1/50 Oskar's Bar at Dabbous 39 Whitfield St, WIT 2SF, dabbous.co.uk
The website is pitch black, the bar itself is underlit, but the drinks are a radiant, white ray of beaming perfect light: heavenly. That’s a terrible pun, but they’re big on terrible puns, with drinks including Rye rye rye Delilah, Tequila Mockingbird and Whiskey business.
It’s a touch masculine – lots of dark leather – but you’ll get over that after the first serve, and hey, calling it industrial chic softens the blow. Given plenty of second-rate bars push £12 for gin with dead flowers, drinks here at around a tenner offer terrific value. Oskar Kinberg has built a menu doing different things: ingredients include gin washed with extra virgin olive oil, wild nettles, red wine reductions and shiso. But the results work: these aren’t odd blends for the sake of it, they’re balanced, nuanced, thought through. They’ve some seriously top shelf spirits, too.
2/50 Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London 252 High Holborn, WC1V 7EN, rosewoodhotels.com/london
The Rosewood is doubly wonderful for drinkers, as they’ve two fine spots. In the modern Dining Room, sit at the gin bar, which outstocks anywhere else in London, with more than 400 gins and 27 tonics. Trying to choose is impossible, but what a lovely impossibility to have. The bar staff clearly had one hell of a tasting session as they know the list perfectly. Across the way is Scarfes Bar, a brilliant, brilliant bar gladly shaken free from all the stuffiness usually found in hotel bars. The drinks are stunning, they’ve often live music, it gets wonderfully busy and crackles with laughter, and the manager, Giovanni Spezziga, is a man who will treat you better than your own family does. Go a little later and it’s busier, people drink more, everything is better.
3/50 White Lyan 153-155 Hoxton St, N1 6PJ, whitelyan.com
White Lyan looked at other bars, shrugged its shoulders and said: “to hell with it”. No ice, no fruit and, er, no spirits – at least, not that you’ll spot on the shelves. Oh, they don’t really do shelves, either. Everything here lives in a fridge, and is premixed, but not like in that terrible bar you’ve been trying to forget since uni. It’s done deftly, with a touch of science, as cool and clear as its black and white New-York-in-the-80s decor. There’s no chance for going off menu, but little need to: drinks are largely marvellous, bolstered by Mr Lyan’s own refined and remixed spirits.
Their take on classic cocktails are excellent, but be brave and work from the Heaps Mad Shit menu. Odder; better. They've also their own wines, a cider, and a very decent lager.
If you’re nearer Blackfriars, head to its sister bar, Dandelyan.
4/50 Andrew Edmunds 46 Lexington St, W1F 0LP, andrewedmunds.com
Perhaps better than it’s ever been, Andrew Edmunds recently won The Good Drinking prize in our Restaurant Awards, and for good reason. It’s a small spot, cramped to the point that coming here on a first date feels like you’re being very forward indeed , with the best tables upstairs and not much to look at – just settle for being distracted by someone beautiful. The food, French-ish/English-ish, is fine, but its the wine that's extraordinary. And you’re here for wine: forget cocktails, they have. What a list, and so quietly marked up that you’re getting a steal with almost every bottle – indeed, the more expensive the better the deal. Having been going 30 years, those who knew old Soho say it’s one of the last bastion of such things. Drink too much gorgeous wine and come back often.
5/50 The Connaught Bar Connaught, Carlos Place, W1K 2AL, the-connaught.co.uk
A bar for the impossibly beautiful, a bar of high heels and glimmering lights, of perfume and leather. Aside from oddly thumping music, the Connaught is wonderfully detached from the world – a place of its own, cosy and winter warm when it needs to be, light and summer when desired. The drinks, naturally pricey, are well put together and while classic in tone, come with crackles of theatre: washes in perfume bottles, branches as garnishes, smoke, the lot. Still, the martini trolley is what they’re famed for, so it’s only right to indulge. Afterward, head to the Champagne Room: sadly the law stops it being the cigar haven it once was, but it's still gorgeous: romantic and charming with its fireplace, dramatic with its glass ceiling and sculpture swan diving. Treat yourself to the Ruinart blanc de blanc. Damned good olives, too.
6/50 Bar Américain 20 Sherwood St, W1F 7ED, brasseriezedel.com
As the name suggests, this is a classic American bar, and done near perfectly. One can become very fond of Bar Américain and very quickly: passing through Piccadilly Circus, it acts as a magnet – a quick negroni becomes a temptation impossible to resist. It’s a very beautiful place, calling to mind grand Parisian hotels of the 20s and 30s, bottles winking from the bar, staff floating through with their finery and litres of charm. You’re here to drink the classics: they’ve a killer Clover Club and a straight-down-the-line Manhattan. But ask: the bartenders know their stuff and bring their A-game to any challenge – tell them what you like, and they’ll bring you something new. They often have specials on, as well. Top marks for the attentive staff, bringing plenty of water and bowl after bowl of popcorn – both essential after a few here.
7/50 Milk & Honey 61 Poland St, W1F 7NU, mlkhny.com
You know a bar is good when local bartenders love it, and Milk & Honey has long been a Soho favourite for those in the know. Hidden in plain sight this terrific bar has been doing its thing for just shy of 15 years. The talent hasn’t diminished, and neither has the care put into the drinks. Cocktails are strong and proper and happily, they're updating the list soon to freshen things up. At around £10 a drink, M&H is also a bargain for central London, and the quality outstrips the price. It functions as a members bar, but non-members can book up until 11pm – though going earlier in the week means you’re more likely to score a table. Milk & Honey is civilised, without the crushing formality. Next door is the Blind Pig, another top 'hidden' spot.
8/50 Oriole Smithfield Markets, E Poultry Ave, EC1A 9LH, oriolebar.com
The team behind Nightjar took their winning formula, gave it a bit of a shake up and created Oriole. They’ve live music throughout the week – from Wednesday to Saturday, there’s a charge per person, so watch out for that – which gives any night here a bit of zip. This is a strictly seated spot, so be sure to book: once inside, it’s a whirlwind tour of the world, with fine details from across the globe, both in the styling and the drinks… and so much cheaper than booking a holiday. Drinks are excellent, whether you’re into New Orleans style classics or something from the depths of Asia: explore the menu (split into Old World, New World and The Orient) and expect something unusual and faintly brilliant, with a touch of the Tiki. Put it this way: Oriole is ideal whether you prefer drinking from a crystal tumbler, a teacup or, er, a silver crocodile.
9/50 Mark's Bar HIX Soho, 66- 70 Brewer St, W1F 9UP, hixrestaurants.co.uk
The bad: you might not get in. If it’s busy, they don’t squeeze people into this basement, so either be there early, or bamboozle them with charm, or dazzle them with your brilliant wit. We’re kidding: just take someone hot. The good: pretty much everything else. Naturally, the bar snacks are distractingly tasty, but the drinks list is excellent, and unusual too, with a few historical recipes brought back to life. Attention to detail is everything here, so if you’re not sharing one of the big old Chesterfields, head to the bar and sit and watch – there’s something about it that’s like seeing a cardmaster turn tricks. And have a Hix Fix, just to say you have.
10/50 Piano Works 113-117 Farringdon Road, Farringdon EC1R 3BX, pianoworks.bar
Full credit to this fun Farringdon spot: they’ve worked hard to make the place better and better since opening, which is pretty good going for what was already a decent spot to begin with. The Piano Works sounds like a quiet jazz bar but instead is a hell-raising house of sound, splendidly raucous, where a house band take requests and belt out your favourite songs. The more you get involved, the more fun it is, and the place heats up the later it gets. Wine starts at £16, house cocktails are £8, but they've tons of terrific deals during the week – including cocktails for a fiver (!!) Drink lots, dance lots and leave in the early hours with someone you shouldn’t do. That’s what we did.
11/50 Artesian 1C Portland Pl, W1B 1JA, artesian-bar.co.uk
Artesian won its accolades for its team, Alex Kratena and Simone Caporale, who ran the place for eight years and earned its reputation as the best bar in the world. They’ve sadly departed, but have left the place in capable hands, and the feel is much the same as it ever was, which is chic, glamorous, and not taking itself too seriously. While the beautiful and the rich rub shoulders, the bartenders are mixing up excellent but often slightly silly drinks – but it’s their mischievousness that makes them so winning. Seriously impressive.
12/50 Les Compagnie Des Vins Surnaturels 8-10 Neal's Yard, WC2H 9DP, cvssevendials.com
Call it CVS and your night becomes considerably easier to pronounce. Sat in Neil’s Yard, it is one of London’s finest wine bars. Thoroughly French, of course: New World wines barely get a sideways glance, while even Italy’s finest is only begrudgingly given a little space on the considerable menu. This doesn't mean there is a lack of choice – to the contrary, it is almost overwhelming, though they have a short by-the-glass list, and the charming staff are both well informed and passionate about what to have. In the summer, sit outdoors, in the winter, cosy up by the bar. Wherever you are, try the mystery wine; if you guess it, you’ll win a bottle. Have food – small plates made to share, and terrifically good – and drink plenty, so the bill doesn’t hit as hard.
13/50 The Shrub & Shutter 336 Coldharbour Ln, SW9 8QH, theshrubandshutter.com
This Brixton bar felt new in the area, taking a little of east London and bringing it down south. They’ve a pleasingly patchwork approach to decor: there are jars and bottles and shakers everywhere, which gives the place a kitchen feel. The cocktails, lovely to drink on their own, are made better with the food, which is designed to match what you’re drinking. The pairings initially sound a little gimmicky – crayfish with vodka, venison on the side of ‘The Deerhunter’ (an old fashioned, basically) – but they work, so drop that sceptical streak for a moment. It gets busy, so book up, get in early, and stay late. They’ve a license until 3am, so it’d be rude not to.
14/50 Sky Pod at the Sky Garden 1 Sky Garden Walk, EC3M 8AF, skygarden.london
The truth of it is, you come for the view, but good God it's a great view, and 360-degrees at that. Up 35 floors, if you can think of a London icon, you can probably see it. When the weather's good, get outside for some fresh air. With completely free entry and minimal security fuss, it’s worth making a reservation, though if you’re ok to queue, they’ll have you in. Cocktails aren’t torturously expensive, at around £11.50, and are very enjoyable – the cognac-chocolate-caramel-port mix that is Black and Gold is particularly good– so it doesn't feel like they're relying on the sights.
There’s a sense of special occasion, and all the more so with live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays. They’re hoping for jazz on Wednesdays, too. If you’re tempted to eat, Fenchurch and the Darwin Brasserie are well worth trying – Fenchurch is particularly good for veggies.
15/50 Hawksmoor, Spitalfields 157A Commercial St, E1 6BJ, thehawksmoor.com
