Grand Boulevard Residents Association

By Carole Stewart

We have a Facebook Group called “Grand Boulevard Ridgeway Community Group”. It is another way to share info about events you want to promote or just let your neighbours know about. Such things as Garage Sales, Block Parties, things for free or for sale, lost and found pets are a few examples. Post pictures of your garden failures or brag about your successes.

Join the group and maybe get to know your neighbours a little better!

In order to join the group, you will need to have a Facebook profile. Log on to Facebook, then type “Grand Boulevard Ridgeway Community Group” into the search box (the whole thing). Click on the group name. Click on the box that says join. One of the administrators will approve your request (usually the same day).

The Grand Boulevard Ridgeway Residents Association held their 5^th annual Urban Agriculture Workshop on May 20, 2017, at Loutet Farm, with funding from the Vancouver Foundation’s Neighbourhood Small Grant and with the help of Farmer Christine from the Edible Garden Project. We introduced participants to a few aspects of growing vegetables; in their back yard, in a raised garden, or in their kitchen, sprouting alfalfa seeds or wheat grass. There was a talk on Mason bees – learning about pollinator bees, bee boxes and the flowers that attract bees. Our ‘Chicken Lady’, Stephanie, from C.L.U.C.K., brought two of her delightful ladies, and explained what was involved in raising backyard chickens. We were allowed to hold and pet these beautiful birds (be sure to hold their wings and feet!). Carole Stewart, one of our Executive Directors, gave a demonstration on canning, and one of our lucky attendees received a canning kit. We all ate a healthy lunch of cheese, meat, vegetable salad and quinoa salad, made of ingredients purchased from Loutet Farm and Sprout Organic Market. Fiona, our Chairperson, donated bottles of homemade kombucha (fermented tea) and some milk kefir (like yogurt). She explained how to make these, and offered a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) and milk kefir grains (= starters) to those who wished to make their own. After lunch we had a tour of the farm, learned about their future plans and lent a hand turning over a pile of composting grass-cuttings. We all left with a tomato plant as a memento of our time “down at the farm”.

Photo credit: Fiona Walsh

On July 1, from 8:00 to 10:30 am, Executive members of the Grand Boulevard Ridgeway Residents Association were at the Registration Table, at 13th and Grand Boulevard West, making sure that all the Canada Day Parade entries were checked in and found their assigned parking place along the Boulevard, from 9th to 18th Streets.  We gave out flags, pins and the Special Canada Day Issue of Canada’s History magazine (canadashistory.ca), with a look back at key dates and events in the last 150 years.

There were approximately 95 entries in the parade, some of which came from distant municipalities to share in the fun, under such great skies, with great crowds of young and old.  We had the help of an RCMP officer at the difficult intersection of 13th & Grand Boulevard West, where the parade began, to remind parade-goers to stay back and stay safe.  The GBRRA have taken care of the Canada Day Parade Registration Table for 4 years, since we almost lost the parade altogether, and the Royal Canadian Legion at 123 West 15th St., took over the task of organizing it.  We’re glad to help, come rain or shine.

Please refer to the City website updated with Presentation boards and Feedback from first Open House:

http://www.cnv.org/city-services/streets-and-transportation/cycling/cycling-projects/loutet-casano-pedestrian-cycling-overpass

GBRRA’s chair Fiona Walsh at the Open House:

http://www.nsnews.com/news/pass-overview-1.13535407

Click on the image below to view the GBRRA Winter 2017 e-Bulletin in PDF format.

The City of North Vancouver is developing a conceptual design for a new cycling and pedestrian overpass over Highway #1, and will be holding an Open House on March 2^nd from 5:00pm to 7:30pm at Sutherland Secondary School.

For more information on the Open House, please refer to this flyer or the CNV website.

Members of the GBRRA executive once again “manned” the parade registration table at Grand Boulevard and 13th Street. GBRRA chair Fiona Walsh helped clear the intersection for the entering floats and made sure children were safe during the distribution of candy.

On Saturday, May 21^st, the Grand Boulevard Ridgeway Residents Association held their 3^rd annual Urban Agricultural Workshop at Loutet Farm, 14^th St. and Rufus in North Vancouver.

Carole Stewart started off the Workshop by demonstrating various ways to grow tomatoes from seed. We had fun making a small carton out of newspaper to hold soil in which to place our seeds. Everyone was given a tomato plant to take home. Next up was Dianne Jackson who talked about sprouting, followed by Fiona Walsh on SCOBYs, used for making kombucha (fermented tea) which aids digestion.

After a delicious lunch of meat, cheese, vegetable salad and quinoa salad, which included sampling various types of Fiona’s kombucha, we met the “chicken lady”, who showed off her pretty ladies, and gave us information on the raising of back yard chickens. There were lots of questions from the audience. Those who wished were able to pet these beautiful birds.

Our last demonstration was presented by Fiona and Carole who displayed their bee boxes, and explained how bees fill these boxes and protect their cocoons.

This event was made possible by a Vancouver Foundation Grant. Our thanks to the Vancouver Foundation!

Click on the image below to view the GBRRA Spring 2016 e-Bulletin in PDF format.