May 01, 2010
to May 31, 2010

Asian Heritage Month
Holiday/Celebration/Observance
The Month of May is Asian Heritage Month. This acknowledges the long and rich history of Asian Canadians and their contributions to Canada. Canada's cultural diversity strengthens the country socially, politically and economically in innumerable ways. Asian Heritage Month is an ideal occasion for all to celebrate the beauty and wisdom of various Asian cultures. Canadians are invited to take part in the festivities that commemorate the legacy of Asian Canadians and their many contributions which have helped Canada to become the multicultural and diverse nation it is today. INFORMATION SOURCE: Citizenship & Immigration Canada website, www.cic.gc.ca/multi/mpa-ahm/index-eng.asp. Additional information can be found at the ExplorASIAN website: www.explorasian.org.
Date: Saturday May 01, 2010 to Monday May 31, 2010

May 10, 2010
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Phil Edmonston: Lemon-Aid
Library Events - VPL
Location: Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Alice MacKay Room
Please join us for a talk by Phil Edmonston, author of the best-selling "Lemon-Aid" guides and "Car Smarts: Hot Tips for the Car Crazy." A Canadian consumer adcocate, writer and former politician, Phil Edmonston is best known for his series of annual "Lemon-Aid" car guides. Unlike any other auto books on the market, their main objective is to inform and protect consumers in an industry known for its dishonesty and exaggerated claims. (Admission is free. Seating is limited).
Date: Monday May 10, 2010
Vancouver Public Library
Contact: Marketing & Communications Department   604-331-4044 

May 10, 2010
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Jean Baird & George Bowering: The Heart Does Break
Library Events - VPL
Location: Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Alma VanDusen Room
Some of Canadas best writers address their own losses in "The Heart Does Break: Canadian Writers on Grief and Mourning." When Jean Bairds daughter died suddenly, her instinct was to turn to books to help her in her time of sudden loss. The works that truly reached to the heart of the matter were by literary writers though at the time she found there was little from Canadian writers about the person who is left behind to mourn or what it takes to endure grieving. "The Heart Does Break" - an anthology of 20 original pieces - sets out to fill that gap. (Free admission. Seating is limited)
Date: Monday May 10, 2010
Vancouver Public Library
Contact: Marketing & Communications Department   604-331-4044 

May 11, 2010
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Opera Speaks Series: The Art of a Butterfly
Library Events - VPL
Location: Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Alice MacKay Room
The visual impact of an opera is often as powerful as the singing and orchestral performances. Vancouver Opera's stunning primary-colours production of "Madama Butterfly" is designed by acclaimed visual artist Jun Kaneko. He and special guests will explore the art of scenic design in opera, from concept to performance. (Admission is free. Seating is limited. Co-sponsored by Vancouver Opera).
Date: Tuesday May 11, 2010
Vancouver Public Library
Contact: Marketing & Communications Department   604-331-4044 

May 12, 2010
7:30 AM - 9:30 AM

West End Discussion on Community Needs and Affordable Housing
City of Vancouver - Events
Location: Empire Landmark Hotel, 1400 Robson St., Crystal Ballroom
This session will provide interested members of the West End community with an opportunity to learn about and discuss key issues in the area, and provide comments to City staff regarding community needs and housing affordability. Community leaders will be invited to participate. Comments gathered at the session will be forwarded to City Council and will be made publicly available. Those unable to attend the meeting can access a survey online at vancouver.ca/westend from May 12 through June 4, 2010.
Date: Wednesday May 12, 2010
Contact: Debra Bodner   604-829-4217 

May 12, 2010
9:30 AM

Business License Hearing - CANCELLED
Council/Committee Meeting
Location: Council Chamber
Date: Wednesday May 12, 2010

May 12, 2010
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Writing a Will
City of Vancouver - Events
Location: Renfrew Park Community Centre
Many people put off writing or updating their Wills. This class explains what can and cannot be included in a Will. How to revoke or change a Will, what happens if you die without a Will and the probate of an estate. The duties of the executor & how to settle an estate are briefly discussed. FREE
Date: Wednesday May 12, 2010
Contact: Cheryl Palidda   604-257-8388 

