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o n n o w

3

“Bringing Communities Together Through Dragon Boating”

Back in 1994 a group of visionaries decided to bring dragon boating to Victoria. Twenty years later and this entrepreneurial dream has turned into one of the most popular dragon boat

festivals in North America.

This year we will welcome more than eighty teams from Canada and the United States to race on the most spectacular dragon boat venue located in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. We will celebrate the five hundred volunteers, a wonderful full time professional staff, a dedicated board of directors who have organized this year’s event, and more than 80,000 people from the local community to cheer on the exciting dragon boat races.

Not only is this the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival’s 20th anniversary, it is also a momentous year for paddling sports in Victoria. In February we partnered with locally owned Fairway Markets in the formation of the new Fairway Gorge Paddling Club Society. After acquiring more than forty out rigger canoes, kayaks and dragon boats, we are now able to deliver a broad spectrum of paddling sports to the Capital Regional District from our new facility on Selkirk Waterfront.

The festival is bringing competitive athletes together with brand new paddlers, community leaders together with business leaders, life-long Victorians together with newcomers, seniors together with youth and students and families together with the dragon boat racers. This truly is a year of Bringing Communities Together Through Dragon Boating!

Paddles Up!

Mark Mawhinney | Chair, Victoria Dragon Boat Festival Society

20

14

greetings from the Chair

4

Every year, I am fortunate to be part of a project that brings all walks of life together, and that celebrates the vibrant community we live in. Whether you come to the Canada Dry

Victoria Dragon Boat Festival as a paddler, volunteer, local or tourist, you will find something spectacular to watch, do, or eat!

This year, our 20th Anniversary, will see some of the most competitive teams racing in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. Some of these teams will be representing their clubs at the International Dragon Boat Federation’s Club Crew World Champions in Ravenna, Italy in September of this year so come cheer on these top athletes. We are also lucky to be hosting one of the largest contingent of Women’s teams in the festival’s history.

Not to be missed will be some of our specialty races! The Corporate Challenge, Breast Cancer Survivors Challenge, Grand Dragon Challenge, and Open Challenge. These specialty races give many of our teams one more chance at glory. For the teams that enjoy competition on and off the water, the fan-favorite Paddlers’ Air Band Competition also returns.

This is not an event for just paddlers! Two stages of entertainment will run for all 3 days of the festival. If you are bringing the kids down, come check out the Fairway Gorge Paddling Club’s Kid’s Tent for crafts, Run, Jump and Throw with PISE and learn about the creatures of our local waterways with the World Fisheries Trust Seaquaria touch tank!

The food, entertainment and races are all shaping up to be the best we have ever had and it is all made possible by our team of over 500 volunteers. Join us August 15 to 17th as we Bring Communities Together Through Dragon Boating!

Paddles Up! Glenys Haskins | General Manager

20

14greetings from

the general manager

Your community. Your stories. vicnews.com

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C O M M U N I T Y N E W S M E D I ABlack Press

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Agreement

#40110541

NEWSM I R R O R

Editorial Page 8

Entertainment Page 15

Sports/stats Page 21PHOTOGRAFFIA

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Page 16

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Hotel parking issues

brought before council

Pirjo RaitsSooke News Mirror

A special meeting on February

4 saw a couple of items brought

before District of Sooke council

in regard to the Prestige Hotel.

At issue were amendments, vari-

ances and shared easements for

the hotel.A Development Variance

Permit was authorized for the

height of the hotel. Mechanical

equipment and elevator shafts

were not included in the original

plans and height adjustments

had to be made and a variance

permit issued. Council autho-

rized the issuance of the DVP

as well as a Development Permit

Amendment for the design of

the public boat launch. The DPA

was issued to reflect the existing

design of the boat launch.

What council did not approve

was parking spaces for the hotel.

“One of the issues of great

concern to us is the issue of

parking,” said Mayor Wendal

Milne. “It is insufficient at best

and quite frankly council wants

to look at it.” He went on to say

he was not prepared to approve

the Development Variance Per-

mit.The variance would have

seen the hotel requiring only

95 spaces with another 25

spaces allotted for the public

boat launch. One of the issues

around parking is the necessity

for trucks and trailers to park

along West Coast Road when the

parking lot at the hotel is full.

Councillor Kevin Pearson felt

the hotel would have control

over the parking and by giv-

ing them access to parking on

District of Sooke property this

could be seen as disposition of

district assets.

“We need to put them (Pres-

tige Hotel) on notice that they

need parking,” Pearson said.

In looking over the Shared

Easement Agreement, Pearson

said some of the language in it

would guarantee Prestige the

use of the boat launch’s parking

spaces.Milne said he did not want to

see parking reflected in the ease-

ment document.

Council approved the Shared

Easement over the property

owned by the Prestige Hotel and

the District of Sooke but stipu-

lated that the easement shall not

grant any parking rights.

John Brohman spoke out

and said the hotel should be

restricted in how many rooms

they can book in relation to

parking spaces.

“I’ve never seen ‘no vacancy’

there yet,” he said.

“This is not about bashing

Prestige, shortcuts were taken

and we are trying to fix them

and protect the interests of the

taxpayers of Sooke,” said Milne.

Council recommended discus-

sions take place with Prestige to

work on the parking issues.

File photo

The Prestige Hotel

Fire destroys mobile home

Britt SantowskiSooke News Mirror

In the early morn-

ing hours of February

6, in the middle of the

Island’s cold snap, the

Otter Point Fire station

received a call about a

fire. At 12:43, they were

called to attend a fire at

7951 West Coast Road.

They were there within

10 minutes, by which

time the registered

manufactured home

was fully engulfed in

flames. John McCrea,

Captain, Otter Point

Volunteer Fire Depart-

ment said their main

concern was contain-

ing the fire. The burn-

ing building was by that

point unoccupied.

“There was noth-

ing left to go into, so

our first concern was

to protect the main

house,” he said.

Sooke Fire Rescue

Services also assisted

with the call. “The fire

was through the roof

when we arrived,” said

Chief Steve Sorensen,

noting the roof was col-

lapsing and no one was

going in. The occupant of the

manufactured home

was 16-year-old Calvin

Currie who, according

to his father Jeff Currie,

fell asleep with a space

heater on, to guard

against the extreme

cold that night.

Currie and his wife,

April Ingham, awoke in

the middle of the night

(they live in the main

house) to their son

Calvin telling them the

manufactured home

was on fire.A couple of more

minutes, and it could

have been too late, Jeff

said. His son Calvin lost

everything: his surf

board, snow gear, cloth-

ing, art work and more.

However, both Jeff and

April are deeply appre-

ciative that the losses

were all material. With

Calvin safe in their

home, they are count-

ing their blessings.

April Ingham photo

The charred remains, with the main house in the background. Except for some

melted gutters over the living room window, and some cracks in that window, the

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Don Denton/News staff

Ten-year-old Jada Benwell, right, along with help from friends and family including, from left, six-year-old Summer

Bentham, eight-year-old Caleb Bentham and eight-year-old Quinn Benwell has been collecting socks, toques, gloves

and scarves to distribute to those less fortunate. Read the story on page seven.

Steven Heywood

News staff

It’s no secret North Saanich district council-

lors are split over the future of housing devel-

opment in their municipality and Mayor Alice

Finall and her supporters want to ensure the

size and scope of this change is not a secret to

the residents.

