ssues & ideas EDITOR QUINN MELL-COBB THE DAILY VOICE, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2013 7 BILL EVERITT photo TransLink’s 49 bus, running between the Dunbar Loop and Metrotown, is often packed with Langara students from outside Vancouver. Bus plan enters phase two TransLink looks for public opinion as part of northeast sector study PHASES of the plan PHASE ONE - Already completed - Recommended increased service frequency, more direct service, extended hours PHASE TWO - Series of workshops - Online survey for area residents - Runs to Jan. 6, 2014 Source: TransLink By BILL EVERITT ublic input is again being sought for phase two of TransLink’s Northeast Sector Transit Plan. The Northeast Sector Transit Plan is a 30-year transit vision, which sets priorities for the next 10 years for the municipalities of Anmore, Belcar- ra, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody. The consultation process is expected to take 18 months. Phase one of the consultation was a survey which took place from May 28 to June 14, resulting in three specific rec- ommendations for the project; increase service frequency, make existing ser- vice more direct and extend service hours. Phase two involves several work- shops and an online survey of what shape residents would like the plan to take. This includes aspects of design such as whether rail should be on the ground or on an elevated track, the location of bus exchanges and stops, and frequen- cy of service. TransLink media-relations repre- sentative Jianna Ling said there is no data regarding when construction is scheduled to begin, or how much the project is supposed to cost. Workshops designed to get the pub- lic involved are scheduled throughout the duration of the consultation, in- cluding one coming up Nov. 30 at the Coquitlam Centre. The plan comes at a time when bus routes are being reconfigured or elimi- nated altogether in these cities, includ- ing the 159 and 177 lines among others. According to a 2012 transit report, ridership in the northeast sector is much lower than other sectors, with an average of 37 riders per hour, compared to 53 in Richmond and 79 in Vancouver. The sector’s most popular bus routes are the 160 Coquitlam/Vancouver and the 97 B-Line between Coquitlam Cen- tral Station and Lougheed Town Cen- tre. Langara College statistics from 2009 indicate that approximately 70 per cent of students polled used a mix of buses and other forms of public transit, such as trains, to get to school each day. Those statistics did not include how many students came from the north- east sector. Phase two of the consultation pro- cess will run to Jan. 6 of next year. Holiday buys come under fire Vancouver-bred initiative puts consumerism of the season into the crosshairs By JENNY PENG day frenzy, the hum of Buy Noth- ing Day - born out of Vancouver — is vibrating around the world. Buy Nothing Day was launched by local artist Ted Dave in 1991. The cam- paign was handed over to Adbusters Media Foundation, after Dave’s efforts to advertise the idea in local papers. The idea grew to a global phenomenon after Adbusters launched it on the in- ternet — it is now an international day of protest on consumer culture. It asks participants to renounce shopping for 24 hours, on the same day as Black Fri- day. Kalle Lasn, co-founder and editor-in- chief of Adbusters magazine (and also known as the unofficial godfather of the Occupy movement) said the day of- fers an alternative reality to the high- stress holiday season. “There’s something about modern capitalist culture with all this incessant advertising that’s coming at us every day... being one of the many causes of this epidemic of mental illness,” said Lasn. To get their message across, activ- ists worldwide dress in zombie gear and walk into banks and malls to “wake the living,” according to Adbusters’ website. “Instead of facing that reality [of cli- mate change], we’re in denial about that reality,” said Lasn. “And we con- tinue to have these obscene cultural rituals like Black Friday.” He also added that he is proud of how Vancouver served as the cam- paign’s launch pad. “There’s something about the West Coast that gives birth to these crazy campaigns that take off around the world,” said Lasn. “We’re way ahead of the curve. We’re five years ahead of the world when it comes to thinking about the future.” Langara business student Simon Hui is not worried about consumer culture in North America. “Everybody will always have a need or want and they will always go out and get it,” said Hui. “It’s actually essential for everyone to buy something every- day whether that’s food, or gas, any- thing - you can buy something and not realize that you spent the money on it.” [isis the buzz of Black Fri- Cutting-edge workshop seeks tradeswomen School board-organized seminar aims to showcase an unexamined career path for British Columbia’s female high school students By GAVIN FISHER underneath a suspended car, watching automotive instructor John Silver demonstrate how to loosen the oil cap and do an oil change. “Some of the boys I teach, they don’t know their left from their right,” jokes Silver, to the laughter of the girls. These six students were taking part in a sampler workshop at John Oliver Secondary School yesterday, aimed at placing women on the trades career path. A total of 21 students from eight high schools across Vancouver joined the event, which was organized by the Vancouver School Board. The participating students got to try their hand at carpentry, metalwork, Aes: of six Grade 10 girls crowd and automotive repair, spending 70 minutes on each trade. The students got the chance to build the frame of a wall in the carpentry workshop, and in the metalwork workshop students cut, bent, and welded metal to create a pic- ture frame. Martha Beach Bartel, a Grade 10 stu- dent from Sir Charles Tupper Second- ary School, said the workshop was use- ful. “It’s a good opportunity, if I ever want a job in the trades,” said Beach Bartel. She added that she does not let gen- der stereotypes deter her from doing what she enjoys. “People are always like ‘girls wear frilly dresses and take dance,” Beach Bartel said. “[But] I’ve always liked tech and woodworking from when I was a kid.” Peter Orlandi, one of the organizers of the event, said the workshop was an opportunity to give young women an insight into the world of trades. “Women are not only welcome in trades, they’re doing very well,” said Orlandi. “We need good, skilled work- ers and we need to get past these ste- reotypes.” Wendy Gilmour, an apprenticeship teacher for the VSB, said the smaller turnout meant more individual atten- tion for the students. “If you'd have had a huge group you wouldn’t have been able to do as much with them,” said Gilmour. “So they get a chance to do more when they’re in a smaller group.” Instructor John Silver discusses automotive maintenance with female Grade 10 students at John Oliver Secondary, as part of a seminar for women looking into jobs in trades. GAVIN FISHER photo