May 12, 2010
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Tom Wayman: Book Launch
Library Events - VPL
Location: Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Peter Kaye Room
Relive the heady days of the 1960s when young people were poised to change the world. Tom Wayman's new novel, "Woodstock Rising" depicts the adventures of a Canadian grad student from Vancouver during the tumultous seasons following the Woodstock Festival in August 1969. (Admission is free. Seating is limited)
Date: Wednesday May 12, 2010
Vancouver Public Library
Contact: Marketing & Communications Department   604-331-4044 

May 13, 2010
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

West End Discussion on Community Needs and Affordable Housing
City of Vancouver - Events
Location: Empire Landmark Hotel, 1400 Robson St., Crystal Ball Room
This session will provide interested members of the West End community with an opportunity to learn about and discuss key issues in the area, and provide comments to City staff regarding community needs and housing affordability. Community leaders will be invited to participate. Comments gathered at the session will be forwarded to City Council and will be made publicly available. Those unable to attend the meeting can access a survey online at vancouver.ca/westend from May 12 through June 4, 2010.
Date: Thursday May 13, 2010
Contact: Debra Bodner   604-829-4217 

May 13, 2010
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Bruce Hunter
Library Events - VPL
Location: Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Alice MacKay Room
Part fictional memoir, part social history, Bruce Hunters new novel "The Bear Hunter" is a coming of age story about a deaf child who is sent to live in the wilderness on historic Kootenay Plains in west central Alberta and the extended Scottish immigrant family who raise him. The London Free Press calls Bruce Hunter one of the great chroniclers of Canadas working people and the Hank Williams of Canadian fiction. (Admission is free. Seating is limited. We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts)
Date: Thursday May 13, 2010
Vancouver Public Library
Contact: Marketing & Communications Department   604-331-4044 

May 14, 2010
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Summer and Your Eyes
City of Vancouver - Events
Location: Renfrew Park Community Centre
Nests, Wings and Things: Animal Adaptations Get an introduction to local wildlife and learn how each animal is adapted to its habitat. See examples of animal adaptations from the wild and a local wildlife rehabilitator, then have some hands-on experience with a variety of animal skulls, bird wings, and bird nests to investigate the adaptations of different birds and mammals. FREE
Date: Friday May 14, 2010
Contact: Cheryl Palidda   604-257-8388 

May 15, 2010

International Day of Families
Holiday/Celebration/Observance
May 15 is celebrated as the International Day of the Family. This day highlights the importance of families. Family constitutes the basic unit of society. Hence, the widest possible protection and assistance should be accorded to families so that they fully assume their responsibilities within the community INFORMATION SOURCE: United Nations Programme on the Family website, www.un.org/esa/socdev/family.
Date: Saturday May 15, 2010

May 15, 2010
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

First Nations Storyteller-in-Residence: Jackie Timothy
Library Events - VPL
Location: Hastings Branch Library, 2674 E. Hastings
Join us for stories by Vancouver Public Library's 2010 First Nations Storyteller-in-Residence. Jackie Timothy is a storyteller, cultural presenter, master carver and residential school survivor. He is from the hereditary Chief lineage of his village near Powell River, BC. Check the library website for upcoming events by VPL's First Nations Storyteller-in-Residence. (Admission is free. Seating is limited. Co-sponsored by the Vancouver Foundation.)
Date: Saturday May 15, 2010
Vancouver Public Library
Contact: Marketing & Communications Department   604-331-4044 

May 17, 2010
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Experimental Eskimos: Film Screening
Library Events - VPL
Location: Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Alma VanDusen & Peter Kaye Rooms
Join us for a screening of Barry Greenwald's remarkable film about an attempt at assimilation, empowerment and the triumph of the human spirit. "Experimental Eskimos" is the story of the social experiment conducted by the Canadian government in the early 1960s when three Inuit boys were separated from their families in the Arctic and sent to live with white families and be educated in white schools. the consequences the experiment would have on their identity and culture were brushed aside. (Admission is free. Seating is limited. Co-sponsored by Cinema Politica)
Date: Monday May 17, 2010
Vancouver Public Library
Contact: Marketing & Communications Department   604-331-4044 

May 18, 2010
9:30 AM

Business License Hearing
Council/Committee Meeting
Location: Council Chamber
Date: Tuesday May 18, 2010

May 18, 2010
2:00 PM

Regular Council
Council/Committee Meeting
Location: Council Chamber
Date: Tuesday May 18, 2010

