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The war on blood glucose is stupid, costly and bloody. AT 66, SANDRA B. IN VANCOUVER was feeling great. She lived a healthy lifestyle and was exercising. After the death of her mother a few years ago, however, she found herself inexplicably losing weight. The weight loss became noticeable and her partner suggested she go to the doctor and “get that checked out.” She went to a walk-in clinic where the doctor sent her for a battery of tests. She wasn’t, however, prepared to hear the results. “I got a call three days later and the doctor told me to come in and see her,” said Sandra. “So I went to the doctor and she looked at me and said: “You’re a diabetic.’” It was unexpected for both of them. “The doctor said to me: ‘Geez, you’re in great shape, you walk, exercise, lift weights…’” and then began examining her. “She looked at my feet, looking for gangrene,” Sandra said about her doctor, adding, “She completely reinterpreted who I was. She told me to get to an ophthalmologist, to get my eyes checked out, and I got a script right away for metformin.” Thus began Sandra’s journey into the diabetes world, a journey which many of us will be navigating as we get older and face the common conditions that define aging. While a routine blood test is the start of the diabetes journey for many people, the cascade of interventions that typically follow will catch many people off guard. Type 2 diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes, involves frequent measurement and alteration of blood sugars, with the thought that high sugars will predispose you to a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney or eye problems. What many people don’t realize is how much about diabetes and “pre-diabetes” (its controversial precursor) is a minefield; much of what passes for wisdom is anything but wise. The blood test that defined Sandra as a diabetic is a hemoglobin A1C or glycosylated hemoglobin test, a marker of how well one’s blood sugar has been controlled during the previous two to three months. If it is much higher than “normal,” it is appropriate for the doctor to suspect damage to the blood vessels in the legs, kidneys or eyes, as these represent the kinds of “microvascular complications” that are linked to diabetes. The Canadian Diabetes Association Clinical Practice Guidelines say that lowering A1C values to below seven percent is important to prevent complications, while the ultimate reason to control your blood sugars are the more dreaded “macrovascular complications,” such as heart attacks or strokes. The standard advice for anyone identified as having a high hemoglobin A1C level is to lose weight and manage the condition with diet and exercise. Controlling one’s diet—especially carbohydrates—and getting more exercise is the closest thing to a cure for most people identified as having high blood sugars. The exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous. In fact just daily walking can help many people traverse from “diabetic” to “non-diabetic” territory. Yet for many people, exercise and dieting only goes so far, and has to compete against a powerful diabetes industry that demonizes blood sugars in order to sell blood glucose test strips, insulins, and, of course, a cornucopia of drug treatments. Sandra, like most newly-diagnosed with diabetes, was immediately started on metformin, the standard treatment for type-2 diabetes, and later was given glyburide, a drug from a class of drugs called sulfonylureas. What was Sandra told about the metformin or the glyburide? (This is a question I always ask when people tell me what drugs they’ve been put on.) Her reply was a surprise: “Nobody told me anything. Nothing.” Metformin is one of the oldest and most studied drugs for type-2 diabetes, yet it is also highly controversial. The simple fact is that when you consider all the major trials of metformin, you find it effectively lowers blood sugars, but it has almost no effect on “clinically relevant outcomes” (i.e. heart attacks and strokes). A January article in the British Medical Journal questioned the widespread use of metformin, noting that the UK Prospective Diabetes Study “found a significant 60 percent higher death rate in patients given metformin plus sulfonylurea compared with those given sulfonylurea alone.” Other studies have had similar findings. Canadians spend nearly $750 million per year on prescription drugs that lower glucose, an amount that works out to about 628 prescriptions per 1000 people, about the same rate at which we consume antibiotics. In Canada in 2015 there were over 13 million prescriptions written for metformin, making it the fifth most prescribed drug in Canada that year. In BC, according to a just-published letter from UBC’s Therapeutics Initiative, about 100,000 people take a single drug (mostly metformin) to lower their blood glucose. But that’s only the beginning: Nearly 65,000 BC residents take two or more diabetes drugs and nearly 30,000 take three or more. The costs of diabetes drug treatments in the province are staggering. The Canadian Diabetes Association has projected medications in BC to cost $115 million by 2020. Yet here’s the kicker: Most of the people taking those drugs will not benefit from taking them. Sure, they may have lower blood sugars, but does that mean they will live longer or healthier lives? Not necessarily. Cochrane is a global independent network of researchers, professionals and patients. Their information is considered the gold standard for trusted medical information. A 2013 Cochrane review examined almost 30 trials looking at “intensive glycemic control,” that is, trials that attempted to keep the hemoglobin A1C at or below the seven percent mark. Cochrane found that the incidences of cardiovascular death, non-fatal stroke and end-stage kidney disease—or any health-related death—were not improved by intensive glucose lowering. In fact, those who were subjected to intensive glycemic control had more serious adverse events, including severe hypoglycemia (which often resulted in hospitalization). In other words, the taking of multiple drugs to drive one’s blood sugars lower and lower comes with a costly toll. Part of the problem here stems from how the drugs are approved. Many of the glucose-lowering drugs for people with type-2 diabetes are approved by Health Canada “without evidence that they reduce mortality or major morbidity,” according to the Therapeutics Initiative. The very basis for the approval of all the newer diabetes drugs—that are only proven to lower glucose but have no specific evidence they prevent heart attacks or strokes—should be seriously called into question. Who stands to benefit from the war on glucose? One has to look no further than the latest edition of the Canadian Diabetes Association Clinical Practice Guidelines, which lists 12 pages of conflicts of interest between the doctors writing the guidelines and almost every drug company in Canada. In other words, the drug companies are putting their own people on the committees that are defining diabetes. Driving for lower and lower blood sugars is big money in Canada. While there is little to be made flogging metformin or the sulfonylureas, which are mostly generic and cheap, the really big money comes from a smorgasbord of newer on-patent drugs that lower blood glucose, including the Gliptins—sitagliptin (Januvia), saxagliptin (Onglyza), linagliptin (Trajenta), alogliptin (Nesina); the Tides—exenatide (Byetta), liraglutide (Victoza) and albiglutide (Eperzan), dulaglutide (Trulicity); and the Flozins—canagliflozin (Invokana), dapagliflozin (Forxiga), empagliflozin (Jardiance). As for Sandra, her story continues. She has an appointment with a diabetes clinic which will teach her how to manage her condition. No doubt she’ll learn about these new drugs and be told to drive relentlessly for that “seven percent” target. We end our discussion with her telling me: “So far, I’m following doctor’s orders, but I’m not happy that the doctor’s first step was to sign me up for a diabetes clinic with, as far as I can see, a lifetime of metformin (or possibly insulin), daily multiple (expensive) glucose test strips, and a new identity as a diabetic.” Alan Cassels is a Victoria author and pharmaceutical policy researcher. He has written four books on the medical screening and pharmaceutical industry including the latest, The Cochrane Collaboration: Medicine’s Best Kept Secret.

The latest battles include the Sea Shepherd’s voyage and eviction notices served by First Nations on fish farms. AS THE FULL EXTENT of this summer’s catastrophic Fraser River sockeye salmon returns unfolded, sending shock waves through fishing, First Nations and scientific communities, the dismal numbers did not surprise independent biologist Alexandra Morton. For more than 25 years she has warned of the dangers of allowing fish farms along salmon migration routes. For Morton, the collapse added urgency to her virus-hunting voyage from Vancouver to northern Vancouver Island, aboard the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s research vessel “Martin Sheen.” “I think people will be amazed at how well wild salmon will rebound once they are no longer exposed to the disease that farm salmon release into BC’s salmon migration routes,” said Morton. During the voyage, Morton took samples in the vicinity of fish farms, intent on scientifically proving they are spreading diseases, viruses and sea lice to wild fish. It was projected that one million fish would return to spawn in the Fraser River this season—less than the 1.4 million 2009 returns that sparked the Cohen Inquiry. By mid-August, the Pacific Salmon Commission noted only 644,800 returns and all salmon fishing on the Lower Fraser was shut down. Few would claim that the 70-plus active salmon farms which dot the BC coast are the sole cause of BC’s disappearing wild salmon. Climate change, warm water in the Fraser, and ocean survival are all acknowledged factors and the Cohen Inquiry concluded there are multiple stressors. The low returns, however, are fuelling a growing conviction that all possible measures must be investigated and acted upon quickly. Such measures would include moving all salmon farming onto land as the ‘Namgis First Nation on northern Vancouver Island has done. Ernie Crey, chief of the Cheam First Nation and fisheries advisor to Sto:Lo Tribal Council, who affectionately calls Morton the “Mother Earth biologist,” suspects the answers are more complicated than salmon farms. “But I don’t think people can dismiss it. It deserves attention…Something has happened out there over the past two decades, resulting in this decline,” he said. “Some people want to see all the net pens along the coast closed down. I don’t know that that is necessary, but we need to be very cautious and somewhat suspect of what is going on,” said Crey, who is also director of the Fraser River Management Council, representing 84 First Nations in the Fraser River watershed. The federal government has promised more scientists and more money for research and hopes are high that some answers will come from the study of microbes in Pacific salmon, being conducted by the Strategic Salmon Health Initiative, a partnership between the Pacific Salmon Foundation, Genome BC and Fisheries and Oceans. Bob Chamberlin, chairman of the First Nations Wild Salmon Alliance, is happy to see the emphasis on science, but also wants quick action on fish farms. Government should be adhering to the precautionary principle until all the gaps in science are filled, Chamberlin said. “That means stop expanding fish farms, stop creating new licences, and stop setting the table for the industry. Science needs to be at the table,” he said. A major concern for Morton is whether piscine reovirus (PRV), a muscle and heart-wasting disease that has raged through European farms and is now common at BC farms, is spreading from farm fish to wild fish and whether there are hotspots around the farms. PRV has been linked to Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation, a disease found in farms in Norway, Scotland and Chile and which was confirmed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Kristi Miller to be present on a BC farm in Johnstone Strait this past May. HSMI is not necessarily fatal to farmed Atlantic salmon, but wild Pacific salmon have to be supreme athletes. Muscle weakness combined with lethargy is likely to be a death sentence, Morton said. “The potential threat to wild salmon is enormous. A wild salmon with a weak heart is a dead salmon,” she said. Coincidentally, while taking samples near the Mitsubishi-owned Cermaq farm where HSMI was confirmed, Morton and crew members witnessed a fish die-off. Photos show totes full of dead fish, but the problem was explained by Cermaq as mortality due to a “low dissolved oxygen event.” Possible, but not likely, said Morton who tested water outside the farm and found dissolved oxygen levels suitable for salmon. “The behaviour of the Atlantic salmon fits the description of fish suffering from HSMI,” she said. The combination of Morton—a thorn in the side of fish farmers—and the Sea Shepherd Society, which has been known to take direct action such as ramming Japanese whaling boats, put up alarm signals for fish farmers, although Morton emphasized the voyage would be peaceful. But Jeremy Dunn, BC Salmon Farmers Association executive director, said the use of cameras and drones has put stress on fish and employees. Salmon farmers are passionate about the health of their fish and their licences could be revoked at any time if they are not living up to licence conditions. Dunn also disputed Morton’s claim that Cermaq mort totes—crates for fish that die before harvest—contained some Pacific salmon. “I have spoken to Cermaq and they are pretty unequivocal that there were no Pacific salmon in their mort totes,” he said. Dunn applauded federal funding of more scientists and the aim of making science-based decisions for all Canadian fisheries. “But it is important to distinguish between advocacy and science,” he said. When the virus-hunting voyage was first broached by Sea Shepherd’s Paul Watson, Morton—who has fought long and hard to prove the validity of her science—was reluctant to tie herself to such a controversial organization, with a ship that flies the Jolly Roger. After talking to the group, however, she became convinced of the advantages of having a research vehicle at her disposal. It is not a decision she has regretted. “I am so grateful to Paul Watson. At first, when he put it up on Facebook, I literally asked him to take it down, but the crew are highly-trained volunteers. They are dedicated and honourable,” Morton said. The launch also gained high-profile support from celebrities, ranging from actress Pamela Anderson to veteran environmentalist David Suzuki, who took the opportunity of a news conference to make his views on fish farming absolutely clear: “As a scientist, it makes no sense to grow animals in open nets where you use the ocean as a shithouse,” he said. However, fish-farming foes were dealt a blow in August when Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the government would not implement the 2012 Cohen Commission’s recommendation to separate the department’s duty to protect wild salmon from its promotion of aquaculture. That has some First Nations, including Dzawada’enuxw (Kingcome) councillor and fisheries coordinator Melissa Willie, wondering about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s election promise to build a new relationship with indigenous people. “There are 27 farms in Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw territory and we have never given them permission to be there. We just continue to write letters opposing them,” said Willie, who spent time on the Martin Sheen. (The Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw are an alliance between four tribes: Gwawa’enuxw [Hopetown], Kwickwasut’inuxw [Gilford], Haxwa’mis [Wakeman] and Dzawada’enuxw [Kingcome].) Damage from the farms is evident not only in declining salmon runs and the number of sea lice, but also in clam beds, Willie said. “All that shit going into the water. I don’t believe it is being flushed out. And the beaches are becoming muck. It’s our whole food chain. We want them totally out of our territory and I just hope someone is listening,” she said. While some First Nations have accepted fish farms in their territory and did not welcome the Martin Sheen, the ship and its crew were welcomed in Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw territory, which contains one-third of all farms, and whose leaders have been resisting them for 30 years. Indeed they used the visit as an opportunity to conduct a ceremonial eviction of a farm, with letters and copies of the notice going to the federal and provincial governments. Morton wrote on her blog: “The rudeness with which the salmon farm employees were told to conduct themselves was in stark contrast to the integrity of the people performing ceremony with cedar bows. It was hard to witness…This Nation is on the front lines for all of us and for future generations.” Hereditary chiefs say notices will be issued to all 27 farms in their territory. The four-tribe alliance is demanding that no more farm fish be transferred into their territories, removal of all salmon within three months, access to all farm fish “so that we know what diseases exist in the farms,” and that the band office be contacted prior to harvest so an observer can be on site. In a widely-shared video, the leaders emphasized that the fish farmers are trespassing and destroying their way of life. Last spring, 40 percent of young salmon leaving the territory were killed by sea lice, said band spokesmen. “The salmon farming industry is infringing on our way of life by breaking the natural cycle of life that has sustained First Nations people for time immemorial,” said hereditary Chief Willie Moon. “Our people have spoken. We want salmon farms out of our territory.” “One of our youth asked if we were prepared to die for this and I said ‘I think we are now,’” said Melissa Willie. “The fight is on.” Judith Lavoie is an award-winning journalist specializing in the environment, First Nations, and social issues. Twitter @LavoieJudith.

