Building a better tomorrow, one meal at a time > Local man dedicates time and effort to First Nations community centre Aaron Guillen Staff Reporter lL Noel, 25, regularly attends to the small gathering of young adolescents, aged 13-19, at the Spirit of the Children Society. Noel is Ojibway, and he takes pride in his job as youth program coordinator at the First Nations service centre. The centre structures its aspirations, goals, and achievements around their mission statement: “Let’s take this journey together.” Over the past couple of years, Noel has dedicated his time and effort into The Urban Drum, a youth program hoping to provide a safe space and supportive environment in order to achieve a successful future. His role extends past a coordinator, as he is popular among the kids for his fantastic cooking. Noel enjoys introducing his youth to multicultural cuisine, while also sharing traditional Aboriginal dishes, such as fry bread, bannock, Indian tacos, bison stew, and salmon dinners. “The youth really enjoy familiar dishes such as stir fries, pastas, and soups. I also get frequent requests for my burritos.” While his cooking might draw flocks to the kitchen, he believes that it’s more than the food that brings them back week after week. The Urban Drum provides not only an array of activities for youth, but a sense of belonging. “They keep coming back because they become an important part of a community that values them for who they are.” In an interview with the New West Record, Noel added that while there are many ups to his Image via thinkstoc job, there are a handful of downs. “Tt can be very depressing because a lot of youths’ families have difficult and traumatic living situations or have histories of trauma,” he explains. “You get exposed to a lot of things you couldn’t even imagine, and you have to work past that and try to be happy knowing what has happened to some of these individuals. That part is kind of sad, knowing bad things happen to good people.” Noel, having played an active role at the centre for five years, has noticed his development as a person. “lve grown up a lot since I started working here. I feel that working at Spirit has made mea better version of myself. It may sound really cheesy, but when you know that younger people look up to you as role model, you will actively go out of your way to be what you think they should look up to.” In the coming months, many activities are being planned for the youth. With summer in tow, more outdoor activities are being coordinated. “Beach volleyball at the New Westminster Quay, swimming at Moody Park Pool, and the Grouse Grind are on our list of planned activities for the summer. We are also planning on attending multiple community cultural events such as the powwow at Squamish First Nation, and the Surrey Fusion Festival. This summer we also plan on going blackberry picking, and visiting the Museum of Anthropology at UBC” As Noel continues to work tirelessly, he reflects on the many reasons that inspire him to wake up each morning and love what he does. When someone comes Vacancy tax proposed for vacant homeowners > All levels of government address Vancouver's housing crisis Mercedes Deutscher News Editor hose looking to buy property in Vancouver and surrounding municipalities have been disappointed to find that even the most lacklustre of homes come with a price tag of over one million dollars. Prospective homeowners face yet another bout of disappointment when many of those wealthy enough to afford to buy Vancouver property often leave it vacant. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is hoping to combat the rising costs of owning property. Robertson announced in mid-June that the city is planning on taxing vacant homeowners. City council is hoping to receive a response from the provincial government on the matter by the end of July. “We would love to have thousands of those homes in the rental market right now when there’s almost no vacancy and a real crunch on affordable housing,” Robertson said to the HAVE YOU SEEN THIS HOMEQWNER? cil Globe and Mail. “Wed like to see more supply created from the empty homes that are just sitting there in the city.” Local mayors have, in the past, recommended increasing the number of rental units in their cities, including New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Coté. However, it provides only a temporary solution to a larger problem. Still, Robertson’s proposition has caught the attention of the provincial government, who have been being called to Illustration , Ed Appleby nt A | i = il Hl action over the issue for years. BC Finance Minister Michael de Jong told the Globe and Mail that the province will examine the plan that Robertson and his staff conceptualize, and make a decision from there. “Tl be the first to say to you, to Noel for help, sometimes a sensitive and personal issue, it reassures him that his work does make a difference. “This makes me feel truly accountable to them to do my best not to let them down, and motivates me to provide them with the help that they deserve. When I see the youth that | have worked with succeed, | feel a sense of pride knowing that I helped contribute to their success. It makes me so happy when I see that they're doing well, and inspires me to work harder to create more success stories. Noel suggests that those interested should begin volunteering. The Urban Drum and the Spirit of the Children Society is looking for new volunteers, especially when students aren’t in school. The opportunity could prove useful to a person looking for experience in a social work environment. “(Furthermore], seek employment with an organization that works with youth, or just take the time to show the young people in your lives that they’re valued and appreciated by spending time with them, and sharing knowledge with them about something that you feel passionate about.” candidly, I have been conscious, the government has been conscious, about drawing on taxation authority to address the housing challenges,” said de Jong. According to Global News, if city council hears no response from the provincial government by the end of July (when the city councillors go on break for the summer), they will be taking matters into their own hands and proceeding with implementing the tax upon their return. Robertson’s suddenly aggressive approach to taxation has been raising some concern within City Hall. Melissa De Genova, a member of the Non-Partisan Association Party who works with the council, tells the Globe and Mail that, while she supports the idea, she has doubts about the tight timeline it has been placed on. “This is a huge issue. It’s an issue that needs to be approached cautiously. We need to consider the ramifications. If the mayor is fired up and ready to go, I question why he hadn’t moved forward on this sooner.”