Tag Archives: vancouver

Community Work Search Resources

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[Editor's note: thanks to Robin Anderson for the photos and information below. Where we work and what we work at is one of the most important aspects of community].

On Monday April 2, 2012 all provincial employment programs changed. Job seekers will be able to use a new set of services to help them find a job. All the employment services currently being funded by the Ministry of Social Development will end and will be replaced by the new Employment Program of B.C. Under the new Program, Metro Vancouver has been divided into various catchment areas and different organizations are responsible for providing services in each area. MOSAIC and its Partner Service Providers will be offering services in the Northeast part of Vancouver. There is a Centre for all job seekers at Commercial and Broadway and locations for specific groups of job seekers, such as youth and people of aboriginal descent.

[Editor's note: there has been a bit of controversy around the re-distribution of resources - from in-person to online - with Service Canada's Hire a Student program, at which I used to work in the lat '90s and early 2000s].

Says Anderson about the changes:

In terms of the context, CSJ is a federal program delivered by Service Canada, and our employment resource centre is a provincially funded project under the Ministry of Social Development. We think our WorkBC employment services would fit well with the re-vamped CSJ.

Students have access to self service services at all Work BC employment centres across the province. This includes access to computer terminals to print work related documents, search job postings including employment opportunities for students such as those available through the Canada Summer Jobs Program (CSJ) and attend workshops. They can also ask staff for some feedback on their resume and for information about where they can find job search leads.

In the MOSAIC locations, job seekers can find out what jobs are in demand, how to write the best resumes and cover letters and how to give successful job interviews. “We can also help select and fund training for eligible participants,” says Drive Youth Employment Services employee, Robin Anderson. “All the services, including access to computers and the internet are free.” For more information, email NortheastESC@mosaicbc.com, check out the Work BC interactive, phone 604-708-9300, www.workbc.ca/workbccentres/welcome.htm.

Jessica Pautsch – Positively Wooing Community

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Who are you?

Hello, I’m Jessica.  I’m still working on figuring that question out, but so far I’m a hopeful optimist, and an aspiring social entrepreneur volunteering to make cool community centric ideas into social profit ventures. Professionally, I am an aboriginal-industry engagement consultant that helps companies become more responsive to the communities in which they operate.

What do you do for fun?

I’m a big outdoor, food, eco, people, sport, and random encounters enthusiast.  So throw any of those into the equation and I generally have a good time.

What is your favourite community? Why?

I’m super lucky that my work, study, friends, and volunteer work expose me to so many interesting and dynamic communities in this city. The more I see the types of social organization here, the more I love this city.

This may sound nerdy but one of my favourite communities I’ve found is what’s been formed around the “social enterprise” movement.  This emerging community attracts socially and environmentally minded entrepreneurs who use business tools to create positive change in some aspect. People are supportive of other’s business efforts and often offer their experience to help build yours. That’s so cool!

What is your superpower?

If I love something, I benevolently coerce you into loving it too.

How do you use it to build community?

I love healthy communities.  I think that the number and type of connections you have with your social and physical environment ultimately determines your health and overall happiness. So, all of my professional and volunteer efforts have been geared towards creating positive connections between people and their environments. I started a non-profit called Eco Trek Tours with the intent to connect people to innovative environmental initiatives in their own back yards through fun, informative and affordable tours.  With my professional work, I’ve learned that financial independence is critical for First Nation self-determination and nation building, and so I use my role to help empower First Nations from the benefits of sensible resource development by building bridges between opportunity and need in responsible and collaborative ways.

My Three Favourite Things About Jessica Are…

1. The Power of WOO. The art of Winning Others Over can be used to achieve nefarious ends (never paying for anything, world domination, convincing others to do the wrong thing, etc.), so I’m pretty darn happy that Jessica uses her superpower – mindful passion that is convincingly contagious – to achieve positive, healthy and community-driven projects. Her “nerdy” love of the social enterprise community makes sense, too, as it takes both entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to persuade a diverse audience (investors, community-members, collaborators) to build and execute a common vision. And, well, when it all comes together its a beautiful thing!