FOR THE PAST 17 YEARS, Dr. Katrine Hegillman has helped people with a wide range of health issues, from digestive complaints and allergies through musculo-skeletal ones like sciatica and scoliosis. Her patients love the gentle yet profoundly effective form of Japanese acupuncture she uses, as well as her consultative process. Lois Loewen, age 75, describes Dr. Hegillman as a born healer. “Over the past two and a half years she has been treating me monthly for peripheral neuropathy, sciatic nerve pain, a broken wrist and a broken shoulder. The treatments have contributed significantly to my mobility and the overall improvement of my health…I am grateful to her for her friendly, professional, no-nonsense approach. She achieves results by combining advice on lifestyle, diet and exercise.” Dr. Hegillman obtained her doctorate in Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1999 in Vancouver where she subsequently ran a busy practice. Since she discovered the Japanese practice of acupuncture in 2005, however, she has fully immersed herself in its continuing study and practice. Four years ago, she moved to Victoria where she operates Oriri Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Centre out of her home in Esquimalt. In traditional Japanese acupuncture, abdominal (hara) palpation is central. Using it, Dr. Hegillman says she can discover long-standing stagnations from physical and emotional trauma, digestive issues, gyenecological issues, adrenal weaknesses, and chronic stress. Such palpation also allows her to monitor the treatment as she goes along, telling her almost immediately if the needle placement is working as desired. The needles are about one-half the diameter of those used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and inserted more shallowly, because, says Dr. Hegillman, the electricity of the body is actually quite superficial. Gale Penhall, a former Vancouver patient, was pleased to discover Dr. Hegillman had relocated to Victoria so she can get help with her adrenal and digestion issues. She likes the Japanese style of acupuncture, finding it less painful and more immediately effective than other forms of acupuncture. “I also really appreciate her consultative approach. She answers all my questions allowing me to understand my system better; I feel part of the process.” “Everyone has some constitutional weaknesses, that is, an organ or system that is a bit weaker than others,” says Dr. Hegillman. “However with oriental medicine we can identify it and support it to create a stronger and more balanced body.” Through asking a lot of questions about the patient’s history and family history, and checking the pulse, she can zero in on the individual’s patterns. “We always nourish the deficiencies, treating the root and then the branches of the problems.” Both Chinese and Japanese medicine traditions use rather poetic language, notes Dr. Hegillman, “but are based on 6000 years of empirical science.” Dr. Hegillman’s use of both acupressure massage (shiatsu) and moxibustion is also indicative of her traditional Japanese approach to medicine. “They were never meant to be separated in ancient practice,” explains Dr. Hegillman. Moxibustion is a technique that involves warming the acupuncture points in order to speed up healing. “It is nurturing, warming and has a balancing ability,” she says. Dr. Hegillman stays with the patient through the entire treatment, explaining step by step what she is doing and why. After a treatment, she often spends time with patients, coaching them on self care so they can speed or maintain recovery. She enjoys working with children (Dr. Hegillman has two young ones herself), partly because they are so responsive. With children she does not use needles at all but special “tools” the children (and frail elderly) love. Called Shonishin, it is recommended for developmental issues, digestive issues, allergies, nervousness, sleep issues and immune weakness. She teaches parents how to help children to further improve with exercise. Claudia and her two sons have both benefited from Dr. Hegillman’s care. Says Claudia, “I am continually surprised and amazed by her scope of knowledge and expertise! Dr Hegillman is warm and caring and genuinely wants to make a difference in the lives and health of her patients.” Sasha Gale initially came to Dr. Hegillman for her three-year-old daughter. She says, “My daughter had struggled with a facial rash for months, and after one gentle treatment we saw significant changes. I could actually see improvements while Dr. Hegillman was working on her! Her dietary recommendations have made a huge difference, and she’s taught me some simple ways to stimulate healing at home using acupressure points and massage.” Unsurprisingly, Sasha has also consulted with Dr. Hegillman about her second pregnancy and is thrilled with how good she is feeling. “My own experience with Katrine has been transcendental. I’ve been seeing her regularly during my second pregnancy, and have reaped the rewards. Discomforts I considered a ‘normal’ part of pregnancy, such as heartburn and insomnia, haven’t been a issue since my first treatment. As I approach my birth, my baby is in a perfect position and my body feels strong and comfortable. I leave each session renewed and energized. I honestly feel that Dr. H channels the healing power of the divine mother; my babies and I are so lucky to have her!” “Acupuncture should be able to help everyone, when closely catered to the individual needs,” says Dr. Hegillman. Once energy and blood circulates smoothly, the body can begin to heal itself. “I strive to deliver personalized and very hands- on treatment that is based on abdominal diagnosis and pulse reading. The abdomen and pulse of the patient has to improve in a session; this is how I know, and demonstrate to the patient, the progression of the treatment and healing. Patients can generally feel how areas that were previously tight or painful can improve even within a single session.” Katrine Hegillman, Dr. TCM, BSc Oriri Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Centre 888 Dunsmuir Road • 250-886-8863 www.oriri.ca • info@oriri.ca

OUR FEET ARE AMAZING—each has 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons. But because of the tremendous amount of weight and pressure on them, things can and do go wrong and when they do, it can result in foot pain and ripple effects throughout our whole being. Thirty years of helping people with their feet led podiatrist Dr. Gregg Congdon to laser equipment five years ago. “It’s the best tool we’ve ever had,” he says. Dr. Congdon moved from the US to Victoria in 2004, first practicing at the Victoria Podiatry Clinic and the Cook Street Village Health Centre, and now out of beautiful offices in Fairfield Plaza’s Ross Bay Health Centre (Dr. Stephen Gordon, Medical Director). Here, Dr. Congdon and his assistant Colette Polard RN, are using the latest iteration of the Cutera Genesis Plus Laser to treat a wide range of foot problems, as well as providing rejuvenating skin care. With toenail fungus, a common, unpleasant condition, the laser penetrates the nail plate and heats the tissue, killing the fungus beneath. “Usually a course of three treatments over four months with a follow-up a few months later is all that’s needed. We’ve had a 70 to 80 percent success rate,” says Dr. Congdon. All with no downtime, no side effects, and minimal risk. In the past, the only partially effective treatment available to help with toenail fungus—an oral medication—posed problems for the liver, with liver function tests needed every 6 weeks. Warts caused by Human Papilloma Virus are also more effectively treated by the laser than the usual topical medications offered. Again, usually only three sessions are needed to completely clear the condition. Nurse Colette, who operates the laser, says the most typical response from long-suffering patients of such conditions is “Where have you been?!” In recent years, clinical trials in the US demonstrated a very high reduction of pain and size of neuromas (inflammatory, benign tumor of nerve near the metatarsals) with between three to seven treatments. “The possibility of replacing conventional treatments, primarily cortisone or alcohol injections and surgery, with an external, non-traumatic, non-invasive modality is the material of Star Trek,” says Dr. Congdon. “All our patients treated for neuromas stated a 50 percent reduction in pain and size of the neuroma with the first treatment alone. After three treatments, the majority of neuromas were no longer painful or palpable.” Buoyed by this success, other musculoskeletal disorders have been tackled by Dr. Congdon and Colette, including plantar fasciitis, post-operative pain, stress fractures, tendinitis, and shin splints. “The laser is revolutionizing the practice of podiatry,” says Dr. Congdon. Because it activates collagen production and reduces inflammation, Colette took training in using the laser for facial rejuvenation. The laser goes deep into the epidermis producing skin tightening, a reduction of pore size, fuller lips, and helps with acne scarring and rosacea. “Four to six treatments, two weeks apart, seem to be ideal,” says Colette, noting there’s a cumulative effect over time, even beyond the treatments. For foot issues, Dr. Congdon will develop a customized treatment plan, using all possible diagnostic and treatment modalities—laser, but also conservative care and surgery—to alleviate your foot or ankle pain. Dr. Gregg Congdon DPM; Colette Polard RN Ross Bay Health Centre Fairfield Plaza (behind Heart Pharmacy) #16-1594 Fairfield Road www.laseratrossbay.com 250-477-5433

