Care for a glass of champagne?
Maybe some canapés?
Perhaps a skewer of fruit?
Trust me, I was tempted last Thursday morning to sample the fare but I just ate breakfast and, well, ethically I didnt think it was a good idea to accept free grub from the pleasant folks catering the groundbreaking for an Audi dealership at Second and Burrard.
What the heck was I doing at a sod-turning event for a luxury car outfit?
Well, Mayor Gregor Robertson happened to be there and made a short speech about the dealership and welcomed Audi to the strip of high-end car sellers.
The appearance by the mayor, who was supposed to be joined by Green Party Coun. Adriane Carr and NPA Coun. George Affleck, seemed odd to me since the only time Ive seen him turn sod is for a social housing project.
Furthermore, whats a bike-riding, greenhouse-gas-fighting mayor doing pumping up a car dealership?
I asked him about it.
There havent been car dealerships opening in downtown Vancouver for many years and this is really bucking the trend, Robertson said. Its a significant investment showing that theres confidence in our citys economy and weve got to support business as it grows here in Vancouver.
Added Robertson: Its important that we are creating jobs and prosperity in Vancouver alongside building social housing and making those investments.
The company behind the $25 million project is the Dilawri Group of Companies which bills itself as Canadas largest automotive group. Dilawri owns MCL Motors, Bentley Vancouver, Aston Martin Vancouver, Land Rover, Jaguar and the soon-to-be-opened Porsche Centre on Terminal Avenue.
Vroom, vroom.
Balcony balk
If you attended last weeks council meeting where councillor upon councillor expressed their outrage at the federal governments decision to close the Kitsilano Coast Guard base, you obviously heard from Vision Coun. Kerry Jang.
He was clearly fired up.
But I wanted to replay a quote for you that Jang uttered near the end of the debate when he looked up in the balcony of the council chambers and said this:
We actually had, sitting up thereif my memory serves me correctlythe deputy commissioner for the Coast Guard, who left quickly. So that was Ms. Poruks, I believe. She sat there, shook her head and left. She didnt bother staying for the whole thing. This is why Im not hopeful [the government will reconsider the closure] and this is why Im very disappointed in the federal government.
OK, I thought, Ill get in touch with Vija Poruks, assistant commissioner for the Coast Guards Pacific region, and get her thoughts on the meeting. I called her direct line, got no reply.
I emailed her and got a reply.
I have been inaccurately reported as being present at this meetingI was not there, said Poruks in her email and referred further questions to the agencys communications department.
I have it on good authority that Jang later called Poruks and apologized for his mistake. So the question remains who then was that woman who shook her head and left?
Poruks apparently has a doppelganger interested in Coast Guard issues. Jang, meanwhile, might want to give his optometrist a call.
Twitter: @Howellings