It’s hardly surprising the bar snacks are a highlight here – have the oxcheek nuggets with a side of chips, then call the waiter over to order them over again – given how good the steak upstairs is. The drinks and setting, though, match them pound for pound. The old tube tiles on the walls, the beautiful parquet floor, the copper tops and silvery black ceiling make the large space a place to settle in for the night no matter your seat, while the cocktails come with oodles of thought in each one: the new menu has homemade bitters, shrubs and syrups, and it’s bloody obvious everyone behind the bar is more than a little nerdy about building drinks. Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew is the classic, so have it, but follow up with the Shadow Boxer, a mix of scotch, sherry and Fernet-Branca. Odd, oddly delicious. It’s also a cracking place to sit for a bottle of wine.
16/50 The Gilbert Scott St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Rd, NW1 2AR, thegilbertscott.co.uk
Given the golden hue here, where luxury hangs in the air like perfume, it’s remarkable that wine starts at as little as £5 a glass. Wine is its strong point, and likeable head sommelier Joris Beijn is a man worth knowing: he is passionate about his list, knowledgeable and accommodating. The bar is flexible, in that it is by turns ideal for a date, or a catch up with old friends, or a pre/post dinner drinks. The room is a stunner: high painted ceilings, dramatic red walls, great big bells as art, marble bar top and crystal glasses catching the light. Cocktails come in at around £14, and err on the light side: lots of gin and floral concoctions. The restaurant, next door, isn’t to be missed, either, just be prepared to get an Uber home: invariably, you’ll stretch and tease out the evening to stay just a little longer.
17/50 Gerry's Club 52 Dean Street, W1D 5BJ, gerrysclub.com
A word of warning: this is technically a member's club, but you'll probably be fine if you flirt enough – and don't ask for Gerry, he's long since passed. Michael looks after this place now. We've only been once – very late, very drunk and with very good friends. Most old-school Soho drinking dens are dead, but this hub of actors and writers is what remains of 'Old Soho'. If you're boring, steer clear: it is a place to drink wine and beer and tell stories, to laugh uproariously and to give yourself a monumental hangover in a faintly discreet way.
18/50 68 and Boston 4-5 Greek St, Soho, W1D 4DD, 68andboston.com
Boston, the bar upstairs, looks like glamorous train carriage from the golden age of cocktails but plays it a little bit safe. Wine bar 68, downstairs, is the real gem, with a wonderful way of pricing: every bottle on the list is £20, so choose what you like, not what you can afford. Better yet, if you don't fancy a bottle, they're served by the carafe (£14) or glass (£5.50). Wines are well picked and Denise Medrano, wine blogger and lover found behind the bar, is always working to update the list – so go back to try something new. You’ll probably end up getting drunk here: the pull of another bottle at just £20 is monumentally hard to resist, but hey, that’s what Soho is for. If you fancy drinking something more upscale, ask – they’ve a few ‘hidden’ wines kept hidden away for those in the know. That’s you, now.
19/50 The Pink Chihuahua at El Camion 25-27 Brewer St, W1F 0RR, elcamion.co.uk
Forget house infusions and drinks that take half an hour to make: sometimes a good night needs tequila and dancing. The Pink Chihuahua is built for it: they’re providing the tequila – more than 300 different types of it, in fact – you’re there to drink it down and dance it up. They’ve all sorts of twists on Margaritas and Daiquiris, and, given you’re downstairs from Mexican restaurant El Camion, plenty of bar food to indulge in too. Lots of fun, and if you’re feeling more in the mood just to sit back and sip something slowly, ask about their choice of Mezcal. There's real talent here, but fun too.
20/50 The Gibson 44 Old St, EC1V 9AQ, thegibsonbar.london
Given the dearth of decent cocktails in Farringdon, the tiny Gibson is a God-send. It’s a parlour pitched somewhere between Edwardian and Art Deco, and drinks aren’t simply poured here, they’re tended to, built, thought about, adored. All unsurprising, really, given the team learnt their trade at the likes of Nightjar and The Connaught.
This place is doing more creatively to push bartending forward than any bar that's opened up in a while, so ask the team for recommendations and you’ll be presented with something magic. You’ll need to ask, actually, as the menu is a novel and there’s the risk of wasting the evening reading instead of drinking, and that simply wouldn’t do at all.
21/50 Peg+Patriot Patriot Square, E2 9NF, talentedmrfox.com
The Talented Mr Fox, Matt Whiley, offers is a nice blend of things here: while the menu takes a sophisticated trip around London, with each cocktail a column of flavour, some managing chameleonic taste all within the space of a sip, the actual bar is surprisingly spare and understated. The effect is such that while drinks are upmarket, one doesn’t feel obliged to sit demurely to enjoy them. Relax, have a few – you might want to, as the serves aren’t huge. It should be said that these cocktails are among London’s most interesting, rather than London’s best: they are talking points, oddities, they put flavours together in a way that isn’t available elsewhere. If you’re big on trying new things, different experiences, seeing what a cocktail can do, come, it’s a must. If it’s just something reliably delicious you fancy, elsewhere may be better.
22/50 Worship Street Whistling Shop 63 Worship St, EC2A 2DU, whistlingshop.com
One presumes the staff here have night vision, otherwise it’s a complete and utter mystery how they see customers, let alone their ingredients. Still, they must do, for the output is pretty much excellent through and through at this dark spot. It’s Victorian-inspired, which sounds tired and not a little tacky, but the gang from Purl have done it properly. Drinks are busy – lots of fusions, blends, gasses and pressure and all sorts – so it’s appropriate they come out of a lab. Still, all this engineering seems to be worth it, as the drinks slip down easily, the alcohol often hidden away. Make sure to take a seat in the Dram Shop, and pop in to the Gin Closet too, which operates as an honesty bar.
23/50 Kansas Smitty's 63-65 Broadway Market, E8 4PH, kansassmittys.com
Below bar ‘Off Broadway’ – a long way off, it’s Mexican – sits this glorious den of jazz and juleps. It is a speakeasy for 2016: that is to say, it has none of the contrived mannerisms of bars which proclaim to be speakeasies, it just happens to actually be one: you’ll need to knock to get in, the music raves loud and hot, and the place is so crowded strangers become family after a drink or two. The house band, for which the place is named, have envy-inducing talent, and the bar has fairly recently overhauled its drinks list, and the results are good. You’ll be absorbed by the music, and stay afterwards to ride the buzz of the crowd.
24/50 GŎNG 52, Shangri-La Hotel, the Shard, SE1 9QU, .gong-shangri-la.com
Gong is in the Shard, so you’re there for the view alone. View it certainly does: at 52 floors up, it’s by far London’s highest spot to drink: consequently, sipping on a martini, one feels a little like a Bond villain pondering all that’s below. It’s not a huge bar, but that somewhat adds to the sense of exclusivity. Prices are, naturally, sky high: expect to pay at least £18. The drinks have plenty about them to compete with the view: presentation is everything. They’ve not skipped on the spirits making the mix, either: expect the likes of Zacapa 23 rum (heavenly stuff), Talisker scotch and Tanqueray 10 for the gin. All top drawer stuff. If this all sounds a bit intimidating, bear in mind they operate a no reservations policy, so you’ve as good a chance of getting in as anyone else.
25/50 Mr Fogg's Salon 58 St Martin's Lane, Theatreland, WC2N 4EA, mr-foggs.com
Downstairs is a pretty decent pub, busy from theatreland. Upstairs, the salon is quieter, but only a little. The walls are a glittering ballgown of 19th century curiosities, unsubtle nonsense winking away. Head to a chaise longues with a couple of friends or a date and take in something from each one of the five “acts” which split the menu. Drinks seem to smell especially good here, rich, relying heavily on the likes of rum, cognac and sherry. Gin lovers need not despair: they’ve a room with 300 different types next door. Come elegantly dressed.
26/50 The Beaufort bar and the American Bar at The Savoy The Savoy, Strand, WC2R 0EU, fairmont.com
Glitz, glamour and lots of gold: both Savoy bars are wonderfully opulent. The world-famous American bar, recently revamped, is still up there as one of the best bars on our humble planet. The bartenders bible, Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book, was written here, and the cocktails served today remain as finely tuned as they ever were. Whereas as other bars try to recreate the glamour of such places, The Savoy needn’t pretend: everything is genuine. The palatial Beaufort is absurdly romantic, and drinks are extravagantly presented: it works for the most special of special occasions, and there’s something undeniably grand about sipping away in the same place Frank Sinatra, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel and Ernest Hemingway all did. If you’re planning a few drinks, either be rich or take someone rich – seriously.
27/50 Bar Termini 7 Old Compton St, W1D 5JE, bar-termini.com
Do Bar Termini right and you’ll love it: do it wrong, and you may be underwhelmed. Tony Conigliaro, cocktail chap par excellence, and coffee maestro Marco Arrigo have built a revolving-door of a place: don’t come here to linger. Expect a night of cocktails and you’ll leave disappointed: instead, love it in the day for the £1 espressos, and swing by in the evening for a negroni (£6). They’re small, but some of the best in the capital. One swishes in and out here, and that way, it adds a touch of Italian glamour to any evening.
28/50 Trisha's (New Evaristo Club) 57 Greek St, Soho, W1D 3DX
Drinks don’t make a bar, and thank goodness, as the stuff served at Trisha’s – named for its owner – is uniformly pretty awful: red and white wine you’d consider an insult if a friend served it at supper, prosecco wildly overpriced, terrible spirits ecetera ecetera. At more than 70, the club is Soho’s oldest, and while nobody who goes there can ever remember anything changing – it’s often quite hard to recall much about Trisha’s in crystal detail, as it happens – nothing needs to. The bad wine and expensive mixers and paint stripper spirits are all part of the point: it’s a glorious drinking den, and marvellous, marvellous fun. There are characters here: the last time we were in, we sat being scared witless by an old East End gangster who said he’s known the Krays. Tremendous. Long may this place live.
29/50 The Fumoir Claridge's, 49 Brook St, W1K 4HR, claridges.co.uk
The Fumoir will confuse you, as you’ll be torn between shouting about it and keeping it all to yourself. This plush purple and leather spot, deco decadence with a touch of welcome pomp, is hidden away behind a secret door at Claridge’s. Tiny and glitzy enough to feel like a Hollywood dressing room from the Golden Age, it’s little surprise the likes of Christina Hendricks adore it. For such a small place, they squeeze an awful lot in: plenty of wines, classic cocktails given a stern shake up, buckets of gin, a lovely choice of armagnac and a magnificent scotch list, gleaming with rarities.
30/50 69 Colebrooke Row 69 Colebrooke Row, N1 8AA, 69colebrookerow.com
Once known as ‘the bar with no name’, henceforth they shall be called ‘the bar with Bernard’s watch’, as there is no other explanation for the speed with which their finely mixed cocktails arrive. Another bar from Tony Conigliaro, it’s earned its reputation for turning out hit after hit: the drinks list is endlessly tempting. The piano is a nice touch; that is gets played a much nicer one, and make sure to order the Prairie Oyster – fun to drink, and one even for those who can’t eat seafood. Bear in mind it’s a small spot, so you’re close to your neighbours, and if you don’t like strong drinks where the booze kicks, this won’t be for you.
