The History of Metropolitan Vancouver

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You'll note that this year includes events listed under “Also in . . .“ These are events for which we don't have a specific date. If YOU know the
specific date of an event shown there, please notify us . . . and cite the source! Many thanks!
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February 7 Ida Halpern, musicologist, died in Vancouver, aged 76. She was born Ida Ruhdörfer in Vienna July 17, 1910. There is a good brief biography here. An excerpt: “As a Jew, she fled Hitler's Austria towards the end of 1938. She had stayed in Vienna just long enough to obtain her Ph.D in music, then fled with her new husband [George Robert Halpern, born in Krakow, Poland May 11, 1902] to Shanghai where his sister Fanny was working as a psychiatrist. According to SFU Special Collections, ‘Arriving in Vancouver in August, 1939, the Halperns were initially placed under a deportation order. They succeeded in gaining landed immigrant status through the intervention of R.D. Murray, manager of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China at Shanghai. Murray offered financial guarantees regarding Halpern's proposed business enterprises.’”

Dr. Halpern labored for years in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s studying and recording the songs of B.C.’s coastal native people. Without her work, they might have been lost. She published eight albums of their songs between 1967 and 1987. She was also the founding president of the Friends of Chamber Music in Vancouver, sat on the boards of several key musical organizations, and wrote music criticism for The Province from 1952 to 1957. She became a Member in the Order of Canada in 1978. Her importance to the BC musical world is indicated here.

February 19 John Prentice, forest company executive, died in Vancouver, aged 79. Born in Vienna February 27, 1907 he came to Canada in 1938, changing his surname from Pick. With his brother-in-law Leopold ‘Poldi’ Bentley, who had also fled Austria, on November 12, 1938 he opened a small furniture and paneling-veneer plant, Pacific Veneer, in New Westminster. The company expanded into the forest industry to capture part of the market for aircraft-quality plywood during the Second World War. Through a series of acquisitions and expansions during the following decades, the business grew and in 1947 was reorganized to become Canadian Forest Products, later renamed Canfor. Prentice was the company’s long-time president. He was chairman of the company from 1970 to 1983, chairman of Canfor from 1983 to 1985 when he retired. He was named a member of one of Canada’s 50 wealthiest families in 1987. Canfor, a publicly listed company, employs more than 10,000 people today and has sales of about $3 billion.

Prentice’s interests outside business were an important part of his life: he was chairman of the Canada Council for five years, was president of the Chess Federation of Canada from 1955 to 1971, and had an extraordinarily long tenure as Canada’s representative at the world chess federation (FIDE), which ended only at his death. He had been there for Canada since 1957. In 1977 he was made an officer of the Order of Canada, and that same year received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal for contributions in the field of chess. In 2000 he was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Chess Hall of Fame. Writes Nathan Divinsky: “His financial support and organizational ability made it possible for Canada to send teams to almost every international chess olympiad (held every two years) during the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s.”

March 1 Stu Keate, journalist, died in Vancouver, aged 73. James Stuart Keate was born October 13, 1913 in Vancouver. He graduated from UBC in 1935 and went into journalism. He began as a sports writer for The Daily Province, later joined The Toronto Star. He also worked for Time and Life. He served as an information officer in the North Atlantic and Pacific theatres from 1942 to 1945. After the war he served as bureau chief of Time Inc. in Montreal. He was the publisher of The Victoria Daily Times from 1951 to 1964, then became publisher of The Vancouver Sun, held that post from 1964 until his retirement in 1978. His lively autobiography is Paper Boy.

A UBC site says, in part: “As a leader in the newspaper field Stuart Keate was respected and honoured by his colleagues in numerous ways. He was named to the Canadian News Hall of Fame and honoured by the International Press Institute and the National Press Club. He was also named an officer of the Order of Canada in 1978 . . . His service to the University was long and meritorious. His involvement in the Senate continued from 1954 until 1969, a period which also included six years as a member of the Board of Governors and as an appointee to the Canada Council. The University recognized his exceptional service with the award of an honorary degree in 1985.”

March 15 In a ceremony in the auditorium of West Vancouver High School West Vancouver’s new coat of arms was presented. Dr. Conrad Swan, York Herald, proclaimed the Patent in the presence of Lieutenant-Governor Robert G. Rogers. A special highlight of the ceremony was the unveiling of a magnificent armorial sculpture in polychromed wood by local artist Dennis Sedlacek. This sculpture is on permanent display on the east wall of the Council Chamber in the municipal hall. The date of March 15 was chosen to celebrate the anniversary of the city’s incorporation March 15, 1912.

April 22 Masumi Mitsui, First World War hero, died in Vancouver, aged 99. He was born in Japan October 7, 1887. Mitsui was one of 196 local Japanese residents who volunteered for service in the First World War. Of these, 145 were killed or wounded. After leading his troop up Vimy Ridge, Sergeant Mitsui received the Military Medal for Bravery (April 1917), one of 12 Japanese to receive the honor in the war. In 1942, his family was forcibly moved from their seven-hectare Port Coquitlam chicken farm and new house to an internment camp in Greenwood, B.C. In August 1985, Masumi was the honored guest at the relighting of the electric lantern in the 1920 Japanese Canadian War Memorial. The light had been extinguished during the Pacific war.

