:: June 29, 2008 ::
Queen Bee Luxuries is a boutique in the thriving Main & Broadway area that specializes in vegan soaps and body-care products, as well as corsets, hats, and jewellery from local and independent designers. They're located at 76 Kingsway. Check their site for hours!

:: Sept 14, 2007 ::
Short notice, but there is a Vegetarian Food Fair taking place in Richmond this Sunday, September 16 from 12PM to 2PM, at the Ling Yen Mountain Temple. The address is 10060 No. 5 Road, Richmond.

:: May 10, 2007 ::
I stopped by the Bo Kong restaurant in Richmond, and had a plate full of "Jai". That's their assortment of wheat gluten cooked and flavoured in a variety of ways. It's SO good, very filling, and even your non-veg friends will love it!

:: October 27, 2006 ::
The Vancouver Vegetarian Association has opened a Vegetarian Resource Centre on Commercial Drive! It includes snacks, literature, clothing and advocacy items!

:: February 7, 2006 ::
We Take The Dogs Out is a local dog-walking service run by animal rights supporter Deb Gleason. Her walks include off-leash exploration of the North Shore, and home-made organic vegan cookies.

:: December 27, 2005 ::
Sadly, the Buddhist restaurant in Chinatown closed down earlier this year. I'm very sad to see them go. However, the Bo Kong continues to serve the same delicious types of dishes.

:: August 29, 2005 ::

Wow, a whole lot of very belated updates!

Taste of Health 2005 will be happening October 1 & 2 at the Croatian Cultural Centre, 3250 Commercial Drive.

The Vancouver Vegetarian Association has been quite active recently, releasing a new guide to Vancouver's vegetarian restaurants, and organizing several events.

VanVeg, the Vancouver Vegetarian Community, is a new site with information about being a vegetarian in Vancouver, a restaurant listing, and events!

The Raw Food Society of BC is a non-profit organization that informs about the benefits of a plant based raw-vegan diet.

Radha Yoga & Eatery offers homemade vegetarian & vegan food, as well as yoga classes & events

:: August 29, 2004 ::
According to PETA, Vancouver is Canada's #1 vegetarian-friendly city. Based on all the vegetarian restaurants and health-food/organic grocers we have, I don't doubt it for a minute.

:: August 2, 2004 ::
Don't forget the Taste of Health vegetarian food festival is happening the weekend of August 14-15 at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Chinatown!

:: May 8, 2004 ::
Om Vegetarian is a wicked new restaurant at Cambie & 19th. More excellent Chinese/Buddhist vegetarian fare, with some variation from the menus seen at the Buddhist restaurant & Bo Kong. Pleasant space in the South Cambie village, right across the street from Choices Market.

:: July 17, 2003 ::
The Granville Island Farmer's Market has fresh produce at prices often cheaper than Safeway or the other supermarkets. Their prices go down as the day goes on (but so does the quality available!), so if you want cheap veggies, go in the late afternoon, if you want good stuff, show up early. It's every Thursday, 9-6, from April until the end of October, right next to the main Granville Island Market.

:: April 16, 2003 ::
The Manor Guest House offers cozy accommodations in Vancouver and offers vegetarian meals with vegan options.

:: December 2, 2002 ::
The new Vegan Store is opening on Wednesday, December 4! This shop at Oak & 8th Avenue is run by Johnathan of Vegan Voices, and features vegan clothing, food, books, and CDs.

:: November 1, 2002 ::
It's World Vegan Day! A celebration of everything vegan, on the birthday of the formation of the original Vegan Society.

:: October 21, 2002 ::
Mike Hennigar is a reporter for CBC Newsworld who is doing a story on orthorexia. It's described as an eating disorder that involves taking a healthy diet to an extreme such that it leads to malnourishment or unhealthy obsession. Currently, there is dispute in the medical community as to whether it even exists. However, if you know anything about it, have experienced it, or know anyone who has who might be willing to talk about it, send him an email.

:: October 15, 2002 ::
Johnathan of Vegan Voices hosted a wonderful vegan potluck Thanksgiving dinner last night at his new space here in Fairview (near Oak & Broadway). The food people brought was excellent, and there was Tofurkey of course! About 27 other vegans showed up, it was quite a party. Watch the Vegan Voices website for news of future events, or contact Johnathan and ask to be put on his mailing list.

:: September 20, 2002 ::
Choices have the new Silver Hills Bagels which are all organic, and have no dairy ingredients. Combine them with Tofutti non-dairy cream cheese and MMMMM!

