Boulevard Magazine - August / September 2016 Issue

AUGUST I SEPTEMBER 2016

VICTORIA LIFE AT ITS FINEST

TAKE IT OUTSIDE!

taste of the sun Feasting on a Moroccan picnic

Embrace the season in the great outdoors

elements of style Fire, water and light in a heavenly home

gin city

Summer sipping at its finest

Sidney, BC 250.656.1138 vanislemarina.com

Excellence and Value in Every Marina Experience.

1

6

6 - 201 7 9

IVERS

A

AN

RY

•

•

N

VICTORIA 661 McCallum Road 250.475.2233 NANAIMO 1711 Bowen Road 250.753.6361 COQUITLAM • RICHMOND • LANGLEY • KELOWNA |

SCANDESIGNS.COM

wrap yourself in luxury.

Handcrafted Perfection.

NORTH AMERICAN MADE.

BURNABY SHOWROOM 2148 Douglas Road (604) 298-9277

VICTORIA SHOWROOM 800 Cloverdale Ave. (250) 475-1159

www.kitchencraftvancouver.com

25

124

99 22

38

30

FEATURES

On the cover Beautiful living area and patio from the story "Elements of Style."

Photo by Vince Klassen

30 Elements of style

Fire, water, light and earthy

tones create heavenly home

By Angela Cowan

46 COOL WOOL

Summer sipping at its best

By Tom Hawthorn

81 at home

on the water

Fair-weather knits

Floating homes emerge

that deliver

as alternative lifestyle

By Lia Crowe

52 FLIGHTS OF FANCY

By Laura Goldstein

90 TASTE OF THE SUN

Luxury charter travel fills

A Moroccan picnic

market void

By Chef Heidi Fink

10

58 Gin City

By Susan Lundy

106 Infrared hot trend

For better health

By Pamela Durkin

81

90 58

52

46

CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS 12 OUR CONTRIBUTORS

25 INSPIRED PEOPLE

110 TRAVEL NEAR

Ben Verduin

The beach that beckons

16 EDITOR’S LETTER

By Angela Cowan

in Parksville

By Susan Lundy

Path of most resistance

38 Talking with tess

116 FRONT ROW

18

INSPIRED STYLE

Heart and home

What’s on this month

Laylee Rohani

David Butterfield

By Robert Moyes

By Lia Crowe

By Tess van Straaten 124 SECRETS & LIVES

20 inspired design

99 TRAVEL FAR

Can-do spirit

Season for sipping

Provencal perfection

Angela Coté

22 INSPIRED cooking

Luxury small hotels

By Susan Lundy

in France

By Anne Mullen

Chris Jones

130 OUTTAKE

By Don Denton

11

Our CONTRIBUTORS

ANGELA COWAN

LIA CROWE

DON DENTON

WRITER: inspired people

boulevard CREAtive

Boulevard STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: inspired COOKING

page 25

page 22 "Creativity needs space and inspiration to thrive, and artist Ben Verduin has both in abundance on his paradisiacal property. Wandering the sculpturestrewn meadow, workshop and small blacksmithy with murmuring chickens shadowing our steps, I felt my own creative urges sparking and couldn't keep my pen moving fast enough." Angela is a freelance writer, poet and acupuncturist, and regular contributor to Boulevard.

"The best part about writing the style page is finding tons of cool stuff that I didn’t previously know about. New music, new blogs, beauty secrets and new artists. Laylee Rohani is no exception, and I have now purchased the ingredients for her homemade beauty concoction and have found myself lingering on Rande Cook’s website, dreaming of owning one of his stunning prints." Lia Crowe is a freelance stylist, creative director, photographer and writer.

PAMELA DURKIN

Cathie Ferguson

LAURA GOLDSTEIN

WRITER: INFRARED HOT TREND

PHOTOGRAPHER: COOL WOOL

WRITER: AT HOME ON THE WATER

page 46

page 106

page 81

"As a firm proponent of preventative medicine, I was delighted to discover that infrared therapy is emerging as an accessible, non-time-intensive treatment people can embrace in the comfort of their own homes." Pamela is a freelance health writer and nutritional consultant whose work has appeared in Boulevard, Eat, Reader's Digest, Alive, Spa Business and more.