31/50 Happiness Forgets 8-9 Hoxton Square, N1 6NU, happinessforgets.com
Don’t expect frills and fuss or the rest of it here: Happiness Forgets is cocktail bar distilled down to its very essence, and done very well – their tag “High End Cocktails/Low End Rent” sums it up best. The bartenders are all top drawer, and their creations impeccable. Unsurprisingly, this Hoxton space has its regulars, so the crowd is always good. Tables can be booked, but half are always kept for walk-ins: try your luck, it’s worth it.
32/50 Dry Martini by Javier de las Muelas Meliá White House Hotel, Albany Street, NW1 3UP, melia.com
Come to this one to brag: Dry Martini is known as Barcelona’s best cocktail bar, and has been rated the fifth best bar in the world by the World’s 50 Best Bars panel. Renowned bartender Javier de las Muelas has bought over his concept to us lucky Londoners, and with it, finely mixed and classic cocktails. No prizes for guessing that the Dry Martini is the house special – if you don’t think you like them, here’s a place to change your mind – but bar manager Martin Siska, who used to run the Barcelona site and the bar in Brown’s Hotel, has plenty else on the list worth trying. With more than 80 gins on the list, you could easily lose a week here.
33/50 Gordon's 47 Villiers St, WC2N 6NE, gordonswinebar.com
Gordon’s seems to get more and more crowded with each passing day, but perhaps rightly so: the beloved Embankment institution is made for knocking back bottles of wine in. Eat a few cold bites and chat into a long, unwinding evening. The wine list is good enough, but you’re really here for the atmosphere: in summer, the terrace, buzzing, in winter, the caves indoors, crammed with noise, spilt wine, and joy.
34/50 Social bar at City Social 25 Old Broad St, EC2N 1HQ, citysociallondon.com
You’d think you’re at City Social, up 24 stories of Tower 42, to eat, but if you stop in the bar, there’s a good chance you won’t make it to your table. The drinks come as something of a surprise: they’re so much better than one expects from a restaurant bar, inventive, put together carefully but not staidly, retaining a sense of fun. And, crucially, damned tasty. It’s a dark room, and full of city types, but perfect for a few late night cocktails soaking up the view, which is really quite wonderful. Bloody pricey, but that’s part of it.
35/50 Ladies and Gentlemen 2 Highgate Rd, NW5 1NR, twitter.com
William Borrell’s bolthole transcends its gimmick (which, if you hadn’t guessed, is that it’s a converted public loo), with the help of some very handy bartenders, and its house-brewed gin, Highwayman, of which twelve bottles a day get distilled. Ladies & Gents manages well as a place for a quiet drink, or better yet, a place to quietly get roaringly drunk. Convenient indeed. The drinks are strong, very interesting, and there’s plenty of odd sods on the wall to keep your conversation up. It maintains a veneer of being somewhere faintly upmarket, but you’ll probably end up reading from one of the books scattered around or trying to dance to the live music. Perfect for a date that gets out of hand.
36/50 Bull In A China Shop 196 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6LG, bullinachinashop.london
Truth it, you’ll need to catch this place on a good night, as we’ve been in often enough to know it has its good nights and its ‘meh’ nights. But when the place is on, it’s really cooking, and easily one of the best bars in town. The cocktail list is short, but thought through, and care is taken in even the small things: they even make sure the water glasses are chilled. The chamomile and charcoal Old-Fashioned is a must, and any whisky lovers should get chatting to the bar staff, as they’ve bottles which aren’t available anywhere else in the capital.
37/50 Sager + Wilde Arch, 250 Paradise Row, E2 9LE, sagerandwilde.com
Wine lovers rejoice, wine bores look elsewhere. Sager + Wilde admirably keep things unpretentious: the exposed brickwork sets the tone: they’re keeping things low key. The specials list changes regularly, and always with interesting choices introduced. Some of the wines are exclusive to this place, so you’re all but guaranteed to try something new. Have a SHE + T (sherry with tonic, delicious), and absolutely do not leave without having the grilled cheese sandwich.
38/50 7 Tales at Sosharu 64 Turnmill St, EC1M 5RR, sosharulondon.com
Underneath Jason Atherton’s Sosharu is this sexy, seedy Japanese drinking den, where you’ll find the hazy, debauched glamour of Tokyo after dark. Unlike so many bars underneath restaurants, 7 Tales doesn’t feel like a holding pen, and drinks are precision made, with flavours leaning beyond the usual – think rice-washed gin, sake, infusions of sesame, snacks like tempura. Bar snacks are an irresistible must.
39/50 Callooh Callay 65 Rivington St, EC2A 3AY, calloohcallaybar.com
Eccentric doesn’t seem to quite cover it: enter the surreal world of Callooh Callay through an old Victorian wardrobe, catch sight of a throne and order punch out of a gramophone from a menu that’s more of a sticker book. It sounds a bit ridiculous, but the bartenders really know their stuff, so for all the quirks, drinks are fundamentally pretty excellent. On the weekends, it’s a party bar, and DJs spin music to match: you’re here for a good time. Any detectives in your gang will find there are two extra rooms in Callooh Callay to explore – they’re hidden away, too, naturally. If you’re good, you might even get an invite upstairs to the Jub Jub Room, where the 10-long cocktail list changes every three weeks. Fans should also head to their new offering in Angel, Little Bat.
40/50 Dukes Bar Dukes Hotel, 35 St James's Pl, SW1A 1NY, dukeshotel.com
Duke’s is known for one reason: martinis. The St James’s hotel was a favourite haunt of James Bond author and (very) keen drinker, Ian Fleming, who supposedly came up with the ‘shaken, not stirred’ line here. Their martinis are exceptionally strong, and very large: there’s a reason they won’t serve you more than two. But look, break the mould: they’re a classic hotel bar, they serve a fine range of classic cocktails. There’s also a cognac and cigar garden, if you’re so inclined.
41/50 NOLA 1st Floor, 68 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY, nola-london.com
It would be too easy to miss this place, so do your homework and saunter in: it’s must more attractive than sweatily asking anyone if they’ve seen the place. Drawing inspiration from the home of proper cocktails, New Orleans, the bar loves traditional drinks, builds them properly and serves them in a den of music and laughter. Unlike some places specialising in old school serves, NOLA is a place for fun: sure, it seems to say, you could have a quiet drink – but why would you want to? There’s a cracking cigar terrace too, small enough that everyone talks before heading back in for one hell of a Vieux Carré.
42/50 Call Me Mr Lucky 11 Southwark St, SE1 1RQ, twitter.com
All the ‘hidden’ bars at the Breakfast Clubs around the capital are popular, with perhaps The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town being the best known. Call Me Mr Lucky, on Southwark Street, happens to be our favourite. Once you’ve flirted with the staff – ask to get lucky – you’re taken through the restaurant’s kitchens to a lively bar decorated like some twisted take on a kids party. Have a go on the wheel of fortune, where you’ll really want to get lucky, and win a free shot, and then work your way through the cocktail list. Like any good-time bar worth its salt, this place is big on tequila, and the drinks are light-hearted fun, but – here we go getting lucky again – along with the quirks comes quality. By the of the evening, before you’re porured back onto the street, you’ll swear tequila is your new favourite drink, and you’ll be singing the party hits they play all the way home.
43/50 K Bar at The Kensington 109 - 113 Queen's Gate, SW7 5LP, townhousekensington.com
K bar feels majestic – and there is no other word for it – because drinking here is a little like being in the captain’s quarters of the Titanic, albeit without the sinking feeling. There is glamour here: a kind of place to be seduced in. Cocktails wise, bar manager Ben Manchester is the man to ask for, but there’s a fine list to choose from. It avoids stuffiness, and just needs to be packed out to really get cooking.
44/50 Nightjar 129 City Rd, EC1V 1JB, barnightjar.com
Nightjar has fame which means writing about it is redundant: people think it marvellously good, and they’ve live music most of the week. It’s seating only and worth booking: just be sure not to cancel, or they’ll charge a steep £10 per person. They do the speakeasy theme, but well enough that it isn’t too tired yet, and have plenty of old school style on the list. Pick up a pack of cards from the bar on your way out.
45/50 Reverend J W Simpson 32 Goodge St, W1T 2QJ, revjwsimpson.com
Bourne and Hollingsworth run this rather lovely little bar, downstairs from a small doorway on Goodge St. Service is friendly and speedy, it's comfortable, and drinks more than hold their own – there's both obscure traditional mixes and modern serves made with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Luckily, with good drinks come good people, and it's a loud, happy place.
46/50 Albertine 1 Wood Ln, W12 7DP, albertinewinebar.co.uk
Albertine hasn’t changed much since the day East Enders was commissioned there. A wine bar through and through, you’ll struggle to get anything else (though there are a couple of ales on the menu.) It’s a place with spirit, which draws a regular, devoted crowd. They sell everything they serve, and it’s well worth splashing out: the mark-up gets less and less as the bottles get more expensive, meaning you can get an absolute bargain at the top end of the list. It’s also the kind of wine bar you go to to overindulge.
47/50 First Aid Box 119 Dulwich Rd, SE24 0NG, firstaidbox2015.com
This place really is worth travelling to Herne Hill to, which must be saying something. The team behind Shrub & Shutter have thickly laid on the pharmacy theme here, with ‘cure-all’ drinks. It’s not an idea which sounds like it should work, and yet, how much better life would be if they were one of the emergency services. Expect ‘saline’ drips, syringes, and the likes of plastic lungs – their take on thirst aid – but rest assured, flavours aren’t medicinal in the slightest. At £8 - 10 a drink, it’s reasonable for London, and wonderful to see a bar really trying something new. Bravo. Media Wisdom Photography - Giles Christopher
48/50 Nam Long Le Shaker 159 Old Brompton Rd, SW5 0LJ, namlong.co.uk
It gained fame for its celebrity fans, which include Mick Jagger and Prince Harry, but Nam Long has held on longer than most A-list haunts: it’s been going 30 years, and recently was given an overhaul. It’s quite possibly the most Chelsea place imaginable – there are literally MIC cast members floating about – and its a go-to spot to drink far too much and party. The upstairs area is bright, airy, and well looked after by the excellent bartenders, while downstairs – "the Opium Den" – is as it sounds (though there was no opium available when we asked... ) The drinks upstairs were made with more care, but downstairs is more intimate, opulent, and better for a small groups. Some of those Chelsea types who go really are the very worst, and the drinks are outrageously expensive, but hey, it’s a laugh.
49/50 The Vault at Milroy's 3 Greek St, Soho, W1D 4NX, shop.milroys.co.uk
A bar through a bookcase: we’re sold. Better yet, it’s underneath one of Soho’s finest whisky shops – with stiff competition from The Vintage House – so if you’re taken with something downstairs, buy it on your way out. It’s a simple little bar and the service is decidedly so-so, but it’s usually pretty busy, they play good music and have an excellent range of spirits. The menu is changed regularly, but it’s a good place to cram into with friends or on a date. You mightn’t spend the entire night here, but for a couple of drinks on the way somewhere, or on the way back, it fits the bill perfectly.

