For those who have read my new book, Exploring Vancouverism:  The Political Culture of Canada's Lotus Land, you will know who Richard is.   He is on the front cover of the book:  he is a "binner", one of the hundreds of impoverish Vancouverites in the so-called "Best Place on Earth" who spend their days sorting through garbage in laneways and public parks, finding bottles and cans that they can sell for 7 to 10 cents each at Recycing Centres or Liquor Stores.   They push shopping carts all day long until they have made the small sum of money necessary for food and beer.   Most are homeless.

I met Richard on Kits beach.   When I told him about my book, and asked him if he would pose for the cover photo, he was uncertain.  But as I told him more about the book, and how it would expose the lack of policies to help the poor and homeless, he became happy to pose and if you look closely at the photo, Richard looks proud to be in the photo.

I gave Richard a modest amount of money for posing for the photo and asked him how I could find him to give him a copy of the book when it was published.  i surmised that he had no fixed address.

Richard told me of a certain Starbucks coffee shop where he would sometimes go for spare cans and bottles.   He said that if I left a copy of the book there, they would get it to him.

And Richard told me, "You make sure you put in your book how unfair it is in Vancouver that there is no housing for the poor."  I promised him I would.

So this evening, I went over to that Starbucks, with Richard's copy of the book, and told the lady and gentleman behind the counter the story about Richard.   At first they did not seem to know anything about him.

They studied the photograph a bit.   I told them that I thought Richard looked stronger and healthier in the photo than he looked in real life.   Then the lady said:  "Oh, that's Rick!"

I was happy that she knew who he was.   "He lives just behind here", she said.  I was a little surprised, because I thought he was homeless.  I told her so.

She clarified.  "When I said Richard lives behind here, I meant he lives in the alley behind the store."

"He usually comes in every morning and I'll make sure he gets the book."

Hey Richard;  I am glad that I found you, and I hope you find a lot of bottles and cans today.   I hope your back holds out when you push the full shopping cart up the hill to the West Broadway recycling centre.

And I hope you like the book.

And you will see that I did tell them how the policies in Vancouver are unfair for the poor.