Council began the steps to change the Dis-

trict’s regional context statement bylaw on

Feb. 3. This process will increase the amount

of land within the munic-

ipality that will be open

to more housing develop-

ment at increased densi-

ties. It’s a move that the

opponents of the mayor

say has been a long time

coming. It has also been

the subject of the con-

troversial housing imple-

mentation plan started by

the municipality in 2012

to explore the need for

growth in the wake of increased development

pressure.“These plans (for housing) on our borders

with Sidney will be embraced,” says Council-

lor Ted Daly.He added that since Sidney has little new

land to build on, it’s up to North Saanich to

provide space in appropriate areas for more

housing.“We are being a complete, inclusive commu-

nity,” Daly said about this bylaw change.

Housing changes no secretTwo North Saanich

neighbourhoods to

receive letters on growth

Please see:

Plans for housing diversity, page 3

Ted Daly

Aviation career day at air museum

Devon MacKenzie

News staff

Students on the Saanich Peninsula will

have a chance to test their appetite for

careers in aviation this month thanks to

the B.C. Aviation Museum (BCAM).

The BCAM is hosting Aviation Career

Day, which is co-sponsored by them and

the Victoria International Airport, on Sat-

urday, Feb. 22 and students will be able to

attend the event for free.

“It’s focused on students in Grades 9 to

12 and it serves to join students up with

people in the aviation industry and show

the students what sort of options are out

there,” explained Dhyana Harrington, one

of the event’s co-ordinators.

Aviation Career Day will feature exhibi-

tors from the Victoria Airport Authority,

the Victoria Flying Club, the University of

Victoria, Transport Canada, the Depart-

ment of National Defence, Viking Air, the

B.C. Institute of Technology, Nav. Canada,

Westjet and more, Harrington said, adding

that career day at the BCAM is about more

than just jobs in commercial aviation.

“Career day shows students that there’s

a lot more to the aviation field than just

becoming a pilot or flight attendant,” she

explained.The 2014 Aviation Career Day is the third

event of its kind hosted by the BCAM.

Quality family timeFamily Day in Sidney drew

thousands in to play with Lego.

See our photos, page 3

Watch for breaking news at www.vicnews.com

C O M M U N I T Y N E W S M E D I ABlack Press Friday, February 14, 2014

PENINSULA R E V I E WNEWS

Local girls off to the Games

Lexi and Veda Smith are off

to the B.C. Winter Games in

Mission next week, page 11

Event showcases

career opportunities in

the aviation industry

Please see:

Career Day has grown, page 5

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Friday, February 14, 2014

Blind fightVision-impaired woman

advocates for skills training Page A3

COMMUNITY: Saanich offers disaster prep classes /A5

ARTS: Loss, love and life inspire Victoria singer /A12

SPORTS: Mariners baseball trio college-bound /A15

SAANICHNEWSWatch for breaking news at WWW.VICNEWS.COM

Distracted dangerousand

Christine van Reeuwyk

News staff

A pair of youth are likely still

talking about the day last week

they helped Saanich police Sgt.

John Price issue their moms a

ticket. On separate occasions, Price,

with the department’s Traffic

Safety Unit, caught two moms

not complying with B.C.’s dis-

tracted driving legislation while

their child was in the vehicle.

The officer had each kid read

the ticket aloud to their parent,

using the roadside stop as an

educational opportunity for all.

“Our message to everybody out

there is: hands-free means hands-

free. … It’s really telling when we’re

stationary and you watch as people

approach an intersection,” Price said.

“It is one of the leading causes of seri-

ous and fatal crashes.”

Police in Greater Victoria are crack-

ing down on the dangerous driving habit

with a month-long campaign targeting cell-

phone-use behind the wheel. In the first five

days of February, Saanich police issued 57

tickets for using an electronic device while driv-

ing. More than 100 tickets have been issued in

Saanich so far this month.

B.C. banned drivers from using electronic devices

in January 2010, but even four years later officers

are still hearing excuses.

“One of the common themes we’re getting from

people is they have their cellphone in hand on

speaker mode,” Price said. “You can’t have it in

your hand, that doesn’t count as hands-free.”

One person was hit with the $167 fine twice in

the first six days of the campaign.

Last week, officers from the Victoria Police

Department caught distracted drivers in a variety

of ways, including being in unmarked cars and

being passengers on B.C. Transit buses. Cops on

the bus would radio their counterparts on the road

if they saw drivers displaying behaviour consistent

with distracted driving.

“Being on the bus, you’re in a vehicle people

aren’t suspecting you to be in … and looking down

into a vehicle is much easier,” said Const. Kristin

Greffard with VicPD’s traffic unit. “It was great – in a

matter of two hours we had nine distracted drivers

(and) five seatbelt tickets.”

“We’re trying to be creative to let people know

we’re out there,” she said. “The transit thing was

new for us and it was relatively successful, so we

might look at that again in the future.”

Both departments plan to target distracted driv-

ers all month, citing an average 91 deaths on B.C.

roads each year attributed to distracted driving.

“Most motorists are doing the right thing …

but it’s a significant ongoing problem,” Price said.

“Somewhere along the line with the proliferation

of smartphones was a shift in mentality that we’re

supposed to be reachable 24-7.

“On a weekly basis we get calls from Joe Q motor-

ist reporting other motorists. So there’s an aware-

ness it’s unlawful, but more importantly there’s an

awareness that it’s a risk.”

reporter@saanichnews.com

Distracted dangerous

there is: hands-free means hands-

free. … It’s really telling when we’re

stationary and you watch as people

approach an intersection,” Price said.

“It is one of the leading causes of seri-

ous and fatal crashes.”

Police in Greater Victoria are crack-

ing down on the dangerous driving habit

with a month-long campaign targeting cell-

phone-use behind the wheel. In the first five

days of February, Saanich police issued 57

tickets for using an electronic device while driv-

ing. More than 100 tickets have been issued in

Saanich so far this month.

B.C. banned drivers from using electronic devices

in January 2010, but even four years later officers

are still hearing excuses.

Police crack down on drivers using cellphones

Photo by Sharon Tiffin/ News staff

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www.vicnews.com

On solid iceHockey training facility

pulls through tough years Page A3

NEWS: Swimming tempers symptoms of MS A5

ARTS: A journey from hardship to harmony A12

SPORTS: U.S. colleges draft Victoria ballplayers A14

NEWSGAZ E T T E

GOLDSTREAM

Charla Huber

News staff

Two weekends ago, a dozen parents

camped out for days on Sangster school

property for a chance to have their child

accepted into SD 62’s nature Kindergarten

program.Now amid its second year, nature K was

launched in 2012 as part of the answer on

how to reconnect kids with the outdoors,

and anecdotally at least, it seems to be

working. Sangster elementary teachers Adina

McIndoe and Michelle James say there

isn’t much difference between students

in the classroom, but take them into the

nearby forest at Royal Roads University

and it’s a different story.

“All the students have settled in and

it’s hard to tell who’s who,” McIndoe said.

“But, when we go out in the forest then

you can tell who was in nature Kindergar-

ten. My students who were in nature K are

interested in going outside and are very

comfortable there.”

The program has 22 coveted seats, split

evenly between boys and girls, and with

two set aside for First Nations students.

Parents who camp out are mainly compet-

ing for boys spots.

Parents expect their child will be at ease

in the woods and on the beach, and that

appears to be the case. The teachers note

that students with nature K under their

belt bring with them a new and somewhat

advanced vocabulary including, “scaven-

ger” and “predator.” At five or six years

old, they can identify and name plants and

trees.“They are the first to tell us all about dif-

ferent plants they find,” James said. “They

are very well-spoken when it comes to

nature and they have a lot of respect for

it.”The transition from K to Grade 1 can be

tough for any kid, but for students at Sang-

ster this year, it was a bit rougher due to

seismic upgrade construction.

