Song inspired by missing women

Song inspired by missing women
Here and Now column by Dan Hilborn, Burnaby Now assistant editor
Published Jan. 19, 2003

As local media coverage around Vancouver's missing women files now focuses on the trial taking place in Port Coquitlam, it's probably not a bad time to mention that at least some good may come out of these horrific crimes.
Some of Canada's most prominent musicians have lent their names and voices to a project to help build a four-bed women's detox centre and transition house in East Vancouver, dedicated to the memory of the missing women.
A very soulful song, The Streets Where You Live, written by Vancouver-area musicians Wyckham Porteous, Gary Durban and John Ellis, is being used to raise funds for the Via Nova Transition Society.
The project proved to be so inspiring that more than 50 of Canada's most famous musicians, including Gordon Downie of the Tragically Hip, Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies, Bif Naked, David Usher, Colin James, Barney Bentall and Sarah Harmer, have all lent their voices to the cause.
"Last February, when the police started searching the farm, Wyckham and Gary met to talk about how disgusting it was and how sad it was that people were now associating these women with the pig farm," said project organizer Anna Lily.
Within days of writing the music, the trio talked local songstress Bif Naked into adding her voice to the soundtrack, and then the musicians travelled to Toronto where they spent a weekend seeking out the biggest names in Canadian music to add their voices, too.
The result is a tune that is reminiscent of the international bestseller We Are the World and is now for sale at all A&B Sound stores as a limited edition CD single (price $5.99) released by the Buried Heart Society.
The song is also part of the Women & Songs 6 compilation CD released by Warner Music just prior to the holidays, and will receive partial proceeds from that recording which is expected to sell between 100,000 and 150,000 copies.
The Buried Heart Society is now hoping to promote a fundraiser or concert to continue raising funds for the transition house fund. We'll keep you posted on their progress. In the meantime, check out their Web site at www.buriedheart.com.

More Jubilee Medals

Another long list of Burnaby residents and local personalities has received the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, according to a raft of press releases sent out from a variety of sources in the past few weeks.
Burnaby North MLA Richard T. Lee held a ceremony at the Shadbolt Centre just prior to Christmas where he handed out the medals to six prominent city residents.
Lee presented the medals to Dr. Peter Borwein, lawyer Celso Boscariol, baker Jack Kuyer, Arthur John Lee, auto dealer Gary Morrey and Tong Yuet.
The Vancouver Branch of the War Amputations of Canada Society held a similar occasion at the Holiday Inn Metrotown, where medals were presented to six people active in their national organization.
The War Amp medals were presented to: national president B. Alan Russell; national council member Donald J. Latter; national director Gordon R. Peck; Vancouver branch president E. W. Plumtree; Mary Agnew, the widow of Jack P. Agnew; and Hilda Mayo, the widow of Warren Mayo.
But the longest list of local inductees were those who were invited to a special ceremony in Victoria Wednesday, presided over by B.C. Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo and premier Gordon Campbell.
Local honourees were Greg Aasen, founder of PMC Sierra; Ray and Roxy Abernathy, who are active in community service and sports; Moira Colbourne of the national field hockey program; Tony Knowles of BCIT; and Dr. David R. MacLean.
Other prominent names with some kind of Burnaby connection among the 211 people who received medals at the sober occasion were: Burnaby South graduate and Georgia Strait columnist Terry Glavin; soccer star Bob Lenarduzzi, former national basketball team coach Jay Triano; SFU wrestling coach Dave MacKay; former BCIT chair Wynne Powell; and NHL star 'Burnaby' Joe Sakic.
And the medal notices will keep on coming.
Burnaby-Edmonds MLA Patty Sahota will hand our more medals in a ceremony next Thursday at the solarium at Edmonds Community Centre, while Burnaby-Willingdon MLA expects to see several RCMP members in red serge at his medal presentation ceremony Feb. 6 at the Radisson Hotel.