Tomorrow is Ulrike's birthday. If you'd like to share stories, memories, or photos, please reach out to me directly (yvan at yvanrodrigues dot com).

We have received news from the neuropathologist.

Ulrike had a brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme. It is a lethal malignant brain tumour that in Ulrike's case caused a fatal bleed (stroke). It had also spread to her limbic system, which was likely the cause of the symptoms that led to her inability to work, and seeking diagnosis for her difficulties with impairment of memory, speech, and writing.

Happy big 60 Ulie, I will raise a glass in your honour tonight! Here's a photo of us hiking with Sonja in the Olympic Peninsula, I'm guessing in 2014. Miss you and love you girl!

Happy 60th birthday, Ulrike.   I wish you were here to celebrate it with us.

I met Ulrike in grade 10 at Centennial CVI in Guelph and she became an influence on me for the next ten years. She was a friend who was always there to support you, celebrating the good times and helping you through the bad. In grade 12 and 13, she helped me be a better writer and inspired me to be a better person.

We went off to university (she went to Guelph, I to Waterloo) but always found some time to connect. She introduced me to the new music and the Rocky Horror Show (Elora Cinema was fun, seeing the play live at the Danforth Theatre in Toronto was unforgettable).

Unfortunately, as happen in life, we lost touch. I moved east to Ottawa and Ulrike went west. From what I have read here, Ulrike didn’t stop connecting with people and impacting lives for the better. She had a full life that ended far too soon.

I offer my condolences to her family and many friends who have lost a bright light.

My deepest condolences.

I met Ulrike in the late ’80s working at an ad agency in Hamilton before she left for Vancouver. While our paths had not crossed before, we shared having attended the University of Guelph and working on the Ontarion, the student newspaper. We hit it off right away while we worked across from one another in a graphic arts studio (it was before computers). The day was filled with conversation and music – through Ulrike, I was introduced to The Selecter, the Violent Femmes and the Cocteau Twins, to name a few. I recall many enjoyable lunches and after-work beers.

Ulrike was bold and forthright in her views and did not refrain from challenging accepted wisdom. One particular conversation that has stayed with me was on gender-neutral language. Back then, common usage was to assign the universal “person” with the male gender. Ulrike argued that instead, we should be using “they” or “them,” which led to the discussion that as marketers should we follow our audience with the words they expect or lead them with an example of more fair usage? Ulrike, of course, argued that we should lead them. She was right. As I have continued in my career, I have followed the view that one can be an agent of change, even in seemingly mundane communication projects.

After Ulrike moved to Vancouver, we stayed in touch for a time, but like all things, we drifted apart. For the last long while, my contact was limited to reading about her adventures and liking her career progress on LinkedIn. From my experience with her and the many recollections here, clearly, Ulrike was wonderful. I am thankful for having known her and wish her well on her journeys.

Craig

Occasionally you will see that spam bots slip past the "human checks" and post an entry. It might take me a couple of days to notice and delete these.

This is the cost of allowing posts without registration, verification, and that hassle. If it gets worse, I'll have to limit access to the site and require registration before people can post.

Inquisitive. Adventurous. Engaging. Long walks, candid talks. Neighbourhood cafes and curry diners. Travel tales and activist spiels. Fearless ventures on the Honda Cub....and other wheels. The visit to the owl rescue sanctuary and then sighting the snowy owls in Boundary Bay. 

Although I first knew of Ulrike in connection with bicycle advocacy, I didn’t get to know her until she submitted to my anthology “Emails From India: Women Write Home,” and I selected her thoughtful piece “Bicycles and Bare Breasts” for publication in it (Seraphim Editions, 2013). We first met at another contributor’s house at a party to celebrate the book’s imminent launch in fall 2013; and Uli read beautifully at the overly crowded Vancouver launch at Café Deux Soleils on Commercial Drive, as well as the following year at a reading of the book on Gabriola Island.

Ulrike was good at making things happen. She helped snag an invite for me to present “Emails From India” at the Goa Arts and Literary Festival (2014) in India; we stayed at the same hotel (which she had arranged) and spent time together in Panjim and at the festival. She was on one panel with me at the festival, and when the festival coordinators suddenly needed a host for a workshop, Ulrike jumped right in. She wasn’t afraid of speaking publicly, and knew how to hold the attention of an audience. Calm, articulate, intelligent, she commanded the stage while generating warmth and an invitation to connect. And that’s also what struck me about Ulrike—her ability to orchestrate connections with people and projects, and to lend whatever talents were required. She had a nose for promotion, too. She was savvy.

I know Ulrike’s discovery of her Goan roots enriched her life greatly, and that is what brought us together—India, and writing about it. We kept in touch when we both lived in Vancouver and saw each other occasionally. Smart, vibrant, ridiculously beautiful, articulate, adventurous, up for anything . . . Ulrike Rodrigues. Thank you for sharing your stories, yourself, with us all. I treasure all you brought to my life. May this journey be your best one yet.

I met Ulrike through her battles against AirBnB operators at the Fairfax. She was a lovely lady who really stuck her neck out when it counted.  Such a kind and gentle soul. 

I got to know Ulrike (or Rik as she went by back then) while we were in high school in the late 1970s. We took some classes together and she cajoled me into writing (very) occasional contributions to the school newsletter that she edited. At high school, she was already independently minded and one of the few people interested in punk and new wave music. She introduced many of us to Patti Smith and we learned that she was passionate in her beliefs and that you needed to be able to fight your corner if she challenged you. She was also a very warm and considerate person and someone you could bounce ideas and thoughts off of in the negotiation of those awkward late teen years.  

