12th & Cambie

By Mike Howell-Staff writer

NPA boarding tonight

Heritage Hall on Main Street will never be the same after tonight's political smackdown.

Or, maybe it will.

The NPA's annual general meeting isn't expected to reach the excitement levels of, say, a COPE AGM or a Vision AGM, where Vision Coun. Tim Stevenson reportedly initiated a conga line.

Actually, that's not true.

But whatever happens tonight, the NPA will end the evening with a newly elected board of directors. There are 16 candidates vying for eight vacant positions.

The incumbents seeking re-election are president Matthew Taylor, former SUCCESS vice-chair David W. Choi and Yvonne De Valone, owner of Downtown U-Lok Storage Ltd.

The new candidates are former Liberal MLA (Vancouver-Kingsway) Rob Nijjar, lawyer George Cadman, former provincial Liberal staffer Colin Doylend, Protocol Public Relations head Tania Kourline, entrepreneur Victoria Mendes, Telus senior manager Brian Demuy, "protective services" worker Guljinder Singh Dhesi, former vice-president of the Vancouver Economic Development Commission Sean Neighbors, financier Peter Ormesher, environmental consultant Ned Pottinger, marketing consultant Judy Rudin, lawyer Tim Wong and Andrea Smith, a former assistant to Liberal Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon.

The first five successful candidates (total votes) will be elected for three-year terms. The sixth successful candidate will be elected for a two-year term and the remaining two candidates for one-year terms.

Eligible voters must have joined the NPA 45 days prior to the meeting. Registration opens at 5:30 p.m., the meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and NPA Coun. Peter Ladner will be popping wheelies on his bike at about 9 p.m.

Or, maybe not.

Architect articulates
Eddie! Eddie!
That's Edward, actually-internationally recognized architect Edward Mazria from Santa Fe, New Mexico. He will speak tomorrow night at the Vancouver Public Library as part of the city's "Ecodensity" speaker series.

Mazria is the founder of Architecture 2030 Challenge. Cities around the world are signing up for the challenge and are encouraged to develop, by the year 2030, new buildings that use clean energy sources.

Since forming Mazria Inc. in 1978, Mazria has completed a diverse number of award-winning architecture and planning projects, including the Mt. Airy Public Library in North Carolina and the Genoveva Chavez Community Center in Santa Fe. Tomorrow night's event is free and begins at 7 p.m. at the Alice Mackay room.

SPEC points finger
The media and public have been taken for a ride by the provincial government over the controversial Gateway Program, says the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation.

At 11 a.m. today, the Kitsilano-based SPEC was expected to "present evidence of manipulation of the media and the public by the Ministry of Transportation and Highways" over the project.

The government plans to twin the Port Mann Bridge and widen the freeway from the bridge to Vancouver. SPEC and activists claim the project will encourage vehicle use.

The press conference will be held adjacent to the Surrey Central SkyTrain station.

published on 04/25/2007