by Michelle Sproule | The main objective of this website is to scout out and promote the things that make Vancouver such a sweet place to be. We do this with an emphasis on the city’s independent spirit to foster a sense of connectedness within and between our communities, and to introduce our readers to the people who grow and cook our food, play the raddest tunes in our better venues, create our most interesting art, and design everything from what we wear to the spaces we inhabit. The Scout List is our carefully considered, first rate agenda of super awesome things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. From our calendar to yours…

FILM | Bob Barrett’s Snapshot, The Art of Photography is playing at the Vancity Theatre on Tuesday night. It’s a series of awesome documentaries profiling some of Canada’s most accomplished photographers. The three episodes from the first two series of the show will be screening Tuesday with a focus on local photographers Greg Girard, Lincoln Clarkes and Fred Herzog. Head to Vancity for a unique look at each artists work, life and creative process.
Tuesday, April 10 | 6:30pm | Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour) | Details

EAT WELL | Chefs Cameron Smith & Dana Ewart of Penticton’s awesome Joy Road Catering are in town and if you act fast you might still be able to snag a ticket to their Cuisine du Terroir dinner at Edible Canada on Granville Island.
Tuesday, April 10 | Edible at The Market (Granville Island) | $85 | Details

TOLLS? | Interested in how Vancouver can approach transportation issues? Should we consider tolling? Get in on a Public Lecture called Pricing Our Roads: What Can Metro Vancouver Learn from Seattle? Seattle has recently introduced tolls on an existing bridge and they are beginning to learn something about how reality compares with models and research. Matthew Kitchen, a policy analyst on the Puget Sound Regional Council, will be on hand to discuss the research, experiments, and real-life examples of how everything has played-put for Seattle. He’ll tell us a little about what they’re learning now and guess at what the implications may be for the future. A panel of Vancouverites will also discuss what tolling could mean for Vancouver.
Wednesday, April 11 | 7pm | SFU Downtown (515 W. Hastings) $10

PITCH IN | Don’t wait until Earth Day (April 22) to get your hands dirty in doing the planet a favour. Start small by pitching in at the spring clean-up of Renfrew Ravine Park this Friday. It’s a really lovely place and everyone is welcome to join in the task of cleaning up the bits and pieces left behind by winter. Show up with work gloves and weeding tools if you have them. Wear gumboots and dress for the weather.
Friday, April 13 | 9am-12pm | Meet at Nootka St and Boyd Diversion (near 22nd and Renfrew St

POP-UP | Swallow Tail Supper Club is holding a pop up Tiki-themed gig at a secret location this Friday. Not only will Chef Robin be plating tropical canapes and tasting plates, but gifted bartender Hailey Pasemko is rumoured to be making her way down from Whistler to mix Tiki Bar cocktails as well. Super twin bonuses: Sea Monstr Sushi will be there creating some classic Tiki rolls and Butter on the Endive chef Owen Lightly will be there too. This just sounds plain amazeballs. Bad news: the evening is currently sold out. Good news? More tickets to be released this week. Email [email protected] to get on the list.
Friday, April 13 | 7pm | Secret Location | tasting plates for $5 | Admission is $15 | Details

CRAWL | Looking to get a little more intimate with the eastside arts scene? On the third Sunday of each month, the Eastside Culture Crawl Society is hosting a tour of one of their most exciting and established artist’s studio spaces. A limited number of spots are available. This month, get to know Nicola Tibbetts. Nicola will take participants through her studio, work and creative processes on Sunday, April 15. Pre-registration required. Contact jeffrey [at] eastsideculturecrawl.com
Sunday, April 15 | 1–2pm | 150 MacLean Drive, Vancouver | $5 | Details 

SHOP HOP |  It’s on. The Gastown Spring Shop Hop happens this Thursday night. It’s a one-night-only event where you can cruise around Gastown’s coolest shops and check out all the new spring fashions and be treated to great deals and good grub along the way. And get this: with every purchase you’ll receive a food or drink voucher to one of your favourite nearby participating restaurants (think Boneta, Salt, Peckinpah, Pourhouse).
April 12 | 5pm–9pm | Various very cool locations | FREE to browse | Details

