This recipe is a supplement to the story ‘Healing Garden’ nourishes Aboriginal Vancouverites.

The garden keepers plan to release a cookbook in September 2010

Bannock is a quick bread that doesn’t require yeast. It is a post-contact food (similar to Irish Soda Bread) that that was picked up and embraced by Aboriginal cultures across Canada as European settlers came in to first peoples’ respective territories and brought their flour and sugar.

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees (F) Grease a 6” by 6” baking tin.

Measure the following ‘Dry’ ingredients into a mixing bowl:

• 2 cups organic whole wheat flour
• 2 cups organic un-bleached white flour
• ½ cup organic sugar
• ½ cup organic quick rolled oats
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• ¼ salt

Measure and whisk together the following ‘Wet’ ingredients:

• 1 organic free range egg
• 2 Tbsp grapeseed oil
• 2 cups of cold water

1. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and, using a fork, mix the ingredients together without kneading or over mixing the dough.
2. Incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients or vice versa just until the point that the dry and the wet ingredients are mixed together, but do not over mix or you’ll have a tougher product.
3. Pour into greased 6×6 tin and place in a 400 degree oven.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, until the top of the bread sounds hollow when you tap it or knock the top.
5. When the cracks are dry and the bread light or golden brown, take out of the oven.
6. Butter the top of the bannock you have just completed baking.
7. Turn upside down onto a drying rack.
8. Cover with a clean tea towel and let cool on a drying rack for 20 minutes before slicing.
9. Use a knife to pry the bread out of the pan.
10. Serve up with butter or margarine and a low sugar fruit/berry compote or jam. If you’re not eating the bannock within 24 hours, freeze the loaf to eat another day.

Note: if you double this recipe, bake in a 9 x 13 greased baking pan. You will get about 16-18 slices out of the double loaf, depending on how thickly you slice.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Holmes, garden project coordinator. It was originally developed by Ron Plowright and Chef Maleah.

Skulsh remembers growing his first cauliflower in 2005.

By Fabiola Carletti and Lewis Kelly

Growing a cauliflower can bring childlike joy to a grown man’s face. At least, it did for John Skulsh, who still talks about the first vegetable he’d ever grown.

“I lifted it up,” said Skulsh, who hails from the Gitxsan Nation. “What a feeling that was! You know, the only time I’d picked up cauliflower was from Safeway, wrapped in cellophane.”

Skulsh is among the many residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside who steward the Urban Aboriginal Community Kitchen Garden, a half-acre of fertile land at the UBC farm. The project aims to shrink the distance between the garden and the grocery store, while celebrating Aboriginal traditions around food in the context of the city.

For many involved, this means cultivating a more direct relationship with what they eat—a process that can begin at any age.

“Even some of the seniors didn’t know how things like radish grew,” said Cathy Goupil, a seasoned gardener from the L’il’wat Nation, “They’d never seen one without a rubber band.”

Goupil is one of the garden’s founding matriarchs, affectionately called the grannies, who have worked with the project from its beginning in 2005.

Since then, roughly 500 people have spent time at the garden. Some actively work on small projects while others visit for large celebratory feasts, like the Blessing of the Land.

Waking up indigenous knowledge

On a Monday afternoon, many local goods were scattered around the farm’s indoor kitchen table, where a small group of community members talked, laughed and worked together to prepare a meal.

Granny Goupil explained the healing benefits of XwU’sum (pronounced “hoshum”).  It is a traditional berry-based drink that strengthens the immune system and cleanses the body.

Louis Joseph, a Native Elder from the Tlowitsis Nation, had handpicked the blackberries in the salad dressing. Rob Morgan, a Gitxsan Downtown Eastside resident, had carried in a bucket of freshly harvested herbs from the nearby garden.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“We wake up old traditions and indigenous knowledge systems,” said Project Coordinator Mary Holmes, “and we find a place for them both at the university and within the larger community.”

Aboriginal culture in the city

The garden plot belongs to the Musqueam Nation, who shares the space with other Aboriginal people in Vancouver.

“Access to land is a huge issue for First Nations folk living in the city,” said Holmes.

Nearly half of all Aboriginal Canadians now live in urban centers, according to new study by the Environics Institute. Its research shows that many indigenous city dwellers see the city as “a venue for creative development of Aboriginal culture” and roughly 60 per cent feel they can maintain cultural ties in an urban setting.

Volunteer chefs prepare all the food in the kitchen.