Group Publisher Penny Sakamoto Advertising Director Mario Gedicke 250.891.5627 Editor Susan Lundy Creative Lia Crowe DESIGN Lily Chan Lorianne Koch Michelle Gjerde Advertising Mario Gedicke Pat Brindle ASSOCIATE GROUP Oliver Sommer PUBLISHER

12

“Photographing chef Chris Jones and his Texas-influenced barbecue was more than just another food shoot, it was an opportunity to see, smell and taste local food excellence. Shooting through the smoke was kind of fun too, although I'm not sure my colleagues back in the office were impressed with my campfire cologne.” Don has photographed numerous high-profile events, including the Olympics, World Hockey Championships and a Royal wedding.

"Our stunning backdrop and sunny sky at Alyard Farms in East Sooke led us to believe nothing could go wrong on this fashion shoot day! That is until a slight breeze made for comedic entertainment for a couple of relaxing RVers watching us trying to set up our paper backdrop!

We persevered and love the result!" Cathie is a freelance commercial and lifestyle photographer, who finds inspiration in people and the environments she shoots.

Circulation & Miki Speirs distribution 250.480.3277 Contributing Angela Cowan, Lia Crowe, Writers Pamela Durkin, Heidi Fink, Laura Goldstein,Tom Hawthorn, Robert Moyes, Tess van Straaten Contributing Lia Crowe, Don Denton, Photographers Cathie Ferguson, Geoff Hobson, Vince Klassen

“At first I thought — floating homes — how romantic. Yes and no. Land-lubbers, it’s not maintenance-free and sea legs are advisable. But if you love boating or sailing and the close community the lifestyle attracts, it’s paradise!" Laura works as a performing arts/design/celebrity publicist and professional writer for national newspapers and magazines. Her features regularly appear in the Globe and Mail, Canadian House & Home, Chatelaine, Gray Magazine, H&L and many others.

Advertise Boulevard Magazine is Victoria’s leading lifestyle magazine, celebrating 26 years of publishing in Greater Victoria.

To advertise or to learn more about advertising opportunities please send us an email at info@blvdmag.ca Mailing Address: 818 Broughton Street, Victoria, BC, V8W 1E4 Tel: 250.381.3484 Fax: 250.386.2624 info@blvdmag.ca blvdmag.ca

Victoria Boulevard ® is a registered trademark of Black Press Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission. Ideas and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Black Press Group Ltd. or its affiliates; no official endorsement should be inferred. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents, both implied or assumed, of any advertisement in this publication. Printed in Canada.

Canada Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #42109519.

Our CONTRIBUTORS

HEIDI FINK

Tom Hawthorn

WRITER: TASTE OF THE SUN

WRITER: gin city page 58

page 90

"Working on the food and recipes for the North African article was so much fun. I was very inspired (read “obsessed”) and my family endured a week straight of meals from this cuisine. They only complained a bit."

Heidi Fink is a chef, food writer and culinary instructor, specializing in local foods and ethnic cuisines.

“My first experience with gin was an unhappy pilfering of a friend's parents' liquor cabinet as a teenager. Didn't care for it. Decades passed before I had a sip of Victoria gin and, with it, a revelation. This stuff can be good.” Tom is a longtime newspaper and magazine writer in Victoria.

GEOFF HOBSON

VINCE KLASSEN

PHOTOGRAPHER: ELEMENTS OF STYLE

PHOTOGRAPHER: BOULEVARD COVER

page 30

“This project was a pleasure to photograph. The area was flooded with natural light, casting warm tones on the millwork and art throughout. Dramatic vaulted ceilings added depth and a unique style to the images.” Born and raised in Victoria, Geoff has developed his passion for architectural and outdoor photography over the last two decades

“As I took on this issue’s cover shoot, I found the serenity of clean architectural lines, open space and tremendous natural light offered the perfect spot to relax on the patio with friends.” Vince has collaborated with Boulevard for over 20 years and is never short of finding inspiration from Victoria’s amazing local artists and craftsmen.

