THEVOICE | 2 THURSDAY, OCT. 26,2017 | EDITOR SHOJI WHITTIER Atlarge No such thing as free lunch Food providers worried new low-cost meal map might bring excess guests : - ll Fruit cups prepared for guests at the Kerrisdale Community Centre, found on the meal map. DUNCAN ANDERSON PHOTO FREE OR LOW-COST MEAL LOCATIONS ACCORDING TO THE VANCOUVER FOOD ASSET MAP locations across Vancouver are mentioned on the map locations can be found in the West Side SOURCE: VCH.CA of those locations only granted permission to be published on the map = By DUNCAN ANDERSON everal West Side food ser- vice centres listed on a city- wide map created for peo- ple to access low-cost and free food are bracing for an influx of new customers. In fact, only two of the 15 centres contacted by The Voice say they were aware of the 'Vancouver Food As- set Map.’ ‘The map was created by Vancou- ver Coastal Health and released to the public Oct. 16. ‘The Agora Café at UBC. is one of the food centres listed on the in- teractive map. The cafe offers low-cost meals and snacks for under five dollars, according to information on the map. Hannah Xavier, the café’s general manager, said they average between 80 to 100 customers a day. Most are UBC students and faculty, Xavier said. “We are a bit of a small opera- tion and with our main food option throughout the week, we run out of [the entrees] pretty quickly,” she said. “Tt would be a concern if more people than we already have started coming.” The Kerrisdale Seniors Centre located at 5851 West Blvd. serves 70 to 100 meals a day to seniors 55 years and older, said Jennifer Takai, the centre's senior programmer. “If they are a member, it’s seven dollars for a meal and it’s nine dol- lars for non-members,” Takai said. “T think if we are hitting 150 [meals a day] we wouldn't be able to deal with that.” ‘The map is a result of public health dietitians from Vancouver Coastal Health working with local food networks, UBC students and instructors, the City of Vancouver, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and Fresh Roots. A “food asset” is a place where people can grow, prepare, share, buy, receive or learn about food, accord- ing the health authority. In January, the map had received almost 2,800 views. ‘The health authority launched the map in September 2016 but promoted it widely last week. Kathy Romses, a public health dietitian with the health authority, said the map is ‘constantly chang- ing and being updated based on community feedback.’ When asked about the potential influx of people showing up for free and low-cost food, Romses noted they always ask permission from the food providers before upload- ing a place to the map. "Let’s say a place has an influx and don't know how people heard about it, they can request to be tak- en off [the map],” she said. Although there is a ‘permission’ tab within the description of the places on the map, many locations including the Kerrisdale Seniors Centre have not granted permis- sion. Douglas Park Community Cen- tre is listed on the map as a place that provides low-cost prepared meals for $6.50. ‘The map also indicates meals are available for everyone, but with a target audience for people with dis- abilities. However, this isn't the case ac- cording to Ingrid Richter, the rec- reation facility clerk at Douglas Park Community Centre, who said she wasn't aware of the map. She told The Voice the dinners they provide are for seniors and people with disabilities only, not "available to everyone.’ ‘The health authority has posted instructions and instructional vid- eos on their website on how to use the map. Languages include Arabic, Chinese and Vietnamese. LED fountain not a bright idea A lighted foun- tain keeping condo residents up at night has sparked a light pollution petition m By RICA TALAY A Surrey condo dweller has collected almost 200 signa- tures on a petition to per- manently turn off a high-powered lighted fountain that she and her neighbours say disrupts their sleep. Laura Stepney, who lives in Park Place in Whalley, said she started her online petition in early Octo- ber to request the building’s owners turn off the invasive light coming from the fountain. The fountain is located in a plaza across from her condo and part of a neighbouring condo development called Park Av- enue West. “It started as just being annoyed by it but then it kind of progressed into me being disturbed by the ? fact that the city let that happen,’ said Stepney, who moved into Park Place in April while Park Avenue West was still under construction. Stepney, who lives on the 17th floor, said the fountain has 15 high- powered lights that change colours every 30 seconds. She said the lights shine into her window, which disrupts her sleep. After Stepney filed a nuisance complaint to the city, Park Avenue’s building strata, Rancho Manage- ment Services, turned off the foun- tain between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., according to senior strata agent Gus Ramirez. "It's a good step to the right direction but we're still not there yet,” said Stepney, who contacted the strata but has not received a response. “I guess the big goal that I'm pushing for is I really want Sur- rey to start talking about some light pollution bylaws." Currently, Surrey doesn't have a bylaw that solely sets rules for light pollution. Such a complaint falls under the nuisance bylaw. Resi- dents must contact a bylaw officer who determines whether the com- plaint is a nuisance. Mike Starchuk is a Surrey city councillor who is also chairperson for the city’s Environmental Sus- tainability Advisory Committee. According to Starchuk, a bylaw for light pollution would be ‘irrational’ since Surrey has already taken steps to address lighting concerns. He recommended residents ad- dress their concerns to the city di- rectly, rather than start a petition for change. "There's a lot of times where people think that creating a peti- tion is the way to go, but contact- ing the right people... is often a much less onerous job than to walk around the neighbourhood and col- lect names,” said Starchuk. Correction In the Oct. 12 edition, The Voice wrote that the smoking hut outside Building B would be demolished in January 2018 as part of Langara’s smoke-free campus initiative. In fact, the college has not yet come to a decision on whether it will tear down the hut. The Langara senior leader- ship team has agreed to pro- ceed with a smoke free cam- pus policy but according to Dawn Palmer, Vice-President of People Services, a commu- nications and transition plan must be developed before a decision can be made. Palmer said the team must engage in further discussions with stakeholder groups and educate the whole college community before imple- mentation We apologize for the error.