Following high school, our paths diverged as I was the traveler, inter-railing around Europe and studying in the UK, while Rik stayed in Guelph.  We exchanged letters a couple of times a year and I always looked forward to hers as she expertly interweaved a bit of gossip with thoughts on culture and the utility of higher education. We briefly overlapped in Guelph in the mid-80s, but after that, we lost touch as we both left the city for different parts of Canada.

Some 20 years later we reconnected over an interest in touring bicycles, and an erratic exchange of emails ensued. About 8 years ago I happened to be passing through Vancouver and I sent her a last-minute email hoping she’d be around. As good fortune would have it, she was. Ulrike re-arranged her plans at very short notice and was a great host, with a refined knowledge of local hostelries and expert advice on what to see and do in Vancouver.  She delighted in bringing me up to speed with her numerous travel plans and local activism as well as the latest news of her family. It was wonderful to see her and to witness at first hand that she had lost none of her warmth, spark and spirit. We promised we would try to keep in regular touch, but our correspondence remained stochastic.  

It was a great shock to learn of Ulrike’s sudden passing. I always admired her fearlessness and adventurous free-spirited nature and I occasionally lived vicariously through reading of her travels.  It is clear from other tributes here that Ulrike led a full and rich life and touched many people. The world is a lesser place with her gone and I will miss the thought of her cycling in far flung corners of globe.  My sincere condolences to her family and many friends.

I was a friend of Ulrike in high school. She was quick-witted, clever and enthusiastic, and was immediately accepted into our group when she moved from Toronto to Guelph.

Jurgen, I cannot believe Ulrike ever played with Barbies; that is so unlike the "Rikki" I knew!

Although we drifted apart, Ulrike was still part of my life, as I heard of her many escapades with and through my sister Chris. I was never as bold and daring as Ulrike, and am in awe of her many adventures that I've read of here.

My condolences to the whole family; you have lost a much-loved treasure! Tiger and Jurgen, I remember with fondness how much she cared for you both, and was not shy to express that, even as a teenager. Thank you to the family for making me welcome in your home so many years ago!

I am so sorry to hear that Ulrike passed away. We were in a great group of friends at Centennial CVI in Guelph in the late 70s. I lost touch with her after high school, but it's wonderful to read of her many contributions and initiatives. My sincere condolences to her family and friends. The picture was taken in 1978 or 1979 in Rockwood, Ontario, during a short autumn hike.

There is greatness and Ulrike, in the same breath. I did not know but my soul has been nourished by her writings, her wonderful humanity and the unique soul she was.  My heart cries for her and the tears of all the people who have signed and others who have acknowledged will celebrate her forever. If  U knew U, then you must have been blessed.

Ulie my dear friend, over the past 13 years you’ve been my faithful companion over countless shared meals, cocktails, comedy - good and bad, plays, dance, movies, multiple road trips to Washington state and that horrible time we checked out theatre sports.

In August during our annual trip to Havana for Mojitos you disclosed that you were struggling to understand the computer system at your new job. I tried to assure you sometimes it takes us older folks more time to learn new things. In September you took me to a “new” restaurant for my 50th birthday but didn’t realize we had been there before and both agreed to never go back. I laughed because I hadn't recognized the name of the restaurant but you were more concerned as your issues at work had not gone away. And on a sunny November day over a beautiful lunch you told me you quit your job as the cognitive issues were not resolving, that the doctor was running tests but nothing was confirmed. I let you know that I was there for you and could see by your reaction that you felt that to be true.

We’ve had many amazing times together but that day stood out as one of the most lovely and heartwarming. I felt honoured to be your friend and know the feeling was mutual. Sadly, that was the last time I saw you and now feel gutted that I couldn’t make a date happen in December.

We’ve both been through so much in 13 years and have been steadfast at each others side through it all. I’ve admired your ability to unabashedly sit at a bar by yourself and you said you admired my ability to tell it like it is. I feel so absolutely devastated by your loss Ulie and I want you to know how much I love and admire you. I miss you terribly my dear friend.

Ulrike was a wonderful friend during one of the most difficult times of my life (mid 80s in Guelph) and although we ended up at opposite ends of the Earth, we still occasionally got in touch. Opinionated but fair and always supportive and kind - but never taking any bullshit. She was always unashamedly herself. Ulrike, you were a bright star, so full of energy and life. You will be sorely missed. I’m sure that she’ll be telling those in the afterlife what they could be doing better.

Ulrike's endowment fund is now able to accept donations. Donations can be made online, or writing a cheque to Vancity Community Foundation and writing Basic Needs and Mitey Deeds on the memo line. Cheques can be mailed to:

Vancity Community Foundation
409 - 312 Main Street
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6A 2T2

I didn't know Ulrike well, but over the years of living in the Fairfax, I would run into her around the building. I'd see her leaving or returning with her bike, or tidying up around the property. This past summer a few of us residents, including Ulrike, shared drinks and snacks in the garden several times... neighbours getting to know each other a little during a difficult time. Ulrike rounded up several of us to spread a huge load of bark mulch around the garden beds of the property and had plans to replant them with new greenery. She cared, she was a dedicated soul and we will miss her. 

I have just read 5 pages of memories from friends and family of Ulrike and they have all captured her perfectly.  She was an exceptional woman.