McIndoe’s class was held in the library

and James’ class was in a temporary

classroom, but in December both teach-

ers moved their students into permanent

classrooms.“Grade 1 is always a transition for stu-

dents” said Sangster principal Maureen

Lauren, who was a Grade 1 teacher for 22

years. “At the beginning of the year we

have extra hands-on play time,” to help

with the transition.

Kindergarten is more about learning

through play and Grade 1, students learn

to read, write, add and subtract.

The outcomes of nature K are being

studied and compiled by professors and

graduate students from University of Vic-

toria and Camosun College, and part of the

work is looking at the transition to Grade 1.

Results are expected this fall, and Fran-

ces Krusekopf who spearheaded nature

K in the Sooke School District, expects

results in line with what Grade 1 teachers

are witnessing.

“There has been research in Europe for

children from forest preschools to normal

regular schools,” said Krusekopf, currently

the principal of Colwood elementary.

“Those studies have shown the children

(in Europe) transition as well if not better

than other students.”

For more on SD62’s nature K program,

see naturekindergarten.sd62.bc.ca.

charla@goldstreamgazette.com

Charla Huber/News staff

Sangster elementary Grade 1 teachers Michelle James and Adina McIndoe teach students from the inaugural year of nature

Kindergarten in SD 62. They say students who transition from nature-K or standard kindergarten to Grade 1 are about the

same in terms of play and interactions, until the class goes outside.

Classroomsindoors vs. outdoorsNature Kindergarten

program appears to

be paying off, say

Grade 1 teachers

“When we go out in the

forest then you can tell who was

in nature Kindergarten.”

– Adina McIndoe

Sangster elementary

Grade 1 teacher

Friday, February 14, 2014

www.vicnews.com

Educator honouredLeslie Lee wins national

recognition award Page A7

NEWS: Police chase catamaran thief /A5

ARTS: Songwriter turns hardship to harmony /A11

SPORTS: Mariners baseball trio college-bound /A13

OAK BAYNEWS

Christopher Sun

News staff

For almost four years, Mohinder

Doman didn’t know what was wrong

with her. It started in 1999 with what she

thought was indigestion and bouts

with a cold. The indigestion lingered

and she started feeling increasingly

fatigued. She visited numerous

doctors, each one telling her it was

nothing to worry about, attributing

her ailments to aging. She was in her

50’s at the time.

Tightness in her

chest, joint pains in her

shoulders and swollen

feet followed, but

repeated doctor visits

yielded nothing but pain

relief medication and a

recommendation to rest.

“There was one

particular day … I was at home and I

was just so ill,” Doman said. “I could

hardly move and there was no point

in going to see a doctor because I had

already been many times and they

always dismissed me.”

Doman’s health was in decline.

She had difficulty standing in the

shower and the steam affected her

breathing. She gained weight, was

constantly tired and turned down a

wedding invitation because she felt

too weak to leave home. She was also

bruising easily.

One day, a friend who was a nurse

made a surprise visit, shocked by her

physical condition, she took Doman

to see a doctor who diagnosed her

with congestive heart failure.

She learned through an angiogram

that she had multiple heart attacks.

“I thought this couldn’t be possible

because I was thinking, if you have (a

heart attack), you die,” Doman said.

“How could I have had a number of

them?”

■ ■ ■

Heart disease is the number one

killer of women, said Carolyn Thomas,

who hosts the annual Cardiac Cafe at

the University of Victoria.

A heart attack survivor herself,

Thomas leads a lecture, where she

shares her experience and knowledge

gained from the WomenHeart Science

and Leadership Symposium at the

Mayo Clinic. She said the

symptoms of heart disease

for women and men are

very different and it is

common for doctors to

misdiagnose women.

“Up to 40 per cent of

women experiencing a

heart attack don’t have

chest pains at all,” Thomas

said. “It’s quite different than what

we see in Hollywood movies, where a

person clutches their chest and falls

down.” Thomas was able to walk and

talk during her heart attack.

Thomas had her heart attack in 2008

when she was 58. She was out for a

walk when she experienced crushing

chest pain, but it was the pain on

the left side of her arm that made

her wonder if she was having a heart

attack. She didn’t think it was possible

as she was a distance runner and lived

a healthy, active lifestyle.

“I did go to emergency, because of

the arm pain,” Thomas said.

She was told by the emergency

room doctor that it was just acid

reflux. “I then thought this acid reflux

was brutal. How can people handle

this?”

Commonly misdiagnosed, heart disease

remains the No. 1 killer of women

TAKE HEART

Don Denton/News staff

Mohinder Doman, who is celebrating the 10th anniversary of her heart surgery, hugs

the heart-shaped pillow she was given after her surgery. Heart patients are given

the pillow to hold against their chest when they have to cough in order to minimize

movement of the chest area following surgery.

PLEASE SEE:

Lucky to be alive, Page A10

“I was

thinking, if you

have (a heart

attack), you die.”- Mohinder Doman

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www.vicnews.comVICTORIANEWS

Love transcendsCaring for family with

dementia a labour of love Page A3

NEWS: Chamber wooing civic election candidates /A3

ARTS: Songwriter turns hardship to harmony /A14

SPORTS: Mariners baseball trio college-bound /A16

Don Denton/News staff

Getting ready to ride

Mechanic Dylan Cunningham looks over a rear derailleur (gears) on a bicycle brought in for a tune-up at

Russ Hays, The Bicycle Shop. With the cold snap over and weather back to our usual mild temperatures,

many cyclists are getting their rides tuned up and cleaned in preparation for spring and summer riding.

Preparefor parkingshake-upCity of Victoria looks at ways

to increase revenue, limit the hit

to downtown parkers

Free parkades after 6 p.m., automatic first-hour

free parking and $1 on-street parking between 6 and

9 p.m. are a few changes that could be coming to

downtown Victoria.The city plans to vote on changes

to parking services in June, as part of

a review that began last summer. The

analysis was spurred by a decline in

city-owned parkade use, a perceived

lack of on-street parking availability

and Victoria’s general reliance on

$15.6 million in parking revenue,

among other issues.

“We do have five parkades – they’re

very convenient – and we want to

make it easier for drivers to use it,”

said Dwayne Kalynchuk, Victoria’s

engineering director. “Use of our off-

street parkades has declined, so we’re

trying to improve that infrastructure.”

As part of parkade improvements, staff

recommend moving monthly users to higher levels to

free up more convenient spaces for short-term use.

Parkades would also be free after 6 p.m. (currently

$2 for evening parking) and downtown on-street

parking would rise to $1 hourly between 6 and 9 p.m.

to entice drivers into parkades. Free Sunday and

holiday parking remains unaffected.

Ken Kelly, general manager with the Downtown

Business Victoria Association, has advocated for

automatic first-hour free parking for years. He said

the proposed changes could still use improvement,

but the recommendations are a good first step.

Daniel PalmerReporting

PLEASE SEE:

Downtown parking dilemma, Page A11

Family friendly sex ed a hot topic

Having that “birds and bees” talk

with the kids can be an awkward

undertaking for most parents.

Thankfully, Island Sexual Health

Society is offering a day of educa-

tional seminars tailored to families

at First Metropolitan United Church.

“The idea is basically to create

health literacy from a young age so

that children understand about their

bodies, how to take care of them-

selves and communicate,” said Jen-

nifer Gibson, co-ordinator of commu-

nity education services with Island

Sexual Health Society.

The society offers sex education

classes to more than 11,000 people

every year, but it’s not often those

programs are run out of a church, she

said. “You’re just building a conver-

sation for a healthy life, as opposed

to this old idea of sitting down to

have the talk around puberty. That’s

often too late.”

