Category: Community

DON’T FENCE ME IN!

PARKS ARE FOR PEOPLE

If you’re concerned about being locked out of school parks…

You’re not alone!

Tell the VSB you want Nelson Elementary field back!

Email the VSB Trustees, the Superintendent and GWAC:

Victoria.Jung@vsb.bc.ca; Preeti.Faridkot@vsb.bc.ca; lois.chan-pedley@vsb.bc.ca; Alfred.Chien@vsb.bc.ca; janet.fraser@vsb.bc.ca; Suzie.Mah@vsb.bc.ca; jennifer.reddy@vsb.bc.ca; Christopher.Richardson@vsb.bc.ca; Joshua.Zhang@vsb.bc.ca; mmliu@vsb.bc.ca; hmcgregor@vsb.bc.ca; snichols@vsb.bc.ca; info@gwac.ca

Tell them:

Nelson is part of our community. School greenspace is public space. Reopen the field at Lord Nelson Elementary immediately.

Background

Over a century ago, public space in Grandview Woodland was granted into the stewardship of the VSB with the understanding that it would be a shared community asset for use by the school community as needed and otherwise available to the broader community, including the students, outside of school hours.

Disturbingly, the greenspace at Lord Nelson was recently fenced and then locked off, without any consultation of the school community or broader community. This lack of consultation is disrespectful and unacceptable.

GWAC is asking that all locks on this space be immediately removed with the space left accessible to the public outside of school hours, pending further consultation on the issue.

You’re Invited to the GWAC AGM

Saturday, May 6th at 6PM

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Parks and Greenspace in Grandview Woodland

What does the future hold for Grandview’s precious park space?

Monday, April 3rd at 7PM Add to Calendar

Join via zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89991400541?pwd=bmNleEpMVVduVGRmOXRJZEVDeU44QT09
Meeting ID: 899 9140 0541, Passcode: 517418
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kd6KzTN2df

With a growing population in Grandview, we have no new plans for parks or greenspace on the horizon

Join us for a conversation with
UBC Landscape Architect Daniel Roehr and our Vancouver Park Board Commissioners

Come share with us what you need from greenspace – play, calm, sport, relief from the heat

How should new greenspace take shape in Grandview Woodland?

On another note…

Join us for the
GWAC Annual General Meeting
Saturday, May 6th at 6PM
CFEC Room at Britannia Centre
1655 William Street (2nd floor)
Add to Calendar

Details to follow…

Three Unique Grandview – Woodland community groups to consider Joining for 2021

Grandview Heritage Group
https://grandviewheritagegroup.ca
We meet to talk about the history of the Grandview neighbourhood of Vancouver, BC, including the heritage buildings, commercial history, and the evolution of our dynamic high street, Commercial Drive.
Join us! We meet most months on the third Thursday at 7:00 pm, currently via Zoom. To get in touch with us, email grandviewheritage@gmail.com. 

Grandview Garden Club
https://grandviewgardenclub.blogspot.com
We have a speaker every month on a topic of relevance to Vancouver gardeners. Yearly membership is $20 and we meet via Zoom on the second Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. A Zoom meeting link is sent to members a few days before each meeting. (When we return to face-to-face meetings, we’ll invite occasional drop-ins again.) Our past two meeting topics were “How to use shrubs as small trees in your urban garden” and “Ferns”. The joy of Zoom meetings means we can recruit speakers from outside Vancouver. For April, the talk will be “Attracting birds to your garden”. Join the club!
To get in touch with us, email grandviewgardenclub@gmail.com. 

Britannia Neighbours
http://britannianeighbours.blogspot.com
We are a little group that looks after the Napier Square Greenway (between Choices and Sweet Cherubim at the Napier St. entry to Britannia). We’ve been maintaining this garden for over 20 years! Weather permitting, we meet most spring, summer, and fall, on Monday afternoons at 3:00 to weed, prune, plant, rake, chat. We learn a lot about gardening and we invite you to join us. Please wear a mask and bring your own tools for COVID safety. For more information email britneighbours@gmail.com. 

Centerm Community Fund application intake now open

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to inform you that we are now accepting applications for the third and last application intake period for the Centerm Community Fund. The Centerm Community Fund is a $500,000 fund for projects and programs run by organizations in the Downtown Eastside, Strathcona, Hastings-Sunrise, and Grandview-Woodland. Applications can be submitted until April 2, 2021.

Construction of the Centerm Expansion Project and South Shore Access Project has been underway since the summer of 2019. As part of this project, and our commitment to supporting local communities, the port authority, in collaboration with Centerm container terminal operator DP World, is donating $2 million to community organizations and initiatives in East Vancouver. 
For more information see the news release issued in July 2019.

Part of this donation included the creation of the $500,000 Centerm Community Fund to provide support for projects proposed by organizations in the Downtown Eastside, Strathcona, Hastings-Sunrise, and Grandview-Woodlands. This fund is one way we’re saying “thank you” to the community for your patience while significant construction is completed on the Centerm terminal and along the south shore of the Burrard Inlet.

During two previous rounds of funding, the port authority provided grants to 29 local organizations. The selection committee chose a variety of programs that support many people in our port city, including some of the most vulnerable—children, elders, low-income families, Indigenous peoples, unemployed, and newcomers to Canada—and contribute to enabling thriving communities over the long term. For a list of recipients, see our website.

Starting on January 5, 2021 until April 2, 2021, the port authority is accepting applications for the third and last round of funding. Applications must be received during the intake period to be considered. 