The study highlights Vancouver as a city in which “residents are both more aware of Aboriginal cultural activities in their city and participate in them more frequently.”

Community members at the garden learn about each other’s traditions. They sit down and talk about what to plant, what to eat, and how to cook the meal itself.

“There are very different ways to prepare clam chowder,” said volunteer and UBC student Jocelyn Greer. “Trying to find a happy medium is very interesting to watch, but it always turns out delicious in the end.”

Seeds of change

Community members bring all kinds of skills and struggles to the table.

Residential school survivors, the mentally ill, and troubled youth, for instance, find out about the program through its parent organization, the Vancouver Native Health Society, and its community partners.

Skulsh came to program through the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users. To him, the garden is a sanctuary.

“All you see is trees surrounding you,” he said, “You don’t see the hustle and bustle of the Downtown Eastside…No drugs, no alcohol.”

In this space, many people plant the seeds of change.

“It is a healing garden,” said Skulsh, “Being out there clears your mind, makes you energized, makes you happy.”

Get inside the kitchen

Recipe for organic bannock, courtesy of Mary Holmes

Watch the kitchen in action, narrated by John Skulsh

The only off-leash dog park in Kitsilano is by the water

Take a stroll in Kitsilano and you will meet your fair share of dogs. Water dishes line the entrances to shops in this part of Vancouver, and it is common to find treats outside. Kits seems to give dogs the same treatment as any two-legged resident.

For some Kitsilano isn’t as dog friendly as it could be.

A group of local residents are lobbying the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation for a second off-leash dog park, arguing that one isn’t enough to meet the needs of all of dog owners.

“We’re not asking for special treatment or anything like that, it’s just having the dogs be a part of the community,” said Ilona Lo, an accountant with KPMG, who leads the group. “Kitsilano is known for being a dog friendly neighbourhood, so it’s about incorporating them into the community.”

The parks board is responsible for creating dog parks and acknowledges the intensity of the debate.

“Off-leash dog parks is a hot topic in Vancouver,” said Brian Quinn from the board.

“It’s a contentious issue that’s become more common in recent years. There are a lot of people that are pro-dog and a lot that are not.”

Kitsilano High School teacher Carol Moore drafted a petition, and Lo created a website and made posters to encourage interest.

“There’s a big void in the Kitsilano, Dunbar, Jericho area, and that’s why we want one here, to fill that void,” said Lo.

Listen to Ilona Lo explain why she became involved with the petition:

‘Dog beach’

There are roughly 101,556 registered dogs in Metro Vancouver, according to data published in The Vancouver Sun. Kitsilano has the most licensed dogs in a single area of Vancouver, roughly 2,050. This does not include the number of unregistered dogs.

Lo with Collie, her sheltie, at Arbutus Walk

There are over thirty dog parks in Metro Vancouver, but only one off-leash dog park in all of Kitsilano, located at Hadden Park. The local dog owners know it as the ‘dog beach’ and it is in the northeast corner of Kitsilano.

“It’s very difficult to get all the way out there. Unless you have a car, it’s really hard to walk all the way down there before work and then come all the way home,” said Lo.

There are also safety concerns.

“Due to the darker nights in the fall and winter, it is not a safe area – especially for women who own dogs – because of the lack of light,” said Moore.

The group suggests two areas in order to compromise. The proposed off-leash area is Connaught Park, as well as Arbutus Walk.

“We’re putting both the park and the walk on the petition because we understand the park is a sports field,” said Lo.

“Some people are concerned that we will be affecting sports games and things like that, so we suggested Arbutus Walk. That’s why the petition says ‘in the preference of the park and/or the walk’.”

Community voices

There are different kinds of dog parks in greater Vancouver. There are permanent off-leash areas, and some parks have time restrictions.

In Hadden Park, owners are only allowed to let their dogs off-leash in the morning and evening during summer months. The rest of the year is open between the hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Despite being far away, there are those who make the trek in order to experience the benefits of this particular park by the sea.

Colleen McGahan and her dog The Cowboy, better known as “Cow”, make their way from False Creek to Hadden Park whenever they can.

“Cow loves the ocean,” said McGahan.

Off-leash dog parks in Vancouver

When the petition was covered on the community blog kitsilano.ca it drew a range of comments.

“I walk through Kits Beach, Hadden Park and Vanier Park nearly every day and see plenty of people using the whole area as an off-leash park, ignoring the signs,” posted Jody.

“I’ve learned not to mention the rules to dog owners, who usually stare me down. We don’t need more off-leash parks, we need fewer dogs.”

