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East Van pays respects to beloved panhandler Mike Lorimer (SPH)

Mike Lorimer with dog Mishah. (Photo credit: The Georgia Straight)

Residents of East Vancouver’s Nanaimo and Hastings neighbourhood said their goodbyes to a much-loved local character at a rainy outdoor memorial service at Pandora Park Saturday afternoon (May 30).

Michael Lorimer, a disabled former high-rise window washer, accepted donations of food and money for approximately 15 years from his station on the sidewalk in front of Church’s Chicken at 2304 East Hastings Street.

On May 19, Lorimer, whom everyone called simply “Mike”, died in St. Paul’s Hospital. The cause of death was natural, believed to be a lung complication (though not COVID-19).

Click here to read the full story on The Georgia Straight.

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