FIVE YEARS AGO, Reverend Al Tysick started the Dandelion Society to serve Victoria’s homeless citizens, particularly those who have difficulty fitting into existing programs, usually because of their addictions or mental health issues. Besides the early morning rounds, offering coffee, donuts and hugs, Al and his crew help get people to the hospital if sick, or to rehab if ready. They’ll take them somewhere to have a shower, or just to have coffee and a chat. They’ll round up second-hand furniture for someone when they do get housing, or make sure someone sleeping outside has a dry sleeping bag. The Dandelion Society does their work without a dime of government funding. “We believe if we are doing good work, we’ll be supported by community citizens.” And they are. “There are many, many people who give us 20 bucks,” says Al, “and we love that.” One benefit of relying on community members and not government money, says Al, is “that we are not at all hampered in what we say.” This has been critical in the past year during which Reverend Al and the Dandelion team have been involved with the folks who camped at the tent city on the Provincial Law Courts grounds, advocating for housing and services for the residents and others. “I know it was hard on the neighbouring residents,” says Reverend Al, “but at the end of the day, we have many more homeless people housed.” In recent years, through the generosity of the community, the Society has been able to hire three front-line workers to assist Al in the Dandelion’s ministry. His most recent hire is Courtney Wendland, who volunteered with the Dandelion for two years previous. Like Al, from 4am-7am, Courtney does the rounds which allows the team to check in on people who live on the streets. She spends another few hours meeting with individuals to help them with whatever it is they need most—whether filling out forms for government assistance or housing, visiting someone in hospital, or just taking them to breakfast for a good chat. “Some of them are so alone and so interesting,” she says. Courtney has an interesting story herself, one that shows the importance of someone lending a helping hand at the right moment. Born in Victoria, Courtney grew up in a dysfunctional family. “I remember as young as age 7 wishing my parents would separate because they were constantly arguing.” Drugs and alcohol were also present. She’s known social workers from Family Services since she was 7 or younger. Her parents did split up, and for a while she lived with her dad. But when she was 11, he disappeared. She hasn’t talked to him since. Courtney tried living with her mother and siblings again, but it just didn’t work out. She describes it as “a really toxic environment,” but is still grateful to her mom who often held down two jobs to keep the rent paid. By age 13 she was working (in a friend’s mom’s shop) and couch surfing with friends. When she was 16 and working in a restaurant, a couple she’d come to know from serving them every Sunday learned her story one evening. They came back the next day, offering to take her in and help her get into proper youth housing and programs. Friends of theirs tutored her in math and English. These people inspired her, she says, to help others when she could. While she continued her studies and full-time work, she was accepted into Cool Aid’s youth housing. She was excited and happy. But she was soon dealt another blow. Her brother Justin was fatally stabbed on Douglas Street. Justin had been the only member of her family she was close to at the time. “He was the first person I would call if anything was happening. My heart broke. I felt so alone.” She credits the fellow residents and workers in Cool Aid’s youth program (and others) for helping her get through this terrible time. The monthly dinners, the budgeting tutoring, the friendships with others who had their own challenging lives, “that program built me back up,” she says. She also worked full-time in a women’s clothing shop downtown, and says her fellow workers—“brilliant, funny, strong women, really took me in and mentored me.” “In my life, I’ve been so lucky to have met people who have helped,” says Courtney. “I decided to go back to school to learn how to help people—and to do all the things that Justin was going to do, but never would now.” While working evenings and weekends, Courtney completed high school. She is now pursuing a degree in Social Work. Two years ago, despite her full-time work and full-time studies, she started volunteering at the Dandelion Society. Reverend Al was impressed by her dedication and, when able, offered her a paid position. Dandelion’s early shift means she can work full-time and attend school. “I love working for Dandelion. It’s fun,” says the bright-eyed 23-year-old. As the only woman on the team, she often meets with women on the street, but she has a friendly ear for everyone. She mentions an older man who she often saw but who seemed reticent about talking. Over the weeks, she let him know if he ever wanted to talk, she’d be happy to have coffee. Eventually he took her up on the offer and they’ve been meeting regularly. “He is an incredibly interesting person,” says Courtney. After keeping to himself for years following a personal tragedy, he has thanked her for reminding him that he actually enjoys talking with people. “I work hard on building meaningful relationships with the people on the streets,” says Courtney. As Reverend Al says, “The Dandelion’s role is all about presence and connection.” Donations to help Dandelion carry out its ministry are welcome online or by phone. The Dandelion Society 778-440-1471 • www.hopeliveshere.ca PO Box 8648, 708 Yates Street, Victoria BC, V8W 3S2