FROCK SWAP | Get in on the art of sharing and sustainable shopping by joining the The Frock Swap. Here’s how it works: you gather all of the clothing in your closet that you don’t wear but like. You take those treasures to the clothing drive (April 14 at 10am) and let the good folks there itemize and size your clothing in preparation for the actual Swap (April 15, 12pm). The next day you go back and you get to pick out new items equal to the number that you dropped off the day before. Cool plan. It’s like spring cleaning and thrifting all at once – without shelling out any dough. All unclaimed clothing will be donated to the Convenant House. Frock Swap motto: “What you send to closet purgatory might be heaven-sent for someone else.”
Sunday, April 15 (Clothing Drive: April 14) | Vinegar Studios (1009 E Cordova) | 12-3pm | $4 | Details 

DIG IT | Vancouver writer and thinker Lindsay Brown is leading a Habitat Forum 1976 Walk on Saturday. The Habitat Forum took place at Jericho Beach in Vancouver from May 31-June 11 way back in 1976. It was part of the largest conference the UN had ever assembled and was a platform for international delegates to discuss pressing issues of homelessness, environmental and social sustainability, women’s rights, poverty, and the growing challenges of design, planning and urbanization. It was a beautiful time and we would all do well to revisit it.
Saturday, April 14 | Arrive at: 12:45pm (walk starts 1pm) | Jericho Sailing Centre, pay-parking lot, at the payment kiosk | Suggested donation $25 | Details 

ENGAGE | There’s an Emily Carr show going on this week called Housing for Everyone. It’s an exhibition of student artwork that explores the concept of shared territory and the possibility of developing more inclusive communities. Participating students worked in cooperation with Pivot Legal Society to address homelessness and the need for supportive housing in BC. Cool stuff. Important issues. Looking forward to seeing what they’ve got to say.
Tuesday, April 10- Saturday, April 21 | Emily Carr University Library (1400 Johnston Street | Granville Island) Free

CHEAP ART | Gallery FUKAI is having an opening bash for Design24 on Friday night. “Design24 embraces the parallels between art and design/ designer and artist; paying respect to the duality of commercial design work, its artists and culture.” This show is a curatorial collaboration between Neal E. Nolan, Andrew Young and Gallery FUKAI. It’s a big show, and a cool one. 24 locals throw down with limited edition (10) silkscreened art printed on archival paper for the low price of $50 (cash purchase for the duration of the exhibit). Love this idea. Great way to support local artists and freshen-up your art collection without breaking the bank. For a full list of participating artists, check out the event page on Facebook.
Friday, April 13 | 8pm | Gallery Fukai (602 E Hastings) | Free | Details

GROW | Get moving! It’s time to get the garden sorted out. Urban farmer Chris Thoreau is headed out to UBC Farm this weekend to lead a workshop on composting. Thoreau will focus on a method of composting that creates high quality compost quickly and is aimed at helping small-scale farmers and backyard gardeners alike. Participants will discuss strategies for maintaining soil organic matter levels over time. Click here to register.
Saturday, April 14 | 1-4pm | UBC Farm Centre (6182 South Campus Rd) $35 | Materials included | Details 

CANUCKERY | Our Vancouver Canucks face-off against the Los Angeles Kings in the 1st Round of the NHL Playoffs starting this Wednesday night. Watch on the telly or streaming online. CBC has us covered for both. Coconuts go!

LOOKING AHEAD | The Tyee has launched a Master Class educational series and it sounds pretty dope. They have wrangled a solid list of diversely skilled professionals to come to the Tyee newsroom week after week to impart their knowledge to a class of Vancouverites interested in their particular area expertise. Next week Meeru Dhalwala (Vij’s and Rangoli) throws down with a class on food writing. The price tag is steep ($195) but More than Recipes: Inspired Food Writing with Meeru Dhalwala is a four house class that comes with Whole Foods catering, a home-cooked snack from Meeru and refreshments served by Tyee sommelier Justin Everett. So there. Registration is limited to 20, so get on it.
Saturday, April 21 | 1- 5pm | The Tyee’s Vancouver Newsroom | Details 

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Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended Bond University in Australia and the University of Victoria before receiving her graduate degree in Library Sciences from The University of Toronto. She lives in beautiful Strathcona and enjoys wandering aimlessly through the city’s shops and streets with her best friend – a beat up, sticky, grimy, and uncooperative camera.

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