Renfrew-Collingwood Community News

News stories from the Renfrew-Collingwood community in East Vancouver

Monthly Archives: January 2017


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Why I love Renfrew-Collingwood: Livable, accessible, friendly

A spring day on a quiet street in Renfrew-Collingwood, with Grouse Mountain and Seymour Mountain in the background. Photos by Julie Cheng

A spring day on a quiet street in Renfrew-Collingwood, with Grouse Mountain and Seymour Mountain in the background. Photos by Julie Cheng

BY JULIE CHENG

Renfrew-Collingwood is a special place where its warm and friendly residents of diverse cultures—pioneers and newcomers, young and old—live together in harmony and feel like they belong. The locals come out in droves to two annual festivals to celebrate this diversity: Collingwood Days and the Renfrew Ravine Harvest Moon Festival.

Still Creek runs through Renfrew Ravine.

Still Creek runs through the heart of Renfrew Ravine.

This historic residential neighbourhood is tucked away on the eastern edge of Vancouver on the border of Burnaby, B.C. The neighbourhood is home to hidden gems, from unexpected sweeping mountain views and the Renfrew Ravine (an urban forest with a salmon-bearing creek running through it) to Carleton School (one of the oldest schoolhouses in Vancouver) to many authentic, ethnic restaurants including Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Filipino, Italian and Indian.

Residents travel by Skytrain and cycle paths alike in Renfrew-Collingwood.

Residents travel by Skytrain and cycle paths alike in Renfrew-Collingwood.

It’s always been an easy neighbourhood to get to. In the 1890s the interurban tram connected Renfrew-Collingwood to the rest of Vancouver. Today two Skytrain lines run through it, carrying residents to and from work in a matter of minutes, north to Port Moody (on the brand-new Evergreen line), east to Burnaby and Surrey and west to downtown Vancouver. Walking or cycling is a great way to discover the neighbourhood.

Why do you love Renfrew-Collingwood? Please let us know! Email rccnews-editorial@cnh.bc.ca.

Julie Cheng has loved living in Renfrew-Collingwood for 20 years. She is the editor of the Renfrew-Collingwood Community News.

Copyright (c) 2017 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News


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Multinational corporation pays $15 a day for Hope water

BY CINDY CHEN, JESSICA SUN AND ALYSSA YAN

The earth’s surface is covered by 70% water. Only 3% is fresh water,and less than 1% is accessible for personal uses.

How would you feel about a brand name company being able to access your water supply in the middle of a drought, while withdrawing the water that you and your community rely on for only a price of $2.25 per one million litres?

You may be familiar with the brand name Nestle, known for their countless products ranging from food to cosmetics. The Switzerland-based company is currently extracting millions of litres of water from Hope, B.C., and profiting through their bottled water industry and much more.

Up until 2016, Nestle has been profiting off our water for free, until they were required to pay $2.25, which only covered their access fee, per every million litres. However, this enormous corporation withdraws millions of litres of water while paying Hope less than $15 a day.

Their plastic water bottles alone are sold around the world and back to the citizens of Hope for over $6 for a pack of 12 bottles. What is supposedly a human right for everyone is being taken by large corporations like Nestle, and sold back to us without us even considering where the water comes from or why we buy it.

Troubled by this, a group of 30 youth is taking action and raising awareness for this problem through social media, newsletters, petitions, videos and more. By doing this, we hope Nestle will stop stealing our water and take responsibility of the damages they have created on Hope.

Cindy Chen, Jessica Sun and Alyssa Yan are Grade 11 students in the Leadership program at Windermere Secondary. Cindy enjoys learning about social justice and sustainability. Jessica is passionate about environmental sustainability and social rights. Alyssa is dedicated to giving back to her community through volunteering ranging from organizing community events to teaching kids piano.

Copyright (c) 2017 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News


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Art Institute of Vancouver Multicultural Carnival

Many people enjoyed the Multicultural Carnival at the Art Institute of Vancouver. Photos by Luxi Lin

Many people enjoyed Multicultural Carnival at the Art Institute of Vancouver held late Nov. 2016. Photos by Luxi Lin

BY JERRY CHEN

The Art Institute of Vancouver, a post-secondary institution located in close proximity to the Renfrew SkyTrain station, hosted a Multicultural Carnival on the evening of November 22, 2016. In recognition of the diverse cultures represented at the Art Institute of Vancouver, the event recognized this diversity by sharing what different cultures have to offer.

Each of the venues set up represented a different country and its respective culture. Countries that were represented include Mexico, Philippine, Ukraine, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Japan, Brazil, Afghanistan and Indonesia.

Art Institute of Vancouver staff and the Student Association get ready for the Multicultural Carnival.

Art Institute of Vancouver staff and the Student Association get ready for the Multicultural Carnival.

In order for attendees to gain a sense of these different cultures, each venue had a variety of games, food, activities and memorabilia derived directly from their country and culture. As such, attendees gained a first-hand experience of what each country and culture was like.

A show by the band The Noumenon and DJ performance by DJ 909 & Kennix provided live music, increasing the vibe of the event.

Making a special appearance was singer and songwriter Wanting Qu, who also happens to be an alumni of the Art Institute of Vancouver.

Attendees were enthusiastic about taking in what other cultures had to offer. They all enjoyed the abundance of activities that were available. It was a night filled with laughter and enjoyment, regardless of whether it is the people sharing the culture or those experiencing it.

Copyright (c) 2017 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News