The anti-dog crowd voiced their opinions too.

“I too live by Kits beach and I proclaim NO MORE DOG PARKS or how about just NO MORE DOGS,” posted Julia.

Spring action

The process of creating dog parks is simple, though the issue at heart is more complicated.

A request is made to the board by a person or group, and is then evaluated. Once the board evaluates the need for the park, they will post signage in the area to encourage public comment. The board collects the information and presents a report to the board commissioners.

A meeting is held which is open to the public. This meeting serves as the final venue where public opinion can persuade or dissuade the panel.

Lo is hoping to gather more signatures in the coming months before presenting the petition to the park board in the spring.

The City of Vancouver faces a $60 million budget shortfall for 2010. The board, which faces a setback of $2.8 million, proposes to cut $600,000 to park maintenance and services.

Coal Harbour Community Centre is hidden among towering high rise complexes

On a Sunday morning, the Coal Harbour Community Centre in downtown Vancouver is busy with activity.

Young men and women haul heavy hockey bags on their shoulders as they walk through the automatic doors.  Seniors out for a walk along the nearby seawall, pop in to say hello.

“The biggest purpose of community centres is to bring people together and make strangers friends,” said Dory Lanenter, president of the West End Community Centre Association.

However, this community centre will be closed to the public for three months starting in January 2010 because of the Winter Olympics.  Residents fear it could undermine Coal Harbour’s sense of community.

Community members will have to part ways and visit other centres in surrounding neighbourhoods during the three month closure, when the facility will serve as an intergovernmental relations office for the Winter Games.

West End association president Dory Lanenter fears that the sense of community created by the centre at Coal Harbour will dissipate when the facility closes.

The community is comprised mostly of 25 to 34-year-old residents who have university degrees.   Almost half of them work outside of Coal Harbour area.  Approximately 93 per cent live in high rise apartments, according to Statistics Canada 2006 census data.

Lanenter said the centre created opportunities for residents to meet and get to know each other.   During the past two years, the West End association organized several events at Coal Harbour including outdoor movie nights.

Listen to an interview with Dory Lanenter:

From indoor soccer to the Olympics

Instead of the usual mix of yoga classes, indoor soccer, and children’s dance programs, the centre will provide offices for government officials responsible for coordinating itineraries for visiting dignitaries.

Coal Harbour was chosen as an ideal location in 2008 by the Protocol Coordination Committee.  The committee consists of representatives from the city of Vancouver and the provincial and federal governments.  Representatives from the committee could not be reached for comment.

Lanenter: Tries to maintain a sense of community

However, Thomas Soulliere, acting director of parks and recreation for Stanley district, which includes Coal Harbour, said that the area’s proximity to media and convention centres in downtown Vancouver made the site an optimal choice.

“It’s a real hub of activity here,” Soulliere said.

Because of the closures, residents will have to turn elsewhere for community activities.

The community centre received roughly 162,704 visits last year, according to the Vancouver parks board.   Some, but not all, of the programs will be transferred to the West End Community Centre or Barclay Manor, eight blocks away.

Warren Coughlan, supervisor of recreation services for the West End and Coal Harbour community centres, said that he is confident that Coal Harbour will return to business as usual when the centre reopens in April.

“I would be surprised if we didn’t get our numbers back up quickly,” he said.

Residents are not so sure.

“It’s [Coal Harbour’s] not as close knit as the West End,” Lanenter said.  “A loss of community sense, to me, is a bad thing.”

He is concerned that Coal Harbour residents will explore other options and not return to the community centre after the closure.

One new resident making plans for the closure is Jennifer Porter. She intends to start using the West End centre while the Coal Harbour facility is closed.

“I was interested in going to a yoga program there,” he said.  “I was looking for programs to start using.”

An unwelcome inconvenience

Though the parks board has been aware of the upcoming closure for at least a year, winter programming for 2010 was decided just weeks before the winter brochure’s release in late November.

Recreation supervisor Coughlan said this is because recent community feedback had to be considered.

“Let’s say you start planning this in the summer and all of sudden programs that you offer in the fall might be popular.  You can’t just turn around and say ‘we’re not going to offer those anymore,’” he said.

West End association president Lanenter estimates that a third of Coal Harbour programs could not be moved.

Currently, Coal Harbour’s gymnasium is in use over 60 hours a week for community programming.   Approximately eight hours are devoted to recreational basketball and five hours are reserved for indoor soccer programs for adults.

