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‘Spring Cleaning’ returns to New Westminster River Market

» Donations will go towards Canadian Cancer Society

, Angela Espinoza
News Editor

Minews

@theotherpress.ca

 

he second annual Spring

Cleaning for your Mind,
Body, and Soul event will be
taking place April 13 at New
Westminster River Market.
Co-founder Robyn Murrell of
Zhoosh Fitness Garage says
the event will be showcasing
up to 35 “New [Westminster]-
based... businesses, clubs,
organizations, everything to do
with health and wellness.”

expanded in only a year’s time,
having received a number of
sponsors, and continues to
donate to the Canadian Cancer

ago,” Murrell says. “My sister
[co-founder Heidi Clarkson]
and I were at River Market, and
I was actually looking at places
to rent to teach my kickboxing
to see if they had spaces there.
“We approached River
Market and asked them [if
we could start a health and
wellness fair], and they literally
gave us a date two months in
the future, and we did not have

But it was so successful, we're
about twice the size this year
”

now.
Sonja Curry is the third co-

Business-to-Business Network

Murrell, a Douglas-graduate :
: from the A-to-Z: Become a :
: Personal Trainer program,

: recently opened her first

: Zhoosh Fitness Garage location,
: where she offers a number of

: fitness classes.

She says that her education

: aided in getting her started:

: “I didn’t want to work ina

: gym, I always wanted to work
>on my own and start my own

: business,” says Murrell. “So

: actually doing the [Spring

: Cleaning] health and wellness
: fair was part of... laying the

: groundwork of starting your

: own business and letting people :
Spring Cleaning has greatly : know that you're out there.”
: She says that it was through :
: Douglas Sports Science Lab
: instructor Ryan Cook, a

: mentor to Murrell, that the
Society. “It was... just overa year: New Westminster campus
: became involved in the event.

: “He [Cook] really thought that
: [Spring Cleaning] was a great

: idea, and it’s taken a year...

: and finally we have Douglas

: College on board, so I’m really
: thrilled about that, because it

: really means a lot to me having
: graduated from the [Personal
Trainer] program here.”

In addition, Douglas

| ‘ College Centre for Campus
much time to pull it all together. : Life and Athletics is one
of the exhibitors, and will
: be promoting their youth
: summer programs to the New

: Westminster community.
founder of Spring Cleaning, and :

all three women are members of : says, “One of our main

, " : requirements is that they [the
of Women in New Westminster. : exhibitors] have an interactive

display so that they [can]

For the exhibitors, Murrell

engage the public at all times.
“We've got massage going

: on by donation, we've got... New
: [Westminster Parks, Culture,

: and Recreation]... bringing a

: rowing machine so you can try

: that out, Douglas College I just

: found out... is actually bringing

: [a] basketball hoop... and we

: also have yoga.”

Murrell adds the local

: kickboxing company she

: contracts for, Foxy Kickboxing,
: will be another exhibitor.

: Various demos will also

: be taking place, including

: kickboxing, “Japanese sword-

fighting,” zumba, karate, and

: hip-hop and ballet for children.

The final demo being held

: is part of the “Spring Shave,”

: where donations gathered will
: go directly to the Canadian

: Cancer Society. Murrell’s niece,
: Jaycee Clarkson, a second-year
: Douglas Science student, will

: be cutting off her hair for wigs

: for cancer patients during

: the demo. New Westminster

: resident and SFU student Asim
: Renyard will also be doing a

: live leg waxing as part of the

: “Spring Shave” demo. “Spring

: Shave” runs from 3 to 4 p.m.

: and anyone wishing to donate

: online can do so through:

: http://convio.cancer.ca/site/TR/
: IFE_BC/IFE_BC_?pg=team&fr_
: id=16335&team_id=304764#.

: UzalligonaQ.

Spring Cleaning runs from

: a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free to

: the public. The first 100 families
: in attendance will also receive
gift bags.

 

  

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Robyn Murrell and Jaycee Clarkson // By Angela Espinoza

 

NDP backs food for thought

» Bill 24 challenged by

: boundaries, “panels,” and “panel
: regions.” “Panels” in bill 24 refer
: to areas of agricultural land

: owned in the defined “panel

: regions”: these include regions

: such as the Interior, Island,

: Kootenay, North, Okanagan,

and South Coast. Each of the
communities, with support from :

, Angela Espinoza
News Editor

Minews

@theotherpress.ca

 

i

n April 3, members of
BC’s food and agricultural

the NDP, proposed the British
Columbia local food act (in
response to bill 24, agricultural
land commission amendment
act, 2014). Bill 24, which quietly
went through a first reading
by BC legislature on March
27, has been controversial due
to its numerous changes to
the Agricultural Land Reserve
(ALR) and Agricultural Land
Commission.

Amongst the changes
are adjustments to district

BC's agriculture community

six designated regions has since

: the introduction of zoning,

: no mention of farm-produced
: goods or economics, and zone
: two's notably loose definition.

Bill 24’s moving to a first

: reading in government without
: consulting members of the

: community has not ceased

: : speculation either. In regards

: been labelled one of two “zones.” :
: Zone one consists of the Island,
: Okanagan, and South Coast

: panel regions, while zone two

: is defined as, “consisting of

: all geographic areas of British

: Columbia not in Zone one.”

: Boundaries are nothing new :
: to the agricultural community.

: However, some are speculating
: that bill 24 exists primarily as

: a guideline for interested oil

: and gas opportunities, pointing
: toa heavy focus on farmland,

to the government’s lack of

: public communication, chair

: of the BC Agriculture Council

: (BCAC) Rhonda Driediger

: told the Province, “We [BCAC]

: support updating the ALR, and

: have respected the government's

internal core review, but it’s time

: they openly engage with BC’s

: farming community especially
: as it applies to new or changing
: regulations.”

In response to bill 24, the

: Jocal food act was established in

: proposed in the local food

: act are largely community-

: and economic-based. Clear

: definitions of “local food,’ “local
: food assessment,” and “local

: food systems” are outlined

: under section one. “Purposes”

: under section two include, “To

: ensure a resilient, sustainable,

: and strong local food economy:
: and agriculture land base in BC,” :

: legislature a week later. Amongst :
: many members of the food

: and agriculture community,

: the BC Food Systems Network

: has actively supported the local
: food act. In addition, NDP

: leader Adrian Dix has openly

: supported and worked with the
: act during its development, and
: revealed the proposed act tothe :
: public.

Many of the changes

and “To improve and maximize

: economic return, and food

: security, from maintaining

: agricultural land for the

: purposes of farming, processing,
: and distributing food.” The

: act also pushes for more direct

: government involvement

: with the community and

seeks to have members of the

: community fairly represented in
: future bill passing.

While bill 24 has not

: officially been passed yet,

: it has gotten through a first

: reading, which raises the stakes

: for the food and agricultural

: communities. Whether the local
: food act could see progression

: into a counter bill will rely

: heavily on the support of the

: public.