April Pacific Western Airlines, which had started in 1946 with Russell Baker’s Central B.C. Airways, and was now the largest western regional air carrier, bought Canadian Pacific Air—which had not thrived in the 1980s—for $300 million. The new name of the merged airlines was announced this month: Canadian Airlines International. Air Canada would buy it in 2000.

April Vancouver businessman Jim Pattison was appointed to the Order of Canada.

April Designated as Schedule A heritage structures were the houses at 504, 508, 512 and 516 Hawks Street, built 1899-1900.

May 5 Vancouver Mayor Gordon Campbell declared May 5, 1987 “Georgia Straight Day,” as the paper celebrated the release of its 1,000th issue. When the Straight hit the streets in 1967, Mayor Tom Campbell (no relation) was determined to shut it down.

May 14 Finning Tractor and Equipment—which can trace its history back to 1928—changed to its present name: Finning Ltd., a publicly traded company.

May 22 Rick Hansen completed his 26-month 24,901.55-mile (40,000 km) around-the-world “Man in Motion” tour, when he wheeled his chair into the Oakridge Shopping Centre . . . from which he had started March 21, 1985. He was met by a huge crowd. His tour had raised $24 million for the Man in Motion Legacy Fund. (Note: One of the steepest grades Rick had to endure on the final day of his epic journey is now marked by a sign on Coquitlam’s Thermal Drive.)

May 23 50,000 people turned out at BC Place to welcome Rick Hansen back. In his autobiography, Rick tells of one event there: “There was a moment, someone else's moment, that told the story of Man in Motion as simply and as truly as it was possible to be told. Eighteen-year-old Kerris Huston, badly injured in a car accident two years earlier, pushed away the hand of a would-be helper and walked slowly and haltingly to the microphone.

“Her voice was slurred. She was obviously nervous. But she spoke to me, and she proved again that the effort was worth the prize: ‘One year ago I was in a wheelchair. You showed me how to reach for the stars. You gave me that encouragement to be the best I can. I thank you for letting me share a part of your dream.’ Then she walked back to her chair and sat down . . . It was a warm and wonderful celebration, a meaningful recognition of and commitment to the disabled of our province and our country. And when all the speeches were over, no one had said it better than Kerris did by walking unaided across that stage at Oakridge: ‘Thank you for letting me share a part of your dream.’”

The Tour ended under a banner that said ‘The End is Just the Beginning’. For Rick, life since the Tour has been equally rewarding. He’s Executive Director of the Rick Hansen Institute at UBC—where he oversees the Disability Resources Centre, the Rick Hansen National Fellow Program, the Life Skills Motivation Centre, Rick Hansen Enterprises and the Man in Motion Foundation. He and Amanda are the proud parents of three daughters—Emma, Alana and Rebecca. Although his Man in Motion Tour is long over, Rick’s message is still strong, and his life an example to us all.

(Excerpts from Rick Hansen: Man in Motion, by Rick Hansen and Jim Taylor were reprinted with permission of Douglas & McIntyre, the publishers, and of the authors.)

May Ex-Vancouver police chief Walter Mulligan died in Oak Bay, aged about 82.

May Roberts Bank set a world record when 239,084 tonnes of coal was loaded on the Hyundai Giant. The facility is able to handle dry bulk vessels of 260,000 DWT.

May Designated as a Schedule A heritage structures was Tudor Manor at 1311 Beach Avenue, built 1927-28.

June 19 Tree of Life, a large art work by Jack Shadbolt, was unveiled to mark the opening of Cineplex Odeon Granville Cinemas. Garth Drabinsky unveiled the piece.

June 29 Cats opened at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. A huge success, and the first time a Canadian company had ever been granted the rights to produce a made-in Canada version of a Broadway musical hit, it will run until September 12, grossing $8 million. Cats was described as the first show to prove that Vancouver could sustain a long run for the mega-musical genre.

July 1 What had been the Canada Pavilion at Expo 86 became Canada Place, the city’s convention centre. The first event in the $144.8 million structure was the International Culinary Olympics. They’ve since crammed a lot in here: the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, The Pan Pacific Hotel, The Vancouver Port Authority Corporate Offices, Cruise Ship Terminal (operated by the Vancouver Port Authority), the CN IMAX Theatre, World Trade Centre Office Complex and Citipark parking facility.

July 26 The Federation Cup, the Women's World Team Tennis Championship, was held at Hollyburn Country Club in West Vancouver. It was the first time the Cup had been played in Canada in its 25-year history.

July BC Premier Bill Vander Zalm’s Social Credit government brought in the Industrial Relations Act (Bill 19). The B.C. Federation of Labour instituted a province-wide boycott of the Act, describing it as “viciously anti-union.” The Fed refused to appoint any of its members to the tribunal appointed to administer the Act—the Industrial Relations Council—and refused to attend the Council’s hearings. Among the IRC’s powers: it could declare workers essential and thus limit the right to strike and to set up secondary picketing. The Act would be repealed December 15, 1992 by the new Mike Harcourt government, ending a period of bitter labor relations in the province.