The search for a solution to the sewage treatment issue has lost sight of what it should be looking for; here’s a reminder. IN MID-AUGUST, Victoria architectural firm D’Ambrosio Architecture + Urbanism released drawings of a design created by “an international team” for a wall around a sewage treatment plant on McLoughlin Point at the entrance to Victoria’s harbour. Writing in the past tense, as though the idea might have already been superceded by some better one, the firm stated: “The architectural strategy embraced the industrial nature of the facility. It consisted of a series of 184 concrete columns forming a palisade around the process and operation buildings. The buildings housing operational and administrative functions engage the columns, creating a visually calm and collected interface between the industrial facility and the sensitive harbour waterfront.” Aside from obscuring the plant, the 184 sturdy concrete columns in D’Ambrosio’s design don’t suggest any utilitarian purpose. Instead they seem to be there simply to memorialize something big: A war, perhaps, or some other sad outcome of human misjudgement. Considering the evidence challenging the wisdom of moving the region’s marine-based treatment system to land, D’Ambrosio’s vision is, intentionally or not, one of the most honest public statements made about the treatment project so far. Later in this story I’m going to follow D’Ambrosio’s lead and be creative, but in a different direction. Rather than artful, I’m going to be practical and answer these questions: What’s wrong with the current marine-based treatment system, and how can we fix that? First though, I want to tell you about one of the great strengths of the current system, a very progressive approach to wastewater treatment that obviously has much potential but will likely be one of the first casualties of land-based secondary treatment: the CRD’s Regional Source Control Program. The best way for me to describe its potential is to show you what it has achieved since 2003. Back in 2004, the Sierra Legal Defence Fund (now called Ecojustice) petitioned the federal government “to effectively address the pollution of the marine environment by persistent organic pollutants including PCBs.” Ecojustice targeted Victoria’s outfalls in their petition and named ten different contaminants it identified as “harmful”: Polychlorinated biphenols (PCBs), oil and grease, mercury, lead, silver, cadmium, copper, zinc, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and “halogenated compounds.” For each contaminant, Ecojustice provided an estimate of the amount being discharged over a two-year period. It based its numbers on CRD data obtained through an FOI, but some of those numbers now seem unsupportable—either too high or too low—based on data since made public by the CRD. Using data collected by CRD scientists between 2003 and 2014 for the substances named in Ecojustice’s petition, reductions can be estimated: The discharge of oil and grease has been reduced by 93 percent, mercury by 95 percent, silver by 94 percent, cadmium by 72 percent, lead by 62 percent, and PAHs by 28 percent. Although there are several halogenated compounds found in the CRD’s effluent, consider the case of pentachlorophenol, once commonly used by homeowners in Victoria as an insecticide and a wood preservative. In 2004, PCP was detected in 100 percent of the CRD’s samples. By 2014, the CRD could no longer detect PCP in the effluent. What about PCBs? Ecojustice took a single sample from each outfall in both 2001 and 2003 and included those in its 2004 petition. That 2001 figure was 2100 grams per year and was well-used in campaigns to discredit the marine-based, source-controlled system. In 2015, DFO scientist Sophie Johannessen published a peer-reviewed study that estimated the annual discharge of PCBs at 340 grams per year. Based on those numbers, there has been an 83 percent reduction in the amount of PCBs being discharged, even while the residential population using the outfalls increased. The 95 percent reduction in mercury since 2004 is the strongest affirmation of the potential of source-controlled treatment. Victoria’s effluent now has even less mercury per litre than the Annacis Island secondary treatment plant on the Fraser River. But Victoria has done this without the immense cost of land-based secondary treatment or any of the environmental risks associated with land-based disposal of the chemically-contaminated biosolids that Annacis Island and other secondary treatment plants produce. CRD scientist Chris Lowe, who has overseen the region’s wastewater monitoring program for many years, credits the reductions to the Regional Source Control Program and to reductions in the general use of certain materials in our culture. Digital photography has largely replaced silver-based photography, for instance. To put the current level of chemical contamination from Victoria’s wastewater in some perspective, I compared the CRD’s 2014 data for the substances Ecojustice identified as “harmful” with Health Canada’s current Drinking Water Guidelines for those substances. That’s right, I compared Victoria’s sewage with Canada’s drinking water. The result is surprising (see table below). Health Canada’s Guidelines specify an upper limit for the allowable concentration of contaminants for water to be safe for humans to drink. For example, the concentration of mercury allowed in Canadian drinking water is .001 milligram per litre. That turns out to be 100 times higher than the average concentration of mercury in the sewage that passed through the Macaulay Point outfall during 2014. Health Canada allows 25 times more cadmium and twice as much lead in drinking water than can be found in Victoria’s sewage. Not all of the contaminants targeted by Ecojustice are limited by Health Canada’s Guidelines. For example, copper and zinc are considered beneficial to human health and the Guidelines set no health-related limits for these. The US EPA’s National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, however, has established a limit for copper in America’s drinking water. That level is 10 times higher than the level of copper currently found in Victoria’s wastewater. Similarly, Health Canada’s Guidelines don’t give an allowable limit for polychlorinated biphenols (PCBs), but the EPA does. It allows PCBs in drinking water at a concentration that’s 50 to 60 times higher than is currently found in the effluent passing through Victoria’s two marine outfalls. Two of the contaminants on Ecojustice’s list, copper and zinc, both of which come mainly from deteriorating domestic water supply pipes and fittings, have seen only minor reductions since 2004. Does the failure of source control to limit the amount of copper and zinc warrant the investment of billions in public resources over the life of a land-based treatment system? Ecojustice might think it does, but environmental protection policy in jurisdictions around North America doesn’t reflect that view. Let me tell you about copper, zinc and “the initial dilution zone.” While both copper and zinc are considered essential for human health, they are potentially harmful to aquatic life even at low concentrations. To protect organisms against such contaminants in wastewater discharged to bodies of water, the BC Ministry of Environment has developed “Water Quality Objectives” that are orders of magnitude more stringent than Health Canada’s Drinking Water Guidelines. These objectives must be met, but the undiluted effluent from secondary and tertiary treatment plants simply can’t meet them. In fact, sewage treatment is known to increase the amount of dissolved copper, which makes copper even more immediately available to cause harm to aquatic organisms. None of BC’s secondary treatment plants meet the Province’s standard for either copper or zinc. For example, Vancouver’s Annacis Island secondary treatment plant—located right on the migration route of Fraser River sockeye—exceeds BC’s water quality objectives by factors of 4 and 10 for zinc and copper respectively. How does the Province get around this conundrum? It does that by incorporating into its environmental regulations what’s known in wastewater treatment policy as “the initial dilution zone.” What is that? It’s an imperfect place, a volume of water where conditions are moving from not-so-good to better. The BC Environmental Protection Branch, responsible for overseeing the appropriate implementation of BC Water Quality Objectives, states: “Objectives do not apply within an initial dilution zone, which is the initial portion of the larger effluent mixing zone. The extent of initial dilution zones is defined on a site-specific basis, with due regard to water uses, aquatic life, including migratory fish, and other waste discharges.” In other words, the effluent inside an outfall isn’t required to meet water quality objectives. It doesn’t have to meet the objectives a second or two after being discharged, either. It’s allowed a certain distance away from the outfall—usually 100 metres—to become diluted enough that it effectively meets the regulation water quality objectives. Notice that all of this is determined on a “site-specific” basis. Once the effect of the initial dilution zone is taken into count, the CRD’s discharge of copper and zinc meets the Province’s stringent water quality objectives just as well as Annacis Island’s secondary treatment plant does. Why does the Province take this approach? The Environmental Protection Branch’s explanation is blunt: “If initial dilution zones did not exist, it would mean that effluent quality would have to meet water quality objectives, which would be costly and impractical.” Costly and impractical. Say those words a few times, roll them around your mind and try to get a feel for why the Province, the US EPA and every other jurisdiction in North America—except one—has adopted the initial dilution zone (aka “mixing zone, “zone of initial dilution,” etc) as a fundamental policy tool for making practical decisions about environmental protection and wastewater. That one exception, of course, is Environment Canada’s Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations, brought into being by Stephen Harper’s government. Those regulations judged that Victoria’s effluent, before being discharged into the initial dilution zone, had too high a concentration of “suspended solids,” which, to translate as accurately as possible, means “digested food.” Obviously, “food” is not one of the substances that can be successfully source controlled by the CRD. As contaminants go, this one is all appearance and no cause for concern. According to marine scientists, the amount of digested food Victorians discharge to the ocean does not constitute an environmental risk. DFO’s Johannessen put it in context in her 2015 study: The discharge of digested food from the two outfalls represents .03 percent—that’s three one-hundredths of one percent—of the total suspended solids discharged by all sources to the Strait of Georgia and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Yet that’s the only factor Environment Canada’s regulation used to push Victoria in the costly and impractical direction it’s now headed. There’s the appearance that something necessary has been done, but there’s no evidence that there is a problem that needed fixing. The CRD’s highly-effective source control program will likely be one of the first victims of Environment Canada’s unhelpful regulation. The serious financial burden of a land-based secondary treatment system will inevitably result in a quest for cost-saving measures at the CRD. Other communities with secondary sewage treatment don’t have advanced source control programs, so why should Victoria? Chop. Victoria’s unique approach to wastewater treatment—reducing contaminants by keeping them out of the environment in the first place—is a challenge for many to understand and appreciate. It has remained Victoria’s big secret. Why? Because the CRD has done a terrible job of communicating its successes to the community, and media here have largely ignored the story. The CRD’s unwillingness to toot its horn has likely reduced the impact of the program over what would have been possible with a better-funded, more broadly understood and supported initiative. That dearth of communication also applies to the marine-based treatment system’s strengths and weaknesses and its ability to protect public health. IN A 2008 EDITORIAL in the scientific journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, nine Victoria and Vancouver marine scientists refuted the basis on which then-Environment Minister Barry Penner had ordered Victoria to abandon its carefully-engineered and smoothly operating marine-based treatment system. The scientists noted, “The concept of natural sewage treatment has been criticized in the media, but in fact waste treatment is well recognized as a useful ecosystem service contributing to human well-being. The focus of environmental protection is changing to preserving such ecosystem services to the benefit of both human beings and the natural environment. It makes no sense to replace a natural ecosystem service with a human creation that is energy inefficient and has other harmful environmental consequences.” Let me remind you, briefly, how Victoria’s “natural treatment system” works. Many people know there are screening and settling plants at Clover Point and Macaulay Point where a lot of solids are removed, but they don’t seem to know what happens out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The plants on the points remove from the wastewater anything solid that’s larger than 6 millimetres in diameter, which is roughly the size of a pea. Oil and grease are scrapped off in the settling tanks and the remaining effluent—99.9 percent water—flows by gravity down a pipe to the outfall. The outfalls consist of a pipe sitting on the seabed leading to a specially-engineered section called a diffuser. Located 55 to 60 metres below the surface, the diffuser has carefully spaced and oriented ports that direct the effluent upwards. Macaulay Point’s diffuser is 135 metres long and about 1700 metres from the nearest shoreline. Clover Point’s diffuser is 196 metres long and 1100 metres from the nearest shore. The ends of both outfalls are capped and the effluent is forced out of 28 small ports at Macaulay and 37 ports at Clover. It’s not “dumped,” as the Times Colonist relentlessly claims. At Clover Point, the effluent is dispersed from 37 small jets into a 200-metre-wide by 60-metre-high wall of cold, turbulent, highly-oxygenated salt water that’s travelling at speeds of up to one metre per second, depending on the strength of the tides. At that speed, as much as 12,000 cubic metres of water passes over the diffuser in a single second, quickly diluting the effluent and beginning the physical process of killing off bacterial contaminants. Victoria’s treatment system harnesses a tremendous source of renewable energy—almost twice the peak spring flow of the Fraser River—to do that work. DFO’s Johannessen describes the turbulent river of water off Clover Point as “like a giant washing machine.” The “plume,” as the rising effluent is known, is washed in the direction of the current. CRD monitoring of the plume shows it seldom reaches the surface of the water (four times in 2014), and then only during periods of intense winter or spring rains. But the top of the plume is generally trapped five metres or more below the surface. At that depth, while bacteria are rapidly dying as a result of the harsh physical conditions, there’s little possibility of contact with humans. The testimony from knowledgeable, local experts about the efficacy of this approach to killing bacteria is unequivocal: Six past and current public health officers—Dr Richard Stanwick, Dr John Millar, Dr Shaun Peck, Dr Brian Emerson, Dr Brian Allen and Dr Kelly Barnard—have stated: “There is no measurable public health risk from Victoria’s current method of offshore liquid waste disposal.” In spite of their assurance, though, there are some pertinent questions about what might happen in the future as the region’s population grows and there’s more sewage. Would the plume break through to the surface more frequently? And what happens when the tides change? Doesn’t the current passing over the diffuser slow down, stop, and then change direction? Then what happens to the plume at slack tide? Does the rapid rate of dilution stop? I’ve spoken with many local engineers, scientists and interested residents over the past several years about these questions, and they’ve provided all sorts of creative solutions. I’ve knit some of what they’ve told me into what follows. According to these experts, there’s a way of improving the physical characteristics of the outfalls’ plumes that would make Victoria’s treatment system even more effective at dispersing chemical and biological contaminants and extend its life far into the future. The improvements become possible if a completely different problem—contamination of near-shore waters by the release of sewage during significant rainstorms—is solved first. Let me take you through these ideas, starting with solving a real problem for $50 million. The nine local marine scientists who wrote the editorial in Marine Pollution Bulletin in support of Victoria’s “natural sewage treatment” system noted that, prior to Penner’s 2006 order to the CRD, “an independent expert scientific review had been completed under the auspices of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). This independent review made an important point that appears to have been overlooked by the Minister and others in favour of secondary treatment. Specifically, stormwater, sanitary and combined overflows, and other discharges, particularly into the surface waters in Victoria’s harbours, present more pressing environmental issues than the current offshore submarine sewage discharges.” None of those “more pressing environmental issues” have been addressed, and that has created bizarre and unpredictable results. In March of this year, Washington State Representative Jeff Morris and 36 of his fellow legislators threatened an economic boycott of Victoria. The incident that triggered their outrage was an article in the Times Colonist about what’s called a “combined sewer overflow,” or CSO. Morris thought the paper’s story was about Victoria’s deep-water marine outfalls, but it wasn’t. It was about a very ordinary problem, common even in Morris’ 40th District. During heavy rainfalls, sewage collection systems that don’t have enough hydraulic capacity—the ability to absorb liquid—spill the excess through short beach outfalls into near-shore waters. When such events occur in Victoria, there’s a big fuss in the TC as CRD officials warn residents of the possibility of contamination of beaches. It’s common to blame these spills on the two deep-water marine outfalls, but there’s no connection. CSOs are a problem unto themselves, and land-based treatment plans developed by the CRD so far would only address a fraction of the problem. Seattle is currently fixing a much worse CSO problem than Victoria’s, partly by increasing the hydraulic capacity of the Murray Basin collection system. That involves building a big storage tank that can absorb surges in the amount of liquid in the sewers during storms. Once a storm has passed, and liquid levels in the collection system have dropped, the contents of the tank can be slowly released, and a CSO is avoided. The CRD’s McLoughlin Point plan included building such a tank in Gordon Head—the so-called Arbutus attenuation tank. Construction of that tank would have allowed the CRD to put a screen on one of three remaining unscreened beach outfalls on the East Coast Interceptor. Unscreened beach outfalls have given Morris and Mr Floatie much material to work with—“floatables” is the usual euphemism—in their misleading campaigns against Victoria’s marine-based treatment system. But only increasing the hydraulic capacity of the collection system will eliminate floatables, Mr Floatie and Representative Morris from the region’s politics. The cost of accomplishing that can be estimated from the projected cost of the Arbutus attenuation tank project. The CRD and its consultants predicted the Arbutus tank would cost $9.5 million and its construction would eliminate all overflows in the East Coast Interceptor portion of the system for all downpours up to a “one-in-five-year storm event.” That’s the CSO standard required by the Province. To bring the whole system up to that standard would require a total of five Arbutus-like tanks scattered strategically around the core area. The total capital cost of such an increase in hydraulic capacity would be in the neighbourhood of $50 million. Imagine if the CRD decided to listen to the scientists and actually solved the CSO problem. Doing that would also allow improvement of the marine-based treatment system. Here’s how that would work. Those tanks, if used only to absorb downpours and eliminate CSOs, would be empty almost all of the time. According to the CRD, over a six-year period the region experienced 160 CSOs. This means that having the capacity to reduce CSOs down to the Province’s standard would result in storage tanks that would be empty about 90 percent of the time. During that time, they could safely be used for another purpose: controlling the outfall plumes. Let me describe how that would work. The volume of liquid flowing to the outfalls as a result of human activity varies through a 24-hour period in a pattern that’s very predictable. See the oscillating line in the graph above, which shows how the flow to the outfalls varies over eight days. The consistent pattern of our daily use of sinks, showers, bathtubs and toilets results in a peak flow around breakfast, after which it falls off until mid-afternoon and then rises to another peak just before we go to bed. The flow falls to a minimum while we sleep, and then the cycle repeats itself. Imagine if we could even-out the flow so that’s it’s more or less constant throughout the day (indicated by the red line in the graph above). That would reduce the maximum flow from the diffusers and that would be like going back several decades in time to when the maximum flow was about 65 percent of what it is today. The plume would then be even less likely to reach the surface. How could the flow be evened out? The experts say that could be accomplished by using the CSO tanks to hold back some of the flow generated between breakfast and bedtime and then letting it go in the wee hours of the night. Those tanks would also allow reducing or pausing the flow of effluent from the diffusers during the period when the tidal current slows, stops and then reverses direction. This would further reduce the likelihood that the plume could break through to the surface. It might also lessen the amount of organic material that’s deposited in the footprint of the initial dilution zone during slack tide. There could even be bells and whistles: Large tanks full of sewage would contain a lot of thermal energy. The Southeast False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility in Vancouver, for example, uses thermal energy captured from sewage to provide space heating and hot water to nearby buildings. Perhaps the False Creek example points to where such tanks could be located: below the car-parking level in new Downtown condominium towers. In exchange for providing that service, or as an inducement to provide it, the City could allow a couple of extra floors on a limited number of new buildings. These tanks could also act as a catchment for particles of lead, zinc and copper coming from corroding plumbing pipes and fittings upstream, thereby keeping those materials out of the marine environment. It would even be possible to fit the tanks with standard water-oil separators that would further reduce the amount of oil and grease discharged to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, allowing the oil to be recycled. Why isn’t Victoria going to do this—or something along these lines? Perhaps Franc D’Ambrosio’s grand vision of 184 decorative concrete columns hints at the answer to that question. His project isn’t meant to be a response to a compelling physical issue. Same with the treatment project. It’s an opportunity for some people to make money and for others to make a name for themselves as architects, political fixers, activists—even as journalists. Mostly it fulfills a promise made ten years ago by former BC Premier Gordon Campbell to former Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire. Whatever the original objective might have been, the actual environmental impact of what will be chosen has since become of little consequence. In fact, knowing the impact has been carefully avoided. Here’s a telling example of how pervasive the avoidance of truth has been on this issue. Recall that at the beginning of this story I referred to a 2004 petition by Ecojustice to the federal government. The information Ecojustice used to press its campaign against Victoria’s treatment system turned out to be flawed, and in the years since, scientists have confirmed the CRD’s source control program has removed a big chunk of the contaminants. During that time, many local marine scientists publicly questioned the value of land-based treatment and expressed concerns about its associated environmental risks. By late 2012, enough doubts had been raised about the CRD’s direction that a motion was put forward at the CRD calling for “a full environmental study that will assess the comparative environmental impact of the current process and proposed process for disposing of liquid waste before the CRD plans are finalized.” One might expect that an organization like Ecojustice would have been in full support of a truth-seeking exercise like a comparative environmental assessment. Who wouldn’t want to confirm that the best direction was being taken? Apparently, Ecojustice didn’t want to know. In a letter sent to CRD directors before they voted on the motion, Ecojustice lawyers implicitly threatened the CRD with legal action under the Species at Risk Act if it approved the call for a comparative environmental impact assessment. The motion failed. David Broadland is the publisher of Focus.

September 2015 Focus.pdf 4 Leslie Campbell | SUMMER’S BOUNTY Animals, vegetables, and a thought-provoking book. 8 Jo-Ann Roberts | STOP HARPER—AND BEYOND Victorians who want to stop Harper might also want to elect an MP who is free to speak the truth. 10 David Broadland | THE $130-MILLION QUESTION The Johnson Street Bridge project director says the new bridge will be “somewhat less robust” than the existing bridge. Why? 14 Judith Lavoie | AT ISSUE: KINDER MORGAN’S TRANS MOUNTAIN PIPELINE Where do the parties stand on allowing another 890,000 barrels of tar sands bitumen to be shipped past Victoria each day? 16 Briony Penn | SONORA OLD-GROWTH FORESTS TO FEED PENSIONERS? Owned by government pension plans, TimberWest appears set to ignore a Forest Practices Board finding about its logging on the island. 18 Aaren Madden | THE MIRACLE BEFORE US By re-presenting landscapes with views both intimate and monumental, Brent Lynch invokes the sanctity of the everyday. 32 Monica Prendergast | GENDER EQUITY IN THEATRE A recent report suggests not enough has changed for women in theatre. 34 Amy Reiswig | THE FIGHT FOR REAL FOOD From Madrona Farm in the Blenkinsop Valley, a new book explores a global vision rooted in the earth. 36 Alan Cassels | THE ORTHOPAEDIC WAITING GAME Vancouver Island’s aging baby boomers, coupled with stretched budgets and operating rooms,have created a perfect storm for timely access to needed joint surgery. 42 Gene Miller | WAR BETWEEN WORLDS Contemporary circumstances, including shrinking governments, demand that we, the human family, be socially innovative. 44 Maleea Acker | MANY SWALLOWS MAKE A SUMMER Malcolm Rodin volunteers his time to nurture native (mosquito-eating) songbirds. 46 Trudy Duivenvoorden Mitic | IF I HAD A HAMMER… Provide a home and the rest follows.