My husband Arthur and I met Ulrike on her 50th birthday weekend at a Gabriole Island Haven Communication Workshop.  She and Art teamed up early in the session for a 5-5-5 exercise.  After that she joined Art and I at meal times so we could get to know each other better.  Since then we got together at least once a year.  On one of her early visits she brought us a bottle of Boujelais wine called "FUN" which my husband really enjoyed and bought for years, mainly to remember Uli.  I think where ever Uli went she brought fun and joy and honesty.  She was very supportive to me during my husbands' illness and death.  I am so glad I got to know her and that she was able to attend my 70th birthday celebration in 2019.  I loved reading her blogs and sharing in her travel adventures.  Bring your joy and outgoing spirit to your new domain Uli.  Love, Jan

Uli and I both moved to Vancouver in 1992. I met her at the A&B Sound training. She had just been hired to work as a graphic designer at their HQ and I was working at the downtown retail location. I remember going to many concerts with Uli (free tickets from the record labels). During these performances, she liked to move around the night club watching and listening to the bands from different view points.

The picture with the yellow blind was her the first appartment she rented in Mount Pleasant after living in the West End. It was was up the hill from 4th Avenue. That night we went to a Fetish party at a night club. Her in black heels and a playful attire. Ulrike knew how to create an adventure out of every outing she made whether it was in her own city or half way around the world.

Uli love doing road trips. We did many together. Several camping adventures included setting up a tent at the edge of a farmer field one night. We also camped up around Boston Bar at a free camp site. (I can't find all the pictures from these adventures sadly:( It was a camp site that had more black bears than campers. One afternoon we were taking a hike on a trail near the site and encountered a black bear less than 3 meters away. Uli was very calm, made noise by clapping while I was freaking out inside.

We traveled to Vancouver Island, (see pics) and hopped on walk on passenger ferry that stopped at many places. I think it was near Ucluelet, BC. Uli would have remembered exactly where it was. She had a great memory for details. 

She was very excited when she purchased her condo in Mount Pleasant. When she was travelling, she would rent it out. For a number of years she rented it out while living a huge shared house, which is where she met PH, the love of her life. I hope they their souls have reconnected.

Uli give me many thoughtful gifts over the years. I remember telling her that when I was a teenager that I watched the Brady Bunch. I remember telling her that one afternoon that I was watching the very first episode, when I was called up to help my Mom make dinner. I told Uli about my teen angst and disappointment. Some where she found the first three eposides of the Brady Bunch on VHS, where Mike and Carol has just met and got married. She wrapped it up and give it to me as a gift. Uli paid attention to the little details. I suppose that's make made her a great writer, story telling and explorer.

Our lives weaved in and out since PH death. When my partner and I moved to Mount Pleasant in 2014, I was just around the corner from Uli apartment. This is when we reconnected more regularly until I moved to Montreal in 2017.

At this time, in 2014, was on the stata counsel and was in starting to deal with the Air BNB issues in her building. She was dogged about changing the city bylaws and bold in her approach to address the real estate agent who owned many suites in her building and was renting them out through Air BNB. Her passion for affordable housing was relentless. This is when she was exploring what her legacy of giving would be.

I was saddened, shocked and heartbroken when saw the Facebook post about Ulike's death. It is clear from all the stories, posts and photos in Memory of Ulrike. She is loved and will be remembered by so many of us.

I met Ulrike once. Nancy, (My Canadian Mum as I fondly call her) was giving me a bike but wouldn’t be home on the day I was to receive it. She arranged with Ulrike, who was her neighbour to meet me and give the bike on the Saturday afternoon I was to receive it. Ulrike did not only hand the bike over to me, she took her time to explain some of the things that I needed to fix before using the bike. I particularly recall her telling me that I might need to change the tyres to slimmer ones later if I wanted to use the bike daily on the road. Afterwards, she walked me to the bike shop to pump the tyres and get a helmet. I was thankful to have received such attention and enthusiasm from someone who only just met me.

Although this is the only memory I have of Ulrike, she made a kind impression and I am glad I met her, even if it was just that one time. May her soul Rest In Peace.

I met Ulrike at work, and we became friends. We lived blocks from one another and she looked after my cats and I, her plants. She loved happy hour and we would meet up every few months for happy hour snacks.  She was always in for a good deal if she could find one.

She always cared about others and her community and I will always remember her for that. She helped me set up my bike which someone abandoned at her building and was always there if I needed advice or tips navigating the neighbourhood.

I will miss her passion for cycling, the environment, travelling and community and our occasional happy hour. Miss you, Ulrike.

To read the words of all who experienced time with Ulrike, I am left feeling a void at not having known the real woman.  My experience with Ulrike, was only through the Society of Techinal Communications (STC) body, and in what became her last work environment.

In the short time I'd known Ulrike, I was impressed with her.  She was talented, smart and strong willed. I was excited to learn that she was joining my work team, but disappointed that opportunities to meet for coffee or lunch were not possible with COVID present.

She left us to soon, and we're saddened to think how she may have suffered with her final health challenges.

The team would like to contribute to her endowment fund, but we need to know how we can make this contribution please.

Yvan: The fund will be set up for donations in a few days. Please check back soon.

I’ve known Ulrike since high school in the 1970s.  She was smart, vibrant, fun to be with and wise enough to see trouble and steer clear of it.

As teenagers, did we hitch-hike with our friend Martin 160 km to go camping at Killbear Provincial Park, after telling our parents we were bussing to Wasaga Beach?   Um…..maybe

Did Ulrike and I climb the fence after hours to get the hot tub running at our Louisiana campground so we could drink some Gentleman Jack whiskey in the midnight hot tub bubbles?   Uh…probably

I’ll never forget the time in the 90s that we were picked up on Vancouver Island by some guys who needed an adult to ride in the box with their lively kids.  Ulrike happily shared the truck box with our bikes, the kids, the kids’ candy (which they shared freely with her), the laundry and some paint cans, as we roared north on the Island Highway.   She had a blast with the kids, and ended the ride excited with shining eyes.  This, after we had bailed on another ride, because she did not feel safe.