September 12 John Qualen, movie actor, died in Los Angeles, aged 87. He was born Johan Mandt Kvalen on December 8, 1899 in Vancouver. His father Olaus Peter Kvalen (who would change the spelling of the family name) was pastor of First Scandinavian Church on Prior Street from 1898 to 1900. The family was Norwegian. John spent his childhood moving throughout Canada and US. He went into acting against his father's wishes, performed in nearly 200 movies or TV shows. His first was Street Scene in 1931. He played the father in three movies about the Dionne quintuplets. His most notable role was as ‘Muley’ in The Grapes of Wrath. He’s also noteworthy in the very brief role of Bergen in Casablanca, the source of our photo.

September Following Expo 86, an intensive lobbying campaign was launched to secure the Expo Centre for Science World. With three levels of government backing its proposal, the Arts, Sciences and Technology Centre succeeded in persuading the provincial government to designate the exposition’s famous “golf ball” as the new facility. The announcement was made this month. A massive fund-raising campaign ensued, with donations from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments, the GVRD, the private sector, foundations and individuals contributing $19.1 million to build an addition to the Expo Centre, redesign the interior and construct exhibits. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II dedicated the Expo Centre as “Science World. A science centre for the people of British Columbia” in October. It’s known today as Science World at Telus World of Science.

September Designated as Schedule A heritage structures were the houses at 2202 and 2220 Cypress, built in 1914.

October 15 Queen Elizabeth II opened the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Vancouver. One of the outcomes would be the establishment in 1989 of the Commonwealth of Learning, an organization based in Vancouver. To quote their website: “The Commonwealth of Learning is an intergovernmental organization created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to encourage the development and sharing of open learning/distance education knowledge, resources and technologies. COL is helping developing nations improve access to quality education and training.”

October 28 Construction began on the SkyBridge with the lifting of a 100-tonne bridge deck section to deck level. The SkyBridge will be a crossing over the Fraser River for the Advanced Light Rapid Transit System (SkyTrain). It will link the ALRT from New Westminster to Surrey. The first day of operation for this transit-only bridge will be March 19, 1990. The $28 million structure was built by Kerkhoff Bridge and Industrial Division Ltd., of Chilliwack, and Hyundai Engineering and Construction Division Co. Ltd. of Korea.

October Designated as a Schedule A heritage structure was the house at 1096 West 10th Avenue, built in 1922.

November 4 Racing broadcaster Jack Short, 78, was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. From 1934 to 1976 he called nearly 50,000 races at Exhibition Park, broadcast live for CJOR radio.

November 29 Edmonton Eskimos beat the Toronto Argonauts 38-36 in Vancouver to take the 1987 Grey Cup.

December 7 The Village of Anmore held its first council meeting today. The village occupied what had once been unincorporated territory on the northeast bank of Indian Arm, and the 800 people living there decided they would rather be on their own than absorbed by Port Moody. (That city had been casting covetous eyes at the area for some time). Mayor Hal Weinberg described the residents of the “idyllic” community as “a core of highly individual, self-supporting people.” Anmore at creation was 798 hectares, today is 2,873 hectares (just under 29 square kilometres). Population today is about 1,300.

December 27 There was a riot at the Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre (once known as Oakalla).

December The federal government amended the Canadian Income Tax Act to designate Vancouver and Montreal as International Banking Centres. This legislation permitted financial institutions operating in these IBCs to be exempt from federal income tax on the profits earned from lending non-resident deposits to non-resident borrowers.

December An Inukshuk sculpture, 20 feet high and weighing 70,000 pounds, was reassembled at English Bay. Created by Alvin Kanak of Rankin Inlet, it had been featured at the Northwest Territories pavilion at Expo 86. This is a large version of an ancient symbol of Inuit culture, traditionally used as a landmark and navigational aid. Built roughly in human form, inukshuks are symbols of northern hospitality.

The lower Seymour Valley was opened to recreationalists (for the first time in 59 years) this year with the creation of the Seymour Demonstration Forest. Hikers may run into cyclists, fishers, and foresters, not to mention deer or the occasional bear. Most of the Capilano, Seymour and Coquitlam watersheds remain off limits to hikers, in order to protect Great Vancouver's drinking water.

The Vancouver Canucks hired Pat Quinn away from the L.A. Kings to become the team’s president, general manager and now-and-again coach. (Hamilton-born (January 29, 1943) Quinn had been the Canucks’ fourth pick in the 1970 draft, a defenceman. He was with them for two years.) As president and GM he inherited 11 consecutive losing seasons. He would take over coaching duties in 1991 and by the following year would lead the Canucks to records for wins and points in a season.

The Vancouver 86ers soccer club arose out of the ashes of the Whitecaps. “They relied,” soccer writer Jack Keating wrote, “on local talent to take on the rest of Canada's best in cities such as Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Hamilton, North York, Ont., Ottawa and Montreal . . . Under the direction of coach Bobby Lenarduzzi, the 86ers would rapidly became the most successful soccer team in Canada, giving Vancouver a team that rarely tasted defeat in the Canadian Soccer League. The 86ers would capture four consecutive CSL championships from 1988 to 1991 and set a raft of records along the way, including an incredible 46-game (37-0-9) streak without a defeat from June 8, 1988 to Aug. 8, 1989.”