The sessions take place Feb. 27

between 4:30 and 7:15 p.m. Age-

appropriate sessions are planned for

children ages 3 to 5, ages 6 to 8, ages

9 to 12 and 13 to 16.

The cost is $12 per family for as

many sessions as required. Register

online at firstmetvictoria.com or by

calling the church at 250-388-5188.

Find more information at island

sexualhealth.org.dpalmer@vicnew

s.com

One glance Saxe Point Park I Japanese Garden at Esquimalt’s Gorge Park I Buxton Green on the water.

Call 250-412-8525 to book your wedding.

Photo: Kristopher James Photography

all it takes to imagine your stunning wedding in our parks.

5

with minimum $50 orderwithin radius

On behalf of the City of Victoria, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 20th Annual Canada Dry Victoria Dragon Boat Festival!

The Victoria Dragon Boat Festival began in 1994 as part of the festivities surrounding the Commonwealth Games in Victoria. In commemoration of Hong Kong Day, the Victoria Chinese Commerce Association arranged for dragon boats to be brought to Victoria from Vancouver for a one-day exhibition race.

The successful event quickly grew and today the Dragon Boat Festival is one of Victoria’s most spectacular summer festivals. Every year, the event brings our Inner Harbour alive with exciting races, spectacular entertainment and exotic culinary delights.

When the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival began in 1994 there wasn’t a single dragon boat team training in Victoria. Today, Victoria’s Gorge Waterway is full of dragon boats most evenings from January through September and the sport has seen incredible growth throughout the world.

Congratulations to the organizers and volunteers who make Victoria’s Dragon Boat Festival a tremendous success. Good luck to all the paddlers who have come from far and wide to be part of this exceptional competition. We will be cheering for you.

Enjoy the festival!Sincerely,

Dean Fortin | Mayor of Victoria

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14greetings

from the mayor of viCtoria

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Greetings from our Title Sponsor - Canada Dry

Canada Dry is proud to be the title sponsor of the 2014 Victoria Dragon Boat Festival and to be celebrating the 20th anniversary of this beautiful cultural event

in Victoria. Canada Dry has been rooted in many of our Canadian traditions for over 100 years and we would like to invite you and your family to this year’s Canada Dry Victoria Dragon Boat Festival.

Join the festivities for all ages; the Canada Dry Victoria Dragon Boat Festival offers cultural entertainment and delicious local food vendors, activities for the kids and of course the exhilarating dragon boat races in the heart of beautiful Victoria. We can’t imagine a more perfect place to host an event such as this than from Victoria’s picturesque Inner Harbour.

Come join the celebrations and see you at the races.

Chris Fontenla| Key Account Manager, Canada Dry

sponsorgreetings

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Greetings from our Presenting Sponsor - Fairway Market

Presenting Sponsor of the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival for 18 years and proudly celebrating over 50 years as your local grocer on Vancouver Island.

Good luck to all

the paddlers!

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Fairway Market is proud to be celebrating 51 years as a locally owned grocer on Vancouver Island. We are honoured to be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Canada Dry

Victoria Dragon Boat Festival as the presenting sponsor of this beautiful community event.

Each summer Fairway Market’s looks forward to the vibrant cultural festivities and the exhilarating dragon boat races in the beautiful Inner Harbour.

Fairway Market is a proud supporter of the Lights of Courage Celebration that touches so many lives in our community – through the community of paddlers and dedicated volunteers working together to support the BC Cancer Foundation.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the volunteers & participants for all the hard work that goes into producing this vibrant event and to “thank you” to the visitors who have included the Canada Dry Victoria Dragon boat Festival in their summer plans.

Doug Yuen | President, and the team at Fairway Market

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Committee Chairs

Race Committee: Lillian So

Festival Committee: Loreli Urquhart

Paddlers’ Experience Committee: Nancy Kwong

Communications Committee: Shannon Holms

Sponsorship Committee: Marie Amante

Website Committee: Shannon Holms

Finance Committee: Ken Yao

20th Anniversary Committee: Christine Smart

Festival Staff

Glenys Haskins: General Manager

Heather Leary: Festival Coordinator

Viki Hildreth: Race Registrar

Jennifer Loo: Development Officer

Lance Shaver: Volunteer Coordinator

Amber White: Event Assistant

Board of Directors Executive

Chair—Mark Mawhinney, CMA Entrepreneur and Private Investor

Vice Chair—William K. So, CGA Lee & Sharpe, Chartered Accountants

Treasurer—Ken Yao, CA The Ken Yao Company, Chartered Accountancy +

Secretary—Kael Campbell, BBA Red Seal Recruiting Solutions

Board of Directors Marie Amante | Yellow Pages Group

Paul Chow | Businessman

Ida Chong, FCGA | Board of Governors, University of Victoria

Shannon Holms, BASc, ABC | Government of British Columbia

John Kay, CMA | ASH (The Affordable Sustainable Homes Ideas Co.)

Sinclair Mar, JD | Manhas, Mar Lawyers

Christine Smart | Smart Events

Lillian So | Lee & Sharpe, Chartered Accountants

Christie Ulmer | Right Management

Committees & staff

Board of direCtors

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The Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Festival, Duānwu Jié, Double Fifth, Tuen Ng Jit) is

a traditional holiday that commemorates the life and death of the famous Chinese scholar Qu Yuan (Chu Yuan). The festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar to commemorate this great poet and statesman. What do people do? The Dragon Boat Festival is a celebration where many eat rice dumplings (zongzi), drink realgar wine (xionghuangjiu), and race dragon boats. Other activities include hanging icons of Zhong Kui (a mythic guardian figure), hanging mugwort and calamus, taking long walks, writing spells and wearing perfumed medicine bags. All of these activities were regarded by the ancients as an effective way of preventing disease, evil, while promoting good health and well-being. People sometimes wear talismans to fend off evil spirits or they may hang the picture of Zhong Kui, a guardian against evil spirits, on the door of their homes. In the Republic of China, the festival was also celebrated as “Poets’ Day” in honor of Qu Yuan, who is known as China’s first poet. Chinese citizens traditionally throw bamboo leaves filled with cooked rice into the water and it is also customary to eat tzungtzu and rice dumplings.

Background: The festival commemorates the life and death of the famous Chinese scholar Qu Yuan, who was a loyal minister of the King of Chu in the third century BCE. Qu Yuan’s wisdom and intellectual ways antagonized other court officials, thus they accused him of false charges of conspiracy and was exiled by the king. During his exile, Qu Yuan composed many poems to express his anger and sorrow towards his sovereign and people. Qu Yuan drowned himself by attaching a heavy stone to his chest and jumping into the Miluo River in 278 BCE at the age of 61. The people of Chu tried to save him believing that Qu Yuan was an honorable man; they searched desperately in their boats looking for Qu Yuan but were unable to save him. Local fishermen rushed to the spot where he drowned, slapping the water with paddles and banging drums to keep the river dragons away. Every year the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated to commemorate this attempt at rescuing Qu Yuan. Now: Dragon boat races are now held worldwide, and the ideals of Qu Yuan are still honoured through Taoist ceremonies, the spirit of the paddlers, and the invitation and involvement of the local community.