:: September 18, 2002 ::
Went and checked out the Foundation Lounge last night; a very funky new place at the edge of the newly-revitalized Mount Pleasant area, at Main & 7th. The space is cool with cheap-chic furniture, local art, and urban music. The food is great with a variety from pasta & salads to Indian curry and veggieburgers; almost everything is vegan, and the servings are huge.

:: September 2, 2002 ::
The Kitsilano Hemp Company carries eco-friendly clothes, accessories, and personal products.

:: August 3, 2002 ::
I just received email from a Garmont customer rep, they also have two trail shoes that are vegan suitable: the Nagevi model (it's "I Vegan" spelled backwards!), and the Aroya.

I've redesigned the site to match my personal site. Hope you guys like it!

:: August 1, 2002 ::
Garmont, in addition to their men's Vegan boots, now has a women's version of their all-synthetic hiking boots. You might be able to find them at Mountain Equipment Co-op

:: June 6, 2002 ::
EarthSave Canada is presenting A Taste of Health this Saturday, June 8th, at the Plaza of Nations. From 10AM to 6PM, the festival will feature several vegetarian celebrity speakers including John Robbins and Howard Lyman ("The Mad Cowboy"), musical acts, cooking demonstrations, restaurant samplings, and vegetarian products.

They're also looking for volunteers for the event if you want to help out!

:: May 17, 2002 ::
PETA is declaring victory and has called off the Safeway boycott, in both Canada and the USA. Safeway management have agreed to implement new standards for their suppliers, and begin performing unannounced audits.

:: April 30, 2002 ::
Alan Boysen, owner of Cookies of Course in Harbour Centre, is opening a new vegetarian fast-food outlet in the food court there. It's always nice to see more places to eat downtown. He's looking for a couple cooks and some serving staff, so if you're interested in working in a veg-friendly place, send him an email! He's also looking for menu suggestions, if you'd like to submit any ideas.

PETA have elaborated on their boycott of Safeway, and specified that it does, indeed, target the Canadian stores as well as the American ones. The letter I received last week was actually a slightly-edited form letter which has been distributed to many other Canadian vegetarians/vegans/animal-rights activists who contacted Safeway. PETA indicates this letter contains numerous misleading and outright deceptive statements, and I am very disappointed in Safeway's decision to respond in this matter, instead of acknowledging that there are improvements to be made. I therefore am supporting & participating in PETA's boycott, and urge others to do the same.

:: April 24, 2002 ::
ALERT: Denman Island Chocolate, which I recommended last month based on their own labelling, is NOT vegan! Apparently their chocolate had trace amounts of milk ingredients, which were not declared on the label. The Canada Food Inspection Agency has issued a warning for those allergic to dairy, and ordered a recall of the bars so they can be re-labelled.

I received a polite and informative letter from Sabrina Del Monte, Public Affairs Manager in BC for Safeway Canada, in response to a letter I wrote Safeway presenting some concerns I had, and the PETA boycott. Ms. Del Monte states that Safeway Canada "in no way condones the neglect, abuse, or inhumane treatment of animals"; and she also detailed their adherence to federal animal welfare laws, and cooperation with audits conducted under the auspices of Dr. Temple Grandin. While of course a vegan's view of what constitutes "humane treatment" differs from most people's, I'm fairly satisfied that Safeway is making progress. The PETA boycott only appears to be directed at Safeway in the USA instead of Safeway Canada; I'm still waiting for PETA's response on the matter.

:: April 7, 2002 ::
Dreena Burton of White Rock has written a cookbook called The Everyday Vegan. I'll let you know more about it once I have a chance to pick it up.

:: March 13, 2002 ::
PETA has called for a boycott of Safeway, due to their failure to hold their suppliers to any standard of humane treatment.

:: March 8, 2002 ::
Vegan Voices is a local vegan group that does both advocacy & outreach, as well as organizing social functions.

Brendan Brazier is a Vancouver-area triathelete who eats a vegan diet. He has plenty of info relevant to vegans & vegetarians who are interested in high-performance sports. He also offers seminars for athletes interested in vegan/vegetarian diets.

I visited Urban Monks, "Zen Cuisine" vegetarian/vegan café last night. This place opened in Yaletown just three months ago, features a very cosy (albeit new-agey) interior, and has great food. I went with a couple friends after going to a movie, and my non-veg friend absolutely loved the food. If you're downtown this is definitely worth visiting; it's only a few blocks from Robson & Granville.