“It is with great sadness that we inform you all of the
passing of Little Sister’s store owner ... our Don Wilson.”

Sad words to share via the above statement from Little Sisters Book & Art Emporium.

Don Wilson, General Manager and Owner of Little Sisters since the untimely passing of original co-owner Jim Deva, passed away the other day, no other information is available at this time.

Upon the loss of Jim Deva, Don stepped into the role of operating Little Sisters, a landmark business in Vancouver’s Davie Village, and a longstanding and beloved hub for Vancouver’s queer community.

True to the vision of the previous owners, Don carried on the tradition of providing a safe space for 2SLGBTQIA+ people to gather and shop. His presence was felt throughout the neighbourhood, and he was an active member of the business community and Business Improvement Association.

Dignity Seniors Society joins the local community and Vancouver as a whole, in mourning the loss of one of our community’s business leaders.

The lights of Davie Street glow a little dimmer today.

There will be a Celebration of Life event to honour the memory of Don’s passing:

• Date: April 15th (2025)

• Time: 2 pm

• Location: The Junction pub on Davie (1138 Davie Street) Vancouver

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The Northern B.C. Queer Connection Society, a non-profit organization based in Prince George, has secured $299, 999 in federal grant funding from the Women and Gender Equality Canada [a DSS funder! 🙏] for their queer history project.

It will include two components — a documentary film and an accessible historical archive of documents, photographs and memorabilia to serve as a resource for researchers, educators and the public.

The project will run until March 2027 and collaborate with local historians and filmmakers.

The lead historian on the project is Tess Healy - whose own personal history has made a significant impact on the region.

Healy and Wendy Young became one of the first same-sex couples in northern B.C. to get legally married when they tied the knot on Aug. 30, 2003.

Story continues here.

The Arthritis Action Plan will be a nationwide strategy, co-created by 21 Arthritis Ecosystem Champion organizations to revolutionize health outcomes and quality of life for people living with arthritis. The Arthritis Action Plan aims to be informed directly by the insights, priorities and concerns of 1 million people in Canada. Over the next ten years, the Plan will take on the big issues of arthritis, including prevention, cures, equitable access to care, and elevating the urgency of the disease. Everyone plays a role in solving arthritis — the healthcare sector, people and families with lived experience, government at all levels, other non-profits, industry, researchers, and academics — and we must all work together.

In order to ensure that 2S/LGBTQIA+ individuals living with arthritis are consulted and engaged in this planning process, Arthritis Society Canada is excited to collaborate with the Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC). CBRC is a national non-profit organization that promotes the health of people of diverse sexualities and genders through research and intervention development. Arthritis Society Canada is a national health charity, fueled by donors and volunteers, with a mission to fight the fire of arthritis through research, advocacy, innovation, information and support - and is the backbone organization coordinating the production of the Arthritis Action Plan.

Through this partnership, CBRC will be hosting 2 virtual consultation sessions, for 2S/LGBTQIA+ people living with arthritis in Canada, who are 18 years of age and older. These virtual consultations will be in English, held on zoom, and facilitated by 2S/LGBTQIA+ community members. The virtual sessions will be held on March 18 and March 25. Participants will be provided with a $100 honorarium, which will be sent by CBRC through electronic money transfer using the platform Plooto.

If you are interested in participating, please complete this form. As there are limited spaces within the virtual consultation sessions, not everyone will be able to participate. We will be in touch with you directly either way. For any questions, please get in touch with Anu Radha Verma (pronouns: she/her) at anu.radha.verma@cbrc.net