her own for holiday parties. At MAC, “we’re encouraged to be ourselves and to treat makeup as fashion, not beauty,” she says. Her fashion style? “Eclectic, comfortable, and colourful, witha touch of Iris Apfel.”

CAITLIN CALLAHANSENIOR ARTIST, MAC COSMETICS

What’s the most beautiful item in your closet? A Maison Margiela blouse—I barely wear it; I just love looking at it.

What’s your favourite piece of clothing? A Chloé pinstriped jacket—it makes me feel like a mobster.

Name something in your closet you couldn’t throw away. A Dsquared2 bomber jacket I got after working on their fragrance campaign in Montana. It doesn’t fi t, but it has such great memories.

What infl uences your style? The variety of shows during fashion week.

Your go-to hostess gift? Makeup!

The designer you love the most and a pieceyou’d buy? Any of the dresses from RickOwens Fall/Winter 2015.

Biggest mistake women make with their makeup? Wearing too much.

Best style advice? Stand out—life is short. VM

Catch the fullinterview withCaitlin Callahan at Vanmag.com

Evaa

n Kh

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M O R E G IF T ID E A S

***JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, MAC

COSMETICS’ DARK DESIRES STUDIO EYE GLOSS IN SPANK ME, AVAILABLE DECEMBER 1

($26, Maccosmetics.ca)

Plastic animal crayons ($10.95) keep hands clean (they don’t melt like wax) and come in a pack of six for pint-sized artistic expression. Indigo, 2505 Granville St., 604-731-7822; Indigo.ca

Artist Steve McDonald’s Fantastic Cities colouring book ($19.95) o� ers bird’s-eye cityscapes from around the world; Anna Karenina: A Colouring Book Love Story ($16) reimagines the classic tale against the backdrop of 19th-century Russian fashion and architecture. Indigo, 2505 Granville St., 604-731-7822; Indigo.ca

PersonalShopper.FINAL_N.indd 78 2015-10-22 4:32 PM

X KA’ANAPALI BEACH RESORT

MON., DEC. 7 | BLUE WATER CAFE | 6 P.M. – 9 P.M.

Created by the Vancouver advertising department in partnership with Blue Water Cafe, Kā’anapali Beach Resort, The Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas and Hawai’i Food & Wine Festival


Created by the


Maui Pop-Up Party!

Come here... . . .to get there.

Join us for a night of Maui and Vancouver culinary mash-ups, courtesy of Blue Water Cafe Chef Frank Pabst and Executive Chef of The Westin Kā‘anapali

Ocean Resort Villas Francois Milliet. Guests will be treated to fi ve courses collaboratively prepared by both chefs and Hawaiian-inspired

beverages—compliments of Kā’anapali Beach Resort.

One lucky guest will win a trip for two to Kā’anapali Beach Resort in Maui. The prize includes a four-night stay at the The Westin Kā‘anapali

Ocean Resort Villas, airfare from YVR and car rental.

For your chance to win tickets to this exclusive culinary event at Blue Water Cafe, register at VanMag.com/Hawaii or show and

tell us why you #CraveKaanapali on Twitter or Instagram. Hashtag your cravings by November 30, 2015.

MauiPopUpPartyDEC15_sc.indd 1 2015-10-26 9:54 AM

SPONSORED REPORT

Stuck for gift ideas this holiday season? These Vancouver brands have something for everyone on your list, no matter what your budget.

HOLIDAY SHOP LIST

FEEL GOOD HALF NAKEDSwimco is Western Canada’s leading swimwear store; with a wide range of brands and styles they have swimwear for everybody and every body! Shop in-store or online at swimco.com.

Azura ‘Cut Out Mio One Piece’ $179

1.888.979.4626 | swimco.com

SCARVES FOR WATER | COBALT SCARFObakki Foundation’s “Scarves for Water” campaign works to bring clean water to those most in need. Every 500 ‘limited edition’ scarves sold create a water well in Africa. 100% of net proceeds go toward their projects. $29

It all begins with water. The Obakki Foundation drills and monitors wells in Africa, with 100% of donations going directly to their projects.