During the closure, the West End Community Centre will offer two hours of gym time for adults to play indoor soccer and less than two hours for basketball games each week, according to the 2010 recreation brochure.

This poses an inconvenience for residents like Charlie Carrick who plays indoor soccer at Coal Harbour.

“Some guys register for these programs on the day that they are released at 7 in the morning.  Sometimes it’s hard to get in,” he said.  “The course is pretty popular.”

Other options will be available, but it is still a nuisance for Carrick.

“The Went End Community Centre is still very close, but it could be a little inconvenient for people around here,” Carrick said.  “Anything that is disrupted because of the Olympics is annoying to me.”

Revelers in a restaurant lounge

Here are the key issues around new rules governing how restaurants operate:

- The main issue for the city in creating the new bylaw is to ensure that food primary establishments (restaurants) are not doing business in the same manner as liquor primary establishments (bars).

- To become a liquor primary establishment there are a great deal more regulations and costs to deal with in regard to security and neighbourhood consultations.

- The bylaw states that, “Liquor Primary establishments are subject to location restrictions and a variety of operating regulations such as training and identification measures for staff, entry/exit requirements, hiring of security personnel, and acoustical standards. In addition, in order to open a liquor primary establishment, a public consultation process, including solicitation of input from neighbouring residents, must be conducted.”

- The main regulation on restaurants is that food service must be the primary objective.  As stated in the Liquor Control and Licensing Act, when observing the operation of a restaurant a Provincial liquor inspector is to consider kitchen equipment, furnishings and lighting, the menu, hours of operation, advertising, financial records, and the ratio of food sales to liquor sales as stated in sales receipts.

- The primary concern with the hiring of new bylaw enforcement officers is the position involves a great deal of discretion in defining what is the operation of a restaurant.

- The bylaw itself states, “the blurred distinction between licensed restaurants and bars reduced the ability of enforcement staff (primarily Property Use Inspectors and Vancouver Police Department patrol members) to identify by-law violations. To the casual or trained observer there is little difference between patron and staff behaviour in many restaurants and in Liquor Primary settings.  As a result, it is now easier for some restaurateurs to operate outside of their class of liquor license (i.e. like a bar) undetected.”

- Since the 50/50 stipulation has been removed from the bylaw, enforcement officers will be back to square one when trying to define the difference between the two.

Preston, a beagle puppy, shows off his Superdog outfit, and begs for treats.

Preston didn’t seem to like his spandex superman costume.  The 10-month-old Beagle kept spinning around, jumping up, looking for treats.

“We wanted Preston to have a day to have fun,” said Mei Lee, one of Preston the Superdog’s owners.

Preston was not alone in his discomfort with clothing.  “Normally we put on their raincoats, and they won’t move,” said Kirsten Detlefsen.

She is the owner of a six-year-old Cocker-multi-poo, who was dressed as a Rebel environmentalist, and Buddy, a three-year-old Papillon-cocker-multi-poo, dressed as a Jack-o-Lantern.

Preston, Willow and Buddy were three of more than 18 dogs who attended Commercial Drive’s first Halloween Pet Parade and costume contest in Vancouver.

The parade was founded by Michelle Barile, executive director of the Commercial Drive Business Society, and three other local groups, the SPCA, Britannia Community Centre and the Grandview Woodlands Community Policing Centre.

It was inspired by other pet trick-or-treating events around Vancouver. It was a way to promote community, awareness about pets and about safety.

Barile said the business society and policing centre used to be at odds.

“When I started two years ago, that partnership wasn’t taking place: these events weren’t happening,” she said.  “It seems to be so much more rewarding when you’re partnering and working together.”

“I started the event because I’m a dog lover,” said Barile, “but further to that, I wanted to partner with the SPCA, and promote their cause, adoption, and awareness, and also raise funds for the SPCA, and host a good fun community event.”

Scariest, funniest and most unusual

Echo, a Blue merle sheltie, looked ready to audition for the role of Captain Jack Sparrow.

The parade involved a 500-metre hike around Grandview Park, through the Britannia Community Centre, and back to the park through an alley.

The event culminated with a contest, judged by applause, for the scariest, funniest, and most unusual looking pets.

Echo, dressed as a pirate, was top dog in the category of scariest. Licorice, the Skunk dog, was the winner as the funniest.

In the category of most unusual, an unnamed dog, dressed as Cinderella reigned victorious.

When asked what she would change for next year, Barile said, “More prizes.”

Post-contest, pets and owners trick-or-treated to dog-friendly businesses along Commercial Drive.