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history of dragon Boating

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While still in its development, the Victoria Chinese Commerce Association (VCCA) had a vision of bringing dragon boating to Victoria for the first time. In 1993, VCCA President Sinclair Mar,

committee chair Alan Yuen, and many other VCCA members joined together to bring a demonstration race to Victoria’s Inner Harbour. The following year, Victoria would be the host of the Commonwealth games, and it would be Hong Kong’s last competition before joining with China in 1997. Alongside the Commonwealth Games cultural committee, the VCCA was successful in their endeavours, and Victoria saw the first of its dragon boat races as a demonstration during the opening ceremonies of the games in 1994. This was made possible with the support and cooperation of the late Honourable Dr. David Lam (Lt. Gov. of British Columbia at the time and honourary chair of the festival), the late Milton K. Wong, the other event organizers of the then Vancouver Festival, as well as the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office of Toronto. In the year following the demonstration race in the opening ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games, the VCCA hosted its first Dragon Boat Festival with the assistance of the organizers of the Vancouver festival. Starting out with 20 racing teams and a sparse amount of onsite vendors, the Dragon Boat Festival of Victoria grew over the next three years into a fully operational and successful festival. With such strong growth, the VCCA’s organizational capacity was stretched to its limit, thus prompting the founding of the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival Society in August of 1997. Three of the original founders, Sinclair Mar, Ida Chong, and Paul Chow, are still actively engaged in organizing the festival each year. Beyond the organizational committee, numerous people continue to come back and volunteer year after year with an ever-growing personal connection to the festival and the people behind it.

Victoria Chinese Commerce Association, 1994

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20th anniversary

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With the support of the City of Victoria, the Harbour Authorities, Transport Canada, and Maritime Forces – CFB Esquimalt, the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival has continued to develop.

The festival has developed many long-standing relationships with local and international businesses whose financial support has been pinnacle to ensuring the festival is able to continue providing the best races and for the lowest team registration fees, while still keeping it open to the public for free to enjoy the sport and culture that comes along with the festival. Without the long-standing support of our Presenting Sponsor Fairway Markets, the establishment and continued growth of the festival would not have been possible. Our Title Sponsor, Canada Dry, has been a strong supporter of our festival and vision since 2009, becoming a trademark of our festival’s identity in the dragon boating and Victoria communities. The Victoria Dragon Boat Festival Society, as the child of the VCCA, now continues to present the festival annually and will be celebrating 20 years of dragon boating in 2014. VCCA members have provided leadership and volunteers for the festival from inception to the present day. The society is now an independently run non-profit - presenting vendors, main and cultural entertainment stages, a jam-packed beer garden and nearly 2,500 paddlers, two thirds travelling from out of town. It was previously estimated that more than 80,000 people pass through the site over the weekend, often staying to watch as the spirit of the dragon boat teams make the Inner Harbour come to life.

20th Anniversary Fundraising Gala Celebrating 20 Years of

Bringing Communities Together Through Dragon Boating

Join us for a decadent evening,Wednesday, August 13that the Inn at Laurel Point

TickeTs: $90 presaleAvAilAble AT: www.victoriadragonboat.com or 250.704.2500

Dress: Cocktail attire with a touch of red

An evening of fine cultural entertainment, silent auction, raffle prizes, lucky red envelopes, wine tasking by Artisan Wineries and a reception prepared by award winning Executive Chef Takashi Ito!

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20th anniversary

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Dragon boats are operated by “paddlers” rather than “rowers”. Dragon boat

paddlers sit or crouch facing forward in their boats. The leading pair sets the pace for the team, with all other paddlers striving to keep perfect time with their stroke. An efficient team will actually lift their boat up out of the water with each stroke helping them surge forward. The Teams Dragon Boat teams are comprised of 27 members - with the essential positions of team captain, team manager, drummer, and steersperson. Capacity of the 45-foot-long dragon boats is 22 members: 20 racers, the steersperson, and the drummer. The boat is steered by a “stern” who controls the boat with a steering oar mounted at the rear of the boat. Pace is kept by a “drummer” who sits facing backwards at the front of the boat. The stern may work with the drummer to call out commands during the race.

The Technique To achieve top speed, paddlers must work together so every blade strikes the water vertically synchronously, followed by a torso rotation to drive a short pullback. Efficiency of paddling, and not the rate, is responsible for speed of the boats. The Race Our race is 500m and can typically be completed by a dragon boat team in two to two and a half minutes, averaging 3 to 4 meters per second - that’s 70 to 80 strokes per minute! However, longer endurance races also exist, such as the Three Gorges Dam Rally along Yangtze River in China, which covers 100 kilometers of racing; a thousand times longer than a typical race. So come join us for three days of exciting races, delicious flavours, awesome bands, and more at the 2014 Canada Dry Victoria Dragon Boat Festival.

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aBoutdragon Boating

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Island Breaststrokers Dragon Boat Team: Food, Fun and Fitness – but not necessarily in that order.

The Island Breaststrokers are grateful for the tremendous support we receive from the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival. The Victoria Festival provides the Island Breaststrokers Dragon Boat team with an opportunity to paddle in the spectacular Inner Harbour with athletes from far way. We have made lasting friendships among the paddlers and always look forward to meeting them at the Victoria Festival. While we only see other breast cancer teams a few times a year, bonds are formed, and when the races begin our fellow paddlers become fierce competitors. These strong women demonstrate the ability of breast cancer survivors to compete as athletes and to lead fulfilling productive lives. We are women from all walks of life, proud to demonstrate the power of a healthy athletic lifestyle and our triumph over adversity.

Also supporting our team is Vancouver Island Paddling. The Island Breaststrokers Dragon Boat Team call VI Paddling on the Gorge Waterway home. Our wonderful coaches and support people are from VI Paddling, their expectations for us are high - and we paddle hard.

Dragon boating for breast cancer survivors, began in 1996 with Dr. Don McKenzie a professor in the Department of Sports Medicine at the University of British Columbia. At that time the thinking was that women who had breast cancer should avoid strenuous upper body exercise because of concerns about lymphoedema. Dr. McKenzie’s program monitored the effect of strenuous exercise on breast cancer survivors and the study found that women were fitter and healthier. Regular physical exercise played a critical role in helping women return to an active lifestyle.

The Island Breaststrokers have been able to take their message around the world, competing with world-class athletes in festivals in South Africa, Singapore, Australia and Miami. As the breast cancer dragon boat movement grows internationally, we have a unique opportunity to

raise awareness about the disease. Survivors Dinner: Don Mee Seafood Restaurant, 538 Fisgard St. Friday, August 15th, 6:00pm

TickeTs: $25/person 250-382-4950, scorchie@shaw.ca

After dinner we walk to the Inner Harbour with lanterns for the Lights of Courage light-up ceremony. The ceremony celebrates life and honours the memory of those who are no longer with us.

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island BreaststroKers

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1. Festival Information2. Paddler’s Village3. Main Stage4. Beer Garden5. Canada Dry Hot Dog Tent6. Cultural Stage7. Kid’s Tent8. Festival Merchandise9. Forbidden City Food Court10. BC Cancer Foundation11. Race Viewing Area12. VIP Appreciation Tent13. Volunteer Headquarters14. Paddler’s Massage

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R A C E C O U R S E

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Eye Dotting CeremonyJoin us as we kick off the Festival on Friday, August 15th, at 1pm, at Ship Point as Taoist priests “awaken the dragon” in the elaborate ceremony.

According to Chinese mythology, dragons sleep in the mountains and travel to the water once roused. To awaken the spirit of the dragon, the priests must animate the dragon boats. Brushes are dipped in pots of red paint and the eyes of the figurehead of each dragon boat are dabbed in ritual.

Friday Night Highlights:Discover the Past—Free Walking Tours of Canada’s Oldest Chinatown—Victoria’s own historian John Adams will be giving free hour-long tours of the historic Chinatown district once Friday and twice daily Saturday. Highlights include Market Square, Fan Tan Alley, the Chinese Temple and the Chinese Public School. Sign up at the Information Tent and come learn about the oldest Chinatown in Canada!