#400 - 341 Water Street, Vancouverobakkifoundation.org

RAVEN MESSENGER BAG BY DOROTHY GRANT100% Napa leatherBlack, dark red or cedar$400

639 Hornby Street, Vancouver 604.682.3455 | billreidgallery.ca

AN AMAZING MOMENT IN ONE BITEWith over 50 fl avours ranging from the

traditional to the most creative sweet & savoury macarons, everyone will fi nd

something to their taste! All of our macarons are naturally gluten-free and we make a

number of dairy-free options as well.

2823 W. Broadway, Vancouver778.379.6065 | bonmacaronpatisserie.com

1.888.979.4626 | swimco.com

of Northwest Coast Art

1.888.979.4626 | swimco.com

Obakki Foundation’s “Scarves for Water” campaign works to bring clean water to those most in need. Every 500 ‘limited edition’ scarves sold create a water well in Africa. 100% of

It all begins with water. The Obakki Foundation drills and monitors wells in Africa, with 100% of donations going

AN AMAZING MOMENT IN ONE BITEWith over 50 fl avours ranging from the

traditional to the most creative sweet

HolidayShopListDEC15.DPS_sc.indd 2 2015-10-28 11:06 AM

SPONSORED REPORT

Katami Designs

Katami Designs

Katami Designs

Katami Designs Inc.

Katami Designs Inc.

CREATING FUTURE HEIRLOOMS IN OUR STUDIO HERE IN VANCOUVERFrom their memorable events featuring

some of Vancouver’s most accomplished artists, to their workshops introducing

new artists to their passions, Katami Designs demonstrates their unwavering

commitment to local artists. Libelle $250

138 E. Broadway, Vancouver604.559.3872 | katamidesigns.com

FABERGÉ PALAIS TSARSKOYE SELO LOCKET PENDANTInspired from Fabergé’s original jewelled masterpieces, the Palais Tsarskoye Selo locket pendant features round brilliant cut diamonds, turquoise opalescent guilloché enamel and is set in 18kt yellow gold. A Brinkhaus Canadian exclusive. Price available upon request.

1018 W Georgia Street, Vancouver604.689.7055 | brinkhaus.com

CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH YOUR GLISODIN GLOW AND SHOW YOUR BEAUTY FROM WITHINGliSODin Skin Nutrients Advanced Skin Brightening Formula is available at Skinworks in Vancouver

3568 W 41st Avenue, Vancouver604.737.7100 | skinworks.ca

TEMPER CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS CARTOON CREATIONS

Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph and the Dr. Seuss tree. Made out of Valrohna dark, milk and white chocolate. $30 each

Open 7 days a week 8am-5pm2409 Marine Drive, West Vancouver604.281.1152 | temperpastry.com

TEMPER CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS

HolidayShopListDEC15.DPS_sc.indd 3 2015-10-28 11:06 AM


T H E G OO DS S t o r i e d H o m e s

M Y S P A C E

Danish DelightThe duo behind Inform Interiorshonour sentiment when choosing Christmas décorby jenni elliott photos by martin tessler

could otherwise feel cold with its white-washed walls and angu-lar furniture, but its warmth and spirit is unmistakable. It comes from family, the artwork—by friends Douglas Coupland and Gordon Smith—and Nancy’s laugh as she shows o� the butane torch her descended-from-Vikings Dan-ish husband uses to light even the smallest of holiday candles. VM

�standing in the bendtsen house, it’s hard to believe

these modern concrete walls, fl oor-to-ceiling windows, and exposed steel beams weren’t just built yesterday. But it was on this very site more than 20 years ago, with candles hanging from construc-tion sca� olding and a porta-potty out back, that Nancy and Niels wed. The house, now well lived in,

***TALENTED GENES: THIS BRASS AND ONYX

SLEEPING MUSE RING IS PART OF DAUGHTER KARYNA BENDSTEN’S JEWELLERY LINE

($115, Casamalaspina.com)