She was so fun to travel with because she was always up for new experiences.  We transformed a cycling trip on Vancouver Island into a hitch-hiking, cycling trip on Haida Gwaii.   We rode our bikes out a dirt road in the rainforest to Rose Spit, and, of course, made sure to stop in at The Path, an off-the-grid cocktail bar and restaurant on the way.

Her care and empathy for people in need sets an example for us all.   We once encountered a man who was about to jump off of one of Vancouver’s bridges.  No way could Ulrike ride past him.  We talked him down and into a coffee shop, where Ulrike disappeared into a locked washroom with this stranger for 20 minutes, scaring me, of course.  She managed to soothe him, and we got him as much help as he would take…Ulrike’s brown eyes pouring out care, worry and sympathy.

This empathy continues on with the donation of her condo and her savings to help women and girls in need.

I’ll so sadly miss cycling through Vancouver’s streets with her, on our way to a cinnamon bun or some gin tasting.   I’ll miss hearing of her fun-filled travels.

Ulrike set a fantastic example for us by stepping lightly and with purpose on the earth while she made her community better and enjoyed life.  I’m so grateful for the multitude of blogs and photos to help us remember her beautiful smile and adventurous spirit.

I got to know Uli during our many lunchtime walks and after-work beers when we worked together at City Hall. 

A sensitive soul, she provided me with insights that helped me gain a new perspective on my son's thoughts and behaviour. He too is a sensitive person and I remember him enjoying her company at a staff gathering, then later at one of my family's holiday "orphans' dinners" with friends whose families lived far away. Uli's ready smile and curious nature made it seemingly easy for her to fit in with anyone. It's no surprise to me that she had such a wide, wonderful range of friends. One of my photos was taken at a Thanksgiving dinner, the other was taken during a birthday beer outing.

I became a fairly regular (albeit fair-weather) bicycle commuter, something I don't know would have happened without her encouragement. Our conversations veered from serious topics like race, identity, and family, to the fun stuff like music, food, and travel. When I see salted caramel anything, I think of how she couldn't understand people's obsession with it. She did, however, enjoy a good crostata, particularly with a good coffee.

We joked about our trips to the "four corners" formed by some of our favourite independent coffee shops near City Hall. Uli, I'm going to miss you. I can only hope we meet again some day at another version of the four corners. Until then, rest easy, my friend. 

I met Ulrike (circa 2005) when she came to MEC to meet the copy editor. We chatted while she waited for her meeting. Something about her drew me immediately. A magnetism and such a warm smile. Copywriting was not my dept. and I have no recollection how we stayed in touch, but we did. We both loved travel and riding. I admired her adventurousness. I respected her willingness to stand up against injustice. My heart goes out to all those who were close to her. The world needs more Ulrikes.

Ulrike and I initially met as members of the BC Association of Travel Writers. She was always the one organizing get-togethers such as “Beers with Peers” and a few of us would always take her up on it. When my wife and I moved to France in 2013 Ulrike and I had lost touch, but a couple of winters later we met by chance on the streets of Panjim in Goa, India.  

Of course we spent time together over the next few days and by the end of the stay, Ulrike was coming to see us in France the following winter to not only visit but to house/cat sit while we did a bit of travelling. She brought a bike with her and cycled to more places than we had during her stay. She also became very much a part of the community in our little French village and came to visit again for a summer bike tour a couple of years later. 

This is all such a shock that such a vibrant, healthy woman could have this happen so quickly. RIP Ulrike; your legacy remains.

I recall meeting Ulrike for the first time in Amy's living room for a Momentum magazine editorial planning session. Being new, she was friendly and along with everyoneade me feel welcome. Since then our love of cycling, in the city and out beyond for adventures short and long has meant that we have cris crossed each other many times over the last fifteen years.

One anecdote I'd like to share is when we were both on the board of the then named Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition. We both had come together with the shared realization that the name and the brand elements were no longer adequately reflecting the breadth of activities and ambitions of the organization.

Over the next few months we discussed how to develop a process to create a new brand that better reflected the organization, its ambitions and how it would be in the world. Ulrike was resourceful and forceful, she was able through her gentle and open style to bring people on board and found a contact at a national communications and marketing company willing to provide pro-bono work for the non profit.

Ten years later Hub is a thriving and amazing organization that has grown into its new name and I like to think that Ulrike was part of the transformation into a diverse and inclusive community organization.

I will miss her dearly, her warm smile and and her earnest dissatisfaction with the status quo. Our community has lost someone who was an inspiration as she engaged in so many ways with a vision of a better world. I am certain that this inspiration will live on in all who knew and collaborated with her throughout the years.  Ride on in peace. Gwendal 

My family and I met Ulrike in Lauzun, when she visited our common friends Ian and Susan Cook in South of France then housesat and took care of their cat Friday. We had many opportunities to chat in my bar, enjoy music together, gatherings in the village with friends and neighbours and she immediately fitted !

There are so many adjectives that come to my mind when I think of her or see her picture and all of them are positive : smiley, welcoming, smart, warm, interesting, joyful, discreet, friendly, happy....the list is almost endless! To us, who met her for such a short time, it's been a shock finding out this morning she had passed away, I can't imagine the loss for her family and closer friends.

My daughter Aliénor, who's 13, my son Tristan, who's 12 and myself wish to let her relatives and friends know how much joy she brought everywhere she went and how much we wish she had been able to come back. Her blog shows what she did when she was here, a big part of her time here in South of France was spent meeting people and discovering tiny villages and I'm sure, just like us, they will remember her smile forever. Rest in peace lovely lady !

