A small group of Windermere Business students went on a walking tour of Chinatown, specifically Shanghai Alley, Dr Sun Yat Sen garden, Pender Street, and Strathcona social housing. Shanghai Alley offered huge contrast between new and old in the area (it’s a mix of early 2000s condos, two old tenement buildings, and the 1990s S.U.C.C.E.S.S. seniors housing centre).

Old building in the Alley. 25+ story condos flank the other end of the Alley (formerly the whole block consisted of these Victorian multi-unit buildings)

We spent about 20 minutes in the Jack Chow building, exploring its spectacular basement. We met the building owner’s son, Rod Chow, dressed in an exuberant yellow suit, and his colleague Sylvia. We learned from her that the two buildings across the street had “half floors”, which were 5 feet high! They were designed to avoid paying city taxes based on how many floors were in a building, a long time ago. Sylvia was so hospitable to our group and we got to see a custom light and sound show in the basement (visible in the glass blocks on the sidewalk above). They are trying to win an award for best light display – please vote below.

http://livedesignonline.com/2016-excellence-awards-voting

Main floor is 4 feet 10 inches wide! It’s a world record!

We got to see first-hand Chinatown’s mix of traditional Chinese-oriented and newcomer (non-Chinese) shops / condos / art (see Ken Lum’s Vancouver Special photo below). In my opinion, this mix is what makes the area so attractive in which to spend time: it is vibrant, authentic, and diverse. Let’s keep it that way!

I had the privilege to witness an honouring ceremony at Ray-Cam Community Centre in Strathcona today. Many people, young and old, were honoured for supporting graduation efforts in the neighbourhood. The audience was one of the most diverse I’ve ever seen in Vancouver, and it was wonderful to watch. My organization, Pathways Canada, is spearheading efforts to increase graduation rates in the area. Anybody interested in volunteering should contact me and research Pathways to see if it’s for them.

The honoured ones below. Jenny Kwan (MLA) was in the audience:

Dr Sherry Campbell visited IBS 12 students yesterday and presented her insights on change management and strategy. She is a leading change management specialist / consultant based in Vancouver. Students were impressed by her stories and, in turn, I think Sherry enjoyed meeting the next generation of BC business leaders.

More info about Sherry here: http://www.wmc.ca/team/sherry-campbell/