Vancouver Secrets

Wreck Beach

photo credit: sarahfelicity

Vancouver’s famous Wreck Beach is going through some challenges.

Thanks to Craigslist, public displays (more intimate than below) are now becoming more common on wreck beach.

According to an article in the Straight:

“Judy Williams thinks public sex could ultimately ruin the beach. For 27 years, she’s been at the helm of the Wreck Beach Preservation Society, defending Canada’s first clothing-optional beach against a “never-ending and ceaseless onslaught” of attacks. After as many as 80 years as a tacit clothing-optional zone, and drawing as many as 12,000 users in a day, Wreck has no legal protection and no real representative government.

If the cruisers take over, she fears, the heat will come down on everyone. With 2010 on the horizon, she’s afraid that the same folks who brought us Project Civil City will crack down on Vancouver’s “green-light” district—where just about everything goes, but not quite”

Wreck Beach is one of the largest clothing-optional beaches in the world, located next to the University of British Columbia campus. The near location to the campus guarantees a few hotties each weekend…

James Loewen photo

Don’t Miss:

Wreck Beach Bare Buns Run, soon! The event this year is August 17th, 2008. Low tide on the sand flats will allow us to begin this year’s Run/Walk at 12:00 noon! Registration will open at 9:30 am.

Register online HERE. Registering early means you’ll get a T-Shirt or tank top reserved for you!

They’re expecting hundreds this year, so don’t miss out! The cost of  registration helps cover your T-shirts and the gas to bring the run suppliles to the beach; the rest is a donation to the Wreck Beach Preservation Society – helping keep Wreck Beach beautiful, for all, for ever.

Happy sun tanning…

Vancouver’s New Justice System

Whistler Is Now 8 Hours Away

photo credit: Adrian Lee

Please Come Visit Vancouver…

photo credit: frielp

Vancouver has seen a decline of six per cent in American tourists this year compared to last. You can see it on the roads with the absence of American license plates.

Stretched over the course of the year, that number is significant, said Walt Judas of Tourism Vancouver.

“We’re talking between 150,000 to 200,000 overnight visitors from the U.S., which is a substantial number,” he said.

Usual numbers are 8.7 million tourists a year and $3.7 billion in visitor spending. A drop of 6% equals 220 million dollars.

Victoria isn’t taking things lying down.. with a huge ferry price increase on the way (as much as 18 per cent on August 1st),  Tourism Victoria is partnering with BC Ferries to offer a one-time promotion for August travel — book two nights accommodation in Greater Victoria and Tourism Victoria will pay your way there.

Maybe dropping the ridiculously high gas and sales taxes for August might help?

Bringing prices in line would make a big difference. After the uproar when the Canadian dollar hit parity with the US, I’ve yet to see prices come down. The indifference shown by the retail industry when it comes to fair pricing is going to cost them dearly in the long run.

Tourism is one of the largest industries here… time to treat it as a business facing challenges.

A Hell Of A Party For The Angels

photo credit: Stuart R Brown

The Hells Angels, the largest outlaw motorcycle gang in the Canada, celebrate their 25th anniversary in BC. Helping to promote the event, the RCMP posted a press release to let everyone in on the time and place.

To celebrate the anniversary, they’re throwing a party in Langley. Bikers from as far away as Sherbrooke, Quebec are dropping by it. Good food, music and a throng of police. Visitors are each greeted by the province’s Integrated Gang Task Force.

It should be a great event with the three chapters – White Rock, Vancouver and Nanaimo – all pitching in. They seem to make a pretty good living off of the drug trade, prostitution, fraud and extortion, so party favors, entertainment and lawyer fees shouldn’t be much of an issue.

There are more Hells Angels per capita in Canada than anywhere else. They even a have a pretty good website – showing that technology hasn’t passed them by. With six chapter sites under construction, they seem to be growing their business despite high gas prices and the slowdown in the economy.

Seems they also make good neighbors:

Kim Paar, who lives nearby, said “I’m sure you don’t hear that very often but this is probably the safest place in Langley to live,” she said.

Another resident, Lisa Pick, agreed.

“We’ve never had any problems with them. I feel so safe living here.”

HELLS ANGELS IN B.C.:

The RCMP estimate that there are 111 members of the gang in the BC, including full-patch members, hangarounds and prospects.

Mayor Young Gets Off Easy

photo credit: Icky Pic

Port Coquitlam Mayor Young was given 12-month conditional sentence and also sentenced to 18-months probation for 2007 assault.

Young must stay inside his residence between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. with an exception that allows him to attend Monday evening city council meetings when he will be allowed to stay out until 10:30 p.m.

After he and Ms. Preston broke up, Ms. Preston filed a complaint against him, resulting in a court order preventing him from approaching her.

On April 4, 2007, Mr. Young left his office at city hall around 11 p.m., and went to Ms. Preston’s house with two pieces of rope in his pockets. He entered and attacked Ms. Preston’s boyfriend, Glen Shaw. Police who arrived at the scene said they had to physically separate the two men, and said they smelled alcohol on Mr. Young’s breath.

For some strange reason there are no restrictions preventing someone with a criminal record or serving a conditional sentence from running for mayor in Port Coquitlam.

I’d suggest they move the council meetings till Tuesday.