Robert Moyes

ANNE MULLENS

Tess van Straaten

WRITER: FRONT ROW

WRITER: Provencal perfection

WRITER: HEART AND HOME

page 116

page 40 page 99

“Front Row has a strong local focus this issue, from the hilarious standup comedy of Mike Delamont to a show celebrating the art and life of too-little-known artist Glenn Howarth. And our Fringe Festival, one of Canada’s oldest, is turning 30!” A born and bred Victoria native, Robert is a longtime freelancer and editor whose main focus these days is arts journalism.

14

"Zipping around the hills of Les Baux de Provence, I thought of all those who'd been there before me: neolithic cavedwellers, Roman centurians, Medieval knights, Impressionist painters. All, I'm sure, appreciated the gorgeous landscape, but I think I was having the most fun." Anne Mullens, a former Boulevard editor, is a freelancer writer, editor and communications consultant.

“Sitting on the deck at Spirit Bay to interview David Butterfield, the summer weather hadn't kicked in yet. But the tranquil location was breathtaking.

It would be easy to spend hours just watching the water.” A fourth-generation Victoria native, Tess is an award-winning journalist and television personality who has had the privilege of interviewing people for close to two decades.

BE AUTIF U L R AD IANT CON FIDENT

THERMIVA • INJECTABLES

ULTHERA • LASERS • BODY SCULPTING

250.380.2600 • rosenthalclinic.ca

EDITOR’S LETTER

The path of most resistance By susan lundy

photo by arnold lim

and after attempting to climb a steep rocky hillside on the “path” Bruce spotted, ended up back on the sand for four hours, waiting for the tide to recede. And still later, on a path I discovered on a map, we traipsed along a sculpted trail to San Josef Bay — one of the most beautiful beaches in the world — marveling at the ease of it all. (“We could tow a wagon of beer on this path!” enthused Bruce.)

Beaches, tides, fields, food, fashion, flight, floating homes and even a path or two are all part of this edition of Boulevard.

Escape to the beach at Parksville; get a taste of life on the water by visiting floating homes here and abroad. In the health section, soak up a different sort of heat — a healing one — as nutritionist Pamela Durkin reveals the benefits of infrared therapy. This edition’s Hot Properties feature home combines elements of fire, water and airy light for a sleek modern aesthetic; while a visit to three luxury hotels in Provence, France, serves up more traditional — but equally exquisite — architecture.

A sun-drenched field sets the backdrop to the knits that star in our fabulous fall fashion story, Cool Wool. Also out of doors, jump on the picnic path and get a taste of the summer with the tantalizing flavours of North Africa at a Moroccan feast. Or how about embarking on the taste trail of locally produced gin and enjoying a season-appropriate G&T? And as always, Boulevard introduces some of this area’s fascinating people.

Meet the extraordinary industrial artist Ben Verduin; and master of flight, Peter Norie, who pilots a luxurious amphibian floatplane to remote spots all over the province and beyond.

Angela Coté reveals the secrets of her seemingly boundless energy; David Butterfield, the green builder behind Spirit Bay, chats with Tess van Straaten; while lawyer Laylee Rohani talks life and style with Lia Crowe. And of course, entertainment expert Robert Moyes has all the latest in upcoming stage acts.

I can’t even imagine what “paths” I may be stumbling along these next few months, but here at Boulevard, we’re offering a trail to a great collection of summer reading. Enjoy. photo by lia crowe

I

t’s not exactly “terror” I feel when my husband announces, “I see a path;” it’s trepidation — and with good reason. His “paths” have taken us crawling through thick salal bushes, scaling steep hillsides and, more recently, along a slick, muddy estuary leading off the beach in Parksville.

We’d woken up early to take advantage of the low tide, splashed through warmwater pools and sauntered over sandbars.

But it was time to return and Bruce’s “path” landed us in sinking sand that had me trying to recall quicksand survival techniques; slippery mud that sucked the flip-flops off my feet and a scratchy, crunchy bed of wild sea asparagus.

The “path” ended at an impassable body of water, which, finally circumnavigated, led to a wire fence that, with a help up from Bruce, left me tottering on the top and unable to jump to the other side without the help of a random bystander, who rushed over to give a hand. Not embarrassing at all.

