Letter from Vancouver

The Vancouver 2021 IPA Congress will be a virtual event, as have most other conferences been recently, due to the dangerous COVID-19 pandemic. Ironically, this is the second time that a SARS virus has sidelined a Canadian city as host to the Congress. In 2003, it was scheduled for Toronto, but the SARS pandemic resulted in its cancellation. Now Vancouver has suffered the same fate due to SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19. Although I am sure that the Congress will be a success, it is unfortunate that Vancouver and the Canadian Society will once again not have a chance to indulge the international community with Canadian hospitality. The local Western Branch (WB) society was looking forward to showcasing Vancouver as one of the most naturally beautiful places in the world.

Situated at the end of the Fraser Valley, where the river meets the sea, and nestled between the Cascadian coastal mountains and Vancouver Island, it has a similar climate to another city on the 49th Parallel, Paris. The mild winters and pleasant summers result in a lifestyle focusing on outdoors activities: swimming at one of its many beaches in the summer, skiing the local mountains in the winter, sailing and golfing all year round, climbing the Grouse Grind, or playing beach volleyball, Vancouverites love being outdoors, and respecting the environment. Indeed, it has been considered one of the greenest cities in the world.

This respect for nature is also evident in the First Nations’ cultural heritage as Caretakers of the Earth, striving to live in harmony with nature. Vancouver is situated on the unceded native lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, and it is customary for all public events held on their territory to acknowledge their rights to the land that has become inhabited by a multicultural mosaic of people from all continents except Antarctica. This rich cultural mosaic results in several cultural festivals and celebrations throughout the year. Vancouverites, like most