Lights of Courage Lantern Lighting Ceremony

An opportunity to honour those who have been affected by cancer. Colourful Chinese paper lanterns will be available for a donation of $2 each at the BC Cancer Foundation booth on site, local Fairway Market stores, Denny’s Restaurant and The Bay Centre. Each lantern has a tag to write a message to the person you wish to honour. Proceeds are donated to the BC Cancer Foundation.

Join us Friday, 9pm, at the Festival Site as we celebrate the official lighting of our Lights of Courage display. Lanterns will be hung throughout the Festival weekend.

Soul Shakers— Free outdoor concert Friday 7pm, on the Main Stage featuring Victoria’s hottest rhythm and blues band, the Soul Shakers. The Soul Shakers’ brand of gritty, energetic R&B and soul includes contemporary tunes as well as soul sanctified classics by Aretha Franklin, Sam & Dave, Stevie Wonder, James Brown and others. It is irrestistible dance music!

festival highlights

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F OR BI DDE N C I T Y F O OD C OU RTExcite your palate with a selection including:

Mama Rosie’s Kitchen ~ PV Amigo’s ~ EAT Machine ~ Victoria and Vancouver Island Greek Community Society ~ Silk Road Tea ~ A Streetcar Named New Orleans ~ Poppin’ Mad Kettle Corn

Saturday Night HighlightsPaddlers’ Air Band Competition— Teams take their rivalry from the water to the stage-battling it out to see who can perform the greatest air band! A lack of musical talent won’t hold these paddlers back! Come out and enjoy the ridiculous costumes, elaborate dance routines, and the inevitable hilarity that ensues! The most popular performance, based on audience reaction, will earn the coveted Spirit Award, so be sure to come out and support your favourite team!

Saturday, August 16th, 7-8pm, Main Stage

Paddlers’ Dinner—Celebrating the end of the first day of competition with paddlers and guests alike on Saturday night. This well-deserved dinner features delicious tastes and treats from our food vendors and kicks off the weekend in true paddler style!

Dragon Boat Races Experience the excitement of dragon boat racing! Teams race from Laurel Point to the Inner Harbour in five-boat heats. Saturday’s races seed competitors to their divisions, with semi-final and final races taking place on Sunday. The best view of the race course can be had from the bleachers on Ship Point, where you’ll be able to hear the announcers calling all of the highlights of the competition.

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FRID

AY,

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M A I N STAG E C U LT U R A L STAG E

4 pm Umianri Taiko

5 pm Harmony Belly Dance

5 pm Groove Kitchen 6 pm Salsa Caliente

7 pm Soul Shakers 7 pm Furusato Dancers

SPECIAL EVENT S

1 pm Eye Dotting Ceremony at Ship Point

9 pm Lights of Courage Lantern Lighting Ceremony at Ship Point

SAT

UR

DA

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UG

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M A I N STAG E CULTUR AL STAGE

11 am �e O’Briens 9:30 am Victoria Chinatown Tai Chi

12:30 pm Ritchie Mac Band 10:30 am Uminari Taiko

2 pm Curl 11:30 am Japanese Minyo Music

3:30 pm Blue Cadillac Band 12:30 pm Esquimalt Singers and Dancers

Paddler’s Air Band Competition

1:30 pm Furusato Dancers

2:30 pm Ocean Rain Chinese Arts Academy

3:30 pm Harmony Belly Dance

4:30 pm Wong Sheung Kung Fu Club

5:30 pm Salsa Caliente

6:30 pm Vibe Street

SPECIAL EVENT S

2 and 3:30 pm: Discover Victoria’s Chinatown—Walking Tour with John Adams (Discover the Past)

SUN

DA

Y, A

UG

UST

17H

M A I N STAG E C U LT U R A L STAG E

11 am 10:30 am Uminari Taiko

12:30 pm 11:30 pm Japanese Minyo Music

2-7 pm DJ to be announced

Peet Vuur Band

12:30 pm Esquimalt Singers and Dancers

1:30 pm Furusato Dancers

2:30 pm Ocean Rain Chinese Arts Academy

3:30 pm Vibe Street

SPECIAL EVENT S

12 and 1:30 pm: Discover Victoria’s Chinatown—Walking Tour with John Adams (Discover the Past)

8 pm Funk’d Up

6:30 pm

5 pm Free Ride

Maureen Washington Quartet

* The Victoria Dragon Boat Festival Society reserves the right to make changes to the race schedule.

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entertainmentsChedule

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Blue Cadillac Band—This Vancouver Island blues band delivers a high energy performance that will rock your blues away.

Curl—Victoria band CURL includes in their repertoire an eclectic mix of blues and classic rock. CURL features the strong lead vocals of front-woman Helen Davies, also on guitar; the jazz-infused piano styling of Dee Cooper; the rhythmic bass grooves of Susan Johnson; and the solid blues shuffle of Christa Rossner. The band has just released their first professionally produced CD entitled ‘All My Fault,’ recorded at 1 Ton Studios in Victoria. CURL on the web: www.curlgirls.ca

Esquimalt Singers and Dancers—The group has been preforming since 1990. They present traditional dances that are created to showcase their culture. Many of the dancers begin as children and dance for many years with the group, preforming both locally and internationally.

Free Ride— Straight forward rock from the classic era. Complete with period correct costumes and attitude. Free Ride is the ultimate old school party band that will have you smiling, dancing, and singing along. Funk’d Up— Described as Victoria’s hottest new funk and soul act, Funk’D Up will get you dancing. Performing hits by Prince, James Brown, Earth Wind and Fire, Lenny Kravitz, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder...and much more. Come and get your groove on!!

Furusato Dancers—Witness these traditional Japanese dances that are meant to honour the spirits of one’s departed ancestors.

Groove Kitchen— Groove Kitchen is shaking up Victoria’s music scene with its mix of funk, Latin and Soul. This party-hearty crew offers sizzling versions of classic tunes by Maceo Parker, Marvin Gaye,  Stevie Wonder, Cake, Beck and more.

Harmony Belly Dance—Candace Aldridge Sanchez has performed on stages throughout BC, Seattle, Oregon and California as a soloist and with her performing group TangleWood.

Japanese Minyo Music—Rina began to perform Japanese Traditional Music (Touhoku Minyo) at age 5 and joined her mother on tour. She has won numerous awards and among her teachers are many of the famous masters in Japan.

Maureen Washington Quartet— Maureen Washington Winner of the 2014 Black Canadian Awards for Best Jazz & Soul Artist has a sound all her own adding a new twist to Jazz and Blues standards, along with a

hand full of catchy original tunes. She brings with her some of Victoria’s finest high energy musicians with the fabulous Daniel Cook ~ guitar, Joey Smith, ~ bass and Matt Pease ~ drums

Ocean Rain Chinese Arts Academy—Enjoy a spectacular presentation of Chinese classical dance by Ocean Rain.

Peet Vuur Combo—This high energy West Coast acoustic kaos roots band is hard to label but easy to enjoy. They will be playing some interesting originals, covers you may never have heard before and having a lot of fun.

Ritchie Mac Band—Ritchie was raised in a family of professional musicians who are recognized in the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame for their life time achievements appearing on Holiday Ranch a #1 rated show in the fifties on CBC. The band Tim David percussion Bob Dey bass are seasoned pros and have come together and created a unique energy driven grove of original & classic tunes.

Salsa Caliente—This world class troupe from Victoria heats things up with their talent and intensity!

