Renfrew-Collingwood Community News

News stories from the Renfrew-Collingwood community in East Vancouver

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Read On! Celebrating mothers

BY SOPHIA HAN

Who doesn’t love waffles for breakfast on Mother’s Day? Photo by Sophia Han
Who doesn’t love waffles for breakfast on Mother’s Day? Photo by Sophia Han

The tradition of breakfast in bed **

Sunday, May 14 is Mother’s Day. It has a long tradition in the United States where it was first celebrated in 1914. In Canada, sons and daughters show their appreciation with small gifts offlowers and cards. The tradition of serving mom breakfast in bed started in the 1930s.

Favourite breakfast meals on Mother’s Day include French toast and pancakes because they are easy and fun for children to make. A fresh fruit salad is a healthier option that is also easy to prepare (and clean up afterwards). Serve the meal with a small bouquet of carnations, the traditional flower of Mother’s Day.

A brunch tradition ***

Not everyone enjoys breakfast in bed. Since the 1940s, restaurants have advertised Mother’s Day brunch specials. Brunch is a British tradition invented in the late 19th century. It combines a social gathering with both breakfast and lunch. Taking mom out to brunch at a restaurant also saves her the work of cleaning up afterwards.

Besides breakfast or brunch, there are many other ways to recognize the work that mothers do. A simple phone call is a meaningful way to show appreciation and a more recent trend is to enjoy an outdoor activity together such as a hike or a stroll in a park.

Favourite local brunch spots include Liberte Cafe & Restaurant at 3670 Vanness Avenue and Canffle at 3581 Kingsway. Liberte Cafe specializes in desserts and waffles made from ube, a purple yam with a sweet, nutty flavour. 

Or for something different, try treating mom to dim sum. There are many excellent restaurants in Vancouver but a hidden gem is Wang’s Shanghai Cuisine at 3328 Kingway.

What is your favourite place to take mom for Mother’s Day? Let us know – just email rccnews-editorial@cnh.bc.ca.

Vocabulary

appreciation – when you feel thankful for something

serving – giving food to someone

healthier – better for your health

afterwards – after an event

bouquet  – a bunch of flowers

since + present perfect V use since before have and the past tense of a verb to describe a continuous action that began in the past: Since the 1930s, mothers have enjoyed breakfast in bed.

specials  – meals available for special occasions

social gathering – gathering of friends and families

besides – in addition

recognize – to show appreciation for someone’s work

meaningful – important or special

trend – something that is popular

stroll – walk

specialize – use specialize to talk about the food a restaurant makes well

hidden gem – a special place that is not well known

Word search

Celebrating Mothers Word Search
Play this word search online at thewordsearch.com/puzzle/5489062/celebrating-mothers/

** Lower intermediate

*** Upper intermediate

Copyright 2023 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News


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April 2023 issue of RCC News is here

Spring is here. Check out the great activities happening in our neighbourhood in this latest issue of the Renfrew-Collingwood Community News and get some sun while staying connected to your neighbours and community.

Cover image of the April 2023 issue of the Renfrew-Collingwood Community News.

View the new issue.

In this issue:

  • Eyebrow tattooing for men by local permanent makeup tattooist Brenda Ton
  • Five ways to help a friend who is addicted to drugs
  • Read On! Is Renfrew-Collingwood a pet-friendly neighbourhood?
  • Earth Day: Still Moon annual general meeting and spring celebration fundraiser
  • More Earth Day events at Trout Lake and Clark Park
  • Y Mind Teen mental wellness program at Collingwood Neighbourhood House
  • Legion update: Everyone is welcome to their April events including Saturday band nights and Thursday jams

Do you have a local story to tell or an event to share? We’d love to hear about it! Email rccnews-editorial@cnh.bc.ca.

The deadline for the May 2023 issue is April 10.

We welcome story submissions from 300 to 400 words long. Accompanying photos must be high resolution in a jpg file at least 1 MB large and include a photo caption and the name of the photographer.

 

 


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Remembering Chris Taulu

Renfrew-Collingwood loses a force of nature

COMPILED BY JULIE CHENG

In May 2019, Chris Taulu was recognized for her contributions to the betterment of Renfrew-Collingwood. She received the first-ever Community Excellence Award at the Collingwood Days festival, supported by her colleagues at the Collingwood Community Policing Centre, friends and community members. Chris is pictured here with Jennifer Gray-Grant, executive director of Collingwood Neighbourhood House. Photo by Mark Evans

Local resident Chris Taulu was the first executive director of the Collingwood Community Policing Centre (CCPC) and retired in her early 80s. She passed away on January 15, 2023.

CCPC’s current executive director, Partap Sahota, called her a community advocate, mentor and friend.

Partap Sahota remembers

Through the years, Chris was a staunch advocate for the community she served. It is the reason why Vancouver as we know it has flourished because of the work she started.

She was a strong leader of what was then a non-profit organization called the Community Crime Prevention Office, which later became the Collingwood Community Policing Centre in April 1994. Chris opened the door for other community policing centres to start up in other communities.

Her skills to draw people together and get the job done made things possible for other organizations to start and grow to what they are today.

Her ability to work with organizations, for example, the City of Vancouver, Vancouver Police Department, transit police, and municipal, provincial and federal governments, set the tone that the real goal was for everyone to have a better quality of life.

She was a mentor and a strict and fair teacher. She wanted people to succeed. Through the years, so many people moved forward and benefitted in interacting with Chris. Her joy was to see the community she loved grow to a safe place to live in. She accomplished that goal.

People respected her. What you see is what you got. She would drive her point until you got it, whether you agreed or not. She was a fighter to the end.

Let us remember a person who possessed a strong will, passionate beliefs and a caring spirit. Chris, you have left a mark on people you touched in your lifetime. Your legacy is solid; your torch will shine brightly as a rallying point in the city that you loved. We will miss you, dear friend. 

Jennifer Gray-Grant, executive director of Collingwood Neighbourhood House called her a “force of nature who tackled issues with unbelievable vigor.”

Jennifer Gray-Grant remembers

Chris made a huge difference for Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) and for Renfrew-Collingwood.

She became active in response to the proposed SkyTrain route in the 1980s. CNH was just forming at the time. Chris, as a local resident, was a driving force behind forming and running the Joyce Station Area Planning Association, comprised of residents concerned about the development. Joyce Station Area Planning Association and CNH joined forces to ensure that the SkyTrain project, and the related development, helped rather than hindered the neighbourhood.

The negotiations around the development of Collingwood Village resulted in the first community policing centre in Canada, as well as the CNH Joyce facility, among other amenities such as Evergreen Community Health Centre, local parks and Collingwood Community School.

Chris remained active in the neighbourhood. When the possibility of new amenity space arose in 2010, with the redevelopment of the block bordered by Boundary, Vanness, Ormidale and the Kingsway laneway, Chris was keen to work with CNH to get the amenity for the neighbourhood. I was a brand-new executive director then, and Chris was a mentor.

Chris was always laser-focused on working collaboratively on figuring out what the neighbourhood wanted and then fighting for it. She supported the vision of CNH operating the new amenity space as the Annex. I fondly recall the city council meeting on the development. When Chris went to the podium, every single councillor and the mayor put down their electronic devices and focused on what Chris had to say. That’s the night city council voted to support the one-block development, including the Annex.

Chris, what a difference you made a what a legacy you created.

Celebration of life for Chris Taulu

A celebration for life for Chris Taulu will take place at the Collingwood Neighbourhood House Annex (3690 Vanness Avenue and Boundary) on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at 1 pm in the main multi-service room. Please email info@collingwoodcpc.com for information.