Free Concerts at Douglas starting in September

By Maria Asselin-Roy, Staff
Reporter

ou read the caption. Starting

in September, the New

Westminster campus will
be home to a series of free concerts
consisting of professional musicians
as well as talented music students.
These musical events will happen on
most Thursday afternoons at | pm.
All of the performances will be held
in the Lara C. Muir Performing Arts
Theatre, located on the fourth floor.

In the past, Douglas has
welcomed musicians such as
Boris Sichon, who is an amazing
instrumentalist from the Ukraine.
Along with performing at Douglas,
Boris performs all around the world
with his collection of impressive
instruments by his side. Douglas
has also welcomed an indie band
called P:ano. They are a Canadian
group from Vancouver who possess
somewhat of a folksy/pop style.
This year’s list of artists is just

as exciting. September alone will
consist of four concerts. Tune in

your ears on September 9 for Celso
Machado, whom is an extremely
talented world musician. He is a
guitarist who specializes in Brazilian
world music, along with being a
multi instrumentalist and composer.
Celso Machado is also famous for his
bird call imitations using percussion
instruments. He has been performing
for over forty years on various concert
stages, and Douglas has the pleasure
of hosting Machado. Douglas is also
the proud host of Trumpet Fanfare
on September 16", featuring Ed
Lewis playing the trumpet, and Ellen
Silverman playing the piano.
Another exciting date is
September 23". There will be a
concert featuring Henry Waack and
his former music students from
Douglas. Waack’s talented students
include Dana Cole-Luder, Jennifer
Driscoll Holmes, Shannon Holmes,
Cos Natola, Rudy Mark Rozanski,
and Robert Caldwell. Henry Waack
is a founding member of the Douglas
College music department. Although
he is retired, he continues to teach
lessons to passionate music students.

The date of Waack’s performance
also ties in with Douglas College’s
40" Anniversary celebrations, so this
concert will play during the series of
various events Douglas is hosting in
order to celebrate the big 4-0!
Finally, on September 30,
we have the Baroque Flute and

Harpischord Recital, featuring
Soile Stratkaukas on the flute
and Christopher Bagan on the
harpsichord.

For more information on
these concerts and for a complete
schedule of events please visit: www.
douglascollege.ca/artsevents

Celso Machado

 

 

Pattullo Bridge could be tolled

By Tim Drake, News Editor

ne of the main access

arteries for Douglas College

students to and from the
New Westminster campus is poised
for some big changes. At least, that
is what TransLink spokesman Ken
Hardie was saying in an interview
with The Province a few days ago
when talking about the future of the
Pattullo Bridge.

One of the major alterations
TransLink is proposing is to change
the entries to the Pattullo from the
New Westminster side heading into
Surrey. Currently, vehicles are able
to enter onto the bridge via Columbia
Street, McBride Boulevard and Royal
Avenue. If TransLink has their way,
the Royal Avenue entrance will be
closed up and moved to Front Street,
approximately 100 meters away from
where it is now.

Beyond shifting around the
entrances to the bridge, TransLink’s
new plan is also calling for a vast
expansion of the Pattullo, including
increasing the number of lanes from

4

two to six. That would require a few
changes made to the Surrey side of
the bridge on 128 Street and Scott
Road.

If everything goes
according to plan for TransLink,
the megaproject could cost in the
range of $1 billion. That could be
where the new project encounters
some public backlash. TransLink has
scheduled a pair of public information
and debate sessions for September
14 and September 21 at the Chuck
Baillie Community Centre and the
Justice Institute, respectively, and the
possible avenues to pay for the bridge
upgrades could be met with a degree
of hostility.

When announcing
TransLink’s proposals for the
Pattullo, Hardie refused to rule out
the option of making the Pattullo
a toll bridge in order to pay for the
upgrade costs, saying that “tolls will
be considered”.

Should the Pattullo become
a toll bridge, crossing over from

the Fraser Valley could become a
financial concern for Douglas College
students. The Port Mann Bridge in
Coquitlam is already slated to be
tolled when upgrade construction

is complete in 2013 (casual drivers
will pay a fee of $5.15 to cross

the bridge), and when the Pattullo
upgrades are completed in 2015

(the projected finishing time by
TransLink), that would leave both

of the main ways to get from the
Fraser Valley to both Douglas College

 

campuses subjected to tolls.

If a toll is imposed on the
Pattullo at the same price as the Port
Mann, that would cost the average
Douglas student commuting to and
from the Fraser Valley an additional
$1493.50 per year to get to and from
school every day. That obviously
won't be affecting many current
students, but if tolls go through on
the Pattullo it most certainly will be a
concern for future generations.