Pooches help protect property and neighbourhood

The event was also an opportunity for the Grandview-Woodlands Community Policing Centre to recruit dogs and dog owners for their Pooch Patrol program.  Six new volunteers signed up.

The program takes advantage of dog walkers’ daily routes to serve as a form of neighbourhood watch.

Happy, a Shih Tzu, is comfortable in bumble-bee chic.

It is considered another way to “make residents feel comfortable reporting things they’re concerned about,” said Adrian Archambault, coordinator of the GWCPC.

Archambault said the pet parade was a light-hearted way to increase residents’ sense of security in their neighbourhood.

“The more means you can give people to know what to do about situations that have to do with crime prevention and safety,” said Archambault.

“I think that’s what helps give people a sense of security.”

Happy in costume

Denise Meade, a senior manager at the BCSPCA, shared some tips for ensuring costumed dogs were comfortable, as she registered pet participants.

“It’s important to know that, when you’re putting dogs in costumes, that you’re not covering their ears or impeding them from walking,” said Meade.

Meade used Happy, a Shih Tzu-turned-bumblebee as the ideal example of a good costume.

“Happy’s head isn’t being impeded, Happy’s legs aren’t being impeded; her tail’s not covered up.”

“She can still socialize with other dogs, and yet have a cute costume.”

Zombies growl and stomp as Michael Jackson’s Thriller booms over and over again from the sound system.  Mother zombies carrying baby zombies dance together.

A wedding party was surprised when a zombie bride and groom joined the photo shoot.

A skater-boy zombie with a stop sign rammed into his chest gnashes his teeth, and mimics Michael Jackson’s best moves.

Inside the Roundhouse Community centre, a line of dancers wait to sign-in and get splattered with sticky, fake blood. After that, they glue maggots made from rice onto their oozing wounds.

Whiffs of hairspray linger in the rehearsal studio after an 80s punk zombie, empties an aerosol can onto her teased- up hair.

Outside, a bride laughs when a corpse bride and groom shuffle into her photo shoot. The photographer’s camera clicks rapidly once the newly formed wedding party strike a pose.

At Thrill the World 2009, 22,923 people gathered to perform Michael Jackson’s Thriller. That’s five times the number who joined in last year.

United in dance

This year’s event became a tribute to the dead singer. Michael Jackson died this summer on June 25.

“It’s great to see people that have never danced before realizing they can actually dance,” said Graham Lea, the Vancouver event organizer. “The charity aspect of it is about half the equation. The other half is about unifying people through dance around the world.”

Zombies danced at the Roundhouse Turntable Plaza as part of a worldwide tribute to Michael Jackson.

The global event is held annually on Oct. 25. It unites the world in one giant Thriller dance. Around the world, 32 countries joined in and globally raised $85,000 USD for 80 different charities.

Lea brought the event to Vancouver in 2008. He was involved in a dance group called Ceroc, which teaches salsa and swing to beginners. He decided he wanted to branch out to include Jackson-style dancing.

He found dance tutorials online and then stumbled upon the Thrill the World website. He noticed there was no event in Vancouver, “and it just kind of snowballed from there.”

Last year, Lea started teaching Thriller moves and 68 dancers performed with him at Kits Beach. This year, 232 dancers showed up at the Roundhouse.

“The great thing about Thrill the World is it’s designed for beginners to learn,” said Lea. He loves to see shy volunteers transform into dancers with attitude. Donating the proceeds to charity is just an added bonus.

“I think it must be extremely hard to do things in life if you are continually hungry,” said Lea about collecting donations for the 9,000 individuals who use food banks in Vancouver every week.

Money for Vancouver Food Bank

Vancouver raised $3000 this year. Participants were asked to make minimum donations of $10: a small amount in comparison to the amount spent on their zombie costumes.

“A lot of people don’t give just out of memory or the generousness of their hearts. They mean to, but they tend to forget,” said Margot Fraser. She participated to support the food bank and dance with the world.

“If there are special events that bring awareness to people, especially through the media, and it’s something people can participate in, then I think it’s great for charities.”

In the back corner of the dance studio, behind the crowds, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank had a booth set up to take donations. The food boxes were empty, except for a few peach-cups and couple cans of Campbell’s soup.

“We are entirely dependent on donations,” said Fareedah Rasoul Kim, the communications director of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

“The bulk of the money is from the minimum donation from the participants. The minimum was $10, but it’s really whatever people want to donate.”

After the eight-minute routine, a few zombies paced through crowds of spectators with collection tins.