Expo 86 opened the door to a new level of liquor service in B.C. The government of the day adopted a more liberal attitude, and the archaic and paternalistic laws of the past began to change. The provincial government launched a Liquor Policy Review this year. Among its recommendations: expand the present system, which was working well; finance alcohol-abuse programs; improve the staff’s knowledge of the product; and allow no beer or wine sales in supermarkets and corner stores.

Architect Richard Henriquez designed a residential tower adjacent to the Sylvia Hotel. It opened for use this year, 75 years after the hotel itself opened, and was described as “accomplished and witty,” designed to look as if it might have been built at the same time as the hotel.

Architectural historian Harold Kalman admires two buildings that opened in 1987. One was the Four Sisters Housing Co-operative at 133 Powell Street, designed by the architectural firm of Davidson and Yuen. “Their client, the Downtown Eastside Residents Association (DERA), a community advocacy group that represents the many needy people in this inner-city neighborhood, has been admirably active as a developer. DERA has renovated and built several blocks of what the City calls ‘social’ housing. The Four Sisters Co-op is one of the many success stories. Largely new wood-and-masonry construction, and partly rehabilitated warehouse (facing on Alexander Street), the award-winning building was constructed with the help of public-sector funding and is managed by its residents.”

And Dr. Kalman also liked St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, at 220 West 8th Street, North Vancouver, architect Keith Watson-Donald. “The familiar characteristics of traditional Gothic and Gothic Revival churches—pointed arches, buttresses, and light-transmitting windows—are all recalled in this attractive Post-Modern church located on a strategic corner site. Glazed turrets with pyramidal roofs surround the steeply gabled masonry-and-glass nave.”

Manitoba-born (1887) Dr. Gordon Samuel Fahrni was awarded membership in the Order of Canada. There is an interesting article on his astonishingly long life (he died in Vancouver in 1995 aged 108) here. An excerpt: “He became interested in diseases of the thyroid gland, a common affliction on the Prairies until iodine was added to table salt in the early 1930s. A founder of the American Goitre Association and its president in 1928, Dr. Fahrni was acknowledged as a North American expert on goitre surgery and as a pioneer in the use of local anesthetic. He recalled in one of many media profiles that he was uneasy with the difficult-to-control anesthesia of the day, which involved pouring ether on a mask that covered the patient's face. ‘I used to get into fights with the anesthetist,’ he recalled. ‘Patients would be so deeply under they wouldn't wake up until late in the evening after the surgery. I'd get scared as hell they wouldn't wake up at all. Whenever I could, I'd perform operations under local anesthetic.’”

In 1987 Vancouver doctor Jean Carruthers was treating a patient for a spasm condition. In an interview with Vancouver Magazine (which you can read on their website) she described the unexpected reaction. “One day she [the patient] said to me, 'Every time you treat me I get this beautiful, untroubled expression.'”

Dr. Carruthers was using a medication called Botox, used to treat facial spasms, headaches and other neurological conditions. She told her husband, Alastair Carruthers, also a doctor, about Botox’s surprising side effect. She suggested it might be good to treat wrinkles. “You only need to try it on one person to know that it works,” her husband told Vancouver. “I was completely converted . . . I'm not sure if she blows her own horn enough. She was the one that brought Botox into Canada.”

The Vancouver Board of Trade's Business Hall of Fame was established, recognizing the important contributions made to Greater Vancouver by organizations active in B.C. for more than 100 years. The annual winners are honored in a special spring ceremony at the Governors' Banquet. Eligible organizations “must have clearly contributed to the economic or social well-being of Greater Vancouver; have operated in a manner consistent with The Board's mission, goals and ethics; and have operated continuously in B.C. for at least 100 years while retaining the same identity as the founding business or having a lineage traceable to it.”

The Business Hall of Fame was established in honor of The Board's 100th anniversary. The first inductees were:

George Tidball, who started the Keg Restaurant chain on June 21, 1971 with a single location in North Vancouver, sold his expanded empire of 76 restaurants (not all Kegs), to Whitbread PLC of London, England.

Back in 1909 Dome Mines Limited began after a party of prospectors in northern Ontario literally stumbled over what would turn into one of the biggest gold finds of the century. One of the men slipped and fell, dislodging a piece of moss . . . under which was found a dome-shaped rock structure studded with gold. Hence the name Dome Mines. In 1926 in Vancouver another, unrelated mining operation was incorporated as Placer Development Limited. The two companies merged this year and, with the addition of Campbell Red Lake Mines Limited (Ont.), became Vancouver-based Placer Dome. (They are the sponsors of 1987 in the book.) In January 2006 Barrick would acquire a majority of Placer Dome shares, making Barrick the sixth largest gold mining company in the world.