2. Hardworking Team Spirit. I got to know Jessica on the football soccer field, where she is a force to be reckoned with. Jess brings the same kind of energy to sport as she does to work, and the team can always count on her to make plays and spark positive chatter with her hustle and willingness to throw herself into tough situations. And, when it comes to post-game-reflection, Jess is always well equipped with one or two timely, um, quips that reflect the kind of social intelligence that allows a person to speak with anyone, anywhere about anything. This is probably what makes Jessica such a great random encounters enthusiast.

3. She’s a Stylish Changemaker! Full disclosure: the “style” comment comes from my obversation that Jess can pull off colourful, possibly-Hawaiian, shorts on the soccer field and an argyle sweater vest during post-season-celebrations with unique aplomb. As for the changemaking, well, she lives it every day by engaging with First Nations communities for some of the most difficult and important conversations in this part of the world as well as, in her volunteer/”free” time, building community-minded enterprises that not only make a difference but, ideally, also an organization-sustaining profit. How she has the energy to play sports once a week is a superpower all on its own!

Our Future Community Project Charts a New Future for the VSB

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Last night the Vancouver School Board released a massive report titled Vancouver School Board Sectoral Review: Our Schools, Our Programs, Our Future. The report presented dozens of important recommendations that if eventually adopted by the VSB, could have a profound impact on public education for Vancouver students.

“This is a comprehensive document that is intended to provide the Board with a foundational understanding of the challenges and opportunities of our district,” said Jordan Tinney, Deputy Superintendent. “There is a lot of information and suggestions here that could have a huge impact on the future of the Vancouver School Board. It’s a very exciting time to be involved in public education and we’re hoping many Vancouverites will get involved and lend their voice to this process.”

The report is well worth having a look at if you’re vaguely interested in the future directions of the Vancouver school district and the education of Vancouver youth. Key recommendations include:

  • To expand programs of choice. This could mean more Montessori, International Baccalaureate, Mandarin Bilingual, Intensive French and Early Intervention/Reading Recovery coming to a neighbourhood school near you… and soon.
  • To align services to avoid overlap. This could lead to brand new educational systems such as the centralization of kindergarten registration along with the implementation of both balanced calendar and hybrid semester systems in the coming few years. Balanced calendar alone would revolutionize how the school year looks (goodbye super long summer break…) for hundreds of students and their families.The report also suggests the reworking of some school catchment areas, the consolidation of VSB online learning and the optimization of the District’s Reception and Placement Centre and International Student Program.
  • Repurpose schools to continue to serve the public as a community asset and to demonstrate our stewardship of public lands. This is a big deal. The report outlines how some schools that are under-capicty (in some cases a little over half full!) should be re-purposed like was the case at Carelton Elementary, who is now the host of Green Thumb Theatre.
  • Develop non-school sites for revenue. Key here is international students. According to the report, these students pay a fee of $12,000 annually to attend our schools and they come from countries around the world. The income from the International Student Program represents approximately $12 million of the Boards budget. That’s a lot of money and its apparent from this report that district staff are hoping to grow this cash-pot in the coming years
There are a bunch of other interesting recommendations and all of them could have a big impact on what schools will look like in the coming years.
So far, the significance of this report has not been widely reported. But the ideas are there and the district is encouraging people to get involved and add their voice to a coming series of public consultations in the coming months or online through their Our Future website.

Whitecaps Build Community with Flags and Families

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Photo courtesy of Gerry K.

Nothing like a hard fought soccer game under the open Vancouver sky. This weekend, I got to experience it first hand as the Vancouver Whitecaps took on DC United in their third game of the season. Coming off a two game winning streak, first at home against the Montreal Impact and then (miracles!) on the road against Chivas USA, there were big expectations and a heady sense of optimism about a winning streak that’d last to three games in a row. In the end, we got a tie (certainly better than a loss) – but that’s not all that we witnessed that night.

Equally powerful was the sense of community (particularly in the first part of the second half) when the Whitecaps really turned the electricity on!

It started outside the stadium. Unlike BC Lions games or even Canucks games, the community built by the Whitecaps tends to be young, diverse and the total opposite of “rough around the edges” turkeys that were made famous last summer during the Vancouver’s most disgraceful night.

Milling around the outside of the stadium, thousands of fans clad in blue and white meandered towards the gates. Few were ridiculously intoxicated or surely. Hundreds had goofy grins on their faces.There was a young family vibe to it all.