My first meeting with Ulrike was when I married her Uncle. She was just a shy teenager and attended our wedding with her brother.  Her contagious smile in the photo taken on our wedding day, and her strength at that young age is so obvious in this photo. It was the same day her father was in hospital having had a major heart attack.

Years went by and she moved to Vancouver. In 2008, I contacted her, to meet up as I was visiting her city along with my daughter. Ulrike went out of her way to plan some sightseeing trips for us. We spent a great week with her and I was so proud to see what a beautiful woman she grew to be. Adventurous, intelligent, and fearless, she traveled the world on her own, and also rode a motorbike with such bravery. 

She visited us in Toronto for my daughter Clarissa's wedding, May 2019.  I know she had a good time as I watched her dance to the beat of the music just standing near her table. I had to drag her on to the dance floor to join our group of women trying to keep up with the rhythm of the song.

Rest in peace Ulrike, you are always in my prayers.
Aunt Marie

I am deeply sorry - this is so incredibly sad.

You were wonderfully obstreperous, adventurous and indomitable, and when you set you mind on something, unrelenting. And you were, for a time, my love. 

It was so beautiful how you lived life large, and you so deserved to keep enjoying it as fully as you would have wanted. 

I know you will be missed.

James

Uli always had a mischievious twinkle in her eye. I worked with her on Momentum magazine, where she would often come up with some cheeky twist for an article. She joined a Non-Moms Group I was facilitating, and came up with the clever title, The Egg Club. She liked to play the devil's advocate, pushing people to think outside the box. She inspired me to long solo adventures. Uli was a warrior. Long may her legacy ride.

Ulrike was the oldest cousin when we were grew up in the Toronto Suburbs. Being the first two families immigrating to Canada from our extended family meant that our two families spent countless hours together in our early years, and many weekends and vacations together as we grew older. I know I was often the annoying little cousin, but to me, Ulrike was just a little older and oh so grown up and sophisticated. As she grew older, her unique personality developed and she became a vibrant, adventurous woman.

Ulrike moved West early on, and as she would say, Vancouver was her adopted home town. As adults, we didn't stay in touch for years, but through the magic of FB we connected online, and I followed her global travels with admiration. In 2016, when our daughter spent a Spring semester on a photogrpahy internship in Vancouver, Ulrike was wonderful. She trekked to the airport to meet her by public transit, escorted her to her accommodation, acclimatized her to Vancouver, and generally took her under her wing. When we visited Van at the end of the internship, we were able to spend a week with Ulrike. I loved getting re-acquainted, and she dedicated days to taking us all over Van to explore her favourite digs.  We walked for hours and hours, and her energy and enthusiasm was limitless! We spent hours chatting about growing up and recalled our family memories. It was truly a special week, and I am forever greatful to Ulrike for her generosity, and for the chance to spend such quality time together. 

Happy trails on your next Great Adventure Cuz- you will be missed :(

I met Ulrike in the spring of 2005 when I saw her standing in the check-in line with a bicycle box at YVR. I approached her and told her I was doing the same in Cuba and we even had booked a room at the same little hotel in Varadero. We ended up bicycling to Havana together and she joined me in a rented car to Vinales. We met up in Havana at the end after she cycled back and I hung out and drove for a while.

We developed a great friendship and travelled together again when I was honoured to be invited as her +1 on her Epic Western Canadian Train and Folding Bicycle Trip. We enjoyed having her in our lives and her visits to our Cowichan Valley home.

Ulrike has kept my travel flame alive and I'm eternally grateful to have had her in my life. I hope that her passion for social justice stays alive in those of us who knew her.

Be in peace

I have a collection of memories with Uli... Our journey of friendship started at the Georgia Straight and has continued since. I am heartbroken to learn of Uli’s death, more than a little lost for words.
R.I.P., my fearless friend. Xoxo

So sorry for your loss! I remember only pleasant interactions with Ulrike when she started with Digital! I supported her and I know she will be a void in your lives!!

Kindest regards and warmest of hugs virtually!
Audrey

I worked with Ulrike this last year, and she was a pleasure to work with. Always positive, and looking to learn. Seeing at the pictures on the site here, it's clear that she took advantage of every moment she had and touched many lives. May her soul rest in peace and the memories of her burn brightly.

Ride on, Ulrike.

As her Dad’s brother and an uncle to Ulrike, my memories of Ulrike are too numerous to elaborate on as they are cherished memories embedded in my head and in my heart. I’ve known her as a babe in arms to womanhood and as a middle-aged niece. Memories date back in time with the many childhood family picnics, camping trips, BBQs that our two families have participated in – trips to our cottage in Bobcaygeon to her last visit to Caledon East where she spent the afternoon with her friend.

Through the years we managed to “keep in touch” with each other Perhaps her connection with her dad or the lack of it led her to seek her roots bringing about her quest to travel again - deemed a “Rodrigues” trait.

Finding tranquility and peace in Goa helped stabilize her urge to expand her writing skills. Her Dad Leo (Sanu) had spent very little time in Goa through his growing years but loved the place never-the-less. He somehow developed a love for it as it was truly the ancestral bode of our parents – Ulrike’s grand-parents. She loved Goa to the extent that she even chose to buy a house and retire there but that did not materialize.

Ulrike’s quest to find her roots seemed fulfilled. She accepted Vancouver as her home and her interests switched to other avenues to pursue. Ulrike will be missed but knowing that she is in a better place, we can all say goodbye with a heavy heart. REST IN PEACE! Ulrike.