Soul Shakers—This band’s brand of gritty, energetic R&B and soul includes contemporary tunes as well as soul sanctified classics.

The O’Briens—The family combine original songs written by Paul and Fintan, with imaginative arrangements of carefully chosen covers. The blend of the four voices has been the hallmark of the band.

Uminari Taiko—Uminari Taiko is Vancouver Island’s first taiko drumming ensemble. Its mission is to share and promote the art of Japanese drumming through teaching and performance.

Vibestreet — Vibestreet Dance Studio (VSD) is Victoria’s ONLY all Urban/HipHop Dance Studio! Best known for inspiring and fun recreational classes as well as our award winning HipHop Crews. Offering the real raw teachings from an elite faculty of HipHop specialists, taking pride in the education of REAL HipHop and bringing our HipHop Community together.

Victoria Chinatown Tai Chi—Tai Chi is sometimes described as “meditation in motion” because it promotes serenity through gentle movements. Join us and try this ancient Chinese exercise!

Wong Sheung Kung Fu Club—These martial artists will be performing the Lion Dance: colourful, dramatic, and rooted in the students’ training in Hung Fut Kung Fu, a powerful, explosive, precise and flowing style.

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entertainer Biographies

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The BC Cancer Foundation is the bridge that connects philanthropic support and research

breakthroughs in cancer knowledge. As the fundraising partner of the BC Cancer Agency and the largest charitable funder of cancer research in this province, we enable donors to make contributions to leading-edge research that has a direct impact on improvements to cancer care for patients in British Columbia. We fund with the goal of finding solutions.

Our unique relationship with the BC Cancer Agency allows our donors to be part of research discoveries made right here in BC. At the BC Cancer Foundation we are funding the areas of greatest priority and promise. We know, because we ask the scientists and clinicians at the BC Cancer Agency to identify the priorities and needs that will have the most significant and timely impact on cancer care and treatment. We then partner with our donors to raise the necessary funds in support of this life-saving work. Together we are funding and finding solutions that are having a direct impact on improving care for cancer patients in British Columbia.

Comfortable, supportive camiin white, black, red, royal and aqua. Sizes 8–20.

Suite 210-2250, Oak Bay Ave.250 384 1791

Support the BC Cancer Foundation:PH: 250.519.5550 | TF: 1.866.519.5550

Please donate onlinewww.bccancerfoundation.com

The Breast Cancer Survivor’s Race takes place on Sunday at noon, and is followed by the ceremonial Pink Carnation Toss. Join us in celebrating the strength and

endurance of these courageous women.

Carnations can be purchased on Sunday at the BC Cancer Foundation tent for a

donation of $3 each.

Carnation toss

PartnerCharity

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The Lights of Courage Campaign honours those in our community who have been diagnosed with cancer.

These colourful paper lanterns are on sale from July 16th at local Fairway Market locations, Denny’s Restaurant and The Bay Centre.

Purchase a lantern for $2, write a message of hope on its tag, bring your lantern to the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival and add it to our display August 15-17.

Messages are filled with hope, grief, love and inspiration. Write your wishes for a long and healthy future, write a poem of rememberance, write a name, write whatever you like - and fill the lantern with light.

The lantern colours add magic to the evening. But the colours are not nearly

as breathtaking as the hand-written messages on the tags.

BRAVO ON 20 BRAVE & ENTERTAINING YEARS!

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lights of Courage

Congratulations to the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival on 20 spectacular years!

Maurine Karagianis MLA, Esquimalt-Royal Roads

250-479-8326

Carole James MLA, Victoria-Beacon Hill

250-952-4211

CJ+MK-VDBFest-1406.indd 1 2014-06-13 12:01 PM

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Mixed Crews

Alcatraz Paddling Club—San Francisco

Anniemaniacs—Portland

BC Ferries Coast Busters—Victoria

Blazing Paddles—Victoria

Civil Serpents—Victoria

Dogwood Nothin’ Dragon—Coquitlam

Dragon Hearts Attack!—Vancouver

Dragon Hearts Beat—Vancouver

Dragon Hearts Breaker—Vancouver

Dragon Hearts Burn!!—Vancouver

Dragon Hearts Thunderbreaker—Vancouver

Dragon Hearts Ultimate—Vancouver

Deadnought—Vancouver

Fairway Market Dragon Express—Victoria

FCRCC Premier—Vancouver

FGPC Amazing Greys—Victoria

FGPC Brew Crew—Victoria

FGPC Dead in the Water—Victoria

Corporate Teams | Grand Dragon Teams | Breast Cancer Survivor Teams

FGPC Dragon Flyers—Victoria

FGPC Maximus Power—Victoria

FGPC Outta Sight—Victoria

FLCC Spirit of a Renegade (SOAR)—Ft. Langley

Gift of Life—Vancouver

Goblin Empire—Victoria

Golden Dragons—Portland

Gorging Dragons—Victoria

Hot SAKE—Seattle

MS Warriors—Victoria

Navy Dragon Anchors—Victoria

Ouroboros Platinum (Youth)—Vancouver

Paddlers of the Fifth Moon—Victoria

Portland Fire Dragons—Portland

Prevailing Wins—Comox

QF Blu By U—Nanaimo

RCAF Hornets—Victoria

Save on Foods Dragonslayers—Nanaimo

Snogard Dragons—Victoria

raCingteams

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Live Race Results: @VictoriaDragon #VDBF

Sudden Impact Black—Cultas Lake

Swordfish—Vancouver

Sync or Swim—Portland

Team Cream OC20 Powered by Jackson’s Ice Cream—Victoria

Team Fusion—Portland

Team Phoenix—Victoria

The Eh Team—Vancouver

The Fire Breathing Blowfish—Portland

The wRECking Crew—Chilliwack

Thunder Strokers—Harrison Hot Springs

VCKC UnBaLaNcEd & AwEsOmE—Victoria

VYPC—Victoria

Wasabi Grand Masters—Portland

Westshore Warriors—Victoria

Xtreme Reach—Victoria

Women’s Crews

Angels Abreast—Nanaimo

Cha-Wanda—Squamish

Comox Valley Dragonflies—Comox

Dragonauty’s—Victoria

DragonSprites—Portland

Dreadnought—Vancouver

FCRCC Premier—Vancouver

FGPC Gorge-Us-Gals—Victoria

FGPC OC20 Team Cream SPRINKLE— Victoria

FGPC Vic Vic’Sns—Victoria

FLCC Dragon Alliance—Langley

Flying Dragons—Courtenay

Golden Dragon—Portland

Gorging Dragons Senior B Women—Victoria

Gorging Dragons Senior C Women—Victoria

Island Breast Strokers—Victoria

Nusa’Lon Dragons—Nanaimo

OWLS Dragonflies—Victoria

Pink Phoenix Dragon Boat Team—Portland

Port McNeil Dragon Slayers—Port McNeil

RCP—Portland

River Spirit—Campbell River

Seraphins—Harrison Hot Springs

Snappin’ Dragons—Victoria

Survivor Sake—Seattle

The Eh Team Women—Vancouver

WAM—Seattle

Westshore Warriors—Victoria

Open Division

Dragon Hearts—Vancouver

Gorging Dragons Open—Victoria

Paddling Miss Daisy—Victoria

Xtreme Cream—Victoria

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KIDS’ WATeRSPoRTS CAMPSAt the Fairway Gorge Paddling Club

ReGISTeR AT Fairway Gorge Paddling Club | 105 - 2940 Jutland Rd

(250) 658-6333 | kidscamps@fgpaddle.com www.fgpaddle.com

Objective: To provide youth (Ages 6-12) with the opportunity to learn a variety of water sports in a safe, fun, and supportive environment

Kids will participate in Dragon Boating, outrigger canoe, stand up paddling (SUP), Friday pizza lunches, and additional field trips, such as a visit to the Maritime Museum or Robert Bateman Centre... everthing included each week. Just bring enthusiasm to learn new sports!