Once in the stadium, we set up close to the Whitecaps goal next to three dozen fanatical fans equipped with jerseys and dozens of multi-color flags. The super fans included a big burly Scots as well as French, Koreans, Filipinos and even a group of guys who appeared to hail from the Middle East. It’s part of what I love so much about soccer – the multiculturalism of it all. Together we sang a dozen uniquely Vancouver chants inspired by the great European clubs.

On the field, our team mirrored the diversity of its fan base. Players hailed from Brazil, Spain, China, Korea, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, the US and Canada. When Long Tan ran on from the sidelines in the late stages of the game, a group of Chinese fans a few seats away gave a mighty cheer.

Talk about a terrific community building event.

Header courtesy of Albumen. 

Octopi Falls 4-3 in Bronze Medal Match

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This Soccer Ball Reflects on the Fourth Place Finish for Octopi Vancouver

[Editor's note: for the record, our Wednesday night soccer experience began with five members of the Octopi Vancouver team moving the goal into position - basically setting up the field - as two administrators/supervisors from Urban Rec stood right next to this activity and sipped their coffee and made terrible jokes, which begs the question: what do our pricy Vancouver Urban Rec fees actually pay for?!]

On a crisp, clear Wednesday night at Thunderbird Stadium, a substitute-sparse Octopi Vancouver squad went down 4-3 against a very chippy The Scoring Machine “team” – other accepted synonyms for “team” in this description might include “gang” or “hooligans” or “Postmodern Peles” (the last one is my personal favourite).

The Octopi squad began the game with vigour and urgency, hitting goal posts, crossbars and narrowly missing the corners of the Scoring Machine’s net. About 10 minutes into the first half, John Horn, making a great run down the left side in the third-person, crossed the ball squarely on to the foot of dashing right-winger, Jessica Pautsch, who expertly looped it into the top corner, away from the sprawling – and quite talented as well as handsome – keeper.

1-0 Octopi.

The first half wrapped up with Pautsch on a break-away – if there were actual referees (perhaps Kinesiology students from SFU or UBC, you know, to tackle youth unemployment and student debt in BC while simultaneously providing meaningful experiential learning opportunities for the future leaders of our healthy and happy community) I’m sure that the play would have been allowed to carry on – but the non-game-specific whistle blew and Jessica wasn’t allowed to snipe her second goal of the match.

Still 1-0 Octopi.

The second half saw Octopi drop into a 3-2-1 defensive formation, which was a dumb idea, as The Scoring Machine earned a quick tally following a strong run down the left-side by one of their nicer players. In between their first and second goal, The Scoring Machine’s centre defender, Long Sleeved Black Shirt, absolutely throttled Octopi’s star striker, Erin Loxam – again, if UrbanRec employed referees the gentleman might’ve been asked to leave the game at this point.

1-1 draw.

After a blazing goal kick by The Scoring Machine’s handsome goalkeeper, All-Urban-Rec defender, Matt Kieltyka, whiffed on the ball and one of the opposing team’s players sprinted in for an unopposed goal.

2-1 The Scoring Machine.

Following some intense pressure by Sustainable Stewart Burgess and Prautsch, a The Scoring Machine pass, deflected by Prautsch, found its way to Horn’s foot – the striker made no mistake, burying the shot in the back corner. As Horn said to Kieltyka later, “karma was on our side, man – they caught a break, and so did we, because the universe wants us to win.”

2-2 Octopi (yes, we were winning).

On the heels of their second goal, some great passing between Kurt Heinrich, Kieltyka and Roger Hosking finally got the ball to under-appreciated/utilized star striker, Loxam, who promptly netted her 27th goal of the season with impressive aplomb.

3-2 Octopi.

This is where things got weird.

First, there were the antics from a bald and bearded talker from The Scoring Machine side – in no more than three minutes he took an illegal shot on goal from the post-score-kickoff, attempted to throw the ball into the net (it was a legit throw-in, but still weird), yelled at the Octopi team for diving and whining, proceeded to dive and whine himself, knocked down Burgess and Hosking at least twice, and started a goal-mouth scrambled that resulted in The Scoring Machine’s third goal. Following this experience John Horn, talking in the third-person, loudly referred to the gentleman as “The Postmodern Pele” – #amazing.

3-3 The Scoring Machine (they had the momentum and, thanks to their ample substitutes, the legs).

