Lower mainland greenhouses and farms are more and more using migrant workers to fill their labour needs. The number rose from two hundred and sixty-four in 1966 to around 25,000 as of 2009, due to a Canada/Mexico seasonal labour program. But migrant workers are reporting poor housing, unsafe working conditions […] Read More
I went to a Christmas gathering last night with some dear friends. What an array of wonderful dishes! All vegetarian. There was lentil soup to start with homemade artisan no-knead bread (really no kneading!), ratatouille with layers of cheese, old-country cabbage rolls, made with pickled cabbage leaves, and ruby red […] Read More
My friend Megan and I went to an open air German Christmas Market on Friday. Other than the food, we didn’t find much to hold our interest there, especially after we discovered some of the tree decorations were made in China. Just across the street, the CBC Vancouver Broadcast Centre […] Read More
This fall, potato farmers were flooded out in the Fraser Valley. It was good to see that the local media were all over that story. Those farmers would get compensation for their soggy, rotting potatoes from the government’s Provincial Emergency Program. Up in Bella Coola, fields were drowning too. In […] Read More
I went on the Eastside Culture Crawl yesterday. It’s the fourteenth year for this public art progressive. Over three days, artists on the east side of Vancouver open their homes and studios to the public. This year a diverse mix of three hundred artists participated showing paintings, woodwork, sculpture, textiles, […] Read More
A few years ago, a friend of mine was putting an extensive green roof on her house. She got all the necessary permits from the City without any problem. That is until she decided to put a railing on the roof so she could get up there and safely maintain […] Read More
I’m not technologically adept. I got a new digital camera from my parents for my birthday this year. They bought it at London Drugs in Penticton. As my last camera was the size of a microwave, I needed a little instruction before using it. I went in to my local […] Read More
I was on my way to the Kits Community Garden to drop off my foodwaste yesterday, when I hit the leaf jackpot: a half dozen, giant brown paper bags full of lovely, dry maple leaves sitting on the boulevard. I manage the compost bins at the garden and have been […] Read More
If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character. If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home. If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there […] Read More
Lately I have been immersed in waste. I had prepared a little presentation on waste for my recent SFU sustainability course and trip to the landfill. Shortly after, I found myself working on a couple of proposals for the City of Vancouver around composting initiatives. The City launched their residential […] Read More