May 18, 2010
7:30 PM

Public Hearing
Council/Committee Meeting
Location: Council Chamber
Date: Tuesday May 18, 2010

May 19, 2010
to May 20, 2010

Shavuot (Judaism)
Holiday/Celebration/Observance
Shavuot (weeks: the plural of the Hebrew word for seven) marks the conclusion of the period of seven weeks that follows Pesah. INFORMATION SOURCE: Multifaith Calendar produced by the Multifaith Action Society of Vancouver. For more information please contact the Multifaith Action Society directly, or visit www.multifaithaction.org
Date: Wednesday May 19, 2010 to Thursday May 20, 2010

May 20, 2010
9:30 AM

City Services and Budgets
Council/Committee Meeting
Location: Council Chamber
Date: Thursday May 20, 2010

May 20, 2010
2:00 PM

Planning and Environment
Council/Committee Meeting
Location: Council Chamber
Date: Thursday May 20, 2010

May 21, 2010
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Writing a Will
City of Vancouver - Events
Location: Renfrew Park Community Centre
Many people put off writing or updating their Wills. This class explains what can and cannot be included in a Will, how to revoke or change a Will, what happens if you die without a Will and the probate of an estate. The duties of the executor and how to settle an estate are driefly discussed. FREE
Date: Friday May 21, 2010
Contact: Cheryl Palidda   604-257-8388 

May 21, 2010
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Victoria Day Cookie Decorating
City of Vancouver - Events
Location: Kerrisdale Community Centre
Come and celebrate the Victoria Day weekend and decorate cookies in honour of the Queen and Canada. This fun, interactive class will have cookies in all sorts of festive shapes and sizes to serve as a palate for your masterpiece creations. Please remember to bring a container so you can take your cookies home. Adult participation not required. A valid KCC membership is required.
Date: Friday May 21, 2010
Contact: Front Desk   604-257-8100 

May 24, 2010

Victoria Day - CITY HALL CLOSED
Holiday/Celebration/Observance
City Hall will be closed on Monday, May 24, in observance of Victoria Day. City Hall will re-open for regular business on Tuesday, May 25 at 8:30 am.
Date: Monday May 24, 2010

May 24, 2010
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Victoria Day Preschool Open Gym
City of Vancouver - Events
Location: Kerrisdale Community Centre
An opportunity for your preschooler to play in our gym with various toys and equipment. Adult participation is required as is a valid membership for both child and adult. Cost is $3 per child.
Date: Monday May 24, 2010
Contact: Front Desk   604-257-8100 

May 25, 2010
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Marc Ian Barasch
Library Events - VPL
Location: Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Alice MacKay Room
Writer, editor, teacher and television producer Marc Ian Barasch poses the vital questions in his new book, "The Compassionate Life: Walking the Path of Kindness." What can we learn from exceptionally empathetic people? Can we increase our compassion quotient with practice? How do we open our hearts to the people who do us harm? Join us at the Central Library as he explains how a simple shift in consciousness changes pretty much everything. (Admission is free. Seating is limited. Co-sponsored by Banyen Books.)
Date: Tuesday May 25, 2010
Vancouver Public Library
Contact: Marketing & Communications Department   604-331-4044 

May 28, 2010
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Vancouver Draw Down Button Workshop
City of Vancouver - Events
Location: Renfrew Park Community Centre
The Park Board's Arts and Culture office will be putting on workshops to draw your own button-making led by artist facilitators as part of the Vancouver Draw Down. FREE
Date: Friday May 28, 2010
Contact: Cheryl Palidda   604-257-8388 

May 31, 2010
to Jun 06, 2010

Bike to Work Week
Holiday/Celebration/Observance
You're invited to participate in Bike to Work Week 2010! Start or join a Bike To Work team at your workplace, and encourage your co-workers to sign up. Visit the VACC (Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition) website at www.biketoworkmetrovan.ca
Date: Monday May 31, 2010 to Sunday Jun 06, 2010

May 31, 2010
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

My Money Matters!
City of Vancouver - Events
Location: Renfrew Park Community Centre
Do you have questions regarding: general tax advice, Registered Savings Plans (RSPs), your childrens education plan (RESP), how much insurance you need, what type of insurance you need, or how long it would take you to be a millionaire if you started saving today? If so, stop by for some free financial advice! Free advice, information and giveaways! FREE
Date: Monday May 31, 2010