Only moments later, Heinrich made a stomping run down the right side and sent a perfect cross to Horn, who was waiting at the far post. Horn, in the third-person, chested the ball down and sent a cracking half-volley at the goal, which was expertly stopped by The Scoring Machine’s keeper.

The chippy play continued with Long Sleeved Black Shirt sweep-kicking the ankles of star striker Loxam – again, if there were referees in the game this player/goon would (a) not have even been in the game at this time and (b) would have been put in his place by an official, instead of an Octopi player, making a call – when Loxam said “you fouled me” the player/goon responded “no I didn’t, you slipped; now stop whining and get up.” #notaclassact #payforrefs

With little time left, Postmodern Pele got involved in another goal-mouth scramble and, somehow, the ball crossed the touch line in spite of a great effort from League MVP David Willinsky.

4-3 The Scoring Machine.

The Octopi Vancouver squad wrapped up the season with an impressive 5-4-2 record and a fourth place finish in their first season together. Other teams in the Urban Rec league best keep on the lookout for this up-and-coming soccer football powerhouse. And the Urban Rec organizers/management best be on the lookout for a strongly worded letter and pending petition that addresses their knowing sacrifice of health, safety and fun for slightly awesomer profit margins.

Great season, team!

Fidel Vila – The Spanish Hurricane

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Who are you?

A guy who loves  being around his family.

Psychiatry is a passion of mine, and I am fortunate to practice and teach at both Saint Paul’s Hospital and UBC Hospital; also, I combine my clinical work with research on mental health.

What do you do for fun?

I am a relentless soccer player, and a photography enthusiast. Since my first daughter was born, however, I can spend hours just witnessing the wonders of live reflected in her development. It might have something to do with sleep deprivation, but when I’m around her the notion of time and space often seem to get on hold and I can submerge into a pure here-and-now moment. Frank Cottrell, a British writer, once said that family is probably the only distraction that makes you feel virtuous when you surrender to it; and I couldn’t agree more.

What’s your favourite community and why?

Even though I have lived most of my live in large cities and feel comfortable living in them, there is something reminiscent of my childhood that I can only experience whenever I spend time in small communities. It is difficult to pin-point what it is, but I sense that a special connection between people happens in such communities. The Gulf Islands and Sunshine Coast are places in BC where I have had such experiences.

What is your superpower?

This is rather mundane, but I have recently been told that I am a people’s person.
Reflecting on this recent comment, I realized that I have always seen myself as someone who enjoys listening to people around me, and that has allowed to create meaningful connections.

How does your superpower help you build community?

A great deal of what a can be accomplished as a community relies on the strength and meaningfulness of the relationships its members create among themselves.

Patient and active listening seems to be a good ingredient to promote the above.

My Three Favourite Things About Fidel Are…

1. Phenomenal soccer prowess.  There’s a reason that we (or maybe it’s just me…?) call him the Spanish Hurricane. It’s not just his ball control or killer spinning shot that makes him great. It’s that way he moves and passes and sets his team-mates up that makes him truly inspiring. When Fidel’s on the field, you know he’ll make you somehow pull off beautiful plays. It’s inspiring to play with so a generous a player.

2. His sympathetic and kindly manner. Here’s a guy who exudes warmth and thoughtfulness. He’s the type of person you feel you can trust and who general aura gives off a kinship. This might be something that you’d think would be a given as a psychiatrist. But with Fidel, it isn’t professional; its personal.

3. Commitment to helping his community. Be it his hard work writing grants to raise money for the Portland FC, his thoughtful suggestions at countless organizing meetings or the hours he devotes to coaching and mentoring street soccer players on the court – this is a guy who’s committed to his community and giving back to it wherever possible. And that’s just his volunteer stuff. His day job is to help those suffering from all sorts of mild and severe mental illness find their way in life.

Special Bonus Reason #4. He makes an amazing Spanish tortilla!

As told by Kurt Heinrich…

Vancouver’s Very Own Viking Ship

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For several years now, ever since I’ve lived near English Bay, I’ve been noticing this odd sight out on the water.  Once in a while, there’s this Viking ship out there. That’s right, with that characteristic striped orange sail, oars and what even what look like shields lining the gunnels. On really windy days it never appears, but periodically, when there’s a ruffle of a breeze you can see it bobbing about amongst modern yachts and freighters. The sail seems to hang limp most of the time, but the oars are busy enough.