October 2015 Focus.pdf 4 Leslie Campbell | WHEN SPIN DOCTORS MAKE POLICY The provincial LNG fiction-writing exercise has some lessons towards October 19. 10 Cheryl Thomas | WHY YOUR VOTE COUNTS Halting the decay of our democracy isn’t difficult. It starts with valuing your vote. 12 David Broadland | AN ABSENCE OF EVIDENCE There’s no scientific case for sewage treatment in Victoria, but the community faces a billion-dollar price tag anyway. Where do the candidates stand? 16 Judith Lavoie | MURRAY RANKIN V. CANADA Rankin acted on behalf of an American mining corporation in its successful bid to sue Canada using NAFTA. 18 Briony Penn | LEGISLATED VOTER SUPRESSION The Unfair Election Act is coming soon—very soon—to a polling station near you. 20 Liz McArthur | CANNABIS COWBOYS Why are marijuana dispensaries the growth business in Victoria? 22 Katherine Palmer Gordon | A CHANGE OF FOCUS As she leaves us, our correspondent reflects on a decade of First Nations treaty negotiations, court rulings and attempts at reconciliation. 24 Aaren Madden | A SERIES OF SMALL ABSTRACTIONS Rod Charlesworth celebrates both place and paint. 38 John Threlfall | THE VIEW FROM HERE Geographic and cultural history combine in a bold new play about one of Victoria’s most infamous locations. 40 Amy Reiswig | THE REAL THING Briony Penn’s new biography of beloved BC conservation hero Ian McTaggart Cowan. 42 Gene Miller | SPARE CHANGE That $90 extra million on the bridge could have transformed Victoria. 44 Maleea Acker | SALMON RESURGENCE Thanks in part to volunteers like Dorothy Chambers, coho salmon are thriving in Colquitz River—but for how long? 46 Trudy Duivenvoorden Mitic | THE PROBLEM WITH SITTING ON YOUR BALLOT Low voter turnout in 2011 allowed a small minority of Canadians to elect a majority government.

November 2015.pdf 4 Leslie Campbell | THE LAST STRATEGIC VOTE Let’s make sure that next time we can vote our conscience and know it will count. 10 Bill McKibben | EXXON’S CLIMATE LIE Decades ago the company’s scientists warned about climate change but Exxon executives chose to fund doubt. 12 David Broadland | THE ORIGINS OF SPYYNICH Was the surveillance software installed on the newly-elected mayor’s computer by Saanich staff a case of tit for tat? 14 David Broadland | BRIDGE EXPENSE MOUNTS Would the new bridge survive a collision with common sense? 16 Judith Lavoie | HOMELESSNESS INITIATIVE: GLIMMER OF HOPE OR “FART IN THE AIR”? “Housing First” is easier in theory than in practice, especially given multiple municipalities and lack of senior government support. 18 Briony Penn | CERMAQ V. THE PEOPLE The rise and fall of fish farming in Ahousaht territory. 20 Alan Cassels | THE SLIPPERY STATS ON FLU VACCINES Are flu shots 60 percent effective? Or are they 3 percent effective in a good year and 1 percent in a bad year? 22 Aaren Madden | PEN TO PAPER Amy Frank’s art practice encompasses creative expression, advocacy and powerful coping tools in her struggle with mental illness. 36 Mollie Kaye | MUSIC FROM 1000 YEARS AGO An early music ensemble from France is expected to perform magic at Alix Goolden Hall this month. 38 Monica Prendergast | SAYING BIG THINGS SMALL Ronnie Burkett returns to town this month with his puppets and improvisational-style theatre. 40 Amy Reiswig | ON ORIGINS AND ENDINGS Arleen Paré explores tiny but sometimes momentous moments of intersection, where we connect unexpectedly. 42 Gene Miller | GIMME SHELTER The homeless on Victoria’s downtown streets offer a full-colour snapshot of response failure. 44 Maleea Acker | MALTBY LAKE'S ECOLOGICAL WONDERS Carmel and Woody Thomson show how love of place can keep it safe. 46 Trudy Duivenvoorden Mitic | THE MAN WHO FELL FROM THE SKY The story of a young soldier from Victoria helps us remember why we should strive for peace.

December 2015.pdf 4 Leslie Campbell | EMBRACING DECARBONIZATION It’s time for Christy Clark to wake up from her LNG dream before it becomes a nightmare for the rest of us. 10 10 Marine Scientists | SCIENTISTS TO CRD: PETITION THE FEDS FOR RECLASSIFICATION Marine scientists plead for an evidence-based approach to developing sewage treatment for Victoria. 12 David Broadland | THE CHINESE WELDING RUSE As the cost for a new bridge marches towards $150 million, explanations from City Hall seem designed to distract rather than inform. 14 Judith Lavoie | PUTTING THE GAG WHERE IT BELONGS Scientists and policy experts on the Harper government’s well-loathed practice of replacing scientific evidence with PR spin. 16 Briony Penn | 100 days OF DESTRUCTION BC Hydro accused of divide-and-conquer tactics among Peace River Valley First Nations. 18 Rob Wipond | PROVINCE TO REIN IN POLICE CHIEF ASSOCIATIONS? A surprise government announcement could lead to the resolution of long-standing controversies about police secrecy. 20 Alan Cassels | HEALTH VOICES CO-OPTED The Ministry of Health’s attempt to privatize the voice of patients does not have a promising prognosis. 22 Liz McArthur | NEW CANADIANS INCOMING Victoria prepares to help Syrian refugees make a new home. 24 Aaren Madden | SELF PRESERVATION Joanne Thomson’s new paintings, inspired by her grandparents’ life, transforms the pain of family secrets. 38 Monica Prendergast | SPIT DELANEY’S ISLAND Jack Hodgins’ novel has been reworked into a new play by Charles Tidler. 40 Amy Reiswig | THE POWER IN YOUR HANDS 45 Years of Fooling Around with A. Banana: a book and an exhibit. 42 Gene Miller | TOMORROWLAND Let’s make Victoria a model for the new economy. 44 Maleea Acker | JACQUES SIROIS’ BIOSPHERE DREAMS Nurturing herring would allow other species to rebound in the Salish Sea area. 46 Trudy Duivenvoorden Mitic | SHARING OUR BLESSINGS This Christmas season, let’s envision our city as an inn that truly has room for everyone.

January 2016 Focus.pdf 4 David Broadland | COMMISSIONER LOWE’S OPEN WINDOW The Commissioner’s report, by example, challenges other government officials to meet his high standard for transparency. 10 Ken Wu | IN TERMS OF EMISSIONS, LOGGING THE WALBRAN MAKES NO SENSE If the BC government were serious about addressing climate change, it would protect old-growth forests. 12 David Broadland | ENVIRONMENT CANADA’S BILLION-DOLLAR screw-up A study by DFO scientists found that secondary sewage treatment will have a negligible effect on environmental conditions in our waters. 16 Leslie Campbell | INTENT CITY The encampment at the law courts grounds provides evidence of our collective failure to meet the need for housing. 18 Judith Lavoie | SCIENTISTS: SPLIT DFO IN TWO Is the new government open to hearing scientists’ arguments that DFO cannot protect both industry and fish? 20 Aaren Madden | THE SUM OF ITS PARTS With his unique medium, sculptor Roland Gatin fuses stone to build connections and explore ideas. 34 Mollie Kaye | LORRAINE MIN COMES HOME Acclaimed pianist will perform Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.1 on January 23 at the Royal Theatre. 36 Robin J Miller | MAJOR MOTION PICTURE Out Innerspace Dance Theatre premières its latest creation in Victoria, January 29 & 30. 38 Amy Reiswig | FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE FUTURE Guy Dauncey’s new novel envisions an urban ecotopia. 40 Gene Miller | THE PLUMBER’S DILEMMA The delusional desire for amalgamation. 42 Maleea Acker | CARING FOR KWETAL IN MEEGAN Cheryl Bryce’s Community Tool Shed. 44 Briony Penn | 100 PERCENT PURE WHAT? Most of New Zealand has been deforested due to agriculture, impacting biodiversity, water quality and the climate. 46 Trudy Duivenvoorden Mitic | UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH ONE TREE 2016: A good year for championing everything local.

February 2016 Focus.pdf 4 Leslie Campbell | OUR FOCUS IS CHANGING After 28 years as a monthly, we’re going to decarbonize a bit. 12 David Broadland | OPTION 10: OUR best bet to avoid sewercide? Fisheries Act requirements for sewage treatment in Victoria could be met for less than $200 million. 16 Judith Lavoie | STANDOFF AT POLAK SPRINGS Shawnigan Lake residents dig in for a long fight to protect their water from a controversial contaminated soil landfill. 18 Alan Cassels | WHOSE SECRET INSTRUCTIONS WASTED $100 MILLION? The likely cost of the unjustified firing of eight Ministry of Health researchers is staggering, yet no one has been held accountable. 20 Briony Penn | TRANS MOUNTAIN OPPONENTS GET BOOST FROM FEDS How the National Energy Board found itself under attack by everyone in January. 22 Aaren Madden | ILLUMINATING THE EVERYDAY Barbara Callow uses light to bring life to the painted form. 36 Mollie Kaye | CALLING YOUR INNER GYPSY Swain on swing: The 5th Annual Victoria Django Festival. 38 Monica Prendergast | THE VALLEY Issues around policing and mental health lie at the heart of award-winning playwright Joan MacLeod’s work. 40 Amy Reiswig | NATURE IS FORECLOSING The Climate Nexus calls for a transformative discussion on adapting our life-support systems to climate change. 42 Gene Miller | SEWERCIDE Local politicians are bumbling toward a multi-billion-dollar sewage treatment plan the community doesn’t need. 44 Maleea Acker | A BIRDING EVANGELIST’S BIG YEAR Knowing our fellow creatures inspires Ann Nightingale’s passion. 46 Trudy Duivenvoorden Mitic | SNUGGLE UP WITH KOSELIGHET The yarn that keeps us knitted together, especially through winter.

March-April 2016 Focus.pdf 4 Leslie Campbell | MOVING FROM THEM TO US A tent city on provincial land has pushed the Province a little closer toward a solution to homelessness in Victoria. 12 Brian Burchill | GIVE US RESPONSIBLE, RATIONAL SEWAGE STEWARDSHIP Is it time to head to Ottawa to discuss Victoria’s mistaken and expensive risk classification for sewage treatment? 14 David Broadland | CRAP AND CORRUPTION The sewage and bridge projects are wasting millions in public money, including the cost of hiding those costs. 16 David Broadland | DEVIL’S MOUNTAIN FAULT: FRIGHTENING IMPLICATIONS Scientists recently confirmed an active seismic fault that could generate a large earthquake lies within 5 kilometres of downtown Victoria. 22 Judith Lavoie | THE HOLY GRAIL OF LNG The quest of Christy Clark’s government for a BC LNG industry has taken on an increasingly mythical quality. 24 Leslie Campbell | FEAR AND FUNDING IN Las VICTORIA Mayor Helps’ forceful push to a billion-dollar sewage facility at Rock Bay takes some twists and turns—and ain’t done yet. 28 Lisa Cordasco | BANKRUPT IN BC New laws meant to protect BC consumers who are drowning in debt may not go far enough. 32 Aaren Madden | IN HIS ELEMENT Wildlife artist and environmentalist Mark Hobson’s arrival at his beloved, secluded floating studio has been a lifelong journey. 44 Mollie Kaye | PAYING HOMAGE TO THOSE WHO SHAPED JAZZ Last call for this season’s Sunday afternoon “tribute” concerts at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. 52 Monica Prendergast | MATTERS OF CLASS Some upcoming plays are designed to shake us down to our middle class roots. 54 Amy Reiswig | TOWARDS A LIFE OF INTEGRITY Set in a US community in conflict over civil rights and the Viet Nam war, Tricia Dower’s novel explores the essential fight for self-expression. 56 Gene Miller | PRACTICING HOPE AND BUYING TIME A meditation while picking litter in the perfected landscape of Beacon Hill Park. 58 Maleea Acker | THE MISKELLYS’ PASSION Nurturing native species, young farmers and the land. 60 Briony Penn | UNLIKELY ALLIES IN A COMPLEX ECOSYSTEM Reflections on the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement cannot leave out Chief Qwatsinas. 62 Trudy Duivenvoorden Mitic | THE JOYS OF SOUP When the world seems crazy, chopping and stewing conserve sanity and the Earth.