Bruce’s penchant for “seeing a path” emerged about seven years ago as we took our first trip into the wilds of Vancouver Island’s northwest coast. We followed the signs to the trailhead of Raft Cove along a road that became increasingly narrow until it was about the size of a footpath — before it opened up to an overgrown parking lot.

Improvements were made to the trail a year later, but at the time, the route down to Raft Cove was an overgrown jungle of knee-deep mud, downed trees and impenetrable tangles of brush. The trail frequently disappeared, leaving us battling our way through the undergrowth.

It was here Bruce first saw “a path.” I blithely followed him, concern mounting as we fought our way over and under logs, stumbled over loose rocks and crawled through the salal. Bruce didn’t say a word as we stepped over a plate-sized pile of fresh bear scat, hoping I wouldn’t notice. But I did notice, and that had me looking in dismay at all the bear-loving, berry-laden bushes around us.

Walking few metres ahead of me on this “path,” Bruce suddenly stopped and his ensuing silence was palpable. I caught up and stood beside him, also silenced as we looked down at the beach.

We’d hit a dead end and separating us from the golden strip of sand in the distance was a sheer, 50-metre drop. Some path.

Later on that trip, we got caught by the tide on a different beach

Bruce didn’t say a word as we stepped over a plate-sized pile of fresh bear scat, hoping I wouldn’t notice.

16

Boulevard editor Susan Lundy is a former journalist, and twotime recipient of the prestigious Jack Webster Award. Her stories have appeared in numerous publications.

inspiredSTYLE By lia crowe WITH Laylee Rohani, PARTNER, Cook Roberts LLP

“For me, beauty is in someone’s character.”

Life

Favourite local restaurant: “There are so many that I like, we have great restaurants here. I love casual dining so I like Part and Parcel and Fishook or Brasserie L’Ecole.

Necessary indulgence: HäagenDazs chocolate peanut butter. Album on current rotation: Lianne La Havas — Blood. Flower: Pale pink peony.

Favourite city to visit: New York City.

Favourite Hotel: The Langham, Boston.

“They have a good style aesthetic going on.”

Favourite App: “I like what ever weather app tells me it’s going to be good weather.”

Favourite Place in The Whole World: Chesterman Beach, Tofino or Nosara Beach, Costa Rica

Fashion

Uniform: “I wouldn’t say that I have a ‘uniform’ but it’s usually black and navy. I like a shift dress.”

Jeans, favourite brand and cut: Black, high-waisted skinny jeans

by Citizens of Humanity. New fav thing: Black Gucci x-body bag. All-time favoUrite piece: classic Chanel lambskin bag, black. Coveting: Black “Sophie” sandals

by Maryam Nassir Zadeh. Favourite shoes: Black Acne ankle books.

Favourite jewelry piece or designer: “My earrings, my ring and my watch are the only jewelry that I wear; they don’t leave me.”

Style INSPIRATIONS

Style Icon: My Grandmother Fashion Designer / Clothing line: “I like Chloé; it’s feminine but modern.

I also like Judith & Charles.”

FavoUrite Artist / Piece of art: “We have a Rande Cook print but I hope to one day have an original. I find his work traditional but modern. Another artist that I really love is Shirin Sahba.”

All-Time Favourite Band: Radiohead

18

©2016 EILEEN FISHER INC.

W

ith two primary life roles as a partner at the law firm Cook Roberts and as a mother of two young daughters, Laylee also volunteers her spare time doing community development work with her husband, Dusty Delain.

“My husband and I are Baha’i, so we do a fair amount of work in our community … working with children and youth to build healthy, strong communities.”

And yes, she does it all of this with grace and style, which she says was passed on to her from her grandmother: “I always loved fashion. I grew up in a family of women who were always well dressed, and as far [back] as I can remember, I would look at my grandmother and think, ‘she is beautiful.’ My cousin and I would sneak into her closet and look at all the beautiful things she had in there.”

She says that although her work is high pressure and sometimes stressful — because it often deals with conflict — she draws on her own values to work within these circumstances, and aims to “treat people with respect, trying to find commonalities, trying to work towards a goal instead of being positional.” She adds, “Everyone I meet has a different story, and when you listen to people, you realize there is so much to be learned from each person.”