Through my work here at the City, with short-term rentals, I have come to know Ulrike and her passion and commitment to the community. In 2019 my colleagues and I met with Ulrike to talk about the Unintended Opportunities report and for her to share her experience on the impacts of short-term rentals.

We have had a number of communications over the past couple years and I recently spoke with her just a few days prior to Christmas as she had been chosen to be part of the Short-term Rental Working Group and we were reviewing a meeting from November.

I admired Ulrike’s passion, her kind and thoughtful demeanour, and her commitment to her community here in Vancouver. She has left a strong legacy in her work and in her generosity to help others in her death.

I was fortunate to share some pretty meaningful moments with Ulrike despite only spending time with her in person a handful of times. Once she was the only person to make the trip to my suburban home for a Mojito party,.. she had to show me how to make the Mojitos...

She met with me on 2 occasions to discuss work choices. In those short meetings she gave me an important perspective I would never had conjured alone and I needed it. She truly gave me life changing advice to consider.

I was lucky enough to see her in her element when we did a 3 day bike trip together with another friend to Vancouver Island. Ulrike was not one to sit on the sidelines or say no to an opportunity to socialize or try something new. She also connected people and was my gateway to a community I was destined to be part of but always felt on the outside of. That is how I will remember her.

I am heartbroken. Uli, you were a wonderful colleague of mine this past summer and autumn and I enjoyed our interactions and being there for each other as we were learning the ropes. Memory eternal.

I am so sorry to hear of this loss. My deepest condolences to all who loved Ulrike.

I did not know Ulrike well but always enjoy our fellow love for bikes. My last memory of Ulrike was a Richmond bike ride, sharing my libations of choice and much conversation and laughter and then sharing more of my libations of choice. Apparently, we both had a love for cold, tart, vodka cocktails on a hot summer day. I will miss our random meetings, our mutual love for bikes, and her incredable travel stories. I also remember Ulrike as being a pretty dang good photographer. But mostly what I will miss is my random meetings with a strong, intelligent, and free-spirited woman who defined her life on her own terms and inspired other women to do the same.

Ulrike, You will be deeply missed by many.

Kimberlee

Kimberly Holcomb

I met Ulrike though her activism at city hall. She was a true community member. I will miss plotting to make the world a better place with her. Vancouver, we lost a great one.

OMG!...I am very sad to hear this news!!

Ulrike Rodrigues was such a great person and a huge cornerstone for those of us battling against Short Term Rentals in B.C. I had multiple communications with her over the last several years and she was a great resource and help to me in my fight to eliminate STR's. My condolences to her family and friends, she will be remembered well and missed.

Rest in peace my friend.

Ulrike will be missed by a whole generation of cyclists in Vancouver that she regularly rode with. Ladner pumpkin ride without her crazy mitey mite bike will not be the same. - G

I met freewheeling bike rider, Ulrike, in a roundabout way, thanks to cousin Peter, in France, a bike enthusiast. She arrived in South Australia, looking to get a bike and travel south and east.  We met up in the pretty little town of Robe. She was a little disappointed I was not on my motorbike, as that was in times past. We camped out by the beach and shared rosé and stories, and she took off for Melbourne on the Rebel.

I missed my old bike then. Handing it over to me later, I am still the owner of the cute Rebel. We met up again later, and kept in touch. Via her intro to her lovely friends in France I also got to stay in a tiny viilage there, cat-sitting, as she did. Plans were made to meet up and travel Scotland in mid 2020, camping out, even to stay in a remote castle, bookings made in Edinburgh, but....Covid, not to be. 

Devastating that fate has taken her now, far too soon. She will be so much missed by many friends and family. So pleased she left us some great writing of her travels to re-read.  RIP, Ulli, go easy.

Ulrike (Uli) casually appeared in our lives one sunny day in late 2016 during her Aussie Sojourn. She was a breath of fresh air, and had the most charming approach to life. Leith and I spent considerable time with her in Willunga and surrounds, wine tasting, enjoying music, exchanging stories and solving the Worlds problems.

We introduced her to our dear friend Brett, who has also since passed, and they became 'bike buddies', she loved his Harley and his 'Je ne sais quoi', and he admired her for her adventurous spirit (and the fact she was so darned cute). He helped her buy, fix and, ultimately sell her Aussie 'wheels', which took her on her journey along the Great Ocean Rd, and on to Sydney, before conveying her safely back to us in Willunga.

After returning to BC Uli kept in touch, with little cards, messages, and Facebook comments. Until COVID closed the worlds doors she was intending to come and stay with us (about now in fact) so she could take part in another Aussie adventure...the Outback Postie run, as her 60th birthday gift to herself.

I like to believe she rides now, with Brett at her side, and her beloved PH riding pillion, and that this is just the start of her next big adventure. See you on the flip side, Ulrike xxx

I am stunned to hear about Ulrike's passing...I keep seeing her around a corner, with her jaunty kerchief, riding one of her bikes or motorcycles - and I hear her lilting voice as she talked about her amazing travels: I mean "Girl Gone Goa"...that was Ulrike: adventurous & whimsical, with laughter in her voice, she was ready to experience, and take on, anything!

We worked together as owners and strata council members on operating our strata building and yes, she was instrumental in moving us all forward on many "real" issues with respect to housing, landscaping, and waste: she arranged that we have our refundable bottles collected by a firm that turns much of our wasteful but valuable items into income for others...

We all knew how to spell her name, however, we all said it differently, and even discussed it once when she was not present, "how do you say her name", and "well, I heard her say it this way..."