Made in London: Kamm & Sons, founded by Alex Kammerling


A stimulating alcoholic drink served before food. A palate cleanser, if you like. This is what Alex Kammerling, maker of the ginseng spirit Kamm & Sons, describes as an aperitif. But that makes it sound straightforward, because strictly speaking the aperitif can be anything from a gin and tonic, to a glass of champagne or a Negroni cocktail.


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West Ham travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City on Sunday with memories of their Europa League failure fresh in their minds.
But Slaven Bilic's side cannot feel sorry for themselves when they take on Pep Guardiola's side or they could be in for a long afternoon.
City are yet to click into full gear under the Spaniard and will not need a second invitation to put the Hammers to the sword if the visitors are not at the races.
The Etihad Stadium was the scene for one of West Ham's most important victories last season and they could do with another inspired performance this time around as the optimism that swelled over the summer has already begun to stall after an uninspiring start to the season.
West Ham vs Astra Giurgiu
12 show all West Ham vs Astra Giurgiu
1/12 Michail Antonio goes close for West Ham, but somehow misses from close range West Ham United via Getty Images
2/12 Slaven Bilic looks downcast as West Ham crash out to Astra Giurgiu at home Getty Images
3/12 Filipe Teixeira celebrates a well-taken goal with his team-mates Getty Images
4/12 Silviu Lung was in inspired form for Astra as he made multiple saves to deny West Ham West Ham United via Getty Images
5/12 Michail Antonio battles for the ball Getty Images
6/12 Slaven Bilic looks on as West Ham trail Getty Images
7/12 A fine night for Europa League action Getty Images
8/12 Michail Antonio chases down Astra Getty Images
9/12 What a view of London Stadium Getty Images
10/12 West Ham fans arrive for a vital Europa League tie Getty Images
11/12 The scene is set for West Ham vs Astra Getty Images
12/12 A stunning night in east London Getty Images
Date, time and venue
West Ham face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday August 28. Kick-off is at 16:00.
Where and when to watch
The game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports 1. Coverage starts at 15:30. Alternatively, you can follow the action on Standard Sport's blog.
Form guide
City have come flying out of the blocks this season and are one of just four Premier League sides to boast an unblemished record after two games.
Guardiola's side have also successfully navigated a Champions League qualifying round, despite not having all of their players firing on all cylinders.
West Ham have not been able to achieve a similar feat. The Europa League has come too soon and, with a mounting injury crisis to contend with, Bilic's side have failed to make the group stages for a second season in a row.
The Hammers are 10th after last week's narrow victory over Bournemouth and are facing a tricky trio of fixtures against Watford, West Brom and Southampton after the trip to City.
One to watch
Dimitri Payet
The Frenchman may not yet be passed fit but his return would be a huge boost for West Ham.
They have been crying out for creativity in attack during his absence.
However, Bilic will remain wary of throwing Payet in before he is fully fit because if the midfielder aggravates his injury he could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
But, as things stand, it seems even a half-fit Payet would be the most likely candidate to provide the sprinkling of inspiration West Ham need.
BILIC: "Mark Noble should be all right. We are training this morning. With Payet and Lanzini we'll also know tomorrow. Maybe one of them." — West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) August 26, 2016
Sergio Aguero
The Argentina striker has started the season in blistering form.
Not even two missed penalties could knock the 28-year-old off his stride and he now has three Premier League goals to his name already.
Aguero is now top of the goalscoring charts as a result and, if he avoids injury, it's difficult not to see him staying there.
West Ham's defenders will need to be on top form to keep him quiet.
Team news and probable line ups
New signing Claudio Bravo is fit but Guardiola has confirmed the Chilean will not play this weekend.
Willy Caballero will start in goal as a result, with Joe Hart appearing to be destined for an exit.
City have no other injury concerns as Kelechi Iheanacho has recovered from the knock he picked up against Steaua in midweek.
Raheem Sterling is brimming with confidence and is expected to start on the right flank while Nolito is set to start on the other flank, with both Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva operating in the middle.
Manchester City XI: Caballero; Zabaleta, Otamendi, Stones, Kolarov; Fernandinho; Sterling, De Bruyne, Silva, Nolito; Aguero.
Andy Carroll and Andre Ayew are both sidelined, which has left Bilic short of options up front.
Enner Valencia, Ashley Fletcher and Jonathan Calleri are set to battle it out for one starting spot in a 4-2-3-1 system.
Mark Noble missed Thursday's clash with Astra but is expected to return alongside Cheikhou Kouyate in the centre of the park.
The Hammers hope at least one of Manuel Lanzini and Payet will be available while Gokhan Tore is likely to retain his place on the right flank, despite an underwhelming performance in midweek.
West Ham possible XI: Adrian; Byram, Collins, Reid, Masuaku; Noble, Kouyate; Tore, Payet, Antonio; Valencia.
What they're saying
Pep Guardiola: “No injuries from midweek. Kelechi was almost nothing so it was a scare but he’s fine. Everybody’s fit and ready - we trained with 30 players today.
“If Joe stays here with the other goalkeepers, he’ll be treated like the other players.
"For Willy, Angus and Joe, if they stay we will find the best solution for them and for us. They all need to play, the situation is not easy but we’ll find the best solution.”
Slaven Bilic: “I watched that game last year and it was a massive win for West Ham. Hopefully we can go up there and repeat it.
“I am loving my time here and the players, staff and fans have made me feel very welcome. I cannot wait to show the West Ham fans what I can do.
“I have settled in really well and cannot wait to play more games.”
Prediction
Betting odds (via 888sport)
Manchester City: 3/10
West Ham: 10/1
Draw: 51/10
Over 2.5 goals: 6/5
Under 2.5 goals: 7/10
Click here to place a bet.

Manchester City vs West Ham preview: Prediction, team news, live, TV, form guide, key players and betting odds


West Ham travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City on Sunday with memories of their Europa League failure fresh in their minds.


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Solitude in the wilderness is still available in B.C., between holiday weekends when demand peaks at B.C.'s most popular parks.
Foreign visitors and those on package tours are a small fraction of the demand for B.C. Parks campgrounds around the province, but B.C. resident campers are still using a few tricks to get spaces for high-demand parks.
Some have protested the use of online reservations by motorhome tour operators who sell them as part of a package for tourists.
"Our provincial campsites are not products to be sold, they belong to the people of B.C.," Green Party leader Andrew Weaver said this week.
Environment Minister Mary Polak told Black Press numbers are being tracked for the current year, and the proportions haven't changed much. In 2015, fewer than one per cent of reservable B.C. Parks spaces were booked by tour operators, who also use private camping facilities.
Three quarters of reservations are from within B.C. The second highest share is from Alberta at 14 per cent, the U.S. accounts for 3.6 per cent, the rest of Canada 2.8 per cent, and all European countries combined are 6.6 per cent of the total.
The BC Parks system has 10,700 camping spaces in total, and 5,600 are reservable, to manage demand for the most popular spots.
First-come, first-served sites are kept out of the reservation system in some popular locations to accommodate travellers who drop in along the road. For high-demand periods like the recent Canada Day weekend, savvy campers work the reservation system.
At Golden Ears Provincial Park, one group booked for two weeks as soon as the 90-day eligibility window opened, then dropped the first week, giving them the coveted Canada Day weekend dates before they were generally available.
"Every year we look to change things to keep people from cheating, and every year they find new ways," Polak said. "Really the only answer is going to be finding a way to expand the number of sites that we have available."
It's shaping up as a record year for the Discover Camping reservation service, with 92,000 bookings so far this year.
B.C. Parks has added four new sites for this summer. Reservations can be made for Garibaldi Provincial Park in the Whistler area, Ruckle Provincial Park on Saltspring Island, Okanagan Falls Provincial Park, Inland Lake Provincial Park near Powell River and Dry Gulch Provincial Park near Radium Hot Springs.