May-June 2016 Focus.pdf 4 Leslie Campbell | OUR LIMITED RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH BC’s defamation laws are downgrading our democracy. 12 David Broadland | QUASHING THE PUBLIC INTEREST Mayor Helps and the CRD seem to have lost sight of whom they are serving. 14 Judith Lavoie | THE CHILL IN SHAWNIGAN LAKE People who have publicly expressed concern about a contaminated soil dump are being threatened with defamation suits. 18 Roszan Holmen | CRITICAL CROSSROADS FOR RAIL ON THE ISLAND Island politicians support rail—but not rail management. 20 Briony Penn | FIGHTING FOR THE SALISH SEA With 18 large port expansion projects around the Salish Sea, how’s an ecosystem to survive the influx of tanker traffic? 22 David Broadland | WASHINGTON’S PHONY SEWAGE WAR WITH VICTORIA Puget Sound is a mess of sewage and toxic chemical discharges. Should Victoria taxpayers have to pay for Seattle’s sins? 30 Aaren Madden | WALKING IN THE GARDEN WITH ROBIN Robin Hopper’s legacy in ceramics encompasses production, education, publications, institutions—and a beautiful garden. 42 Robin J. Miller | GIVING VOICE TO A GENERATION LOST TO AIDS Illustrating resilience, generosity and bravery, The Missing Generation opens our hearts. 50 Monica Prendergast | IN AND OUTS AT INTREPID THEATRE Janet Munsil may be departing, but Intrepid is forging ahead. 54 Amy Reiswig | WATER, TRUST AND TRUTH Andrew Nikiforuk writes about one woman’s battle to protect her water from fracking and our lives from corporate lies. 58 Gene Miller | SOFTISM Maintaining Victoria’s soft edges may be worth a hard fight. 60 Maleea Acker | BIG TREES, BIG DREAMS James Clowater’s urban arboreal vision. 62 Trudy Duivenvoorden Mitic | CHRISTY’S IMPOSSIBLE DREAM Realities like increased GHGs just get processed in the Premier’s political mix-master.

July-Aug 2016 Focus.pdf 4 Leslie Campbell | SEEKING REASON IN A SEA OF SOUND BITES Here’s to a summer of books, reason and love. 10 David Broadland | VICTORIA’S SEWAGE FIASCO AND THE POLITICS OF CONTAMINATION Contamination of local politics by a false pretence and a toxic promise requires primary treatment at the ballot box. 18 Leslie Campbell | SPEAKING UP FOR SENIORS BC’s Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie makes the case for more government intervention on behalf of seniors. 22 Judith Lavoie | TRANS MOUNTAIN: EVIDENCE GROWS, TRUDEAU SHOULD SAY NO On the heels of the NEB’s approval of Kinder Morgan’s pipeline proposal, a raft of research points in the other direction. 26 Alan Cassels | MORE NAILS IN THE COFFIN OF THE “CHOLESTEROL HYPOTHESIS” New studies provide further evidence that cholesterol-lowering statins and other new drugs may be a costly dead end. 28 Briony Penn | NEW CALLS FOR A MORATORIUM ON OLD-GROWTH LOGGING Business interests, scientists, environmental groups and First Nations call for new policy on the Island’s remaining old growth. 32 Roszan Holmen | E&N: DERAILMENT AHEAD? A First Nation’s claim to Vancouver Island’s rail corridor could spell the end of the E&N revival. 34 Aaren Madden | DANA’S DANCING TREES Dana Irving’s background as a mural painter and her love of coastal forests have resulted in a grand, sweeping style. 44 Mollie Kaye | 2016 VICTORIA SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL Six summer concerts offer a “less fearsome” way to start conversations about classical music. 52 Monica Prendergast | RICH LESSONS IN A YEAR’S WORTH OF GOING TO THE THEATRE The past year’s theatrical highlights included ghosts, tears, music and silliness. 56 Amy Reiswig | JAMES HOGGAN: I'M RIGHT AND YOU'RE AN IDIOT James Hoggan’s new book makes us look at our own communication practices, including our critical thinking, compassion and integrity. 58 Gene Miller | TERROR MANAGEMENT How is a city like an older guy’s memory? 60 Maleea Acker | (UN)SAFE PASSAGE: AMPHIBIANS ON THE MOVE Habitat Acquisition Trust volunteers help to save local frogs, salamanders and other amphibians. 62 Trudy Duivenvoorden Mitic | IS THERE NO END TO OUR FOOD MYOPIA? The brave new world of GMO salmon joins other absurdities like flooding the fertile Peace River Valley.

Sept-Oct 2016 Focus.pdf 4 Leslie Campbell | THE QUEST FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING The gap between incomes and housing costs has grown so wide that bold action is overdue. 14 David Broadland | VICTORIA’S BIG SECRET The search for a solution to the sewage treatment issue has lost sight of what it should be looking for; here’s a reminder. 20 Judith Lavoie | THE STRUGGLE TO PROTECT WILD SALMON RAGES ON The salmon farming battle heats up with the Sea Shepherd’s voyage and eviction notices served by First Nations on fish farms. 22 Alan Cassels | THE DIABETES DIAGNOSIS The war on blood glucose is stupid, costly and bloody. 24 Lisa Cordasco | NEW POT LAWS COULD BUST RURAL BC’S ECONOMY BC growers worry they will be cut out of the equation as governments move towards legalization. 26 Stanley Tromp | DROP DEAD The use of fentanyl has exploded and more Victorians have died from overdoses in the first half of 2016 than all of 2015. 28 Briony Penn | PROFESSIONAL RELIANCE EXPERIMENT A REGULATORY FAILURE? Tourism operators on the coast have been forced to watchdog forestry operations since government introduced self-monitoring. 32 Katherine Palmer Gordon | BURIED PROMISES The Province’s failure on First Nations burial sites is leading to more Grace Islets and potentially another Gustafsen Lake. 34 Aaren Madden | IN DEFIANCE: INDIGENOUS WOMEN DEFINE THEMSELVES Lindsay Delaronde’s collaborative photography project uses images to defy the language and attitudes that marginalize indigenous women. 44 Mollie Kaye | RAISING THE ROOF FOR COAST COLLECTIVE An arts oasis faces challenges without CRD funding—so throws a dance party. 54 Monica Prendergast | NEXT TO NORMAL Hard-hitting Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical about mental health and family opens the season at Langham Court Theatre. 56 Amy Reiswig | THE TWO OF US: STORIES OF INTIMACY Kathy Page’s new collection of short stories explores the transformative power of one-to-one encounters. 58 Gene Miller | ALL ONUS, NO BONUS What’s creating all that weird energy to our south? 60 Maleea Acker | METCHOSIN BIOBLITZ Metchosin uses citizens and volunteer scientists to create a low-cost but impressive inventory of species. 62 Trudy Duivenvoorden Mitic | PANDORA’S BOX Victoria and the Province are blind to the real costs of gambling.

Nov-Dec 2016 Focus.pdf 4 Leslie Campbell | FOCUS ANNOUNCES THE DIANE CARR COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD A community force for truth, beauty and justice. 12 David Broadland | THE CRD HID MCLOUGHLIN POINT’S FATAL FLAW The choice of the controversial site over Rock Bay will lead to hundreds of millions in costs that could have been avoided. 18 Judith Lavoie | WILL NO POLITICIANS STAND UP FOR GRIZZLIES? While most citizens oppose the bear trophy hunt, BC’s politicians seem reluctant to offend hunters. 22 Alan Cassels | TACKLING THE OVERDIAGNOSIS TREND A local doctor helps wind back the harms of too much medicine. 24 Briony Penn | INGMAR’S “WORRY” NOW A TRAGIC REALITY On the eve of the Kinder Morgan decision, an oil-carrying vessel tests marine disaster response—and finds it lacking. 26 Katherine Palmer Gordon | UNFINISHED BUSINESS BC’s treaty process has taken a quarter-century of effort, with only four final agreements to show for it. 28 Rob Wipond | ESCAPE FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA Some people say that our province’s strong mental health laws save lives. A constitutional court challenge says they lead to discrimination abuse, fear and the flight of psychiatric refugees. 34 Aaren Madden | HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN While Blu Smith’s artistic expression has seen shifts both major and subtle, his fascination with light remains constant. 44 Mollie Kaye | TALES OF A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS Victoria Jazz Society presents the Jerry Granelli Trio and the Victoria Children’s Choir. 52 Monica Prendergast | AH, THE MEMORIES! Phoenix Theatre at UVic celebrates 50 years of making theatrical waves. 56 Amy Reiswig | NAVIGATING BELONGING Jennifer Manuel explores the complexity of belonging through the reflections of a nurse in a First Nations community. 58 Gene Miller | DVS IN PARADISE Meditations on “why” while collecting trash in Beacon Hill Park. 60 Maleea Acker | CONNECTING THROUGH OUR ROOTS Adolf and Oluna Ceska’s fungi and the coastal ecosystems they nurture. 62 Trudy Duivenvoorden Mitic | THE DARKER SIDE OF FLORA It’s not all sweetness and light in the garden.