Organizations that submitted in previous intakes are welcome to re-apply.

https://www.portvancouver.com/centerm-fund?doing_wp_cron=1610664585.1876029968261718750000

GWAC Zoom meeting explores housing options and neighbourhood concerns

We held our first Zoom community meeting on October 5. The topic was housing – how we provide it for varying community needs, and what concerns residents have about housing types and forms.

We were pleased that over 22 people logged in and expressed their views. Many emphasized their strong support for social housing in the neighbourhood, but were concerned about whether the recommendations of the community plan related to height, density, and placement were being ignored.

Participants also referenced issues related to the recent park encampments with concerns expressed about safety and a lack of washroom facilities for campers. So far city officials have failed to address neighbourhood worries about these encampments and any housing provided for campers will certainly be many months away at best.

Temporary modular housing (TMH) was discussed with concerns about the city’s proposed 98 units at 1580 Vernon Street in an industrial area west of Clark. This, along with a large social housing facility planned at Clark and First Avenue is too large a concentration of units in an unsuitable area, some suggested.

Some community activists have also advocated for TMH behind the Kettle drop in centre on Commercial Drive and Venables. However the city is unlikely to pursue this option, preferring to work on a proposal for the Kettle Friendship Society to build 50 units of housing and a drop in centre on that city parking lot instead.

The 9-story building proposed at 1766 Frances was discussed. The applicant, the Vancouver Native Housing Society, is seeking 84 social housing units “with rental rates set at 30% of a household’s income.” Participants re-iterated their broad support for social housing in Grandview-Woodland, but with concerns about this building’s height, density and precedent-setting for future developments.

We feel this first Zoom session was a resounding success and hope to hold more forums in the near future. Stay tuned!

Recap: Record of Councillor Hardwick’s Feb 3rd meeting, Graphical Facilitation

The meeting on February 3rd was very well attended, and Councillor Hardwick went through a brief history of planning in Vancouver, followed by an open discussion. As a graphical record of the meeting, we are grateful for the kind assistance of Drawing It Out with Anika Barlow and Yolanda Liman. Donations were accepted for Kinbrace Refugee Housing & Support, a Registered Canadian Charity (thank you all for your generosity). To find out more about Drawing it Out, please go to www.drawingitout.com (Twitter & Instagram): @yodrawingitout, Facebook: www.facebook.com/drawingitout ).

Councillor Hardwick guest at Monday, February 3rd GWAC meeting

We are pleased to announce that City of Vancouver Councillor Hardwick will be joining us at the GWAC meeting scheduled for Monday February 3rd. The meeting will begin at 7pm and it will held at the Britannia Community Centre in the ​Activity Room in the Ice Rink (1661 Parker Street). Please note that this is not at our usual room at the LRC.
Councillor Hardwick is visiting all Vancouver neighbourhoods in 2020, further details are in this video:
youtu.be/sdo3uj-NZmc  and in this article:
https://www.vancourier.com/real-estate/why-is-this-city-councillor-visiting-every-vancouver-neighbourhood-this-year-1.24051717

Come to hear City Councillor Colleen Hardwick’s ambitious plan to understand Vancouver & its citizens, & to see Vancouver become more responsive & accountable! In 2019 the City  approved an updated city-wide planning process. It is understood that Vancouver needs to accommodate greater density within its boundaries, however the challenge and issue has been exactly where to locate this growing population in a way that is respectful of and sensitive to the neighbourhoods.

In 2020, Colleen plans to visit every neighbourhood within the boundaries of the City.  In each case, she will meet with organizations within neighbourhood boundaries including but not limited to residents’ associations, BIAs, community centres, heritage, and faith-based groups to take a detailed look at where to best accommodate growth of approximately 1,000 new dwelling units per neighbourhood over the next decade. 

On Monday she will be in Grandview-Woodland to speak to and hear from you.

She wants to hear what you have to say about where that density should be located  and also related considerations including community amenities, mobility, green space, and economic activity. Everything Colleen learns will be delivered to the City of Vancouver Planning Department and be made available  to the public.

So come to hear & speak with Councillor Hardwick; let her know your concerns, your priorities and your hopes for both Grandview-Woodland and the City at large.

February 3, 2019 Update: Photo from meeting (Councillor Hardwick presenting, with graphical facilitation by Drawing It Out (www.drawingitout.com)

Seasons’ Greetings to all in Grandview Woodland & to all our very best wishes for 2020!

GWAC is grateful to share a wonderful, diverse & welcoming neighbourhood with you and look forward to working together in 2020 to achieve a meaningful and equitable process to meet the demands of a growing community.

GWAC will not  hold a public meeting in December, instead the next members’ meeting will be held on January 6th, at 7pm in the Learning Resource Centre.
We will send a reminder closer to the date, confirming the next guest speaker.

In the meantime,  if you are concerned about the 

Safeway Tower Proposal…. 

…….and want to know more, GWAC is developing a presentation that we can bring to your house to share with gatherings of concerned neighbours. To arrange an information session, simply write to info@gwac.ca.

Also, as this project is going to profoundly affect those living and working south of Broadway, please share this email with them, suggest they share it with their mailing lists &  to contact us to get on our list.

We are seeking a volunteer to coordinate these “kitchen  gatherings”. so if you or someone you know wishes to get involved, please contact us through info@gwac.ca

The Council is also planning to develop specific communication plans for media, social platforms and our members to respond to the proposal and share information as it becomes available. We  also welcome concerned community members contacting us to get involved in these initiatives.

Next meeting:
​7:00 p.m., Monday, January 6th, 2020
Learning Resource Centre (LRC)
Under the Britannia Library