Turns out that the ship, named the Murin, was launched over a decade ago as part of the BC Viking Ship project. Basically a group of gung-ho folks got together to create a 40 foot replica of the Norwegian Viking Ship Gokstad, which was built around 890 A.D. and unearthed in 1880 near Oslo. The “Gokstad Ship” was amazingly well preserved in an old Viking grave. It is currently on display at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. Pretty hardcore! No maritime city is complete with a couple of full scale replicas bobbing about, I say, and this one does us proud.

But what I really like about the Murin - and I just found this out – is that it’s open to the public. With a donation, anyone is welcome to experience working a real Viking longship. Although this isn’t like doing the Gondola thing in Venice. Apparently one’s expected to show up ready to row! Organizers estimate that up to 5,000 people have the chance to try their hand at sailing the Murin every year.

According to the Viking Project website: “This 40 foot boat can accommodate 12 people and the 2 hour rides are by donation. As a passenger you will be rowing (when there isn’t wind to propel the boat) so be sure to bring gloves to protect your hands…”

Amazing. What a great way to build on our nautical community!

Details on how to embark on the Murin. 

  • Departure Point: Heritage Harbour dock in Vanier Park, Vancouver (map)
  • Cost: By donation (please give generously)
  • How to Book: Email vikingship.ca@gmail.com to reserve

Header photo courtesy of stevecadman

Holly Langland is Carpe Diem!

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Who are you?

Well, my life purpose is bringer of light, play and possibilities and the older I get [Editor's note: she's not old] the more I realize how true it is and how hard I strive to achieve my purpose. And I realize how much I need to get out of my own way and just be it and live it!

What do you do for fun?

First of all, I do whatever I can to make my life fun. In fact, I take issue with dividing fun from everything else. So, for me living is fun. My life is fun. Having said that, I really enjoy cooking, listening to the birds – communing with nature, that is – and defying the odds.

What is your favourite community? Why?

In [self-assessment tool] StrengthsFinder my top strength is Connectedness. My community is humankind, and I need to live in a community that is limitless; I need to be a part of something that recognizes the beauty in all human beings as well as the fact that, really, I’m no different from someone in, say, Ghana. Humankind’s similarities far outweigh our differences and through understanding and celebrating these similarities we can overcome our differences. I think that this kind of approach and understanding will allow our community to not be run down by all the mechanisms of life, like bills, debt, structure, rules, and all the rest of it.

What is your superpower?

You know, I think my superpower is seeing peoples’ beauty and vulnerability at the same time. Whether it’s at a bus stop or Starbucks I am often approached by people – one time, a guy started singing me a song – because I feel like I’m on the same page as them. So, showing kindness is my superpower; I give people the benefit of the doubt without seeking any judgment.

How do you use it to build community?

People like to be seen, noticed and acknowledged. I’m able to extend a hand – physical, mental, emotional – and do it in a way that make people trust me. I strive to give more than I get and this approach naturally creates an opening in any community.

My Three Favourite Things About Holly Are…

1. The Big Picture. She gets it, explores it, and celebrates it. Such an approach is very evident given her above description of her favourite community: humankind. Holly is positive and hopeful about our inteconnected global community recognizing that we’re all more similar than different and that, through acknowledging this fact, we can make the world a better place. You gotta love this kind of positive mindset!

2. Amazing Listening Skills. I worked with Holly for just about three years. One of the many things that makes her so good at developing talent is her ability to listen … actively. Holly knows how to take in information – even rambling, semi-disconnected, incredibly tangential stuff from yours truly – and ask really, really, really good questions based on what she heard. And, through these questions, the person to whom she’s conversing is usually empowered with the necessary tools that will allow them to develop their own solution and/or strategy for being awesome. So, thanks for that, Holly.

3. She’s an Amazing Cook. My lovely and talented wife, Michelle, has four rules about meals: they must be affordable, healthy, tasty, and easy to make. Not only do Holly’s many creations hit all of the previous touchpoints, but they exceed them! Dinner parties at Chez Holly are simply delightful, and it was always a pleasure when she brought in culinary creations for potlucks.

