Author Archives: Charlie Cullen

BC Lion’s Lui Passaglia

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Though Vancouver may be known for our Canucks team, the BC Lions are Vancouver’s oldest professional sports team. Lui Passaglia was a part of the BC Lions team for a record breaking 25 years as the team’s placekicker. During his time playing with the BC Lions Passaglia scored more points in that time than any other North American football player in history, earning him places in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame and the BC Lions Hall of Fame. Born right here in Vancouver, Passaglia played quarterback at his high school Notre Dame Regional Secondary School in East Vancouver. Upon graduating he was accepted to Simon Fraser University in Burnaby where he played wide receiver as well as kicker. During his time playing for Simon Fraser’s team The Clan he scored a recorded 175 points, won the District 1 honours twice and was named an All-Northwest All-Star. Passaglia was the fifth selection for the BC Lions after finishing his time at Simon Fraser in the 1976 CFL Canadian College Draft as kicker and wide receiver. While playing for the CFL Passaglia played the most regular seasons at 25 years, played the most games at 408 and scored the most points in a regular season at 3,991 points all with the BC Lions. Passaglia holds many CFL records such as being named a CFL Western Division All-Star nine times and CFL All-Star nine times. Passaglia retired from the CFL following the BC Lions 88th Grey Cup in 2000 where he scored the winning points. After his retirement from the BC Lions he worked for seven years as the team’s director of community relations, he left the position in 2007 to spend time on his family property development business. He has lived in Coquitlam for the last 20 years and in 2014 publicly announced he was battling stage 3 colon cancer and by going public intended to fundraise for research and treatment against the illness.  

Football / Pixabay

Legendary Canucks Player Trevor Linden

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The Canucks are a beloved team in Vancouver and one of the most memorable players for the team to date has been Trevor Linden. Born and raised in Medicine Hat Alberta, Linden has always been a skilled athlete participating in sports such as baseball, golf, volleyball, basketball and speed skating with his top priority being hockey. He was also very successful academically and received a scholarship for hockey to Princeton University, an ivy league school in New Jersey. However, Linden chose to stay in Medicine Hat and play for the local junior team Medicine Hat Midget Tigers. After one season of playing he joined the Western Hockey League Medicine Hat Tigers, a team he had grown up watching. After playing 3 years with the Tigers Linden was drafted second overall to the Vancouver Canucks in 1988 when he was 18 years old. He played with the Vancouver Canucks from 1988-1998 and was traded to the New York Islanders where he played with them from 1998-2001. He was traded back to the Vancouver Canucks in 2001 and continued to play for them until 2008. Linden played with the Canucks for exactly 20 years to the day and was a franchise leader with 1140 games played and 415 assists which was a team record until it was surpassed by Henrik Sedin in 2010. On and off the ice Linden was highly respected by his teammates and fans, he spent much of his free time doing charity work primarily working with children. He often visited children at the BC Children’s hospital and in 1995 started the Trevor Linden Foundation to raise money for local charities and also hosted an annual golf tournament to fundraise for the BC Children’s Hospital. Linden’s jersey number 16 was retired in 2008 after his retirement, VIP gate 5 was also changed to the number 16 in honour of Linden and his legacy remains everywhere at Rogers Arena. 

Hockey Player / Pixabay

The Exciting Richmond Night Market

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The Richmond Night Market is a summertime favourite for many Vancouver locals and tourists alike. Since its beginning in 2000 the event has only continued to grow in size and popularity. Originating at the Continental Center on Cambie Road the Richmond Night Market has become an international attraction bringing over one million visitors every year, it was also the first event of its kind in the Lower Mainland making it a quick success. The event took a four year hiatus after the founder searched for a new location and once returned in 2012 was met with an overwhelming amount of popularity with the new venue spanning 18 acres and only continues to grow with attractions and booths. Each year the founder Raymond Cheung introduces a new theme that ranges from themes such as Return of the Dragon in 2012, Magical Candyland in 2014, Pirates in 2015 and Massive Dinosaurs in the park in 2016. In 2017 The Richmond Night Market hosted a Canada Day party every weekend  of its opening from mid-May and September. The event has over 200 vendors and 120 food stalls for customers and at its peak has over 400 vendors. Admission into the event was free with $5.50 for parking but as over 2012 parking is now free with a small admission price. It is also located extremely close to the Canada Line at the Bridgeport Station for easy access. For many years the Richmond Night Market has been a popular attraction for those in not only the Vancouver and British Columbia area but for all of Canada as well. With a large variety of different foods to try and a new and exciting theme each year, the Richmond Night Market is open every weekend at 8351 River Road from May to September. Anyone who has attended this event will tell you it is worth it to go and see in person.