A young man, wearing a leather jacket and clean, white shoes, jumped when a sunken-faced zombie crept up behind him. He laughed before stuffing a twenty into the tin.

“Every little bit helps,” said Rasoul Kim. “Events like this go a long way.”

As for Lea, he is already planning Thrill the World Vancouver 2010.

Just thinking about a trip to Southern Argentina with her boyfriend makes Rebecca Quiring’s face warm and her heart race, but not because of the romantic possibilities.

Daggett's chapel offers sanctuary from the chaos of YVR airport.

Quiring is terrified of flying. In the days before a trip, she becomes increasingly apprehensive and begins to make excuses not to travel. When finally on the plane, her anxiety is overwhelming.

“I can’t keep my mind from asking questions: Was that turn too steep? What was the sound? What if it breaks?” she said. “It comes back to a fear of death. Even if it is safe, what if?”

In response to the fears of passengers like Quiring, Vancouver Airport Chaplain Layne Daggett now offers workshops for fearful fliers, providing assistance that targets an individual’s specific anxieties about air travel.

”My type of ministry tries to meet whatever need there is,” said Daggett of the interfaith chapel. “Whether that be refugees, whether that be someone who needs a meal before their flight, or whether that be someone who is afraid of flying.”

The workshop may be the first of its kind among major Canadian airports.

There is no such formal support program available for frightened passengers at Toronto Pearson International, Ottawa International or Montréal–Trudeau International, according to the airports’ customer information.

In August, Vancouver International Airport handled approximately 1.7 million passengers, and the numbers are expected to increase as the 2010 Games approach. How many of these passengers will be sweating in the skies is unknown, but the fear is common enough to attract the attention of research psychologists.

Anxieties analyzed

Dr. Sheila Woody, an associate professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, said there are two different kinds of fear of flying.

“There’s one kind of fear where the person is afraid that the plane is going to fall out of the sky,” Woody said. “They respond to cues like bumps and unexpected changes in altitude, sensations they may experience. It’s all about the plane.”

Rebecca Quiring practices pre-boarding breathing techniques at her first workshop.

The other class of fear concerns the claustrophobic nature of aircraft travel. Travelers who anticipate themselves panicking in enclosed spaces are also afraid of publicly embarrassing themselves.

“These people,” Woody said, “are not listening to the sounds on the plane. They’re focused on when the door is going to open again.”

She said workshops like Daggett’s can diffuse control anxieties if passengers are briefed on what sounds and turbulent effects to expect during flight.

She said there is great benefit in attending a workshop, as lack of information or misconceptions about flying often accelerate fears and exacerbate anxieties.

Putting their life into unknown hands is a significant challenge for many fliers.

“That’s the thing about being on an airplane,” said Woody. “Not only are you not driving, you can’t even see the driver.”

Trusting the unknown

At her first session, Quiring told Daggett about recent flying nightmares, during which the airplane would pull back in unexpected loop-de-loops.

Her fears do not keep her from flying, although they have noticeably worsened in the past few years.

It can take several sessions for an exceptionally nervous passenger to confidently board an aircraft. The chaplain once spent many hours coaxing a frightened woman to the airport parking lot. The mere smell of the terminal made her sick with anxiety.

Daggett’s approach does not penetrate the psyche, rather, he seeks the roots of an individual’s fears and addresses them.

In a pinch, it acts as a band-aid solution for the immediate problems faced by a paralyzed passenger with five minutes to board his honeymoon plane.

Control issues

Wendy Rubuliak brings 40 years experience as a flight attendant with Air Canada to assist Daggett’s workshops. She also identified the loss of control as a primary source of passenger anxiety.

“When you ride a bicycle, you are in control of a bicycle,” she said. “When you get in a boat, you are in control of that boat. When you board an aircraft, you are not in control.”

Though still nervous after the session, Quiring more clearly understood the root of her fear.

“I realized it’s a control issue for me,” she said, “and I think I’m now in a greater position to trust the guy up front.”

Two businesswomen in Vancouver are cashing in on the embarrassment and discomfort of many men when it comes to lingerie shopping.

Their online site, Panty by Post, selling women’s online has proved a profitable enterprise.

Produced by Kerry Blackadar, Karen Moxley and Amanda Sung.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The trend towards supersized fashion accessories, such as large handbags, may be bad for your health.

Produced by Amanda Ash, Katie Hyslop, Faiza Khan, Sarah Stenabaugh and Megan Stewart.

Click here to view the embedded video.