–

As told by John Horn…

CLJ Reviews Desolation Island by Patrick O’Brian

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WHAT WE READ

“Desolation Island”, the fourth book in Irish writer Patrick O’Brian’s naval series, set in the age of Lord Nelson. O’Brian chronicles the adventures of eccentric ship surgeon/spy Stephen Maturin and his buddy, Captain Jack Aubrey – brilliant at sea and hopeless on land. O’Brian’s writing has been compared to that of Jane Austen’s in terms of narrative style while his portrayal of life at sea and daily life in the wooden world of a man of war has been praised as the best there is or ever was. I picked this book because I was keen to expose the rest of the group to literature about the sea – something I’m passionate about, but also because “Desolation Island” is simply a rolicking good read with international espionage, chases on the high seas, maroonings and lots of funny bits as well.

WHAT WE DID

Appropriately the day to discuss the book dawned with gale force winds coming off English Bay. Due to the weather we were not able to meet, as originally planned, at the Maritime museum, execute feats of nautical expertise such as knot tying, and then embark in an Aquaferry across False Creek. The storm would have capsized us and that would have meant no more Book Club. Instead, we played it safe and met at the aptly named “Pirate Pub” to discuss the book. There, each reader was asked to deliver his own diary entry about life on a two-decker from the perspective of one of the book’s characters. And of course there was a trivia contest based on ship terminology. (None of my book clubs are complete without a trivia contest). No one did particularly well at the trivia. Not at all well, actually, which made me realize that Patrick O’Brian could have sold more books had he just toned it down a little bit with all the rich sailor speak which make his novels so very authentic.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

Given that this book, takes place in an entirely male world of a 19th Century Man of War, I was surprised that the most praise came from female members of CLJ. They each praised the author’s masterful language and his keen sense of character relationships and dialogue. Most of the group struggled with ‘entering’ the world that Patrick O’Brian creates, namely pre-industrial Britain, a wooden ship and customs completely divorced from those existing on land. It was nonetheless good to see that everyone appreciated being exposed to something new. That’s what makes CLJ so great after all: we often read the books we would otherwise not pick ourselves.

Mike Worth – Man of a Dozen Communities

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Editor’s Note: This profile was done over beers at Vancouver’s Alibi Room. Anything inaccurate is entirely Gumboot Editor Kurt Heinrich’s fault!

Who are you?

Mike Worth. Software Developer for ATIMI, a local Vancouver company.

What do you do for fun?

I love to spend time with my son, play the guitar, listen to interesting music and read about the latest tech gadgets.

What is your favorite community?

Oh boy. That’s hard to say. I’m a cinephine and love movies. I love BBQ and how tasty sauce and dry roasted ribs binds together enthusiasts from across the province. I’m just as crazy about the craft brewery scene and the wide range of adherents. I love to partake in all of these things with my friends and family.  I guess you could say that I am a man of a dozen communities.

What’s your superpower?

The super power that pops into my mind is my super-pallet for identifying the best BBQ and craft beer around. It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.

How do you use it to build community?

By taking one for the team and exploring the best that various communities have to offer (as aided and abetted by my super BBQ pallet) I’m able to share with my close family and friends a tasty home-style (cornbread, ribs, pulled pork, brisket, coleslaw, roasted chicken) culinary experience. It’s wonderful to take something that’s near and dear to one’s heart and to share it with one’s loved ones who may never have experienced it before.

My three favorite things about Mike Worth are:

1. His drive to find the best in all of his diversity of interests. Mike isn’t one to shrug his shoulders and settle for something that’s just “ok”. He wants to find the best the world (or at least the region) has to offer. Because he’s programmed to track down the best types of beer, music, BBQ, etc. his friends and family also reap significant benefits. That might be exposure to new songs (ie. Jonsi and Sigur Ros), phenomenal BBQ (best BBQ pork ribs in Whistler) and or new tech know-how (not sure how to properly pimp out your android phone? Ask Mike).

2. His devotion to his son. Mike’s always looking out for his young son. He’s always thinking of him. He’s proud of him and you can see the love and complete and utter commitment burned into his face whenever his son is nearby. Talk about a lucky kid (and a lucky dad!)

3. You’ll always learn something new about beer. Each time I spend an afternoon or evening with Mike, I learn about a new craft brewery. Maybe it’s Deschutes Brewery. Maybe it’s Rogue Brewery. Maybe its some random small craft brewery based in Fort St. John that you’ve never heard of. The best part of it all is with Mike, you don’t just learn about the beer, you also get to sample some of the best tasting brews in the Pacific Northwest. Over and over again…