The Easthope Brothers Steveston shop closed. For decades the company had built marine engines used by BC's fishing fleet. The virtual museum web site says this: “Ernest and Percy Easthope built their first marine engine to install in a canoe in 1900. In 1913 they began building two- and four-cycle marine engines from 3 to 18 horsepower in their factory in Vancouver. Between 1913 and 1961 the company built 6,000 engines known for their simple design, long life and reliability. In 1930 an assembly and repair shop was opened on No. 1 Rd. in Steveston where most of the B.C. fishing fleet moored . . . In 1979 when Steveston Machine Works took over the shop, Bill Easthope stayed on as manager. This shop served Steveston fishermen for over 50 years. In 1987 the property was converted to commercial space.”

Two university students, Paul Beaton and Timothy Wittig, working as waiters, went into the specialty brewing business producing British-style draft ales. When the first keg of Shaftebury was tapped, Beaton was 22 and Wittig was 26.

The Newton Wave Pool opened. It generates waves ranging from gentle ripples to one-metre-high breakers.

Portside Park (CRAB Park) was opened by the Main Street Overpass. Eastside residents had squatted here for three months, fighting for a waterfront park between Second Narrows Bridge and Stanley Park, on land belonging to the National Harbours Board. Local people still call this CRAB Park (Create a Real Available Beach). Two Chinese lion statues guard the entrance. The park features superb views of port activity and the north shore mountains. A small pavilion reflects Northwest Coast design on a site known as Luk'luk'i by the Coast Salish people. In 2004 the name will be changed to CRAB Park at Portside.

Expo's flagpole, at the time the world's tallest at 280 feet, was purchased by Guildford Town Centre's Chev-Olds dealership, which was renamed Flag Chev-Olds. Measuring 40 by 80 feet, the flag can be seen from 10 miles away. Tallest flagpole today? A 122-metre (400-foot) giant in Abu Dhabi.

Surrey bought the Kodak Bowl from Expo 86, moved it to the Surrey Fair Grounds, and renamed it the Stetson Bowl. There is seating for 4,200 with room for an equal number of portable seats.

MacMillan Bloedel spent $100 million on an Annacis Island plant to produce Parallam, an extrudable parallel-strand lumber. Parallam was manufactured by bonding long strands of wood, under pressure, into uniform structural beams with a waterproof adhesive. The bonding resin is cured with microwave energy—somewhat like cooking in a kitchen microwave. With Parallam, MB used 70 to 80 per cent of a log.

Agnes Watts, 88, described as the “Telethon Angel” for her generous gifts through the Variety Club of B.C. to children’s projects, received in person the Variety Club Humanitarian Award from Prince Philip in London. Born in a small Eastern German village near Bunzlau in 1889, she came alone to Victoria, just 19 years old, to work as a nanny. She was the first female employee when Scott Paper opened a mill in New Westminster, and stayed with them for 22 years “rolling toilet paper,” saving every penny. Her wealth came from her own frugality and smart investments in the stock market and real estate. She was one of the most generous patrons and supporters of the Variety Club, and had given more then $500,00 to children's projects, hence this prized award.

Dog license sales began to be recorded into a computer program set up for the pound by city hall. Also this year, Vancouver City council gave the pound authority to deal with dangerous dogs by modifying the Pound By-law to include a “vicious dog” section. The breed-specific amendment declared all pitbulls and pitbull cross-breeds vicious, as well as all dogs found to be vicious as a result of an incident and follow-up investigation by the pound. The breed-specific area of the By-law came after a public outcry resulted from increased awareness of vicious attacks by these dogs.

A pilot project began in which some local prison inmates were fitted with a a field monitoring transmitter banded to their ankles for the duration of their sentences. The project will come on line in 1989.

The GVRD's 5,600-hectare Seymour Demonstration Forest opened in the District of North Vancouver. It had been closed earlier because it was part of the region's watershed. Today the Forest, which has been called an outdoor classroom, gets a quarter of a million visitors annually. Most of its trees are coniferous (western hemlock, western red cedar, Douglas fir, etc.), and tower upward in the lower part of a glacier-carved valley between big Lynn Headwaters Regional Park and Mount Seymour Provincial Park. Here you'll see examples of integrated resource management such as timber harvesting, reforestation, fish and wildlife management . . . and recreation, like cycling, hiking, rollerblading, picnicking and canoeing. (Much of the forest here was harvested more than 60 years ago, and so you'll see what a reforested area can look like.) More than 100 species of animals and birds live within the valley, and salmon and trout use the Seymour River to spawn.

The pay radio station HRN (Hellenic Radio Network) was established. It offered Greek language programs, including news direct from Athens, twenty-four hours a day.

Sushma Datt established “Rim Jhim,” Canada's first Indo-Canadian radio station. It broadcast in Hindi and Punjabi.

The UBC chair of Sikh and Punjabi Studies was established. Dr. Harjot Oberoi was the first incumbent.

UBC astronomers made a discovery in 1987 providing evidence there are planets outside our solar system.

Phase Two of UBC’s Acadia Park family residences opened, a 158-unit complex for married students, and the first family housing to be constructed on campus since 1967.

One of the highlights of 1987 was the creation of the Neville Scarfe Children's Garden. Created by students and faculty in Education and Landscape Architecture, this unique garden was designed to be a model learning environment for children, as well as to serve as a beautiful retreat for faculty, staff and students. The West Coast forest grotto, clover meadow, stream, pond, vegetable and flower gardens appeal to daycare, pre-school and school groups of children. The five-foot by five-foot cedar carving of Raven Bringing the Light symbolizes the Native Indian Teacher Education Program (NITEP), the department that donated this carving to the garden. Visitors are welcome to stroll through the garden at any time.