Provincial campsite rush mostly B.C. residents


Few BC Parks bookings going to commercial operators, solution is more campsite spaces, Environment Minister Mary Polak says


Doug Kelly, chair of the B.C. First Nations Health Council
With patients in urban areas having difficulty finding a family doctor, the situation in rural B.C. is going from bad to worse, MLAs on the province's health committee were told Monday.
Ed Staples, a member of the B.C. Health Coalition, described his efforts to improve the situation in Princeton, a community of about 5,000 people that four years ago was down to one doctor providing on-call service.
Princeton now has four full-time doctors and two nurse practitioners, but there are still people who can't find a doctor in the region, including Penticton an hour and a half away. A recent search of the College of Physicians and Surgeons website turned up the nearest doctor accepting patients in Courtney on Vancouver Island, Staples said.
Health Match BC, the province's web portal for recruiting doctors, nurses and other health professionals, currently has more than 400 general practitioner vacancies, with 37 communities seeking 85 doctors. The result is "bidding wars" between communities to offer incentives to relocating doctors, and foreign doctors using a rural community as an entry point before relocating to the Lower Mainland, he said.
The B.C. government has announced its latest videoconferencing service for health care, linking psychiatrists with young people in Cranbrook. The service is available twice a month at the local Children and Family Development office, supplementing visits by specialists in communities such as Cranbrook and Princeton. Health Minister Terry Lake says video conferencing and electronic health records are a key part of the solution for reaching patients across B.C.
Doug Kelly, chair of the B.C. First Nations Health Council, told the committee of an Abbotsford doctor who travels to Carrier Sekani territory around Prince George for part of his practice, in a pilot project with Northern Health.
Kelly said video links and nurse practitioners are part of the solution to delivering rural and remote care, but the main obstacle is the business model for doctors that has them cycling through as many as 20 patients an hour to bill enough to cover their office overhead.
Committee members were also reminded that graduating doctors are increasingly reluctant to take on the demands of family practice, especially in smaller communities where they may find themselves on call around the clock.

Video links grow as rural health care shrinks


Small communities have more than 400 doctor vacancies, with 'telehealth' and visiting specialists filling gaps


Almost a year after B.C. farm weddings were banned due to a crackdown on agricultural land use rules, the B.C. government has clarified what commercial activities are allowed on farmland.
Farmers can host up to 10 commercial weddings, concerts or non-agricultural events per year without a permit from the Agricultural Land Commission. Farmers can take payment to host a wedding or other event as long as no more than 150 guests attend and a list of conditions are met, according to regulations that took effect Tuesday.
To qualify, event hosts must provide all parking on the farm rather than along roads, with no permanent parking lots or structures, and the event must end in less than 24 hours. For more than 10 events a year or exceeding 150 guests, properties with farm tax status must apply to the ALC for a permit.
The new regulation also clarifies ALC policies to allow, with no permit, farm tours and demonstrations, hayrides, corn mazes, pumpkin patch tours, harvest and Christmas fairs and special occasion events to promote farm products.
Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick said the regulation requiring farms to generate at least 50 per cent of its revenue from farm products is also scrapped, after consultation in the past year suggested the new rules instead.
The crackdown on farm weddings came last fall, when the ALC issued stop-work orders to B.C. farms including the Fraser Valley, Kelowna and Vancouver Island.
The restriction came after the province expanded farm uses to allow breweries and distilleries to operate on protected farmland with the same rules used to permit wineries. The rules allowed for processing of farm crops into products such as juice or jam for commercial sale.


No permit required for weddings, festivals on farms if fewer than 150 people attend, says Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick


Cameras were the focus as 70 photographers from across B.C., including Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Kelowna and Nelson, competed in the fourth annual Next Generation BC Amateur Photographer of the Year Contest at the recent Abbotsford International Airshow.
Sponsored by London Drugs and Black Press Media, the contest took place Aug. 12-14, as participants captured their best air, crowd, static, and wildcard shots.
Photographers experienced close-up action at the airshow including Friday's twilight show, and earned the "hot-side" tour at the airshow where they shot exclusive aircraft including the F-35, CF-18, FA-18, Breitling Jet Team, the Snowbirds and more for a chance to win the title of B.C.'s next Amateur Photographer title.
Awarding categories also include The Best in-air photograph ($750 grand prize), The Best ground/static scene photograph ($500 prize),The Best crowd scene photograph ($250 prize ), The Best video submission ($500 prize) all courtesy of London Drugs and honorary acknowledgement for Best Wildcard entry.
For the People's Choice Award Winner, the time has arrived for the public to vote on their favourite photo and be entered for a chance to win BC Lions game tickets.
For voting and contest information, click here.

Voting open for People's Choice Amateur Photography Competition


Photographers from across the province competed in amateur competition


The union representing most workers at Canada Post has issued a 72-hour notice of job action as it tries to bargain a collective agreement with the Crown corporation.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says the notice spells out what actions it is planning, but stops short of a full-blown walkout.
CUPW national president Mike Palecek says Canada Post forced the labour disruption by refusing to accept a request from the federal labour minister to continue negotiations with the help of a special mediator.
But a spokesman for the agency says that's not the case.
The union's strike mandate was set to expire at midnight.
The two sides have been in negotiations for more than nine months but are far apart on key issues including pay equity for rural carriers and proposed changes to the Canada Post pension plan.
The Canadian Press

Postal union issues strike notice after it says Canada Post refused special mediator


Notice means delivery could be cancelled as early as Monday


SURREY, B.C. – Fraser Health has launched a poster ad campaign bolstering its ongoing drive to raise awareness of what it says is the overdose crisis in British Columbia.
The posters will be displayed at transit stops, bars and restaurants, and are aimed at recreational and regular drug users, their families and friends.
One message on the stark, black and white posters says: "If you use drugs: Have a plan. Go slowly. Use with a buddy. Carry naloxone."
The posters also offer instructions for anyone finding an overdose victim, directing them to call 911, start emergency breathing and use naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Fraser Health says in a news release that it is confident about the effectiveness of the campaign because the posters were tested in focus groups of regular and recreational drug users.
In April, B.C.'s provincial health officer declared a public health emergency linked to the soaring number of opioid overdoses, and the declaration remains in effect.
Dr. Victoria Lee, Fraser Health's chief medical health officer, says the poster campaign is an extension of the health authority's ongoing public awareness campaign, but she says much more has been done to fight overdose deaths.
"We've created new substance-use beds to provide safe and supportive environments for people (who) require additional support on their road to recovery," Lee says in the release.
Over the last 12 to 18 months, Fraser Health has opened 50 new substance-use beds, including a three-bed program for youth and a 12-bed facility for women who are pregnant or have newborns.
A further 97 beds are slated to open by 2017 across the region, which stretches from Burnaby, through Surrey to White Rock and east to Hope.
The announcement of the poster campaign and the update on available substance-use beds comes as Fraser Health prepares to mark International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31.
The Canadian Press

New Fraser Health poster campaign raises awareness of opioid overdoses


Stark posters warn of overdose dangers to be displayed at transit stops, bars and restaurants aimed at recreational drug users


KINGSTON, Ont. â€” The Tragically Hip mixed fan favourites, newer songs and some politics on Saturday night during the final show of their "Man Machine Poem" tour.
Lead singer Gord Downie, who started the show wearing a metallic silver suit and hat with a "Jaws" T-shirt underneath, hugged and kissed his bandmates before they stepped on stage at the K-Rock Centre in the group's hometown of Kingston, Ont.
Minutes earlier, as the raucous sold-out crowd waited for the band to emerge, an impromptu rendition of O Canada broke out and a banner reading "Thank You Prime Minister Downie!" was passed around the arena.
The band immediately gave fans what they wanted to hear, starting their set with four straight hits from the classic album "Fully Completely:" opener "50 Mission Cap," followed by "Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)," "Wheat Kings" and "At the Hundredth Meridian."
The Hip then segued into their latest album "Man Machine Poem," with four tracks including the single "In a World Possessed by the Human Mind."
Before "Machine," Downie launched into one of his trademark onstage rants, calling out to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was in the crowd for the show. Trudeau's official photographer tweeted a photo of the prime minister and Downie embracing before the concert.
"Well, you know, prime minister Trudeau's got me, his work with First Nations. He's got everybody. He's going to take us where we need to go," Downie said from the stage.
"It's going to take us 100 years to figure out what the hell went on up there," he continued, "but it isn't cool and everybody knows that. It's really, really bad, but we're going to figure it out, you're going to figure it out."
Many anticipate this will be the band's final tour, given the recent news that Downie is battling terminal brain cancer.
Before performing the "Road Apples" song "Fiddler's Green," Downie seemed to reference the outpouring of support from fans in the wake of his diagnosis.
"Thank you, people, for keeping me pushing and keeping me pushing," he said, which prompted a "Gordie!" chant from the audience.
After playing 21 songs, Downie and his fellow bandmates â€” guitarists Rob Baker and Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay â€” embraced and prepared to retire for a pre-encore break. Downie was left alone on stage to take in the roaring ovation.
After returning for a few more songs, Downie again spoke about his fondness for Trudeau.
"Thank you to the prime minister for coming to our show, it really means a lot to all of us," he said.
"We're in good hands, folks, real good hands. He cares about the people way up North, that we were trained our entire lives to ignore, trained our entire lives to hear not a word of what's going on up there. And what's going on up there ain't good. It's maybe worse than it's ever been, so it's not on the improve. (But) we're going to get it fixed and we got the guy to do it, to start, to help.
"Thank you everybody. Thanks for listening to that. Thanks for listening, period. Have a nice life."
David Friend, The Canadian Press

Downie calls out to Trudeau during Tragically Hip's final show of tour


Tragically Hip kick off tour's final show with fan favourites


Revelstoke dam on the Columbia River is due to have a sixth water turbine added, but Site C is BC Hydro's priority today.
BC Hydro is going ahead with its planned four per cent rate increase this year and deferring more debt to future years as it revises its electricity demand forecast downward.
The provincially-owned utility has not asked for an increase in its government-imposed rate plan despite a revised demand forecast with $3.5 billion less revenue over the next 10 years. BC Hydro has filed a three-year plan with the B.C. Utilities Commission that would increase rates four, 3.5 and three per cent in the next three years. The four per cent increase is already showing up on customer bills as an interim increase.
With the Site C dam on the Peace River and other upgrades amounting to $2 billion a year, the plan includes additional deferred debt until 2023, when Site C is due to be completed. BC Hydro CEO Jessica McDonald said the long-term nature of capital projects means its capital cost savings don't start until the next decade.
BC Hydro has also cut some of its familiar Power Smart activities, such as the fridge buy-back plan and incentives for energy efficient light bulbs.
McDonald said BC Hydro is seeing lower revenues due to two warm winters and downturns in mining and forest products. It still projects growing overall demand as population and economic growth continue.
NDP energy critic Adrian Dix said the new deferred debt represents roughly $500 for each of BC Hydro's two million customers, and it is a political move to get the B.C. Liberal government past next year's election.
The 10-year rates plan imposed by Energy Minister Bill Bennett in 2013 overstated demand to justify the construction of Site C, and translates to a 28 per cent rate increase. It allows the utilities commission to regain control over approving customer rates by 2020, after five years of political direction.
Dix said with the new demand forecast and commodity prices expected to remain low, BC Hydro should have added a sixth turbine to its Revelstoke dam for $450 million before embarking on the $9 billion Site C project.