Vancouver Market / Pixabay

Remembering Barbara Howard

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Barbara Howard was born in Vancouver and is believed to be the first black woman to represent Canada as an athlete in an international competition. Born the youngest of five siblings, Howard was always a fast runner, winning the school championship at her elementary school Laura Secord Elementary. In high school she quickly established herself as one of the fastest sprinters in the city. At seventeen years old she broke the British Empire record for the 100 yard dash and qualified to represent Canada at the British Empire games in 1938. There she finished sixth in the 100 yard dash but went on to win silver as part of the 440 yard dash and bronze as part of the 660 yard dash. She never competed in the Olympics due to the second world war but instead became the first person of colour to be hired by the Vancouver school board. During her time in Australia for the British Empire games Howard was adored by Australians and received many gifts during her stay from admirers. Due to all this attention she did not place as high as she was hoping to and felt she disappointed Canada when she did not return home with a gold medal. Upon the 1940 and 1944 Olympics being cancelled Howard continued her education determined to become a teacher. She attended Normal School for teacher training and later received a Bachelors of Education from UBC. After graduating she got a job in Port Alberni after her instructor recommended her so highly for the position, she quickly returned to teach in Vancouver as a substitute teacher. She was soon offered a full time position with the school and taught for 43 years retiring in 1984. Throughout her life Barbara Howard was an important Vancouver pioneer for African American women not only in sports but also education.

Track and Field / Pixabay

Vancouver Figure Skater Karen Magnussen

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Karen Magnussen is a former figure skating world champion who was born and raised right here in Vancouver. Beginning her ice skating career at the age of six when her mother, who was a former skater, brought her to lessons at Kerrisdale arena where she skated on curling ice. In 1965 Magnussen began her career at the elite level when she won the Canadian national junior title moving her up to the senior level the following year. Magnussen was known for her strong free skating ability and she continued to rise through the ranks eventually qualifying for the World Championships in 1967 and winning her first Canadian title in 1968. In the 1968 Winter Olympics in France she placed seventh and lost her Canadian title the following year to Linda Carbonetto. In 1969 Magnussen was diagnosed with stress fractures in both her legs  causing her to spend three months in a wheelchair, despite her injuries she returned to the ice soon after recovery. Though she watched the 1969 World Championships from her wheelchair, Magnussen was determined to make a return to the ice. She went on to win the Canadian Championships four more times in the years of 1970-1973 as well as competing at the World Championships where she won bronze in 1971, silver in 1972 and eventually added a gold medal to her collection in 1973. After winning her gold medal Magnussen retired from competitive skating and performed with the Ice Capades for four years. She then coached in Boston for eleven years before returning to Vancouver to teach figure skating as well as coach hockey players in power, balance and starts and stops. In 2011 there was an ammonia leak in the North Shore Winter Club rink that caused Magnussen breathing problems, impaired her vision and ended up permanently disabling her. Karen Magnussen was the last Canadian woman to win the world title for 45 years until Kaetlyn Osmond won the title in 2018.

