Buildings, fitness, politics, Fox
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Academe mobilizes community action
As one reporter puts it on her blog, “Never seen anything like this before. A large group of profs, many with in-depth knowledge of gentrification and housing dynamics, have mobilized to oppose allowing taller new buildings in the Downtown Eastside and Chinatown.” Nearly a dozen SFU professors with expertise spanning 10 disciplines have signed a petition sent to Vancouver City council members urging that a recommendation to increase permitted building heights in Vancouver’s historic area be scrapped. SFU geographer Nick Blomley, one of the petition signees, can explain what’s behind the action.
Van Sun blog http://i.sfu.ca/sjfUTQ
Nick Blomley, 778.782.3713, blomley@sfu.ca
Ivan Drury, (SFU petition signee), 604.440.4826 (cell), ivandrury@gmail.com
Dara Culhane, (SFU petition signee), 778.987.6132, daraculhane@gmail.com
We’re still bumps on logs
It comes as no surprise to SFU obesity expert and professor Diane Finegood that the latest Canadian Health Measures surveys (CHMS) from Stats Canada show Canadians still aren’t moving enough to reap fitness benefits. While only 15 per cent of Canadian adults move enough to get substantial health benefits from exercise, only seven per cent of youth are active enough to experience health gains. Finegood, who sits on the CHMS science advisory board, says although not surprising, the latest data is important because it’s not self-reporting. “Not a great result, but a more positive perspective is we have room for improvement.”
Diane Finegood, 778.782.6706, finegood@sfu.ca , Twitter: @DTFinegood
SFU race watch team
Members of SFU’s race-watch team are ready to comment on the latest turn of events in the province’s NDP and Liberal leadership races. NDP caucus members have unanimously elected New Westminster MLA Dawn Black to serve as interim leader until the party's leadership ballot on April 17th. The following SFU experts can comment on the wisdom of this move and others this week.
John Calvert, political economist, 778.782.8163, 604.812.4703 (cell), john_calvert@sfu.ca
Gary Mauser, political marketing, 604.937.5292, mauser@sfu.ca
Lindsay Meredith, political marketing, 778.782.5554, 604.939.0460 (h), 604.932.6934 (Whistler), 604.842.6007 (cell), lindsay_meredith@sfu.ca
Pakistan hit again
Less than six years after a killer earthquake took tens of thousands of lives, Pakistan is once again digging out from a big one. SFU earthquake specialist and earth scientist John Clague can offer thoughts on why this 7.2-magnitude quake doesn’t appear to be a killer like 2005’s 7.6 quake. He can also talk about the escalating number of earthquakes worldwide.
John Clague, 778.782.4924, jclague@sfu.ca
Fox’s gait immortalized
Former SFU athletics director Lorne Davies , who now oversees the Terry Fox Foundation, is pleased with the new memorial to SFU’s best-known student to be installed outside a refurbished B.C. Place Stadium this fall. Davies says the four bronze statues of the Marathon of Hope runner will better immortalize Fox’s victory in the face of challenge. Fox was among the many students Davies mentored as athletics director during his 30-year career at SFU.
Lorne Davies, 778.782.3057, lorne-davies@hotmail.com