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FAMILY HEIRLOOMSNancy replicated her mother’s pat-tern to create a per-sonalized stocking for each of her family members

GENEROSITYThis candle stick by Danish artist Poul Kjærholm was a gift to the children from art-ist Gordon Smith

SIMPLICITYThe Bendsten Christmas table is adorned with fresh sprigs and white candles

TRADITIONNancy’s grand-mother specialized in making paper table decorations. Here, one of her creations is the inspiration behind this family Christ-mas cracker—with each family mem-ber pulling a tab to reveal the prize

CREATIVE GENESThe Bendsten daughters—Meriah, Karyna, and Julia—give self-portraits to Nancy every year for Christmas

FAMILY MATTERS3D prints of the family ( from left): Meriah, Nancy, Niels, Julia, and Karyna. Behind, a gift from Coupland that represents the 23 screws in Niels’s ankle

MySpace.FINAL_N.indd 83 2015-10-22 12:41 PM


T H E G OO DS W o r k o u t P l a n s

S W E AT E Q U I T Y***

POWER READINGWIN A COPY OF LEAH GOLDSTEIN’S

NEW MEMOIR, NO LIMITS (visit Vanmag.com/nolimits)

Agent of ChangeLeah Goldstein gives confi dence by way of kicks

�despite becoming a world champion kick-boxer in 1987

at age 17, Leah Goldstein was really just starting her career as an ath-lete and all-around bad-ass. After high school, she joined the Israeli army’s spy unit, where, specializing in Krav Maga, she became the only female instructor training not only the commando division but the force’s other elite units, too. When she retired, she followed up with a 15-year career as a pro cyclist. You know—as one does.

Now 46, Goldstein is still kick-boxing, though in a coach-ing capacity for her training fi rm, No Finish Line Living. “I like to incorporate kick-boxing, especially for women. When you can defend yourself—and know you can—you have a di� erent energy that projects when you’re more confi -dent.”—Stacey McLachlan

W H E R E T O G O

conditioning (and learn all the lingo for punch-kick combos). Urbancontender.com

BRING ADEFIBRILLATORRun by an elite-level MMA fi ghter, FKP MMA is serious busi-ness. You’ll wear headgear for these intermediate and advanced Muay Thai kick-boxing classes (memberships from $110). Fkpmmavan-couver.com

BRING GRANDMAWestside Kickbox-ing offers a free trial class for beginners (memberships from $145/month), so strap on some gloves. Westsidekick-boxing.com

BRING FRIENDS Sign up for Urban Contender’s Urban-Cardio kick-boxing boot camp ($20) for some serious aerobic and core Jo

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C A L O R IE S / H R *

T H E B U R N

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EVERY STORY STARTS WITHA RESERVATION

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PRESENTED BY PREFERRED PARTNERSFESTIVAL PARTNERS



N e x t D e s t i n a t i o n s

F I E L D T R I P

AVERAGE DAILY

TEMPERATURE27°C

LANGUAGES:Tahitian French English

Top:

Chr

is M

cLen

nan

; Bot

tom

: Hilt

on B

ora

Bor

a N

ui R

esor

t & S

pa

T H E G OO DS

Fantasy IslandMore than 4,000 kilometres south of Hawaii, another more exotic Polynesian paradise awaits. And it might just be cheaper than its more popular—and more crowded—neighbourby amanda ross

F IE L D N O T E S

�it feels suspiciously like I’m on the set of some ridicu-

lously cheesy movie. The ocean’s been injected with turquoise food colouring and the beach is blank-eted with a velvety, white talcum powder; the thatched-roof bun-galows, sitting on stilts above the water, are the green screen, andthe kaleidoscopic fi sh have beenlayered in CGI. Nothing in thereal world could possibly look this perfect. Nothing, that is, except Bora Bora.