Sewage and the politics of contamination Another excellent article on the contamination of local politics, toxic promises, and confabulation in the name of serving the public interest. It’s amazing how the fine print in an environmental legislation clause, private side trade deals between political leaders in BC and Washington state, and IOUs left over from the Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympic Games can be used to over-ride the right of elector consent in order to plunder the public purse and build a regional sewage treatment system that could cost $3 billion over time. I appreciate your investigative reporting about the vested interests involved in the newly appointed provincial board to oversee the development of this multi-billion dollar questionable infrastructure project. It seems a hand-picked group of political patrons with links to a major engineering consulting firm, Stantec, will now have the final say on the form of land-based sewage treatment that will be used, and the location(s) of the facility(ies). My concern is that these tight political and business relationships seem to be pointing to more skullduggery in the awarding of another lucrative publicly-financed project close to home. Installing rails on Ogden Point Breakwater for the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) was a low-risk project for Stantec. Now this engineering firm is the GVHA’s lead consultant on another multi-year, multi-million dollar infrastructure project. It is formulating a 30-year Ogden Point Master Plan and a rezoning application to the City of Victoria. Why? To justify the investment of more than $300 million to redevelop GVHA’s Ogden Point property (divested from the Federal Department of Transport in 2002). GVHA, a $12-million private non-profit enterprise, is not known for its transparent and accountable business model. Its long-term development plan crafted by Stantec has all the earmarks of another pillaging of public funds for private interests. Their dream is the transformation of a contaminated marine site into an earthquake-proof property replete with refurbished piers, new cruise-ship terminals, not to mention an upgraded heliport site, and additional retail and commercial buildings including a boutique hotel to welcome more than 500,000 tourists annually to this prize waterfront site. It’s not the polluters, the profiteers, or the politicians who pay. It’s the public who will bear the burden of “bold” boondoggles, mounting debts, and soaring taxes. Victoria Adams Re the letter in the July/August issue of Focus from fellow biologist and long-ago colleague Thor Henrich. He is one of the very few to mention the huge contribution of the freshwater input into the Salish Sea as a means of diluting and transporting sewage effluent. Tides ebb and flow, but the input of rivers is one-way. The end result is extreme dilution of effluent by the time it reaches the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Accurate measurement is beyond most instruments available locally. It has been estimated that the concentration of pollutants in the Strait is “a few parts per trillion.” That may not conjure up an immediate image of the situation. Do the math and it turns out that, if the figure is 10 parts per trillion, then a water sample that would fill the former ill-fated tanker Exxon Valdez 21 times over would yield just one cupful of pollutants. Another point that should be made is that, in 1994—within the lifetime of the current sewage system—E.D.Cokelet, a Seattle-based oceanographer, studied the effluent in the waters off Victoria, analyzed it and traced it back to its source. He found that 52.1 percent came from the Vancouver area, 43.2 percent came from the Seattle area and only 4.7 percent came from Victoria itself. Not only does this give the lie to Washington State’s claim that Victoria is polluting that state’s beaches but it also means that those 21 tankers-full of water samples would yield only two teaspoons of Victoria-based pollutants! Do we really have to spend a billion dollars to eliminate so little? Bear in mind that much, most or even all of that Victoria-based effluent comes not from the sewage system but from the many residences whose sewage bypasses the sewage system and enters the storm drain system, either directly or through the pairing of the storm drain and sewer systems, designed to share the load during heavy rainfalls. (Hence the posting of beach closures due to e-coli contamination following heavy rains). A few years ago, dye studies confirmed the presence of sewage that bypassed the sewage system. Why has that not been followed up on? It would be very much more cost-effective. Meanwhile, if the federal and local scientists are so far apart in their evaluation of the local sewage treatment scene, get the Feds out here, so that they and the locals can have a meaningful discussion on site. Let them take actual samples in situ. Let them see the flourishing populations of diverse species in the vicinity of the outfalls. Let’s get them talking facts. And sense. Iain Barr Before we choose the ultimate sewage treatment system for the CRD core area municipalities, we should all be aware of some basic facts. The first is that in the 44-year history of Macaulay and 35-year history of Clover Point outfalls, there has never been any scientific evidence of shoreline pollution caused by the operation of their deep sea outfalls. During this time, however, there has been continuing periodic discharges of raw sewage into the relatively shallow waters along our beaches and shorelines. Why? Because in most, if not all, municipal sewage latterals there is a combination of sewage and household stormwater runoff. In periods of heavy rainfall, the hugely increased flow would “overcharge” the sewage trunk lines, necessitating overflow stations discharging to the relatively shallow, near-shore waters. Because there is not sufficient contact with full-strength sea water at these outfalls, some of the pathogens, such as e-coli, are not killed off and we have, or should have, health warnings posted. This overflow problem was noted in a 1966 Greater Victoria Sewerage Study—50 years ago. It is still a problem today. It should be noted that no matter what type of sewage treatment we eventually select, we will still have this shoreline pollution problem unless we separate the sewage from the household stormwater. To do this we need separate lines for each. Surely it only makes sense to retain our tried-and-true deep-sea outfall treatment system and re-dedicate the billion dollars or more estimated for land-based sewage treatment to separate (twin) all the household sanitary and stormwater drainage. It might also be noted that twinning sewage and household stormwater drains could be handled by local engineering and construction firms, thereby keeping the dollars circulating in the community. John Carson Might one assume that the BC Liberals’ usurpation of the sewage impasse is driven by two factors—namely that there is an election on the horizon; and that this is yet another opportunity to direct some very large funds to friends and supporters of the Liberal Party? Because this juggernaut called sewage treatment apparently flies in the face of both reason and science, it must be driven by vested interests. The same goes for the Mackenzie Interchange Project, where tens of millions of dollars will be spent to give the impression of progress, which again flies in the face of reason. It seems the decision-makers don’t really give a damn whether any of these actually work, so long as they give the governing party “talking points.” And then there is the Massey Tunnel replacement, and of course Site C. The list goes on…. Richard Weatherill Well done! Great research, analysis and summation. I think David Broadland (and Focus) should get the Pulitzer Prize (or Canada’s equivalent) for his investigative reporting on the sewage issue. This is probably the best news reporting in Victoria for many years and its potential to prevent the waste of billions of taxpayers’ money should be recognized. We must understand that the municipal politicians are limited by their constitutional subservience to the Provincial Legislature but the public still has final control—witness Brexit. I can only hope the public will read your articles and then act on them to step forward to halt a travesty of public sector mismanagement and bureaucratic momentum. Over the past decade, the public has repeatedly gathered its local mass indignation to block the location of the sewage treatment component of the sewage-handling issue (the most visible but much less expensive part). Maybe we can reset the whole agenda and rethink the timing of the whole project by redirecting that mass indignation against a more proper target. Once the sewage investment money is spent, it is highly unlikely that any political party will investigate the outcome to determine if we got value for the spent billions. Why would our politicians bother? It is spent. There is little political value in digging up skeletons, especially when they each were a part of the hit team. So we have a very narrow window of opportunity in preventing the expenditure of these billions. I think your articles should be used as the basis for all future sewage-related questions to our political leaders; they are that good. Treasury Board staff take note. Jim Knock More nails in the coffin of the cholesterol hypothesis In a media world overloaded with conflicting health information, shoddy research, corporate lobbying and sketchy marketing, finding a trusted information source is like grabbing a life ring in a raging storm. Alan Cassels is one of those life rings. His last Focus article on statins is typical of his thoughtful science-based evaluation of the influential pharmaceutical world. Critiques of their world are warranted but we shouldn’t lay total blame at their feet. We all want the “good life” and all the food, drink and pleasure that come with it. Unfortunately, with it comes all the negatives: obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, heart attacks and strokes. And we want it to all go away with a pill. And we want our government to pay for that pill. The headlines always go to the “new pill that promises…”, the “new machine that can find…” the “promising cancer drug that may…”. Yet little press goes to the well-proven, weight-losing, type II diabetes- and atherosclerosis-reversing, cholesterol- and high-blood- pressure-lowering world of plant-based foods—the world of whole grains, corn, rice, beans, legumes, potatoes, vegetables and fruits, a diet that fed millions of Chinese, Japanese, South American, Mexican and African people before meat and dairy were promoted. Some of the leaders in this field are T. Colin Campbell, Drs Dean Ornish, Neal Barnard, John McDougall, Caldwell Esselstyn. The common denominators of these folk are their research, promotion of plant-based foods, and their lack of corporate sponsorship. Are you thinking the plant-based consumers are a fringe group? The Ornish Plan is being paid for by Medicare in the US as well as a number of private insurers because it saves them paying out for stents, by-passes and other expensive treatments. US Health coverage provider Kaiser Permanente has written a physicians guide calling for no meat, dairy or oils. A win-win because Kaiser saves money and the patients improve their health. China recently announced a 50 percent dietary meat reduction to combat disease and global warming. Wayne Maloff Speaking up for seniors: BC’s Seniors Advocate Focus writers Judith Lavoie and Alan Cassels never disappoint. “De-tox for public discourse” was interesting too; in my mind it fit in wonderfully with Leslie’s references to dear old Bertrand Russell, Mr Eloquence himself. As for the article on old people, as an old person myself, I must say I bristled at the title, “Speaking up for Seniors.” Why do we need “others” speaking up for us anymore than aboriginals or disabled people or feminists or immigrants or prisoners? Isobel Mackenzie (very conservative; government-appointed) certainly doesn’t speak for me. I’d like to see an article on aging and ageism written by an old person, an old person who is comfortable enough with her age that she doesn’t resort to euphemisms such as “seniors,” “pensioners”, and “golden agers.” The media bombards us all with phrases such as “age-defying,” “young at heart,” “takes years off your appearance,” “wrinkle erasing,” “85 years young”—illustrating that ageism is pervasive and damaging, and that fear of getting old is rampant. This topic needs a very thorough study and a radical, myth-bashing approach. No offence intended, just encouraging Focus to take it much, much further. Barbara Bambiger It was disappointing that your article failed to even mention the very serious rise of violence in care facilities. As someone who has considerable experience with this issue, the main problem is that residents are being taken off mood stabilizing medications as a result of the anti-psychotics campaign, without there being an effective, personalized care plan in place so that those residents do not harm other people. The result has been more seniors and staff being victims of violence, which is heart-breaking. It is true that anti-psychotics have been used as a quick-fix “solution” for violent behaviour since it is cheaper and easier to administer a drug rather than have an adequate number of sufficiently-trained staff to deal with residents who are prone to aggression. But it never occurs to some decision-makers that the reason they were prescribed mood stabilizing medications in the first place is that they are a danger to others when they are not receiving appropriate care and supervision. Darryl Green Editor’s note: The Advocate’s report on aggression in care homes points out: “Recent work by the Canadian Foundation for Health Improvement found that, during a controlled study in 56 Canadian long-term care facilities, decreasing the use of antipsychotics not only did not lead to more incidents of aggressive behaviour, but in fact led to less incidents of aggressive behaviour. Findings such as this once again call into question the role of antipsychotics in treating aggressive behaviours. Our analysis did not find any relationship between use of restraints and occurrence of incidents.” I often think that part of the systemic difficulties that occur are because our society sees “Seniors” as somehow “other” than the rest of the population. I don’t think anyone who is under the age of 65 would appreciate having to live in a facility with no real privacy, treated as children, having to report for meals at certain times, with everyone in the same age bracket surrounding them. I also am struggling with an aged parent, who is presently at home. She has home care a couple of hours a day. Her body is frail, but her mind is active and lively. She has been falling regularly. Our family knows she will not do very well in an extended-care facility. And she may be past the point of residing in an assisted-living situation. There need to be other solutions, as all of us are quickly approaching our older years. One of my ideas is to create townhouse/garden flat complexes with central courtyards that could be used by all ages: young families, singles, and the elderly. Annie Weeks Trans Mountain: Trudeau should just say No Thank you for an excellent report by Judith Lavoie on the Kinder Morgan pipeline. You might ask her if she publishes again to include the fact that this pipeline will add an additional 126 million tonnes of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere every year. This looks to me like a worse environmental disaster than even an inevitable oil spill on land or in water. To put that in context, greenhouse gas emissions for all of BC—from all cars, trucks and buses, all house and building heating and from all industries including the high-emitting cement industry—totals 64 million tonnes per year. This one pipeline will add two BCs-worth of emissions and take the federal government in the opposite direction from its promise to reduce Canada’s greenhouse gases. It seems we are supposed to look the other way if the bitumen is burnt outside Canada. It supposedly doesn’t count. Does anyone think it will not affect our own climate? This is not some silly counting game. It deeply affects the lives of our children and grandchildren. I put some money and effort into buying an electric car and a heat pump, to replace my gas car and my oil furnace. I calculate I saved the atmosphere two tonnes of greenhouse gases a year. This pipeline will make a total mockery of my effort and a mockery of the efforts of the BC government to persuade people to reduce their emissions. No one else will follow my example once they see that the federal government will dwarf their changes by such a huge retrograde project. Just note the numbers: 126,000,000 to…2. Ian D.Brown I believe that Canada’s economy will benefit greatly by diversifying the customer base for Canadian resources. I feel that it is quite safe to ship oil by sea because of great advances in tanker safety such as global positioning system navigation, double-hulled tankers, and the practice of using ocean escort tugs. I have considerable sea-going marine experience in BC waters and in my judgement the navigation passage from Vancouver to the open sea is not particularly difficult and I have good faith in the very professional BC Pilotage Association and the Canadian Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Management System that oversees the safe navigation of deep sea vessels. Not all your respondents are opposed to this important project. Paul C. Leblanc My congratulations on another absorbing issue of Focus. David Broadland’s continuing research into all aspects of the sewage issue is investigative reporting at its best! However, I wish to “argue” about the main premise of the article on the Transmountain pipeline which is that, for global warming to be successfully limited before an uncontrollable catastrophe occurs, most hydrocarbon sources need to be “left in the ground.” And Canada’s tar sands should be a prime candidate for this. Let me first say that I firmly believe that climate change is caused by humans, and that at its extreme, it will be an existential challenge for modern civilization if not the human race. So it is possibly the foremost problem facing the world today. All of the distinguished persons mentioned in the article are also highly concerned about global warming, but all of the quotes and citations used in the article seem to focus on just one aspect and ignore a much bigger and complex problem, namely, how does Canada sustain a prosperous economy while also acting responsibly in the climate change arena? Economically, Canada cannot be self-sufficient, especially with respect to lower-value manufactured goods, specialized machine tools, entertainment, vacations in warm climates, and such. So we have to trade. Canada’s vast area means it incurs higher infrastructure costs; it cannot sustain a single national power grid which might optimize electricity use. We need to spend relatively more energy for transportation. And Canada’s location in the “frozen north” means it has relatively high heating costs. Nor is Canada physically located in an advantageous place for trade with any other nation than the USA. There are two implications for us in all this: One is that we must trade; the other is that we have relatively high energy needs even if we want to be responsible global citizens. If we have to trade, what do we have to offer the rest of the world? For the most part it’s natural resources of all sorts (minerals, wood products, grains, gas and oil). Maybe some other country can afford to leave its hydrocarbons in the ground; we can’t. And where do we get our energy? It would be great if we could shift more to electricity which is not generated by burning fossil fuels. So what are our options? Nuclear—makes a lot of sense but most if not all of the experts featured in this article oppose nuclear, despite the lack of objective scientific evidence to support such a position. Hydro—great, but I’m aware that at least some of the article’s experts are staunch opponents of BC’s Site C Hydro project. Seems inconsistent to me. And places like Saskatchewan simply don’t have a hydro option. Solar—also great, but we aren’t a particularly sunny place, and without effective and economic means to store solar for when it’s needed, solar will always remain a small contributor to Canada’s overall energy use. Wind—yes it has a future, but again only as a relatively modest contributor to the overall energy needs because wind requires too big a land footprint to be used on a massive scale. Climate change and Canada’s impact (good or bad) is indeed a complex issue. It would be nice if Focus could source more balanced and scientifically sound articles on this important issue. Mike Day De-tox for public discourse Recently I have been wondering how to understand/digest/work with comments and letters to the newspaper in my own small community that are distressingly fractious. I don’t know the answer to my concerns, but reading the editorial and articles in the most recent Focus magazine certainly added clarity to what doesn’t work in building community. Recently a reporter for our small newspaper on Gabriola wrote what I thought was an engaging, inclusive, and well-intentioned article about Justin Trudeau’s participation in Pride events across Canada. I know that this article was meant to build community locally and in a broader sense. However, the letters responding to the article in the following week’s newspaper berated the reporter for not including all the different terms for various transsexual stages and identities. She was harshly criticized for celebrating an event for which she apparently did not use the correct terminology. I’m fairly well-educated and well-read, and I probably would have fared worse if I had written the article myself. I realized that my distress over the rude letters arose from a feeling that those same critical writers could have commented on the omissions and errors about transsexual terminology and sexual identities in a way that would have brought readers on-side with their complaints, instead of alienating readers like me who now wonder if I can say anything about those topics without being offensive. The feeling of community and inclusiveness that was intended by the reporter was parsed by angry people whose attitude seemed to say, “You forgot my special identity which is more important than anything!” Building community, strengthening civil discourse, celebrating public space, and working for democracy requires everyone to argue and discuss issues with an open mind, integrity, and a will to work together for everyone’s benefit. The July/August issue of Focus is an excellent example of these intentions. Susan Yates New calls for a moratorium on old growth logging There is a peculiar reference in Briony Penn’s recent report on seeking a land use agreement for Vancouver Island to consider the scientific principles and innovative planning found in the 2015 Great Bear Rainforest agreement. Yet in that forward-thinking agreement there are some 25 million cubic metres of old growth to be logged from the GBR over the next ten years. To get some idea of that amount, take a look at the next logging truck you see, and then imagine 500,000 more. Hope Jahren, the palaeobiologist who has written a new book, Lab girl: A Story of Trees, is of the view that in some 600 years, logging pursuits will have reduced most trees on the Earth to stumps, part of the broader outlook that our world is falling apart. Guidance may be needed in preserving old growth forests on Vancouver Island. But as reading material to that end, the GBR agreement could hardly be a worse choice. Brian Nimeroski

