Allen Garr
People know my dedication to journalism in Vancouver. For the past 11 years I have covered municipal issues as a columnist for the Vancouver Courier.
But I also have a strong background in finance and I’ve been a Vancity member for 30 years.
My training as an accountant gives me strong financial and management skills. I also care about our community and was president of a Vancouver Resource Society, a non-profit society serving severely disabled people. Among other properties, VRS now owns nine condos in the new Woodwards complex designed to house people with disabilities who are enrolled in post secondary educational institutions.
My love of journalism and progressive politics began in 1965 at SFU where I wrote a column for The Peak student newspaper. I went on from there to become the vice president of Canadian University Press. I’ve worked at CBC Radio, Co-op radio – which I helped to found — and CKNW. I was the national labour and economics specialist for CBC TV for almost a decade. I also wrote a column for The Province newspaper for five years covering provincial politics. My book about the Solidarity movement in B.C. and Premier Bill Bennett is called Tough Guy.
For 15 years I’ve promoted urban agriculture and the environment. That interest began when I became a beekeeper in Vancouver. I now keep bees at home in Kistilano, at UBC, Vandusen Botanical Gardens, Science World and on the largest green roof in the country at the new Vancouver Convention Center.
In the past six years I have joined with other beekeepers to successfully lobby a number of municipal governments – Vancouver, North Van City, Richmond, Delta and Burnaby – to change their bylaws and allow beekeeping in urban areas. I am president of the Richmond Beekeepers Association and Vice-president of the B.C. Honey Producers. And I continue to mentor folks who have an interest in beekeeping as a way to improve our environment. I am also an avid gardener and birder and have three perfect grandchildren.