Four per cent rate hike already in effect, more to come as BC Hydro looks for savings to offset slow industrial demand


Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have reached tentative agreements, averting the prospect of a labour dispute that has loomed over the talks for months.
In a statement, Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk says the agreements were reached "voluntarily," but provides no other details about the deals themselves.
The issue of differences in paycheques for rural mail carriers — most of whom are women — and urban letter carriers had been at the forefront of protracted contract talks between the two sides.
The negotiations were extended twice since the weekend, when a deadline expired on a 72-hour job action notice issued last Thursday by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
The two sides were in talks nearly around the clock at the request of a special mediator appointed Friday by Mihychuk.
Canada Post described the tentative agreements as short-term. It said they are for two years and that four-year contracts were typically negotiated in the past.
"The agreements will avert a work disruption, bringing much-needed certainty in the postal system for our employees and customers," said Canada Post in a statement. "Canadians can now use the postal system with confidence."
The tentative agreements, however, still must be ratified by the members.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is Canada Post's largest union, representing more than 50,000 postal workers
The Canadian Press

Canada Post, postal union reach tentative deals


Two sides avert job action that has loomed for months


The Pattullo Bridge will be reopened to all four lanes of traffic one month ahead of schedule, easing commutes in September when traffic volumes normally rise.
Rehabilitation work on the bridge deck has been underway since April 29 and TransLink had warned drivers to expect five months of delays until early October, with traffic reduced to one lane each way weekdays and complete bridge closures about two nights a week and one weekend a month.
"Despite wet weather in June, crews were able to get more done in a shorter period of time by scheduling additional weekend and overnight closures and reducing the number of concrete pours," TransLink officials said in a release.
The return to four-lane traffic during the day happens Monday, Aug. 29. Regular overnight lane closures that reduce the Pattullo to one lane each way at night for safety reasons will resume.
The final complete bridge closures were to be tonight, Thursday night and from 8 p.m. Friday Aug. 26 until 5 a.m. Monday Aug. 29.
Crews repaired 1,180 square metres of bridge deck. The work included milling off the asphalt surface, removing all deck concrete down to the top layer of rebar. repairing delaminated concrete and cleaning or replacing rebar, and repaving the deck area with a concrete overlay.
The aim was to extned the life of the bridge deck with minimal maintenance to keep the bridge open while a replacement is desinged and built, a project expected to take up to seven years.
The $10-million project was dramatically scaled down from what was originally intended to be a $100-million rehabilitation lasting 18 months.
TransLink officials last fall ruled out seismic rehab work – they decided it was too expensive if it was even possible – and opted to minimize spending since it intends to replace the Pattullo with a new bridge as quickly as possible.

Pattullo Bridge work finishes a month early


TransLink says bridge repair work was done faster than expected over the summer, avoiding the need to continue closures in September


Jordan Bateman, Canadian Taxpayers' Federation
The B.C. government is hearing objections from businesses and individuals faced with increasing Canada Pension Plan contributions in the coming years, and is the last province needed to ratify the increase.
Instead of joining other provinces in meeting the federal government's July deadline to adopt the change, the B.C. government launched a consultation phase expected to run through August. And they are getting push-back on a plan that would increase payroll deductions and employer contributions starting in 2019.
Jordan Bateman, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation, said he's receiving hundreds of responses to his call to supporters to make their views known to the B.C. government. Most concerned are employers who would pay higher contributions for each of their employees.
Employer and employee contributions are to go up from the current 4.95 per cent of earnings to 5.95 per cent by 2023. For each employee earning $54,900, the employer contribution goes up $7 to $8 per month in each of the first five years of the phase-in.
"Obviously, lots of people are concerned about having to pay more," Bateman said. "But the interesting ones are the small business owners who talk about just how close to the edge they are financially."
B.C. Finance Minister Mike de Jong joined other provinces in agreeing in principle to the expansion in June. Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau said he is concerned about the decline in workplace pension plans and wants the CPP to move from replacing one quarter of employment income to one third by 2025.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business surveyed its members nation-wide when the CPP plan was announced, and more than 80 per cent wanted consultation and a delay of implementation. Morneau has indicated he plans to table legislation this fall.
B.C.'s refusal to sign on could derail the federal plan, but it shows little intention of doing so.
"British Columbia is committed to engaging with stakeholders in advance of ratifying the agreement in principle," said the statement from de Jong's office announcing the consultation.
The province's consultation website and feedback address can be found here.


B.C. stands in the way of Justin Trudeau government's plan to hike Canada Pension Plan contributions, but likely not for long


Guns seized from visitors entering Canada at the Huntington-Abbotsford border crossing, 2014.
Canadian Border Services Agency has seen a 116 per cent increase in the number of firearms seized in the Pacific Region in the first half of 2016.
With a 10 per cent increase also recorded in the Prairie region, the CBSA is working with U.S. officials on a firearms awareness campaign to remind Americans about restrictions on bringing guns into Canada.
"Attempting to smuggle firearms across the border can result in immediate forfeiture, hefty fines and even significant jail time," said Kim Scoville, CBSA's regional director general for the Prairie region.
Visitors entering the border inspection line should declare any firearms at their first opportunity. Border services officers will take possession of the weapon if it is declared, but the visitor has the option of shipping it back under CBSA supervision or surrendering it without prosecution.
The RCMP has procedures for visitors bringing firearms into Canada


Guns intercepted at Pacific region border crossings up 116 per cent compared to this time last year


BC Ferries sailings have been busier this year, thanks in part to strong tourist traffic and no net fare increase.
BC Ferries plans to continue its campaign of price promotions this fall and next spring in an effort to maintain increased passenger and vehicle traffic.
First-quarter results for the Crown corporation show passenger traffic up 2.5 per cent and vehicle loads up 5.1 per cent for the three months ended June 30, compared with the same period in 2015.
Buoyed by a strong tourist year for B.C. and no net fare increase, BC Ferries carried 5.3 million passengers and 2.1 million vehicles in April, May and June. The 1.9 per cent average fare hike was erased by a reduced fuel surcharge due to long-term contracts for cheaper diesel fuel.
Helped by reduced operating costs and higher retail sales from terminals and on-board gift shops, net earnings were $27 million for the quarter, up from $18.8 million in the same period last year. Revenues were up 4.9 per cent to $219 million, while costs for the quarter went up 1.5 per cent to $178.6 million.
BC Ferries CEO Mike Corrigan released the first-quarter results at the corporation's annual meeting in Victoria, where he also announced that unspecified pricing promotions will be offered this fall and next spring. This year BC Ferries has been offering discounts on over-length vehicles pulling boats or travel trailers.
Corrigan also announced he will be stepping down as CEO at the end of the fiscal year next March. He was promoted in 2012 to replace former CEO David Hahn, and presided over a controversial service review that saw sailings reduced on money-losing routes.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone praised Corrigan for reducing operating costs and embracing new technology, including three new medium-sized ferries using liquefied natural gas fuel that have been built in Poland.
LNG retrofits are also scheduled for the Spirit of B.C. and the Spirit of Vancouver Island, the workhorses of the main Tswassen-to-Vancouver Island route.
Corrigan's term also saw the first cable ferry in the BC Ferries fleet, the Baynes Sound Connector to Denman Island. Stone said the cable ferry cut fuel costs by half.

More discounts coming as BC Ferries traffic rises


Vehicle traffic up 5% with no net fare increase and discounts offered for vehicles pulling boats and travel trailers


Wood products exports from Canada to Asia were down 18 per cent in the first six months of 2016, with the biggest decline being softwood lumber from B.C. to China, according to the Seattle-based Wood Resources International.
Lumber sales to China are on pace to drop by 50 per cent this year compared to 2014, as B.C. lumber producers direct their sales to a healthy U.S. lumber market, according to customs data tracked for the Wood Resources Quarterly (www.woodprices.com).
The latest edition notes that by value, 75 per cent of B.C.'s exports to Asia in 2015 and 2016 are in the form of lumber, while 77 per cent of exports from Washington and Oregon are logs.
Asian demand reached a record high in 2013, with China passing Japan as the largest importer of North American wood products in 2011. The B.C. and federal governments promote wood construction in China and Japan, and B.C.'s forest minister is required to conduct an annual trade mission to China, Japan and other Asian countries.
The shift in demand provides extra urgency for talks to renew the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber agreement that expired last year. B.C. sales are booming without the export cap that both Ottawa and Washington have agreed will be required.

Lumber exports shift to U.S. as China sales slump


Asian demand for B.C. wood products peaked in 2013, analyst says China sales on pace for 50 per cent drop


OTTAWA – The federal labour minister was told earlier this year to give a positive signal to liquefied natural gas companies on the use of temporary foreign workers, but only if Canadians were considered first for jobs.
Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk's officials told her in February that it was inevitable that companies would need temporary foreign workers to proceed with energy projects in Western Canada.
In a Feb. 1 briefing note, Mihychuk's officials write that the federal government can speed up how quickly it processes applications for temporary foreign workers, but couldn't waive requirements for liquefied natural gas projects.
The briefing note, prepared ahead of Mihychuk's meeting with David Keane, president of the BC LNG Alliance, recommends "signal support" for temporary foreign workers "on the condition that Canadians are considered first for available jobs ... and only used as a measure of last resort."
The Canadian Press obtained a copy of the briefing note under the Access to Information Act.
In an interview, Keane said Mihychuk didn't give any indication of how the government would decide on the issue of foreign workers involved in projects. He said the message Mihychuk provided was that the government wanted to review the temporary foreign worker program.
He didn't want to speculate about what the message from department officials may mean for the fate of projects that require federal approval.
Thousands of temporary foreign workers are expected to be needed to work on any of the 20 separate liquefied natural gas projects being reviewed in British Columbia, including the Pacific Northwest LNG project that the federal cabinet has to decide on this fall.
The briefing note says unions are unlikely to speak out publicly about the use of temporary foreign workers because they know the majority of jobs will go to union members and that Canadians will be first in line for jobs.
Keane said the plan is to hire a workforce derived from local aboriginal communities and provincial residents before looking across Canada.
"There will be probably a requirement, and I think everybody recognizes this, for temporary foreign workers to be able to build this industry, but we have a plan in place and are developing the plan and refining the plan to make sure that we look at Canadians first before we bring in temporary foreign workers," Keane said.
Jordan Press, The Canadian Press