Sitting in the geographic middle of the ocean between Sydney and L.A., the South Pacifi c’s most iconic calling card is part of French Poly-nesia’s Society Islands, annexed by France in 1888 from the island’s reigning monarchy. True, Bora Bora’s postage stamp-sized 30 square kilometres aren’t as quick a getaway as most other palm-treed YVR faves. It’s an eight-hour, 6,600-kilometre direct fl ight from L.A. to Tahiti (and then a 55-min-ute zip from there), but if paradise were too easy, it would be overrun. Bora Bora sees fewer visitors in a year than Hawaii does in practi-cally a single high-season week.

hangout (they’re harmless) and the stingrays so enjoy their azure-water eden that they’re more a� able than dogs—to locals, they’re a� ectionately known as “rubber puppies.” Tempting as it is to brine in the ocean for the entire day, it’s best to head back to your room each evening for nowhere-else-like-it sunset watching, a moment so breathtaking, so idyllic in its red, apricot, and tangerine layers, that you will soon be tasting tears as salty as the ocean before you.

STAYJames Michener once said Bora Bora was “the most beautiful lagoon in the world.” In reality, it’s an island made up of one central mountain, the now-extinct Mt. Otemanu volcano peak, which sits right smack in the centre like

PLAYThe island of Bora Bora is not for the itinerary-obsessed—a good book, sun hat, and a committed plan to chill out are essential. Rent bikes to go touring (rental cars are few and expensive, and public transport is almost non-existent) and even then don’t expect to hap-pen across great shopping or muse-ums (these exist on neighbouring Tahiti). It’s the aqua fauna where the island sparkles brightest. Bleached-white sand and warm, 26°C waters make for bath-like swimming and snorkelling condi-tions, and with more than 400 spe-cies of exotic fi sh cruising around with rainbow-hued abandon, you’ll soon feel like you’re exploring a giant tropical fi sh tank. A tech-nicolour coral reef encircling the island o� ers an excellent reef-shark

Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa

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A CELEBRATION OF FOOD & WINEJoin us as gold-winning chefs from the Vancouver magazine Restaurant Awards serve dishes specially created to match top wines from our 2016 International Wine Competition.FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5TH, 2016 | 7PM – 9PMCoast Coal Harbour Hotel (1180 West Hastings Street, Vancouver)Tickets on sale NOW. Only $99! Tickets are LIMITED!

Visit VanMag.com/BigNight2016 for details and ticket information.

INTERNATIONAL

W

INE COMPETITION

2016

EAT DRINK MEETOne-of-a-kind dishes Award-winning wines Celebrity chefs

Photos from Big Night 2015

Hosted at Media Sponsor

serve dishes specially created to match top wines 2016 International Wine Competition

ONLY$99!

BigNightDEC15FP_sc.indd 2 2015-10-28 11:57 AM

N e x t D e s t i n a t i o n s

F I E L D T R I P


Left

: Dav

id K

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and;

Mid

dle

and

right

: Hilt

on B

ora

Bor

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T H E G OO DS

F IE L D N O T E Sa lemon juicer. An outer ring of motus, or smaller islands, create a calm lagoon of turquoise-blue water in between. It’s fair to say there’s no ugly real estate and every hotel has capitalized on that. The island doesn’t really do cheap so if you’re looking for luxe, the St. Regis (Stregisborabora.com) deliv-ers butler service to the likes of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban (who honeymooned here) in the iconic overwater bungalows. At the other end, there’s camping, the only real option on the southern tip of Motu Piti Aau (Boraboracamp-ing.blogspot.ca)—palm trees and coral reefs are mere strokes away, but getting around anywhere else will set you back, cost-wise (taxis aren’t abundant on the island). The secret? The Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa (Hilton.com), located on an islet, is the only prop-erty built on a hill; guests take in sweeping views of fi ve other islands while each of the 122 private villas come standard with ocean-front vistas. While Bora Bora’s famed cerulean beauty never changes, the circa-2003 Nui hotel is slated to undergo a metamorphosis. If you’re

