THEVOICE | 2 THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019 | EDITOR KELSEA FRANZKE Protestor Max Wong stands outside the Vancouver law courts at Meng Wanzhou's hearing on March 6. PHOTO BY NICK LABA Chinese students weigh in As Huawei hearing begins, some feel Canada should back off = By AUSTIN EVERETT ome international students from China are urging Canada to stay out of the international Huawei controversy, and release chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou. Meng has been living under house arrest since December 2018, when she was arrested at Vancouver Inter- national Airport. On March 6, she appeared at B.C. Supreme Court where she learned that her next court appearance is on May 8. It will be months before a date is even set for her extradition hearing. At the hearing, 16-year-old Austin Zhan, a Chinese international student from Pattison High School, said he was shocked by the emotion at the protest, especially when he saw one protestor burn the Chinese flag. “To be honest with you, I feel very mad,” Zhan said. Joe Zhou, who studies business at Langara and moved to Canada from China five years ago, attended previous protests outside Vancouver law courts urging for Meng’s protection, despite allega- tions against her. But Zhou said it’s not Canada's fault. “People who think independently know that Canada has nothing to do with it, and that China and Canada’s relations should be normal,” he said. The U.S. wants Meng extradited to Go to langaravoice.ca for video report face charges for allegedly conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on Iran while doing business as CFO of Huawei Technologies. Meng’s defence lawyer, Richard Peck, said the case is very complex. Canada and China’s relation- ship has changed since the arrest. At least two Canadi- ans living in China have been arrested for alleged activi- ties that undermined China’s national security since Meng was detained. Langara student Zhu Si Zhe said those arrests were wrong. “(China] should focus on this inci- dent only,” Zhu said, adding that she worries any escalation between the two countries could lead to the same kind of arbirtary treatment for Chinese students. Patrick Yan, an international educa- tion consultant who processes visas for Chinese students, said that although relations are suffering between the countries, there are no difficulties in applying for visas. “No issues so far,” Yan said, though he is prepared for conflicts as Meng’s hearings progress. Many Chinese students say they have followed the controversy via WeChat and Chinese news outlets. With 855 registered this year, Chinese students are the second-larg- est group of international students at Langara after those from India. Young residents back-u North Shore bus battle draws array of locals to council meeting = By NICK LABA hotly contested plan for a North Shore express bus is getting a late wave of support from a group of young West Vancouver residents, many of whom appeared at a lengthy council meet- ing Monday that heard over four hours of public testimony. The debate over the proposed B-Line, which would run from Phibbs Exchange near the Ironwork- ers Bridge in North Vancouver to 24" Street in West Vancouver, has gener- ated largely negative responses from business owners and citizens over the past several months. But that has changed. Emily Kelsall, who lives in the district and hopes to attend university next year, got involved after she heard that the people protesting the project had a good chance of stopping it. “T didn't really think it was going to be an issue,” Kelsall said. “I just kind of thought it was going to go through and that the people who were against it were just making a small ruckus, but it turned out that they're making a big ruckus. So I got involved.” Since the plan was unveiled last November, consultations and coun- cil meetings have been dominated by citizens voicing their disapproval.The protestors rejected TransLink data showing the addition of dedicated bus lanes will reduce congestion and improve transit service. ‘The debate over rapid transit in West Vancouver isn’t the first transit plan to turn into an ugly fight. But one expert says the younger genera- tion is changing the dynamic. Former six-term Vancouver coun- cillor Gordon Price said that prob- ably the worst public hearing he was a part of was in 1998 when the city’s first B-Line was proposed to run along Granville Street to the airport. “You had the people in Shaugh- nessy and all along the line that made all the same arguments: Didn't need it, no one would use it, it would lower our property values — pollution, danger. Check,” he said. However, Price said, the arrival of younger people concerned about environmental and other issues has altered the public conversation. “But this is different, particularly with issues like climate change and affordability, something fundamental has really shifted and I think that’s part of the response. Young people look out and they see that this world is not the same one that their parents grew up in and have profoundly benefitted from.” The younger residents started attending two weeks ago to speak in favour of new rapid transit. Ata public meeting Feb. 25, coun- cillors heard from an equal number of people expressing views from the pro-express bus side of the debate as those opposed. Andrew Farris, a West Vancouver resident, said that councillors and people protesting the project were surprised when he and 14 others spoke in support of the B-Line. “The B-Line is a small but abso- lutely crucial step to reducing West Vancouver's carbon emissions,” Farris wrote in a letter to council. Christopher Coulson, a UBC student who travelled from Rich- B-Line mond to speak at the meeting, is part of a group of pro-transit enthusiasts from across the Lower Mainland. “For transit enthusiasts and people who regularly take public tran- sit around the entire metropolitan region, to sit back and allow one tran- sit line to fall, [you] risk damaging the entire system,” he said. At the end of the meeting, coun- cil deferred its decision on the line, along with a motion from Coun. Peter Lambur, to the next meeting. The motion gives staff 30 days to report back on whether having the express-bus service end at the Park Royal Shopping Centre, several kilometres to the east of the current planned terminus. See langaravoice.ca for full story. Pro-transit enthusiast Christopher Coulson sits in the overflow area at West Vancouver's city council meeting on Monday. PHOTO BY NICK LABA Atlarge Artist spaces aim to inspire nitatve provides space for creatives to work and perform = By DARREN AMNER ew Westminster artists and News are going to get the chance to create and perform in local parks and other public spaces, thanks to a new local initiative. In partnership with the city, the Downtown New Westminster Busi- ness Improvement Association has launched a brand-new placemaking program to inspire the community. ‘The program is inviting individu- als, businesses and not-for-profits to submit proposals for unique and artistic innovative activations. Three will be chosen. Rob Leishman, a local musician and manager of Suna Studios, feels the activation opportunity is incred- ibly important for the city. Leishman, who has been playing bass in bands since ‘93, made an okay living back in the day. Nowadays he could not imagine how hed make a living play- ing the current local scene. “Playing in public spaces just allows so many different artists to be discovered, it’s a big thing,” Leish- man said. Stephen O’Shea, from the Arts Council of New Westminster, is excited for new opportunities for creatives to bring forward their ideas to produce events for the community. “What I’m most thrilled about is not just the financial support, but the additional organizational support from the BIA,” O'Shea said. His group vetted the initiative to ensure it was artist-friendly. The program hopes to fund the three projects in 2019 for up to $3,500 apiece. One example of how success- ful this idea has already been in one Leishman saw last year—a band called Raincity, which often played at the pop-up public space Fridays on Front. The band built up an audience, and now plays all over the city and is currently recording its upcoming EP. “The last time we played, there were a lot of children dancing and singing to our music and enjoying the festival. That is definitely something you dont get at a regular gig,” said Raincity’s lead singer, Clare Twiddy. See langaravoice.ca for full story. Music Industry Roles Top Vancouver music industry jobs Artist / Musician / Performer Music Educator / Instructor Music Promoter SOURCE: WWW.SOUNDDIPLOMACY.COM