Lunch & Snacks: The Summer Camp program is a peanut-free zone. Parents will provide a nutritional lunch and snacks for their children. FGPC will provide a pizza lunch on Friday.

Pre- and post-care available from 8am to 5pm daily for an additional $30. Watersports camps are tax exempt. Registration fees cover liability insurance, administration, use of facility and equipment.

SUMMER SCHEDULE July 21-25 $225 July 28-Aug 1 $225 Aug 5 - 8 $180 Aug 11-15 $225 Aug 18-22 $225

Kids’ tent

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Calling all future paddlers!Visit the Kids’ Tent for tons of crafts, games, and free family fun!

Families and kids of all ages are welcome to join in the fun and games and who knows...maybe make a few Festival friends in the process!

BC PowerSmart will be providing creative hands-on fun for the whole family.

Check out the World Fisheries Trust Mobile Seaquaria. Explore and learn about the cool marine creatures that live in our ocean.

KIDS’ TENT HOURS

Saturday, August 16th: 10 am-6 pm

Sunday, August 17th: 10 am-5 pm

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Youth TeamsAre you a youth (13-18 years old) interested in a team paddling sport? The Victoria Dragon Boat Festival welcomes junior teams that are interested in forging new friendships, building upper body strength, and engaging in a healthy and active outdoor lifestyle. Teams train at our official training center, the Fairway Gorge Paddling Club, and are offered discounted rates on our festival registration.

Retail TentCheck out our Retail Tent for all the latest sport clothing and festival gear - from classy to trendy, we’ve got it all! Many thanks to Scimitar Sports Canada for producing high quality volunteer shirts and retail wear for our festival.

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hoW to get involved

Our StaffRunning the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival Society is an immense year-round process, so we are fortunate to have a wonderful full-time General Manager. As the festival approaches, the Society is fortunate enough to hire two students with the help of the Canadian Government’s Summer Jobs Grant, providing a Volunteer Coordinator and Event Assistant to take on many of the mighty tasks of organizing the festival. If you’re a student interested in one of these positions, get in contact with us!

Our VolunteersThe Victoria Dragon Boat Festival could not take place without the helping hands of nearly 500 volunteers that commit over 3500 hours over the festival weekend, and hundreds more our Board & committees give to planning throughout the year. Over the festival weekend volunteers go from strangers to family, and once the excitement is over, volunteers reflect at the Volunteer Appreciation Party where many come home with great door prizes and new found friends.

Our SponsorsBehind any great festival there is an economic engine that keeps things going. It is with the support of our sponsors that affords us the opportunity to host our races in the most

spectacular and scenic waters in North America. As our sponsors recognize financial burdens shouldn’t be an impediment to a healthy, active lifestyle, we are also able to offer one of the lowest team-registration rates! We are always looking for new sponsors and new ways to work cooperatively to bring our communities together in ways that benefit the festival and our fantastic sponsors.

Our BoatsIt is through the help of our Boat Sponsors that we have been fortunate to acquire three more locally produced Millennium Dragon Boats. These boats are used at the Fairway Gorge Paddling Club for practice weeknights from February to September and are stored on our busy docks on the Selkirk waterfront, seeing up to 200 paddlers per night! With five locally produced boats still unbranded, we’re looking for vibrant, community-oriented companies, to partner with. Contact us if you want to help bring our communities together.

General Manager manager@victoriadragonboat.com

Volunteer Coordinator volunteer@victoriadagonboat.com

T. (250) 704-2500 | F. (250) 472-0680

GoodLife Fitness is a proud sponsor of the

For a FREE 3 DAY PASS visit goodlifefitness.com

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Fairway Market

Old Dutch

Tim Hortons

Coca-Cola

Denny’s

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our dragon Boats

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The Victoria Dragon Boat Festival went through a rigorous strategic planning process in 2011. Through that process the Society adopted a new vision statement

of “Brining Communities Together through Dragon Boating”. When the opportunity to acquire the assets of GO Rowing & Paddling Association of Canada presented itself the board immediately saw how this would support its vision. 

By partnering with Don Yuen and Fairway Markets in the formation of the Fairway Gorge Paddling Club Society with more than forty dragon boats, out rigger canoes, kayaks and stand up paddle boards we are truly bringing communities together.  

We have seen life long Victorians come together with newcomers, nationally ranked athletes come together with recreational paddlers, university students come together with seniors and community leaders come together with business leaders. 

We are excited about the future for dragon boating in Victoria and look forward to continuing to “Bring Communities Together through Dragon Boating” through our partnership with the Fairway Gorge Paddling Club!

Grand Opening of Fairway Gorge Paddling clubStephen Yiau, Erik Ages, Glenys Haskins, Don Yuen, Doug Yuen, Mark Mawhinney, Robert Jay

fairWay gorge paddling CluB

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The Fairway Gorge Paddling Club wishes all of its dragon boat teams — and those from further afield — a great weekend of racing at the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival. We’re a proud sponsor of the festival and are please to provision the Festival with Millennium dragon boats, designed and built right here in Victoria. The Fairway Gorge Paddling Club hosts, coaches and trains dragon boat teams for women, mixed and juniors athletes of all ages and abilities, from novice to competitive. Many of our paddlers also cross-train and enjoy the water over the winter months in our fleet of fully coached outrigger canoes.

Want to learn how to paddle or join a team? Contact us by visiting www.fgpaddle.com.

Train. Play. Compete. 

Outrigger | Dragon boat | Kayak

info@fgpaddle.comTel: 250.658.6333

Train | Play | Compete

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festival champions

platinum sponsors

media sponsors

gold sponsors friends

title sponsor presenting sponsor beneficiary charity

Good Life FitnessEncorp Pacific

Island POSDenny’s

Alley Kat Signs

silver sponsors

Villages PizzaMaple Leaf Foods

LilydaleGlo Restaurant & Lounge

Inn at Laurel PointChews Excavating

Pacific Audio WorksMark Anthony Group

bronze sponsors

Lee & Sharpe Chartered Accountants

Itziar ManagementCakes Etc.

Asian FamilyBMO

Dodd’s Furniture & MattressIndustrial Plastics & Paints

Island Tents & EventsIl Terrazzo

Eugene’s RestaurantCanada Bread

Prestige Picture FramingDr. Thiessen

Orbus Business NetworkKen Yao

Manhas Mars, LawyersDr. Richard Chambers

RLC EnterpriseYellow Cabs of VictoriaSandman Hotel Victoria

Paul’s Motor InnGarden Works

Dead Horse ConsultingScimitar Sports

Van Isle ContainersMondelēz International, Inc  

Quaker FoodKellogg’s

MottsSun Rype

memberships

Dragon Boat CanadaTourism Victoria

Victoria Chamber of CommerceVictoria Chinese Commerce Association

Volunteer Victoria

boat sponsors

Denny’s RestaurantCoke

Old DutchAdvance Collision

Fairway Market

ESQUIMALTPORTARE PER OMNIA

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thanK you to our generous sponsors

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Happy 20th AnniversaryCanada Dry Victoria Dragon Boat Festival

from

SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

538 Fisgard St. Victoria 250.383.1032“The Heartbeat of Chinatown!”

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Rated Excellent

The Adventure of a Lifetime

DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL 2014

Friday, June 27, 2014 12:40:02 PM