When families walk into the doors at Canuck Place, it’s often the little things that make them feel at home. Tea and coffee readily available in the kitchen, cozy arm chairs to lounge in, toys and games for kids to play with, and the serene gardens to walk around and take solace in.

One of the teams that are integral in making our hospices feel like home is the Facilities team, led by our dedicated Facilities Manager, Ken Pukanich. Ken, alongside his amazing team members, ensures both our hospices in Vancouver and Abbotsford operate smoothly. One of his many tasks, includes overseeing the installation of over 45,000 light bulbs that expertly illuminate our hospices during the holidays, something that staff and families alike look forward to.

We spoke to Ken about his role, the holiday lights, and what he loves most about working at Canuck Place.

Tell us about you and your role at Canuck Place.

My name is Ken Pukanich and I have been with Canuck Place for just over four and a half years. I am the Facilities Manager and oversee a small team of dedicated staff and volunteers.  Our job is essentially to keep our buildings standing, functional, and looking like they are well loved. The job includes everything from managing contracts for waste removal, fire life safety, and generator maintenance to maintaining our fleet of six vehicles, to overseeing the extensive grounds maintenance and everything that comes along with the upkeep of almost an acre of grounds and over 50,000 square feet of buildings in three different locations.

What is your favourite aspect of your role?

I think my favorite aspect of my role is that there are no two days that are the same. Our team can be dealing with major system upgrades one day, be building a garden bed or outbuilding the next, and fixing a patient’s wheelchair or bicycle the next day. It keeps the job fresh, and interesting and it is a bonus that the work we do often garners instant feedback from patients and families.

The gardens at Canuck Place are particularly special to families—creating a space of calm and serenity. Can you tell us about the work that goes into maintaining the gardens?

Alyssa, who is our official Canuck Place gardener, spends endless hours planning the garden. It takes her work and the dedicated work of our garden volunteers to keep the weeds in check, the grass neatly trimmed, and the leaves collected. And that says nothing of the hundreds of plants that are carefully curated and planted each spring. Not to mention the annual bulbs that are carefully overwintered in our green house. The garden really comes into its own in mid-summer when everything is growing and blooming and the quiet corners, water features, and kids playground make it a bit of an oasis in the city.

Canuck Place Vancouver Glen Brae Manor garden

In your opinion, what makes the Canuck Place gardens special?

I feel that the Canuck Place garden offers a bit of a sanctuary for patients and their families. In a stroll around the garden you might see Peanut the grounds-cat chasing squirrels or chirping at the birds, or maybe the bees and humming birds feasting on nectar, or someone playing catch with Gaia, our PADS Accredited Facility Dog. The grounds offer a break from the house and is a fantastic way to waste time with the ones you love.

 

Canuck Place Abbotsford hospice

The holidays in particular are a very special tradition at Canuck Place. The “Lighting of the House” is a time-honoured tradition—can you share the work that goes into prepping the gardens and the hospices for the holidays?

Immediately after the Halloween decorations come down on November 1, we start staging for the Christmas light installations.  We have about 50–102 litre totes FILLED with lights that are stored under our porch. Each bin has a zone label, which helps get it moved to the correct area of the grounds. In each zone, every decorated element—which is a tree, bush, or stake-lights—has a number. This zone and element number is written on each string of lights, and we have instructions with a picture so we know how the lights are applied to the individual features. Once the lights are installed we need to actually go and plug everything in and be sure the circuits are all balanced and the connections are as water tight as possible so the lights don’t trip off with poor weather.

Although I haven’t seen any official documentation or pictures, as I understand, when Canuck Place first opened, a generous couple volunteered to help take care of the large garden. I believe that they put up the first, simple decorations on some of the trees in the garden, and the annual display grew from that point!

Canuck Place christmas lights

What is the significance of the lights around the hospices for families?

For some of our seriously-ill patients this may be one of the few times they get to experience the wonder of a ridiculous number of festive lights in such a small, private setting. It is almost like the lights were set up for them—and they are!  While we do have the Lighting of the House event to celebrate with donors and staff, really the lights are set up for the kids and their families to enjoy.

How many hours does your team spend putting up the lights at both hospices?

In Vancouver, between all our volunteers, staff, and a bit of professional assistance, we spend between 350 and 400 hours installing and maintaining the Christmas Lights each year. At our Abbotsford hospice, we spend about 100 hours.

How many lights are there approximately at both hospices?

While we haven’t done an overly accurate count in the past few years, we estimate that we would have upwards of 45,000 lights at our Vancouver hospice and about 8,000 lights at our Abbotsford hospice. During the takedown this year, we are planning to update the instructions and photos for all the elements to better understand how many lights we use, so we will be able to give a more exact number next year!

canuck place holiday lights

The warmth that our hospices give to our families is a team effort, and could not be done without the dedication and expertise of Ken and his team. It’s the little things that evoke a sense of home. A little hard work—and a few thousand little lightbulbs— that help light the way for families as they navigate a challenging journey, but with our team, they are never alone.