Around Town: Bearcats win, Junos still feature Christian artists, tax clinics . . .

First, a quick personal note: I will take next week off as we are going to visit (one set of) our grandchildren in San Francisco (I know, it’s in the States. Will repent upon return.)

This week I’m looking at three unlikely – or at least unexpected – things:

1. A local college that won the national basketball championships –  without their coach;
2. The Juno Awards – coming to Rogers Arena March 30 – will include a ‘Contemporary Christian / Gospel Album of the Year’ category, which had been dropped, briefly, last year;
3. Tax clinics, in churches.

Bearcats win

The most memorable sports stories involve players or teams overcoming unexpected adversity. The Abbotsford-based Columbia Bible College Bearcats women’s basketball team will be able to tell their grandkids about just such a season – one which even attracted international attention.

As Ben Lypka reported March 15 in The Abbotsford News:

A head coach removed from the bench, PACWEST provincial tournament hosting duties stripped and a crushing loss to arch-rival VIU Mariners in the PACWEST championship – none of that ultimately mattered to the Columbia Bible College Bearcats women’s basketball team.

The Bearcats dusted themselves off from the setback to VIU, shook off all the other noise surrounding the team and travelled across the country to compete at CCAA women’s basketball championships in New Brunswick and proceeded to win it all on Saturday (March 15). . . . 

It completes a remarkable turnaround for a program that suffered through a 54-game losing streak from 2018 to 2023 and had never won a PACWEST playoff game prior to this season. 

“This team is an amazing group of young women,” stated CBC spokesperson, Derek Rogusky. “They have shown tremendous character, and we couldn’t be prouder of them. They have endured false accusations, online abuse and vitriol that no young woman should have to experience.

“They had their coach taken away from them for the entire playoff run and were stripped of the chance to host PACWEST conference playoffs. However, they did not fold. Instead, they focused on playing for each other, they turned the other cheek, and in the end, they persevered to win a hard-fought national title. They are deserving to be called true champions and have earned a spot in Bearcats history.”

Go here for the full article.

The situation received international coverage. The Daily Mail in England, for example, ran a March 16 article: ‘College basketball team sanctioned over trans athlete abuse wins Canadian national championship.’

CBC News reported on the background of the story February 10:

An evangelical Mennonite Bible college in British Columbia that has been accused of mistreating a transgender player says it will no longer be hosting the upcoming men’s and women’s basketball provincials.

The decision comes after the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) concluded its investigation into Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, BC, last week.

Last year, Harriette Mackenzie, a Vancouver Island University (VIU) player who is transgender, filed a complaint with PACWEST against Columbia Bible College, alleging she was verbally and physically mistreated by the basketball team’s coach and players.

PACWEST has not released the findings of its investigation, only saying that a “decision has been communicated to the relevant parties, and the matter is now considered closed.”

PACWEST did not respond to requests for comment from CBC News.

In a statement, Columbia Bible College said it’s “deeply disappointed” with PACWEST’s decision.

“We do not believe that a proper process was followed or that the results were fair. As a result, we are taking steps to have PACWEST’s decision reviewed,” the college said.

Go here for the full article. There has, apparently, been no follow-up article on CBC News.

PACWEST also suspended Taylor Claggett, the Bearcats’ coach; assistant coaches Alexis Worrell and Victoria Jacobse took on her duties.

Claggett travelled to New Brunswick for the finals, but was unable to sit with the team or even be in the building.

The Abbotsford News article concluded:

PACWEST congratulated the Bearcats for the win – and also a team member, Elissa Vreugdenhil (PACWEST player of the year, CCAA All-Canadian, and national championship MVP) – on their Facebook page.

Juno Awards, Christian music

Vancouver will host the Juno Awards March 30 – and Christian music will still be in the mix, despite a short-lived cancellation last year.

I wrote about it last fall:

A September 9 article on CBC News noted:

The Juno Awards are pulling four categories from next year’s ceremony as part of a wider review of Canada’s biggest music awards show.

In a letter obtained by The Canadian Press, organizers told committee members last week of plans to put on “hiatus” reggae recording, children’s album, Christian/gospel album and international album of the year.

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences says the decision is part of a “broader set of updates” yet to be announced.

However, Allan Reid, President and CEO of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), which oversees the Junos, posted a message on Instagram September 17 stating that they are reversing course.

Three of the categories – children, reggae and Christian/gospel – will be retained. He said, “given the feedback from the community, CARAS will not put these three categories on hiatus this year.”

Some of that feedback came from the west coast. Stephen Quinn interviewed three artists from the affected categories September 11 on The Early Edition: Brian Doerksen (Christian/gospel), Jessaii (reggae) and Sharon Hampson, of Sharon, Lois and Bram (children).

The nominees this year for Contemporary Christian / Gospel Music are:

• Elenee: Elenee
• Jordan St. Cyr: My Foundation
• Ryan Ofei: Restore
• Tehillah Worship: Miracle in the Making
• Toronto Mass Choir: Hymns Alive (Live)

None are from this area. Local star Michael Bublé will host the Junos.

Tax clinics

A good number of local churches are offering free tax clinics during March and April, and sometimes beyond. A page on the Government of Canada site states:

Through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP), community organizations host free tax clinics where volunteers complete tax returns for people with a modest income and a simple tax situation.

Here are the local participating churches:

• Greek Orthodox Church of East Vancouver
• Westwood Alliance Church, Coquitlam
• Peace Portal Alliance Church, Surrey
• Surrey Alliance Church
• Glory Church, Surrey
• Holy Eucharist Cathedral, New Westminster
• Tenth Church, Vancouver
• Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, Surrey
• Westminster Seventh-day Adventist Church, New Westminster
• South Vancouver Pacific Grace MB Church
• First United Church, Vancouver

Go here for ‘Find a tax clinic’ page and follow the links. Most are open just once or twice a week.

Events & Jobs

Events are listed below, but there is also an Events page and a Jobs page on the Church for Vancouver site.