Daniel Francis

Reading the National Narrative

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February 21, 2019

The second stage of our walk along the Arbutus Greenway (part one here) took us south from 16th Avenue into the heart of Kerrisdale. Because the southern border of Vancouver used to be 16th, the entire route runs through what was the municipality of South Vancouver (until 1908) and then the municipality of Point Grey. Vancouver expanded to absorb its neighbouring municipalities on Jan. 1, 1929.

Anyway, this section of the...

February 9, 2019

I was interested to read this recent article in the Montreal Gazette about the partial demolition of much of the Little Burgundy neighbourhood in the late-1960s-early-1970s. Steven High writes that in the name of urban renewal much of the city's English-speaking black population was displaced. The community had grown up close to two railway stations because so many black men...

January 31, 2019

A few changes were made to the site recently with the unfortunate result that the door was left open to those robots which flood the digital world with faux comments.

As a result I've had to close the comments section. I'd still love to hear from you. If you want to get in touch you can do so through the contact address.

January 26, 2019

I was sorry to read at the CBC website that BC's first whale watching operation is going out of business.

Stubbs Island Whale Watching was founded in 1980 by Jim Borrowman and Bill McKay at Telegraph Cove near the northern end of Vancouver...

January 21, 2019

One day last week found me out on the waters of Burrard Inlet doing a ride along in an RCMP patrol boat. (Don't ask).

As well as surveying the various industrial sites around the inner harbour we cruised all the way to the head of Indian Arm where I had a chance to inspect Wigwam Inn (photo above). The old luxury resort is now used as an outstation by the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club but it...

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