Ulrike, I look up to your lovely balcony every time i come home now and see your bright light is out...you are very missed...however you have left so much of yourself here with us...thank you...

Ulrike was an active member of the local chapter of the Society for Technical Communication, a professional association dedicated to the advancement of the field of technical communication.

In 2011, the Canada West Coast chapter of STC awarded Ulrike the Julia Broderick Scholarship. Its intent was to reward deserving students who embodied Julia’s legacy of excellence, determination, and devotion to the field. The scholarship namesake embodied all that technical communicators should be: intelligent, inquisitive, and enthusiastic. That was Ulrike, professionally and personally.

On April 22, 2021 Ulrike would have been 60! She was planning to celebrate this by (can you guess?) going on a trip, probably in Canada.

Maybe if you are out for a bike ride on Earth Day next year you will take Ulrike with you in your heart. She'd have loved to go for the ride with you! Especially if there was a beer, a cocktail or a fun snack involved.

Uli rode into our lives in January 2017 and into our hearts forever. The small community of Willunga, here on the Fleurieu Peninsula of South Australia, took to Uli’s cheerful and vivacious joy of Life and touched us greatly. The photos I share with you show us with bubbles in hand, because being with Uli was always going to be an occasion for celebration. At the Tour Down Under, at the Groove Garden, at the various wineries and beaches we went to, exhibition openings or with friends.

I am devastated by her untimely death. I send the family and her friends in Vancouver and all over the world, my deepest condolences. Please know that she will always be remembered in Willunga with love and affection. Mémé

Hello,

I was Ulrike's hairdresser for the last few years and found her to be vivacious, full of life, and with such community spirit.

I often admired Ulrike getting out and about exploring her 'great backyard' that was Vancouver with true excitement and wonder, as well the stories she would tell about her various adventures overseas.

Ulrike lived nearby and would often come by my shop with a delicious little treat for me keeping her from 'taking the scissors' to her own bangs'. In fact she came to see me just before Christmas, excited to give me a little gift of Scottish shortbread in the shape of Scotty Dogs (I'm Scottish and have a Scotty dog theme). She was excited for me to open it there and then just so she could see my reaction. I really appreciated her thinking of me with such thought and consideration.

Here is an 'after' picture I took of Ulrike quite recently when I did her hair, which appears on my website.

I am absolutely devastated by this sad news and I will really miss seeing Ulrike's smiling face every couple of months.

Condolences to family and friends. x

This is an excerpt from this article on thinkpol.ca.

Vancouver housing advocate Ulrike Rodrigues, who fought to stop Airbnb and other short-term rentals platforms displacing renters, has died at the age of 59 from neurological complications, her family announced today.

Rodrigues, who founded the “Homes not Hotels” movement in Vancouver, advocated for stronger regulation and more effective enforcement of short-term rentals in a city gripped by a housing crisis.

In 2019, Rodrigues compiled a comprehensive report to Vancouver City Council citing 47 gaps in the short-term regulation bylaws that allowed illegal short-term rental operators to carry on with business as usual.

In the report, Rodrigues made 12 recommendations to address those gaps in the short-term rental regulatory framework, including setting a cap on the number of nights an operator can list a unit, and negotiating a more meaningful memorandum of understanding with Airbnb.

Rodrigues, a writer who enjoyed cycling and travelling, considered herself an accidental activist.

“I created the Homes Not Hotels Facebook page to increase awareness of the effect of Airbnb (and websites like it) on housing, especially in shared rental and condo apartment buildings,” Rodrigues said in 2019. “It contributes to unavailability, unaffordability, increased rents, and increased home prices.”

“I love to travel, but I also love my home,” Rodrigues said in 2019. “And I hate what Airbnb is doing to homes around the world.”

Rodrigues led a five year battle to shut down a large scale commercial operator who had converted 10% of the units in her condo building into vacation accommodation listed on Airbnb.

Rodrigues and her neighbours celebrated victory earlier in 2020 when B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal ordered Zulkider Jiwa to stop using them as tourist accommodation.

This is kind of funny. Our family is in disagreement about how to spell Ulrike's middle name. Our mother and I are sure it was spelled Bemwinda (but pronounced Bemvinda) but others, including Ulrike in her will, spell it Bemvinda. Hopefully we will find her birth certificate to settle this once and for all.

The name is a tribute to our late grandmother, Bemvinda D'Souza of Nachinola, Goa.

Yvan and Sarah,
I just wanted to formally extend my condolences to you and your family for this unexpected loss. Based on the pictures and comments here, Ulrike certainly seemed like an outgoing, free spirit. I think I would have gotten along with her fabulously. I hope your thoughts gravitate towards warm memories and those memories comfort you during this difficult time.
Much love and virtual hugs to you both,
Susan

Uli loved to travel, I loved Mexico City, and she encouraged me to travel there with her for her first visit to this amazing metropolis. We did so in December 2018/January 2019 over Christmas and New Year. What a wonderful trip. We also had several other trips, a little less exciting, but she always found new and interesting things to see and do.

I remember marveling at Uli's insistence on getting her will done correctly and thoughtfully. Did she have a sense of her early mortality? The past year had been tough with most of our favorite things canceled. In November, she reported her memory issue, and I had urged her to investigate further. I am glad that Uli insisted on doing so much travel over the years, rather than focusing on more conventional pursuits.

In June 2016 Ulrike travelled to Sydney Australia and sought me out as a fellow community activist battling against illegal short-term rentals. We met for coffee on Sydney's north shore and I invited Ulrike to come and stay with me after she had finished her motorbike trip around southern Australia. We visited the Blue Mountains during her stay and shared many stories of our common experiences.

