


View from my apartment roof of Vancouver’s snowy skyline, mid March 2009.


Making money during the Olympic celebrations ..

Walter Gretzky running with the Olympic Torch on Granville Street Vancouver.

The garbage hoops complete with clear plastic bags recently installed near Olympic venues had a trial run during last summer’s Celebration of Light fireworks festival.”We brought them in last year to try out prior to the Olympics,” said John Williams, manager of sanitation operations for the city. “From that we enhanced them by adding the outer ring to hold the bags in place.”
Williams said the system is designed to be as easy as possible. Two rings the size of garbage can lids are clipped onto a pole and a bag is placed over each, one for garbage, the other for recycling. A second band is then placed over the top to secure the bag.Unlike garbage cans, garbage rings and plastic bags provide little cover for hidden bombs.
Williams said the bags were introduced in response to a request from the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit to remove metal garbage cans near Olympic venues.”The cans had come up as a security issue where any kind of explosive device could be hidden,” said Williams. “So we came up with a rig to hold transparent bags.”
Williams said the bags will be collected as required, and field crews will walk pedestrian corridors to keep an eye on them. Once a bag is full, the crew will radio a nearby truck to swing by to collect it. He added crews will work almost 24 hours a day, so there’s little chance the bags will be torn or ripped by vandals before being picked up.
In total, there are almost 400 of the units in place in 194 locations, including downtown, Hillcrest Park, the PNE and throughout Chinatown.
Kenji Komiya, the city’s street furniture coordinator, said the security unit asked the city to remove its metal garbage cans after concerns regarding their shape.”The existing cans were identified as a security concern,” said Komiya.He added some metal news boxes have also been removed from locations near Olympic venues.
“Initially there was some talk of removing bike racks as well,” said Komiya. “But unless we get some news that there was a change, we don’t have to do that. They said they were a fairly low priority. The biggest thing was the news boxes and garbage cans.”
Komiya said the hoop and bag design litter receptacle has been used successfully in other cities during large events. He added the design couldn’t be simpler.”You clamp the ring on a pole and add a bag,” he said. “They’re a cheap and effective way to collect litter.”
Komiya said the hoops will only be in place in their locations during the Games and will be removed some time after the closing ceremonies.
© Vancouver Courier 2010










Where I would like to get all my camera gear.



During a road trip through Creston BC

A different process to the other prison shot .. I think this is going to be my standard way with black and white I really love the metallic look.

Smile a restaurant I’ve eaten at many a year ago .. Must try it again someday.

Interesting Graffiti at Nelson & Thurlow in the Vancouver west end



Our Summer home whilst my wife was working at Fort Steele Heritage Park.

My car just got a slight dent on the door panel; ICBC wrote it off .. Shows you how much my car was worth lol.

Whilst some of our friends went to Mexico for thier “Spring Break”, we in our wisdom decided on Tofino on the west coast of BC .. Sigh

Looking very tired ..

Chicken man at a party


A cheap downtown Vancouver hotel in the evening light


From my apartment roof just before a storm passed through