The gap between incomes and housing costs has grown so wide that bold action is overdue. WHEN I MOVED HERE from Winnipeg 30 years ago, I quickly found myself a modest one-bedroom apartment on Quebec Street in James Bay. A three-story walk-up, my pad featured hardwood floors and a southern exposure. It had a tiny galley kitchen, a balcony, and a parking space. I loved it; it was the perfect nest from which to fly about my new city and start my life over. It cost me $315/month. Having settled the housing facet of my life, I moved on to finding a job, doing freelance writing, taking some classes, and volunteering with local organizations. I couldn’t have done any of it without a secure home whose rental rate allowed me to afford the other basics along with a few frills, like writing and art classes, and listening to some great music at Harpo’s. Contrast my welcoming environment to what people at the low end of the income spectrum face now: a rental vacancy rate of 0.6 percent—one of the worst in Canada—along with out-of-reach rents. My Quebec Street home was torn down years ago to make way for a strata-titled townhouse complex. But a search of rental listings yielded a similar apartment—without the hardwood floors and free parking—for $1250/month. The tales of woe I am hearing personally range from students losing a shared rental house when the owner decided to cash out, to a family from the Comox Valley with two university-age children struggling to find a house to rent. Lisa Morgan says she is hoping for something around $2000/month, but after months of looking, she’s found the only suitable homes in terms of location and space all fall in the $2800-3000 price range. As the search continues, the family is camping out at the grandparents’ home in Brentwood Bay. Daughter Morgan will commute to UVic. Another, much younger family, with their infant, was “renovicted” from their rental home recently. Unable to find an affordable replacement despite both parents working, they are moving into the unfinished basement of their parents. With only one kitchen and bathroom, “adjustments” are having to be made by all parties. At another end of the spectrum is an active septuagenarian who owns a home with reasonable mortgage fees, but is considering selling and moving to Mexico because there seems no other solution in the face of needed costly repairs and rising utility bills. Sixty percent of Victorians rent their home. Renting is the only way many young people, singles, seniors and families can afford to house themselves. They all add to a city’s diversity, vibrancy and potential. So it seems in everyone’s interest to help them feel more welcome in our city. In researching the ISSUE of affordable housing, I kept coming across the name of Marika Albert—the author (often with others) of reports for both the CRD and the Coalition to End Homelessness. She also served on the City of Victoria’s Housing Affordability Task Force and is currently the managing director of the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria. During an August meeting, Albert and I discuss this community’s housing challenge, focusing particularly on rentals. Together we look at the graph (shown above) from the 167-page Capital Region Housing Gap Analysis & Data Book that Albert helped compile. The graph puts the problem into stark relief, illustrating a fundamental mismatch between where our population is in terms of income, and the cost of available housing. Only 13.7 percent of the region’s homes are affordable for 50 percent of its households. The income at the upper end, just left of the dotted red line is $59,999. Put another way, there are only 22,000 units priced at 30 percent of the gross income of 79,000 households. And there’s an oversupply of housing for those in upper income groups. Since these figures are from data from 2011 to 2014, the gap is likely even more dramatic now. The lower-income people who cannot find housing that “matches” their income are, says Albert, therefore overspending and experiencing a lot of stress and its attendant problems, and in some cases homelessness. Albert and other members on the City of Victoria’s Housing Affordability Task Force looked particularly at ways to generate more housing for households in the $18,000-$57,000 per annum range. “We really focused on immediate need and trying to resolve the real crisis or the tension that we have now. We talked a lot about inclusionary zoning, densification and diversified densification. How do we fit more people in an area, but without necessarily having to build massive towers? How do we fill in the corners of our neighborhoods a bit more?” The task force came up with a list of things the City should consider, and these have informed the City’s Housing Strategy 2016-2025. Among the recommendations already prioritized in the Strategy are removing the minimum unit size (currently 335 square feet); reducing parking requirements for units (which can add $25-40,000 in costs to developers, which is passed on to tenants); removing the rezoning requirement for garden suites; and reviewing the Housing Reserve Fund guidelines for grants to developers of affordable housing projects. (Non-profit providers have expressed concerns that the $10,000 per unit cap on grants may soon limit their ability to build units that are affordable for people in the low-to-moderate income bracket.) Other recommendations of the task force that will be looked at further down the road include fostering the conversion of older motels to apartments, and contributing City-owned land at no cost or at reduced market value for the development of affordable housing projects. (The City of Vancouver recently committed to building 400 affordable rental suites on its city-owned lands.) Albert says, “I think that municipalities are in a position to be a bit more assertive [with developers] around what they see as their community needs. We have developers wanting to build here. Ultimately, it’s going to be lucrative for them.” She feels some progress has been made, but too often it’s just not enough. “It’s sad. It’s like, ‘Really? Just 10 [affordable units in a large complex]? What’s that going to do?’ I find it frustrating because I think a lot of effort has been put into lobbying for more units, changing how we do that whole process and then it’s just, ‘Oh, we’re just going to do this fast route, 10 units and then that’s it.’” She is, however, excited to see that the City of Victoria is endorsing the creation of an “inclusionary housing density bonus policy” for the Downtown core. Inclusionary zoning essentially means that if housing is built in that zone, it has to represent the income distribution of the area—thereby maintaining its diversity. Albert believes, “The more diverse your community is the more it thrives. Jane Jacobs has talked about that a lot in her work.” DESPITE HER WORK AND ADVOCACY at the civic level, Albert admits cities do not have the tools or money available to them that upper levels of government do. When it comes to the bolder measures needed to address the profound disconnect between incomes and housing, those upper levels need to come to the table. On the income side of the equation, she notes, household incomes have been stagnating. “We are losing our purchasing power. Income assistance rates haven’t gone up since 2007.” Another graph we examine shows that the rate of the increase in shelter costs and the rate at which wages are going up have decoupled in the past decade. On the ground, this translates to a person working full-time at BC’s minimum hourly wage of $10.45 spending 50 percent of their income to rent a bachelor apartment at the 2015 regional average of $716/month. Looking at another scenario, a family of four would require both parents working full-time at $20.05/hour to afford the basics, including a 3-bedroom apartment with utilities and insurance amounting to $1488/month all-inclusive. Those wages, by the way, would not allow for vacations, savings, or debt servicing. “We can’t just address one side of the coin,” says Albert—“especially for people who are on low incomes, who are living on disability, who are trying to scrape by in a rental market that has no vacancy and is becoming more expensive.” Increasing minimum wage, income assistance and disability rates, of course, points us in the direction of the Provincial government. With an election in May, the Liberals—along with both the NDP and Green parties—do seem to be paying attention to the dearth of affordable housing, which a recent poll found to be the top concern of British Columbians. The government’s actions thus far, however, have been aimed at cooling the over-heated real estate sales market, especially in Vancouver (e.g. a tax on foreign buyers) or, as in Victoria, funding much-needed new transitional supportive housing to address homelessness, a crisis made so visible by the tent city on the Province’s Law Courts grounds. The Province is also the level of government where rent controls can be enhanced and legislative measures to deal with burgeoning renovictions can be implemented. The Province’s Tenancy Branch has received almost 5000 applications to dispute eviction notices in the past year, which likely represent the tip of iceberg (who has the time and money to file a complaint when hunting for a new place?). The penalty for landlords who are found to evict someone “in bad faith” is two months’ rent, which they can make back in no time, given the market and the loopholes in the Residential Tenancy Act. The Province has far more tools at its disposal than the City to help those caught in the squeeze illustrated by our graph. With a provincial election come May, citizens have some influence as well. THE OTHER DIRECTION TO LOOK for some bold measures to tackle housing affordability, of course, is the federal government. In one of the reports Albert worked on, I had noticed a graph showing the age of this region’s rental apartments. It made clear that between 1961 and 1980 there was a building boom in purpose-built rental apartments; in fact, the ones still standing represent 43 percent of all rental units in the CRD. In the City of Victoria itself, of the current 17,000 or so purpose-built rental apartments, “nearly 70 percent of these units were built between 1950 and 1975 under a series of Federal tax measures and construction incentives,” states the City’s Task Force report. Albert explains that during that era, “We had a national housing strategy. The federal government through CMHC was investing in the building of purpose-built rentals—both market rentals, but also subsidized units…There was actual incentive for developers to build them.” By the mid-1980s, however, the feds had lost interest in subsidized housing and discontinued funding any social housing projects. Then came the Province’s turn to lose interest and halt their funding. One result: Where homelessness was virtually unheard of in the 1980s, by the 2000s people were sleeping in doorways and parks. There are now 235,000 people homeless in Canada. The Trudeau Liberals, during the election campaign, acknowledged the need for the feds to re-engage on the housing front in a bold way: They promised to “prioritize investments in affordable housing and seniors’ facilities, build more new housing units and refurbish old ones, give support to municipalities to maintain rent-geared-to-income subsidies in co-ops, and give communities the money they need for Housing First initiatives that help homeless Canadians find stable housing.” They also said they’d remove all GST on new capital investments in affordable rental housing. And “conduct an inventory of all available federal lands and buildings that could be repurposed, and make some of these lands available at low cost for affordable housing in communities where there is a pressing need.” In all, the federal Liberals promised that $20 billion would be invested in social housing over the next decade. In Victoria recently, federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Jean-Yves Duclos said a national housing strategy could be in place before the end of the year. He also announced $150 million in federal funding over the next two years for housing in BC, $51 million of it for repairs and upgrades to social housing units. So the feds are re-engaging with the issue—though with many promises to keep. And the Province, heading into an election next spring, is starting to engage as well. But in those years in which they were both missing in action, things got awfully difficult for many Canadians. Leslie Campbell is the founding editor of Focus. She now lives, almost affordably, in a co-op heritage house in Victoria.