Local 1518 of the UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers Union), with 23,000 members, began representing 57 home care workers when the Service Office and Retail Workers Union (SORWUC) merged with it.

Surrey’s coat of arms was introduced. For much of its history, Surrey had used the beaver as a corporate emblem, and a beaver is featured in the Arms. But many new elements were added, combining an interesting mix of geographic, historical and economic references.

Here’s an excerpt from Chief Herald Robb Watt’s description of the Arms: “The crest contained a single element, a Salish canoe, in gold, recalling the local First Nations and, particularly, their famous trading route, the Semiahmoo Trail in the southern part of Surrey along the Nicomekl.

“The supporters, on the left a thoroughbred horse and on the right a farm horse, symbolize the historic recreational and agricultural role of horses in the development of Surrey and its present day amenities. The thoroughbred’s steel collar and pendant feature, for the first time in heraldry, binary digits which are the basis of computer language. They, and the communications tower, salute the community’s growing technological sector. The farm horse wears a collar set with ermine spots, a reference to the heraldry of Surrey’s English namesake, with a pendant of gold fir tree, to honor the community’s forest landscapes. The compartment is set with a unique collection of local plants and flowers; trilliums, maidenhair, ferns, Easter lilies and pink fawn lilies, representing the riches of the natural environment . . .”

Both Vancouver and Western Living magazines were sold to industry giant Telemedia.

Harvey Southam and Ron Stern introduced V, a glossy, sophisticated city magazine distributed through the Vancouver Sun. Alas, V couldn't compete with the better-established Vancouver Magazine and, despite being named Western Magazine of the Year in 1989, would last only two years.

Award Magazine Published five times a year by Canada Wide Magazines, this covered architectural and design trends, company and project profiles for architects, interior designers, landscape architects, general contractors, developers and engineers.

B C Bookworld Still going strong, this free quarterly, established by Alan Twigg, is Canada's largest-circulation, independent publication about books. It features book reviews and announcements with emphasis on B.C. authors and publishers. Free at various drop points around the city like libraries and bookstores. Visit it here. Twigg’s Vancouver and Its Writers is the first book-length overview of B.C. authors. For Openers: Conversations with 24 Canadian Writers and Strong Voices: Conversations with 50 Canadian Authors were interspersed with a 1985 biography, Hubert Evans: The First Ninety-Three Years. He also wrote the first critical book on Bill Vander Zalm in 1986, Vander Zalm: From Immigrant to Premier, a biography, and will publish Twigg's Directory of 1,001 B.C. Authors in 1992. He co-founded the B.C. Book Prizes and the VanCity Book Prize.

Billington's Stock Focus II A free quarterly with editions in Chinese and English.

The Flag & Banner A semi-annual publication from The Flag Shop, this aimed to enhance the public understanding of vexillology, the study of flags. It covers the protocol, history and manufacture of flags.

Gardens West Published nine times a year, with information for the home gardener in western Canada.

World of Chabad A bi-monthly published by Lubavitch British Columbia, with text in English, Hebrew and Russian, this featured Jewish religious and philosophical articles, stories and announcements.

Mountain Dance Theatre, under Mauryne Allan—which had started as Burnaby Mountain Dance Company in 1973—disbanded, but would reappear in 1988 as DanceCorps, with Cornelius Fischer-Credo as director.

The CBC Vancouver Orchestra, under Mario Bernardi, performed live, via satellite, to a European Broadcast Union network covering seven countries. It was the first time the EBU had invited a North American orchestra to perform. It must have succeeded: they repeated the following year, this time broadcasting to 17 countries.

Double Exposure (Bob Robertson and Linda Cullen) created their weekly CBC radio series and quickly became a national comedy institution. The radio show, featuring the duo’s wickedly funny impersonations of Canadian and other celebrities, was produced by Tod Elvidge and written by Cullen and Robertson, who have also published a book and starred in several TV specials. They’re still going strong.

Concert Box Office, formed in 1971 by Gary Switlo and Tom Worrall, merged with its chief competitor, Vancouver Ticket Centre.

Jon Steeves, a Vancouver computer consultant, devised a word game he called MooT (as in “a moot question,” because the answers can often be debated). His friends liked it so much he would begin to market and sell it in 1990.

A typical MooT question: You have the same mother, but not the same father; are you siblings? Says Jon: According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, children having one or both parents in common are siblings. You’ll find more fun with this “etymology, semantics and grammar game” here.

The Vogue Theatre, the 1,200-seat art deco theatre at 918 Granville Street, was sold to a development company. But it would remain closed until 1992 when it would reopen as a live performance venue.

The Ridge, a wall hanging of perforated Plexiglas and silk ribbons, was installed at 1090 West Georgia. The artist was Joanna Staniszkis.

Primavera, a mural on plywood by Jack Shadbolt, was installed at 1075 West Georgia (formerly the MacMillan Bloedel Building).