Ice rink / Pixabay

Soccer Legend Christine Sinclair

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Chistine Sinclair is the all-time leading scorer in international goals for men and women scoring the 184th and 185th goals at the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship. On January 29th of 2020 Sinclair tied and quickly surpassed Abby Wambach for most international goals scored by men and women in soccer. Born in Burnaby, Sinclair began playing soccer at the age of four, her father Bill Sinclair and two uncles, Bruce and Brian Sinclair were all soccer champions with her uncles playing at a professional level. Throughout her youth Sinclair has always been a passionate soccer player, at eleven she was selected to British Columbia’s under 14 all star soccer team as well as leading the Burnaby Girls Soccer Club to six league titles, five provincial titles and two national finishes. At 15 she played for Canada’s under 18 national team and made her debut at the senior level at age 16 at the 2000 Algarve cup where she scored three goals. Sinclair attended the University of Portland where she was quickly seen as a leader to Portland Pilots coach Clive Charles, her soccer career in college including playing 94 games with a total of 110 goals and 34 assists, she was also awarded the Hermann Trophy and Honda Sports Award. Playing at the international level for Canada since the age of 16, Sinclair has played at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the years 2005, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019. She also played at the 2012 London Olympics where she broke the record for most goals scored in Olympic Women’s soccer. Today Christine Sinclair is in her twentieth year of playing internationally, she has won Canadian Soccer Player of the year fourteen times and been nominated for FIFA Player of the year seven times. She currently plays and is captain for the Portland Thorns in the National Women’s Soccer League and the Canadian national team.

FIFA World Cup / Pixabay

The History of the Vancouver Art Gallery

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The Vancouver Art Gallery is an iconic Vancouver landmark with a rich culture and history. Founded and constructed in 1931 at 1146 Georgia Street, the building is now located several blocks west, and was built for $40,000. During the time of its opening most of the artwork displayed was by British and other European artists. In 1951 the building was expanded to three times its original size to fit over 150 pieces of artwork by Emily Carr, Lauren Harris was a close friend of Carr’s and fundraised for the expansion of the gallery raising $300,000, the total renovation cost $600,000 with the half being funded by the City of Vancouver. In 1983 the gallery was relocated to its present day location at 750 Hornby Street which was a former provincial courthouse, the building continues to be owned by the Government of British Columbia. Construction began in December 1981 costing $20million to redesign the courthouse, it was later opened to the public in October 1983 with over 41,000 square feet of exhibit space. Plans to build a new building for the museum on a new site were undertaken in 2004. The decision was made after it was determined that an expanded facility was necessary to accommodate the demand for educational programs, future displays as well as storage space. The cost of constructing a new building is estimated to be $330 million with provincial and federal governments providing $200 million while the rest of the money is expected to be raised through public and private donations to the gallery. The building was originally aimed to be completed by 2020 however developments have been delayed due to a funding dispute between the provincial and federal government. The Vancouver Art Gallery is beloved in Vancouver amongst artists and citizens alike with all its rich history and artwork that can be witnessed and appreciated by all. Anyone who has been to the Vancouver Art Gallery will tell you it is worth a visit!

Art Gallery / Pixabay

Vancouver’s Chinatown

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Vancouver’s Chinatown is one of the largest historic Chinatowns in North America and largest in Canada. Beginning in 1886 on what is now known as East Pender Street, Chinatown started out with only ninety Chinese residents and by 1890 more than one thousand residents were clustered onto East Pender Street. Chinatown grew quickly meaning many workers had to share single rooms with other people, social problems such as prostitution, hard drug use and gambling were extremely common. By 1900 Chinatown had spread across 4 blocks and the construction of new buildings for residents, grocery stores, tailors, restaurants and many other businesses were underway. During this time Vancouver’s Red Light district had a strong presence in the area and frequently had police checks in an attempt to clean up the area, several brothels and businesses moved to dead end roads and while immigrants became more spread out the area remained highly concentrated. Chinatown developed a poor reputation, due to the concentration of residents, cleanliness was difficult to uphold and the problems with drug use, gambling and prostitutions remain prevalent. Many Chinese residents were faced with hostility and discrimination and as these social problems grew discrimination turned into violence leading to the 1907 riot. As more immigrants came to Vancouver clan societies began to develop, typically based on last name clans offered new comers friendship and a community to be a part of. The Vancouver riots of 1907 developed after an anti immigration rally and resulted in irreversible damage to Chinese homes and businesses as well as physical violence to many residents. In 1979 a streetscape improvement program was sponsored to add Chinese elements to the area to distinguish Chinatown as a destination of heritage tourism. With the growth of Chinatown in the 1900s the community became healthy and lively which began to age as immigrants were no longer as concentrated.  Today Chinatown is an important historic landmark in Vancouver and is often busy with customers, many Asian bakeries, restaurants and bars line the streets making it well worth the visit, if not for the food then for the history. 