In July 2017, during a trip to Canada to visit relatives and friends, I again met up with Ulrike on two occasions - at the beginning and at the end of my travels. On the first occasion, we met for coffee in Ulrike's regular coffee house, close to her home. It was pouring with rain, which didn't stop us then exploring Vancouver's foreshore. On my return, the sun shone brightly.

In June 2018 Ulrike posted to social media that she was taking some time out from campaigning as she was 'travelling in Europe'. I immediately wrote to her and asked if she would be in either England or France, advising that at that time I was at University in Toulouse. Ulrike immediately replied, writing that as chance would have it, she was biking along the tow path on the Canal du Midi and was, by coincidence, about to pass on by Toulouse the next day. Instead missing city, she came into town and stayed with me in my student's digs. We spent a couple of fantastic days together.

Today in Sydney, I sat having a coffee with a young Italian chef; he was taking a break from work at the cafe where I go daily. His workplace, right near the Sydney Opera House, is staffed by Italians and Nepalese and they very much support me in this time of COVID. I told my young chef of the wonderful friends I have in Vancouver and elsewhere and stated how much they were on my mind and that I must write to them to say that I'm so concerned about their welfare. Did I get around to writing? No. Am I saddened at the news of Ulrike's passing? Profoundly.

Ulrike and I share a common passion - everyone's right to safe, secure, affordable housing. I was going to write to tell Ulrike that the situation in the building in which I had lived for 19 years - the apartment in Sydney where she had stayed with me - had become so unbearable that I had given up. Two weeks ago I moved, to a much better, far more secure and welcoming building. For my peace of mind and general health, I simply had to let 'the pack' - the illegal short-term rental operators and their collaborators in my former building - win; however, their win and my departure has been my absolute gain. I was sick and tired of the constant, decade-long level of harrassment and threats received, due to our stance on housing and the proprietary rights of those whose desire is simply to live in a residential community. The unnamed troll who targets me on Social Media has also had Ulrike in (his)/her sights and has publicly harrassed Ulrike, due simply because of her connection with me.

Today we have lost such a remarkable friend. Astonishing how in all honesty Ulrike has been front-and-centre of thoughts, as if her spirit was so close. Go with all our love Ulrike. Enjoy the grand adventures, and please do watch over us if and when you have time. You are so loved and will be remembered always. Trish Burt www.neighboursnotstrangers.com

I'm really saddened to hear of Ulrike's passing. When she was in Goa she joined our Goa Writers group and was quite an enthusiastic member. I remember her great passion for cycling. She was a very fine ambassador of the cycle, and she loved that the bicycle was still very ubiquitous and popular as an everyday vehicle in Goa and the rest of India. She was always sweet and courteous to talk to, and quite modest, considering that she had travelled so much and had such diverse experiences. GW salutes Ulrike and her legacy. She will always live in our hearts.

Met her for the first time at the International Centre Goa !! We then reconnected in Vancouver in 2011 . Met her several times including visiting the Art gallery and walking around the city !! Her cycling and little motorcycle trips were epic !!

She visited our home in Mumbai in 2014 . We then met again a few years later in 2017 and kept in touch over Facebook !! Her smiling face and sense of humor will always remain in my mind !! God bless her soul and all her family and friends !! Jamshed

My memories of Ulrike all come from our time growing up in Toronto and Guelph. She was a live-in playmate. Somebody to pester regardless of the time of day. Of course, playing with Ulrike often meant grabbing a Barbie and dressing her up. Ulrike didn't even own a Ken doll until much later.

Sometimes Ulrike would let me tag along with her on excursions. Or perhaps Mama forced her to take me with her. Once we hiked over to the minibike trails near where we lived in Willowdale. She confidently spread out a blanket and we enjoyed a picnic lunch while the dirtbikes zoomed past us with wonder on the faces of the riders.

One of our greatest joys was our annual trip to the Ontario Science Centre. It was just a bus ride down the road but it filled us with great excitement and confidence when we finally made the journey alone.

Ulrike, I'll toast you with a black cherry ice cream cone with visions of the Don Valley ravine etched in my memory.

In 2015 Ulrike and I spent 3 weeks together in Goa. I am so grateful I was able to spend this time with her. This is a blog excerpt:

We are usually up around 8:00, and Ulrike has introduced me to the ritual of Tea and Paó on the front veranda. The air not cool, but not yet hot, it's the perfect time to wake up, breathe the fresh air, listen to the birds and dogs, and maybe do some planning.

Tea and milk is accompanied by Paó with butter and marmelade.

Paó is a legacy from Portuguese colonization. Baked in a central location during the wee hours in the morning in mud-lined ovens, it is distributed by Paó wallers on bicycle, their horn honking as they wind through the residential laneways. It is the perfect combination of thin chewy crust and soft doughiness.

Ulrike's "up for anything" attitude brought passion and fun to the lives of everyone who knew her, and that was never clearer to me than at my bachelorette party. She jumped right in to an event filled with strangers for some raunchy fun. She did shots, played games, and, as a particular highlight to the festivities, won top marks in the clay-sculpting competition for "Most Angry-Looking" sculpture. I'll leave that to your imagination. Thanks for always playing along, Ulrike, we'll miss you!

In 1979 my only record album was Sesame Street. I remember listening to it hundreds of times when I had chicken pox. Clearly disappointed in my musical tastes, Ulrike bought me my first Rock and Roll album, Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy by The Who.

Ulrike started a tradition and every year for the next 15 or so years she bought me an album for my birthday, originally on vinyl, and eventually CD. It would be an understatement to say that she was fundamental in growing my musical tastes, which can only be summarized as eclectic.