Libs looking at foreign workers for liquefied gas projects


Federal labour minister advised to allow temporary foreign workers as a backup to Canadians as B.C. aims to build LNG plants


Karlene Bullock (left) and her mother Delores Johns have been working together for years. The pair have 30 years in the industry.
The new Bagheera Boutique in Fort Langley aims to fill the fashion gap created when Ella’s Clothes Closet in Brookswood closed by bringing back top European brands to Langley, with names such as Laurel, Luisa Cerano, Marc Cain, Wolford, Brax and Vince, along with local Canadian accessories like Suzi Roher scarves, and Vancouver’s Sheereen De Roussea jewelry.
It also brings back Karlene Bullock and her mother Delores Johns, who have dressed the Fraser Valley for over 30 years, the last 10 of them working as a team at Ella’s.
When Ella Little shut down her namesake shop on 200 Street and 40A Avenue just over a year ago, it left a large hole in the market, Bullock said.
“We used to have women coming from Langley, Maple Ridge, White Rock, Chilliwack and all over Vancouver, to shop, and all of a sudden there were no options.”
When the owners of the Victoria-based Bagheera Boutique, Nataliia Bahirova and Anton Solonnikov decided to open their second store in Langley, they reached out to Bullock and Johns after hearing Ella’s had closed.
“They know the market,” Solonnikov — Bagheera marketing manager — said of the mother-daughter team.
“They have a following from 30 years.”
Bullock said she has been flooded with phone calls and emails from people excited that the new boutique is carrying the same lines.
“We want to be the go-to place for shopping for all women in the Greater Vancouver area,” Bullock said.
“Fort Langley is such a beautiful and quaint place, and the perfect getaway for the weekend.”
Johns said service is the key to keep customers coming back.
“It has to be honest service,” Johns said.
“Honest and continuous.”
Johns has been known to do things like drive to Harrison Hot Springs to ensure a bow on a customer’s bridal dress was properly tied for her wedding ceremony.
“Mom’s good at sales, she is good at talking to the customers,” Bullock said.
“There is no one in the valley who can do displays like she does.”
Johns gives her daughter high marks for bringing in the best of fashion.
“She’s very good at the buying,” Johns said.
The Fort Langley Bagheera Boutique is located in the new Coulter Berry building at Glover Road and Mavis Avenue.
Solonnikov said the store doesn’t only cater to the high-end shoppers, but carries low- to medium-priced brands from Europe as well.
Store phone: 604-371-2879.

Familiar faces at the new Bagheera Boutique in Fort Langley


Mother-and-daughter team bring experience and expertise in high-end fashion


Known infections of chronic wasting disease in deer and other wildlife as of 2014.
Provincial wildlife officials are concerned that a disease killing deer and elk on the prairies could soon spread into B.C.
Chronic wasting disease, a degenerative nervous system condition similar to so-called mad cow disease, has been discovered in an animal 30 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
That's the furthest west – by about 100 kilometres – that biologists have detected the deadly disease and the discovery intensifies concerns that infected deer may make their way to B.C.
No infected animals have been found yet in B.C. but wildlife health staff are stepping up monitoring efforts in the Peace and Kootenay regions, where deer are most at-risk.
Hunters are being asked to help by donating deer, elk and moose heads for analysis. Drop-off locations are listed at www.stopchronicwastingdisease.ca.
Anyone who encounters a sick or dead deer is urged to report it to B.C.'s wildlife health program by emailing wildlifehealth@gov.bc.ca.
Although chronic wasting disease is similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Alberta's agriculture and forestry ministry says there's no evidence it can infect humans, but notes the World Health Organization advises against allowing any meat source possibly infected by prions into the human food system.
It's thought to be unlikely that the disease could spread to domestic cattle or bison.
Outbreaks on game farms typically result in quarantines and culls.
Transmission is through saliva, urine and feces and is thought to be more likely to occur where elk and deer are crowded or congregate at man-made feed and water stations, according to the Alberta ministry.
Most of the Canadian cases have been in Saskatchewan.

B.C. wary of deadly deer disease in Alberta


Chronic wasting disease is similar to mad cow disease but infects and kills deer, elk and moose


ICBC wants to increase basic auto insurance rates by 4.9 per cent – the fifth straight annual increase – as it continues to grapple with rising numbers of crashes, claims and dramatically increasing costs.
The typical driver will pay $3.50 a month or $42 a year more for basic insurance if the hike is approved.
But the corporation is also raising optional rates by 2.8 per cent so the average customer who buys both basic and optional insurance with ICBC will see their insurance bill rise $5 a month, or $60 a year.
ICBC CEO Mark Blucher said the basic rate hike would have been much worse – 15.5 per cent translating into a $130 annual premium increase – had the province not approved another major transfer of $472 million from the optional to the basic side of operations.
A compounding factor has been the long decline of interest rates, which result in less investment income revenue to ICBC.
"These external pressures have really created a perfect storm and it's a really significant challenge for the organization," Blucher said in an interview Thursday.
ICBC had raised rates 5.5 per cent a year ago, and the province's rate smoothing policy requires the annual change be within 1.5 per cent of the previous year's increase.
The number of crashes has climbed 15 per cent in two years and damage claims are up 11 per cent.
Vehicles are increasingly reliant on technology and expensive materials that have become more costly in recent years as the loonie sagged against the U.S. dollar.
Despite much safer vehicles, injury claims have soared to $2.4 billion, up 60 per cent from $1.5 billion in 2008.
"We've seen no evidence that these strong trends are abating," Blucher said. "In fact, if anything, they're continuing to escalate going forward."
Blucher also noted there are more cars on the road in B.C. today – 3.1 million up from 2.8 million in 2011 – and people are driving more because of cheaper gas, contributing to more accidents, particularly in densifying urban areas.
And he pointed to personal injury lawyers as an aggravating cause of ICBC's spiralling claims costs.
"B.C. is the only province in Canada where you can sue another motorist for even a minor traffic accident," Blucher said, noting an increase in lawyer-represented claims and advertising by injury law firms.
Internal operating costs have been cut by $186 million a year, and ICBC is counting on more savings ahead, through its modernization program, by more aggressively combatting insurance fraud and from a hoped-for drop in distracted driving as motorists respond to stiffer penalties.
But transfers from the optional side to bolster the basic side will likely be needed for the foreseeable future, Blucher said, because basic premiums can't keep up with rising costs.
In a surprise move, the B.C. government will this year forgo extracting its usual $160-million annual dividend from ICBC's optional side into general revenue.
"Forgoing the dividend this particular year is one strategy amongst a litany of others we're employing to get that basic trate increase down," Transportation Minister Todd Stone said.
Stone said the $514 million the province has transferred out of ICBC in dividends since 2012 is small compared to the $1.4 billion over the same period that has been shifted from the competitive optional side to basic to apply downward pressure on basic rates.
The minister would not say if the government would permanently give up the ICBC dividend.
Adrian DIx, the NDP critic for ICBC, said the dividends to government have exceeded $1.2 billion since 2010 and predicted they'll resume after next year's election because the BC Liberals are "addicted" to using ICBC as a "profit centre."
Dix said the reliance on shifting huge amounts of capital from optional to basic raises troubling questions.
"Next year they've got to find that $472 million," Dix said. "What they've done is create a disaster at ICBC and their only hope is to deceive the voters until after the election."
He said ICBC's new move to hire more claims staff underscores problems with completing the computer modernization that was supposed to make operations more efficient.
"The transformation project has taken longer than World War 2 and is not close to finished."
ICBC's basic rates rose 11.2 per cent in 2012 and at least five per cent every year since.
The new rate hike is subject to B.C. Utilities Commission approval.
ICBC Rate Pressure Charts

ICBC seeks 4.9 per cent basic rate hike as crashes, costs climb


$60 a year increase for most drivers once optional auto insurance increase is included


A totally spontaneous expression of gratitude breaks out for Premier Christy Clark and Cariboo North MLA Coralee Oakes at the Quesnel rodeo after a rural school fund was announced in June.
Comedian Steve Smith, better known as Red Green, is touring B.C. in September, reprising his popular TV series in which he fixes every conceivable problem with duct tape.
Green’s “I’m Not Old I’m Ripe” tour hits Chilliwack, Victoria, Nanaimo, Courtenay, Surrey, Vernon, Kelowna and Prince George.
His formula for deploying the handyman’s secret weapon has proven so popular that Premier Christy Clark may have been inspired. She’s had quite a flurry of hasty repairs in the last few months. Here’s a recap.
The B.C. minimum wage was starting to lag behind other provinces, even after the overhaul it received in 2015, where annual increases are tied to inflation.
Like Red’s truck tires, there has been a lack of inflation, and a surge of government spending back east leaving B.C. in the dust. B.C.’s wage rose 20 cents last year and was set to go up by another whole dime this fall.
There was that familiar ripping sound in May as Clark and Jobs Minister Shirley Bond announced the September increase will be patched up to 40 cents, with another 40-cent increase next fall. Two wraps should hold it until after the election.
Remember the episode where Red taped two old Hyundai Ponies side by side to make a handyman’s Hummer? The school system has seen that kind of work in recent months.
The first roll was applied by Education Minister Mike Bernier when he announced in March that the ministry’s “fix-it fund” was going from $35 million to $40 million. Then in mid-May, he announced 80 successful projects. The “fix-it fund” had fattened to $45 million, and Bernier was just getting his sleeves rolled up.
Hey school districts, remember the $25 million in “administrative savings” the ministry demanded for the second year in a row? Now that you’ve squeezed that from your budgets, Bernier’s good news at the end of May was that the government’s giving it back to use for “front line services for students.”
One of those services could be “maintaining schools despite falling enrolment in certain regions,” Bernier announced May 31, foreshadowing the next layer of repairs.
Sure enough, a “rural schools fund” was rolled out on June 15. Clark and Cariboo North MLA Coralee Oakes made the announcement in Quesnel, where Kersley and Parkland elementary schools were going to close.
Also eligible for a special fund was Okanagan-Similkameen, where Osoyoos high school students were going to be bused a half hour to Oliver. This is hardly unusual in rural schooling around B.C., but these are swing ridings, you see.
Kootenay Lake district declined the opportunity to keep Yahk elementary open, with an anticipated fall enrolment of zero students. This all comes during the annual ritual combat between the ministry and Vancouver school board over keeping half-empty schools open.
Bernier had one more roll in his overalls. School bus service, one of those things jettisoned or saddled with hundreds of dollars in fees per student as districts scraped up those “administrative savings,” was selectively saved with another $15 million fund announced last week.
There have been a few other country fixes. They’re not going to ban weddings on farms any more, for instance.
That old jalopy in the back yard you’ve been trying to soup up and get back on the road? Soon you can get a collector plate for that thing, which is perfect if you can only get it running once or twice a year.
To paraphrase Red, if the voters don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc

BC VIEWS: Premier Red Green’s fast fixes


Premier Christy Clark has pulled out the duct tape to fix up rural schools, school buses and the minimum wage


B.C. has 300 seniors' care facilities, and residents and their loved ones are to be surveyed on conditions.
More than 250 volunteers have signed up to compile a survey of seniors in residential care, and B.C.'s Seniors Advocate is looking for more.
The 27,000 seniors living in 300 residential care facilities around the province are being asked about their experience with care home staff, the quality of food, privacy, medications and other conditions.
It's the first comprehensive survey done in B.C., to measure resident satisfaction and provide a "roadmap" for improvements, said Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie.
Interviews will be conducted in person by trained volunteers, and a matching mail-out survey will be sent to each resident's most frequent visitor.
The project is seeking volunteers with a range of professional backgrounds, ages and ethnicities. To apply as a volunteer, visit www.surveybcseniors.org or call the Office of the Seniors Advocate at 1-877-952-3181.


Volunteers to ask seniors about staff, food, privacy, medications and other conditions in residential care


Re: Tree spikers cling to Lelu Island (B.C. Views, July 20).
Tom Fletcher seems to believe protecting salmon is not only bad, but dishonest. He suggests it’s an effort to cover up an international plot to kill B.C.’s oil and gas opportunities and Alberta’s oilsands.
His column falsely asserts that, along with other groups, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has “poured money into anti-LNG campaigns in B.C., as they funded opposition to oilsands development before them. Indeed, the record suggests the long project to establish what environmental front groups named the Great Bear Rainforest was a strategy to stop hydrocarbon exports from western Canada, even as U.S. sources ramped up production.”
The foundation’s Wild Salmon Ecosystems Initiative supports groups working to ensure that all factors – social, environmental and economic – are fairly respected in development decisions. It does not fund efforts to stop oil and gas development.
Salmon support a huge economy that provides jobs, social and cultural benefits. And, in British Columbia, unlike many other parts of North America, we still have a chance to keep most salmon watersheds intact. This is why the foundation supports the efforts of communities to protect these fish. This means ensuring that scientific evidence is fully addressed in project development, including siting decisions.
We are proud supporters of the Great Bear Rainforest, not because we are “anti” anything else, but because this is a unique region. Like the Amazon and the Great Barrier Reef, it is recognized by experts around the globe as one of the planet’s most important and unique natural wonders.
It is a region that deserved to be protected on its own merits – a fact so clear that federal, provincial and First Nation governments came together with industry and environmental groups to ensure it would be. To portray this impressive collaboration as an anti-oil and gas does a disservice to the broad array of Canadians and First Nations that prioritized its preservation.
The Moore Foundation supported this as part of our commitment to assist groups that seek to protect wild salmon habitats along the West Coast. People, issues, organizations and funds cross the Canada-U.S. border all the time. There isn’t anything unusual about Canadian environmental groups requesting and receiving donations from international foundations that share the same environmental goals.
Ivan Thompson, B.C. Program Officer, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Vancouver

LETTER: U.S. foundations protecting salmon


Representative of Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation says it doesn't support efforts to stop oil and gas development


B.C. Day, on Monday, Aug. 1, is an opportunity to celebrate this spectacular province. See how well you know British Columbia.

B.C. DAY TRIVIA QUIZ: How much do you know about British Columbia?


The expansion of Mt. Lehman Road was announced on Aug. 19, 2016. (Left to right) Abbotsford International Airport vice-chair Diane Delves, MP Jati Sidhu, MLA Darryl Plecas, Mayor Henry Braun.
Feasibility may trump need when it comes to deciding which local infrastructure projects get a green light.
This is likely why a widening of Mt. Lehman Road from north of Simpson to the Abbotsford International Airport was announced this week, while the widening of Fraser Highway between Station and Mt. Lehman roads – perceived by many to be more necessary – remains on the wishlist for now.
The majority of the $22 million cost of four-laning the two-kilometre stretch of Mt. Lehman Road is being provided by the province, with the federal government pledging $8 million, and the City of Abbotsford kicking in a $2 million share.
Numerous online comments on an Abbotsford News story about the announcement criticized the decision, saying it was not as necessary as more lanes along Fraser Highway.
"Fraser Highway from Station Road to Mt. Lehman is a goat trail," wrote one commenter. "With this plan we'll just be trading one bottleneck for another..."
But it's not as simple as politicians choosing one project over the other. Unlike Mt. Lehman Road, which is a provincial highway, Fraser Highway falls under municipal jurisdiction, meaning the city would be on the hook for the estimated $40 million cost.
The city would first need commitments from developers along the stretch of Fraser Highway before going ahead with any plans, according to Abbotsford Coun. Dave Loewen, who said he is aware of congestion problems on that road.
"I avoid it, especially in rush-hour time. I'm told it's quite taxing on the patience," he said.
The municipality raises capital for such projects by collecting "cost shares" from developers who build along the road in question.
"Until something significant happens there in terms of development, we don't feel we can impose that bill on the property taxpayers of Abbotsford," said Loewen.
The city paid upfront for new sewer and drainage infrastructure leading to the Clearbrook Industrial Park and recovered the costs when developers subsequently built there, but Loewen said that scenario is unlikely to repeat along Fraser Highway. Loewen said improvements being made to King Connector will likely provide some relief to the congestion on Fraser Highway in the interim.
The City of Abbotsford has previously determined the stretch along Fraser Highway, which is currently zoned for agricultural use, is not viable for agricultural-industrial use, according to city manager George Murray.
City engineering staff are currently studying the viability of Fraser widening and will likely have a report ready this fall, he said.
The widening of Mt. Lehman will provide better access from Highway 1 to the airport for both passengers getting to flights and commercial traffic to the airport, said Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce executive director Allan Asaph.
The chamber compiled a list of five infrastructure project priorities in 2014 in conjunction with the city, with Mt. Lehman widening in second place and Fraser Highway at the bottom. (Widening of Highway 1 between 264 Street and Whatcom Road topped the list, with a Vye Road rail overpass and 16th Avenue improvements coming in third and fourth place.)
This ranking was not necessarily based on how each completed project would benefit local businesses and the community at large, but was rather a listing of the more feasible projects on top.
"A lot of the reasoning for the ranking in that order was the availability of funding, because that's really what it boils down to," said Asaph. "The federal government had announced the fact that they were going to have a major investment in infrastructure dollars and that's what would qualify for the widening of Highway 1."
Asaph said that if he was able to snap his fingers and make one of the five projects happen, it would be the widening of Fraser Highway.
"Anybody that looks at that sees that there's need there," he said.

Mt. Lehman Road expansion goes ahead, leaving other road projects waiting


Funding sources trump need in prioritizing infrastructure


Toronto MP Carolyn Bennett is sworn in as Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, November 2015.
The federal government’s National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is preparing to get underway in September.
With five commissioners led by B.C. judge Marion Buller and a budget that has swelled by a third to $54 million before it even starts, this inquiry has one big advantage over all the previous studies of Canada’s intractable problems of poverty and violence in aboriginal communities.
In this case, the politicians all agree what the outcome is going to be. They’ve been saying so for months, since the Justin Trudeau government got elected on this and other passionate, if questionable, promises.
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, a member of the We Wai Kai Nation on the B.C. coast, a former Crown prosecutor and chair of the B.C. Treaty Commission, announced the terms of reference last week. She stressed that the inquiry will not attempt to retry cold cases, but to examine the “root causes” of the high numbers of missing and murdered women.
Next up was Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett, who has no doubt at all what those “root causes” are: racism, sexism and the lingering effects of colonialism. Bennett has been meeting steadily with grieving families since being appointed, and now accepts that racist, indifferent cops are the main “root cause.”
Bennett explained this conclusion from New York in April, while attending a “Women of the World” summit. It’s an “uneven application of justice,” she told The Globe and Mail, a phrase we’ll hear again and again.
“You end up with people who have been told it’s an overdose, or a suicide or an accident,” Bennett said.
RCMP have reported close to 1,200 unsolved cases of murdered or missing indigenous women since 1980, a figure that Bennett scoffs at. What’s her evidence? She’s talked to families, and knows it’s “way more” than that.
One of the previous inquiries was by a United Nations official, James Anaya, in 2014. He noted the alarming statistics of education outcome and violent offences against women, and referred to 660 cases documented by the Native Women’s Association of Canada. He also described being besieged by demands for a national inquiry, as he went through the stacks of studies that have already been done.
“Since 1996,” Anaya wrote in his UN report, “there have been at least 29 official inquiries and reports dealing with aspects of this issue, which have resulted in over 500 recommendations for action.”
As the latest inquiry was being launched, Perry Bellegarde, the current Assembly of First Nations national chief, recited Bennett’s speaking points about the conclusions it will reach.
Bellegarde told CTV the problem is vastly under-reported because “…oh, it’s an accidental death. Oh, it’s a suicide.” Then he called for more money for housing and other programs via the failed Indian Act system.
There are several glaring factors that apparently will not be discussed, because they fall outside the politically correct boundaries of this pre-determined narrative.
One is the even more alarming number of aboriginal men and boys who are victims of violent crime.
Another is the rate of domestic abuse reported by indigenous women, which Statistics Canada estimated this year at about 10 per cent of their population. That’s three times the national average, but it was not mentioned amid the demands for justice at the inquiry.
Another key issue that is forbidden from discussion is the social and economic viability of remote communities. Some of them haven’t been able to maintain clean water and safe housing, much less education and employment, despite billions in spending every year.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc

BC VIEWS: Missing women inquiry pre-determined


Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett's position boils down to blaming racist, indifferent cops