Chinatown / Pixabay

The Totem Poles of Stanley Park

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Stanley Park is arguably Vancouver’s most popular tourist attraction. But there’s more to explore then just biking along the sea wall. The famous totem pole display at Brockton Point began in 1920 with four totems from the Alert Bay region on Vancouver Island and slowly grew over the decades adding totems from Haida Gwaii and Rivers Inlet. They were originally located at Lumbermens’ Arch and Prospect Point but were moved to Brockton Point in 1962 where they now reside. The Rose Cole Yelton Memorial totem pole is the first totem pole you see when entering the Brockton Point display area, it honours the last surviving resident of the Brockton community as well as all it’s other residents who lived  in Stanley Park. The eight totems in the main display area are Oscar Maltipi totem, Chief Skedans Mortuary totem, Chief Wakas totem, Thunderbird House Post totem, Kakaso’Las totem, Beaver Crest totem, Ga’akstalas totem, Sky Chief Totem. The Oscar Maltipi totem displays a colourful totem with many animals including a killer whale and the mythical thunderbird. The Chief Skedans Mortuary totem is the only Mortuary totem pole making it very unique, this type of totem pole has a cavity at the top where a chief’s remains would be placed. The Chief Wakas totem was originally placed at the entrance of Chief Wakas’ house and represents a talking stick which is held by people who are making important speeches on the chief’s behalf. The Thunderbird House Post totem displays a colourful open winged thunderbird and is one of the most famous totem poles in Stanley Park. The Kakaso’Las totem is the most colourful totem among the display, this totem shows a sea bear holding a killer whale followed by a man then a frog and below that is a raven. The Beaver Crest totem is not painted in bright colours like most of the other totems and the main body is circular with no wings or beaks protruding, the carvings on the totem tells the story of the Nisga’a family Tait. Ga’akstalas totem displays many well known men and animals with many bright colours, this totem shows the Red Cedar bark man, a killer whale, raven and grizzly bear. The Sky Chief Totem is another very colourful totem among the display in Stanley Park and depicts a kingfisher, killer whale, snake and wolf. Whether you have been to Stanley Park and seen the display at Brockton Point, these totems are rich in culture and have something to teach everyone. 

Thunderbird House Post totem pole / Pixabay

Remembering the Life of Harry Jerome

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  Harry Jerome was an Olympic Track and Field athlete who not only shared the title of “Fastest Man Alive” for eight years but also fought to improve opportunities for black youth in Canadian sports. Born in Prince Albert Saskatchewan with the name Winston Jerome, Harry Jerome moved to North Vancouver at the age of 12 with his mother and father. He competed in track and field at a university level while attending the University of Oregon and was a member of the Canadian track and field team in the years 1960, 1964 and 1968 for the Summer Olympics. During his athletic career Jerome set a total of seven world records and tied for the 100 meter record at 10.0 seconds in 1960, he later tied for the 100 yard dash world record at 9.3 seconds making him one of the few athletes to simultaneously hold the world record for the 100 meter and 100 yard dash. What should have been a promising Olympic career for Jerome became one of the many trials to overcome in his athletic career. After pulling his quadricep muscles in the 100 meter semi finals in Rome Jerome was out of the competition. Doctors believed this injury would cripple Jerome and the media portrayed him as a quitter but after two years of painful rehabilitation he ran in the 1964 Olympics winning a bronze medal. In the 1968 Summer Olympic games he finished seventh despite his physical injuries and negative view in the press he never gave up. At the end of the 1968 season he retired from international competitions and began working in the Federal Ministry of Sport developing the B.C Premier’s Sport Award Program to encourage young people to become active and achieve their athletic dreams. Harry Jerome was a mentor and inspiration to many Canadians and in 1971 he was named British Columbia’s Athlete of the Century. He died suddenly of a brain aneurysm on December 7th 1982 at the age of 42. A bronze statue of Harry Jerome stands in Stanley Park as a reminder of his determination and refusal to give up on his dreams.

Harry Jerome Statue / Pixabay