Richard Tetrault created the Street Performance mural at the Firehall Arts Centre, 280 East Cordova.

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra began a collapse into bankruptcy. It would cancel half its 1987/88 season. (Its situation was not unique among Canadian orchestras, and the VSO has rebounded.)

An untitled sculpture by George Norris, that had stood before Eaton's store at Granville and Georgia since 1974, was removed. In a 1981 guide book, Terry Noble had described the piece as “a majestic, glistening, glinting dragonfly, bowing gracefully to all who pass.”

Salmon Fountain-Shrine at the corner of Abbott and Water in Gastown was designed by Sam Carter, an instructor at the Emily Carr Institute of Art, and installed this year. Says Carter: “The Leshgold family commissioned the fountain as a memorial to the late Samuel Leshgold, a Gastown enthusiast. One of Samuel's greatest interests was salmon fishing. The four bronze salmon heads were created as a symmetrical fountain for use by the many visitors to Gastown. The cast bronze and Quadra Island granite provides refreshing water for people . . .”

The fountain near 1450 Creekside, designed by architect Larry Doyle, was unveiled. The client was the Pennyfarthing Development Co. Writes Elizabeth Godley: “When Pennyfarthing built their offices, the city granted them a development permit in return for creating public open space nearby. Doyle and Pennyfarthing VP Peter Isler considered adding a gazebo to the little park, but eventually decided on a fountain, thinking it would be less prone to vandalism. Doyle came up with the ziggurat-like design. a concrete core faced with tiles. The fountain boasts a spectacular central jet of water, but electricity bills for its operation became too onerous, and it is turned on only occasionally in summer.”

Grace MacDonald, who choreographed Mussoc's (UBC Musical Society) productions for more than 30 years, died in Vancouver, aged 71. Canadian director Richard Ouzounian described her as “the grand lady of the UBC Musical Society and Theatre Under The Stars.”

Writes dance historian Max Wyman: “Annette av Paul passed control of Ballet British Columbia to Reid Anderson, who used his extensive European connections (19 years with Stuttgart Ballet) to give the company a contemporary-ballet look. He also brought in Natalia Makarova for a gala featuring a duo from the Kirov Ballet—the first time in 17 years that Makarova had danced on the same stage as dancers from her home company.”

The Paula Ross Dance Company suspended operations. It had been active since 1965, the “earliest properly-established modern dance group in Vancouver.” That quote is from Max Wyman, dance historian: “A former student of ballet teacher Mara McBirney,” Wyman comments, “Ross worked as a ‘specialty dancer’ and chorine in the U.S. and Canada before returning to Vancouver in the early 1960s to teach the city's show dancers and chorus girls a modern technique of her own devising. Her troupe was a showcase for her own ‘visual poetry,’ the passionate expression of a driven and socially committed artist.”

Movie historian Michael Walsh had lots to write about this year:

Housekeeping (directed by Bill Forsyth) Given into the care of an eccentric aunt (Christine Lahti), orphan sisters (Sara Walker, Andrea Burchill) are faced with a choice between freedom and conformity in this gentle serio-comic fable.

Stakeout (directed by John Badham) The B.C. Penitentiary and the Campbell Avenue Fish Wharf are among the distinctive locations used in this comedy-thriller about Seattle cops (Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez) on surveillance duty. This was a hit and led to a sequel, Stakeout 2.

Roxanne (directed by Fred Schepisi) In a comic reworking of Cyrano de Bergerac, Nelson's great-hearted fire chief (Steve Martin) learns that his large nose is no impediment to romance.

Malone (directed by Harley Cokliss) Vacationing in rural Oregon (played by Hedley and suburban Vancouver), an ex-CIA agent (Burt Reynolds) happens upon a white supremacist (Cliff Robertson) conspiring to overthrow the government.

The Stepfather (directed by Joseph Rubin) “Father knows best -- or else” is the shock message in this tale of a domestic disciplinarian (Terry O'Quinn) who marries into, then murders, whole families.

Possession (directed by Michael Mazo and Lloyd Simandl) A woman (Sharlene Martin) discovers that her intense suitor (John R. Johnston) is the psychotic killer terrorizing the city.

Home Is Where The Hart Is (directed by Rex Bromfield) Old jokes abound in this tale of elderly twins (Eric Christmas, Ted Stidder) who call in the sheriff (Leslie Nielsen, whose character’s name is Nashville Schwartz) when their 104-year-old dad runs off with his nurse (Valri Bromfield).

Movie actor John Ireland (A Walk in the Sun, All the King’s Men, Spartacus, Red River, dozens of others), born in Vancouver January 30, 1914 or 1915, placed a famous ad in Variety, the showbiz weekly. “I’m an actor,” the ad read, “Please let me work.” The ad snagged him the role of Capt. Aaron Cartwright, the younger brother of Ben Cartwright in the TV series Bonanza: The Next Generation.

In 1985 control of public gaming, with the exception of pari-mutual wagering, had been ceded to the provinces. This year the B.C. Gaming Commission was established to carry out licensing and policy-making functions.

These books appeared in 1987:

Fleecing the Lamb: The Inside Story of the Vancouver Stock Exchange. Journalists David Cruise and Alison Griffiths looked with disfavor upon the VSE.

