By Kevin Potvin

It was a charged atmosphere full of inspiration and excitement at the February 5 Grandview Woodlands Area Council meeting, held as usual in the boardroom at Britannia Community Centre every first Monday of the month at 7 pm.

The venerable neighbourhood representative body in the heart of East Vancouver discussed how neighbourhoods might find ways of addressing climate change, what progress the council was making in stopping the Highway One expansion, what efforts are being made to coordinate Highway One opposition with opposition to the whole Pacific Gateway plan, how we can combat the insistence—even by the NDP, as one member pointed out—on constant economic growth (and replace it with a prosperous economics of shrinkage), what can be done to help with the scheme to convert the old Raj Theatre into an East Vancouver arts and culture centre, how to work with the Grandview Woodlands Alcohol and Drug Committee and its suggestion for a street-level drop-in centre, how to begin planning a series of public forums, how to build a useful website, and, finally, how to build a network of other similar neighbourhood groups from all around the GVRD so we can share knowledge and resources and work more effectively to achieve our mutual aims.

Whew!

That’s a lot for two hours, and a lot of good community-level ideas were spawned, and it also makes for a lot to report progress on at the next meeting, March 5, at the same place and same time. Everyone is welcome, and your input is encouraged.

Ideas

Among specific ideas touched on and requiring much further exploration was to see if a U-Pass-like transit discount plan could be arranged through the GWAC and the Greater Vancouver Regional District for residents and workers in the Grandview-Woodlands neighbourhood. Currently, the U-Pass is offered through the UBC Student Union to students at UBC, and similar programs are offered through large employers to their employees as well. The Grandview-Woodlands area is dominated by many small businesses, all of whom would benefit as much as Telus does if employees and customers could opt into a discounted transit pass plan.

The board also heard a report on exciting plans for the third year of the Car Free Festival on the Drive. This year will see car-free Sundays on Commercial Drive expand from one day to three days, once in each of June, July, and August. The biggest issue facing the society as it contemplates this approaching summer is volunteers. The more people who step forward to offer help, the fewer hours everyone will be asked to put in to manning the road blocks and looking after the merchants’ tables.

Help weave the fabric of community in your neighbourhood, and come out to the next GWAC meeting and volunteer for the Car Free Festival too!