like coconut, passion fruit, and vanilla, all set in an overwater bungalow with those distracting views. Meanwhile, cheap food is tougher to fi nd, but supermarkets and food trucks, known locally as roulottes, are your best bet. Rou-lotte Matira has a permanent stake on Matira Beach and the longest lines (for whatever’s been caught—mahi mahi, shrimp—all for around US$13). And, from Jimmy Bu� et to Warren Bu� et, every A-lister who parachutes in checks o� Bloody Mary’s (Bloodymarys.com), where local fi shermen’s daily catch sits bu� et-style on a massive bedof ice. Pick from mako shark, wahoo, parrotfi sh, and lobsterand, while you wait, wiggle your toes in the sandy fl oor enjoying a signature Bloody Mary—you’reon Tahiti time. VM

down with a few less amenities (one closed restaurant, one pool closed, all on rotating schedules from this January to August), you can bunk in one of those 1,000-sq.-ft.-plus overwater bungalows for US$600 per night; post-reno, those bungalows will skyrocket to several thousand dollars. The Hilton’s sister property on Maui, the Grand Wailea, starts at about the same price for a basic room half that size during the same travel dates.

EATThis tiny island’s most decorated restaurant is Lagoon (Stregisbo-rabora.com/lagoon), the French-Asian o� ering from the guy who invented it: Jean-Georges Vong-erichten. Expect the surrounding water’s bounty with island fl avours

G E T T IN G T H E R E

YVR 3 hrs (LAX) 8 hrs 25 min (PPT) 45 min (BOB) Total distance travelled: 8,619 kms* Daily fl ights on Air Canada (to L.A.), Air Tahiti Nui (to Papeete), inter-island Air Tahiti (to Bora Bora)

HISTORY LESSONThe Pomare

Dynasty ruled Tahiti until1847 when

Queen Pomare accepted French

protection.Following her

death in 1880, King Pomare V ceded

Tahiti and most of its territories

to France

HAWAII FIVE-OLast year, more than

500,000 Canadians

went to Hawaii; less than

10,000 visited Tahiti

Rooms at the Bora Bora Nui will reopen as an upscaleConrad; until then, enjoy steep discounts

A Polynesian crown of fl owers

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ShowcasePianosSEP15FP_sc.indd 1 15-07-20 3:28 PM

M A L C O L M PA R R Y

S N A P C H AT T E R

A b o u t To w n

B A C K PA G E


PHILANTHROPY

C H A R I T Y

A R T

Dina Goldstein Arts Umbrella senior dance students

Don and Trace Yeomans

SPLASHOctober 17 Arts Umbrella’s 33rd-annual fundraising auction returned to Granville Island’s Performance with 100 artists donating works, including Dina Goldstein, whose piece went for $7,250, and Don Yeomans’ sculpture fetching $32,500.

Lindsay Geheranand Cathy Trimble

Robert and Diane Conconi Tiko Kerr and Craig Shervey

GIFT OF TIMEOctober 3 Canuck Place Children’s Hospice emerged $850,000 better o� when benefactors like Robert and Diane Conconi attended an 11th-annual celebration that was chaired by Lindsay Geheran, Emily Lazare and Cathy Trimble, and featured table centrepieces created by hospice children with a little help by artist Tiko Kerr.

REVEAL September 24 Although Rogers Arena was free of ice for the occasion, several Vancouver Canucks attended and singer Sarah McLachlan performed at an event chaired by Olympics medalist Charmaine Crooks that raised $785,000 for the Canucks Autism Network founded by Paolo and Clara Aquilini of the team-owning family.

Ryan Miller and Paolo AquiliniFrancesco Aquilini and Philip Lindt

Skye Natasha Lintott and Christie King

— Lucille Pacey on announcing her retirement after 11 years as Arts Umbrella’s president and CEO.“I’ve seen, fi rst hand, the transformative power of arts education in the lives of children and youth.”

Snapchatter.FINAL.indd 90 2015-10-26 10:23 AM

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project by the Inform + Intracorp partnership rethinks

the way homes are designed and built.

The Jervis: elevated living by design.

From $1 Million.

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vancouver magazine december 2015

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