The Way we were: a celebration of our UBC heritage Philip Akrigg, et al, published by the UBC Alumni Association.

Lord of Point Grey: Larry MacKenzie of U.B.C. (A biography of UBC president Norman ‘Larry’ MacKenzie) by P.B. Waite

Early history of Port Moody by D.M. Norton

Hastings and Main: stories from an inner city neighborhood by Laurel Kimbley, Jo-Ann Canning-Dew, under the auspices of the Carnegie Community Centre Association

First class: four graduates from the Vancouver School of Decorative And Applied Arts, 1929: Lilias Farley, Irene Hoffar Reid, Beatrice Lennie, Vera Weatherbie by Women in Focus

M.I. Rogers, 1869-1965 The diary of Mary Isabella Rogers, compiled and edited by Michael Kluckner. Mary Isabella Rogers' diary “provides the structure for this book,” which is also based on the recollections of contemporaries and descendants of Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. Her husband was B.T. Rogers, founder of B.C. Sugar.

Distant neighbors: a comparative history of Seattle and Vancouver by Norbert MacDonald, published by the University of Nebraska Press.

West of the Great Divide, An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia, 1880-1986 by Robert D. Turner, Chief of Historical Collections at the Royal B.C. Museum, and the leading historical expert on B.C. transportation. This title won the Canadian Railroad Historical Association's Book Award.

Man in Motion, by Jim Taylor. This was a best-selling chronicle of Rick Hansen’s wheelchair journey around the world. It had a first printing of 65,000 copies, easily the biggest in BC publishing history.

Hiking Guide to the Big Trees of Southwestern British Columbia by Randy Stoltmann, a hiker and photographer. This was his first book, and has been described as an “informative and beautifully written description of the North Shore's big trees and the trails that lead to them.”

Pioneer tales of Burnaby Editor: Michael Sone. Published by the District of Burnaby, this BIG book has a BIG subtitle: Early Burnaby As Recalled By the Settlers Themselves Who Arrived From Every Corner of the World Between 1888 and 1930, Some Witnessing Incorporation of the District in 1892, All Seeking a Better Life for Themselves and Especially for Their Children, All Helping Transform the Wilderness into the Modern Municipality of Today.

The Fencepost Chronicles by W.P. Kinsella. This won the Leacock Medal for Humour. The website has this to say: “W.P. Kinsella's popular ‘Indian stories,’ mostly set on the Hobbema reserve of Alberta, have resulted in a remarkable string of highly entertaining tales that have been superficially attacked as racist. They feature a Cree narrator, Silas Ermineskin, a would-be writer, and his outrageous entrepreneurial sidekick Frank Fencepost, as they invariably outwit white authorities... [Kinsella] flatly rejects criticism that he has demeaned Indians by resorting to stereotypes.”

Succession: The Political Reshaping of British Columbia, by David Mitchell. A look by this skilled political observer at the Social Credit Party and BC after W.A.C. Bennett.

New York-born (1948) science fiction writer Spider Robinson and his wife (and occasional collaborator) Jeanne arrived in Vancouver from Halifax. There’s a good Wikipedia article on him here, and Spider has his own website.

Geoffrey Andrew, vice president of UBC, died in Vancouver. There is a fine tribute from UBC to him here. It reads: “With the passing of Geoffrey Andrew, this University has lost one of its last links with the great period of its expansion which occurred after the Second World War. Geoffrey Andrew was an active witness to UBC’s transformation from a small provincial university to a major national centre for teaching, research and public service.

“Born in Bayfield, Nova Scotia, Professor Andrew was educated at the Kings College of Dalhousie University, and at Balliol College, Oxford. After a teaching career at Upper Canada College, he came to UBC to begin a long period of outstanding service, first as Assistant to President MacKenzie, and later as Dean and Deputy President. He served this university from 1947 until 1962 and was a member of Senate for nine years between 1953 and 1962. Dean Andrew participated in a wide range of public service activities: Chairman of the Vancouver Branch of the Canadian Institute for Public Affairs, President of the Vancouver Arts Council, a Director of the Canadian Institute for the Blind and Director of Community Chest.

“Geoff Andrew was . . . a tireless spokesman for greater accessibility to higher education and gave strong support to the expansion of educational opportunity throughout the Province of British Columbia. From 1962 until his retirement, he served as executive director of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. His voice in promoting the cause of universities was heard in every corner of the nation.”

The Great Canadian Open Sandcastle Competition on the beach at White Rock had started in 1979, the inspiration of two friends: Tom Kirstein, a chartered accountant, and Chip Barrett, an architect. With prizes amounting to $10,000, and scores of teams competing, the annual event drew international attention, attracting crowds estimated at 150,000 to the waterfront. Alas, community dismay at the crush of people, the inevitable unruly elements, and rising police costs forced the cancellation of the competition this year.

A bus service linking Lions Bay with the rest of the Lower Mainland was introduced.

The old city market in New Westminster closed, following the earlier opening of the Westminster Quay Public Market

Helijet was incorporated.

1987 Toyota Supra Turbo
[Photo: www.u-1.ca]