Reading Material

Online: A LeatherBound Journal. Print: Vanity Fair magazine (when travelling). Last great read: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Currently Reading: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling.

Beauty Must have product/beauty secret: “I don’t have a lot of products, I use one thing for my hair and my skin and it’s a homemade oil concoction of equal parts coconut oil, almond oil and olive oil.” Scent: Not a Perfume by Juliette Has a Gun

FINE CLOTHIERS SINCE 1862

1221 Government St. 250.383.7177 1210 Newport Ave. 250.592.2821 2348 Beacon Ave. 778.426.4446

Mon-Sat 10-5:30 Sun 11-4 Mon-Sat 10-5 Mon-Sat 10-5:30

19

inspiredDESIGN A taste of Spain in a glass of sherry

Titanium crystal glass by Schott Zwiesel

$84.98 set of six // at Chintz and Company

A perfect Pimms cup

Serve it right in a tall Italian breakfast glass $3.50 ea // at Paboom

Beer is best in cool ceramic

Locally made by Hands on Clay Collective $34 ea // at Citizen Clothing

seasonal sipping One of the best parts of summer is enjoying all the cool, refreshing, warm weather drinks‌and they taste even better served up in the right vessel.

20

The Classic Martini meets contemporary design

Copper and stainless steel glasses by Tom Dixon

$150 (set of 2) // Gabriel Ross

G&T, the ultimate long cocktail for summer

Highball and lowball glass with hand-painted copper detailing by Tom Dixon $107 (set of 2 high ball) and $88 (set of low ball) // at Gabriel Ross

Client: Maycock Eyecare Publication: YAM Magazine - JULY/AUG 2016 Shipping Date: TBD Ad Size: 4.94” X 4.7” Produced By Form Creative T: (250) 298 8117

Summer punch done right 5L drink dispenser by Kilner and Mason jar tumbler by Oasis

Your Womenswear Store

$60 and $4.50 ea // at Cook Culture

WOMEN’S SUITING DRESSWEAR CASUAL

Keep your cool with a Moscow Mule

Copper and stainless steel belly shaped mug. $24 // Available at Pigeonhole Home Store

618 Broughton Street, Victoria I 778-406-1600 I bagheeravictoria.ca

21

inspiredCOOKING CHEFS

Chris Jones, Jones Bar B Que

by susan lundy Photos by DON DENTON

QUICK FACTS:

22

• Born in Victoria; raised in Metchosin: “A true son of the island.”

• Co-owner of The Ruby: “We cook for families … we have

managed to take the pretentiousness out of fine dining food and bring it to a fun level.”

• Owner of the brand new Jones Bar B Que: “You are going to walk in, find me standing there with my knife, and I am going to cut you the biggest, most damn tasty piece of meat you ever had.

And, you are going to want more. Super simple. Super traditional Texas barbecue.”

23

Chris Jones’ coleslaw and ribs.

You’ve been catering for musicians backstage for the past few years? One of my How did you get into the food industry? At the age of 16, after three or four fast food jobs, I got a job busing at John’s Place, a restaurant I’d been eating breakfast at since I was a boy. While being part of that team, which is still together, I saw how much passion and love could go into food and service. I knew that one day I wanted to create a team that had a Deb, a Liz and a Rodney on it, and that is exactly what we did at The Ruby.

You have a unique skill set as a “BBQ pitmaster.” What drew you to the grill? I am still working on the “Master” part as that takes years, but I am absolutely obsessed with slow and low cooking and smoke. Most of my dad’s (Papa Jones) family is rooted in the South and I have always been passionate for Southern cuisine. On a trip to Central Texas with co-owner of The Ruby, Josh, we tied into our first pound of proper Texas brisket. We looked at each other and in that moment knew that we had to figure all this out and bring it back to Victoria.

Where did you train? I trained in Central Texas. On our first trip to Texas, we made some contacts in some of the best smokehouses in Austin. Most people I asked about their barbecue told me to go pound salt, literally. I met one Texan who was a badass on the smoker and owned his own shop. He said, “If you come all the way back to Texas, I‘ll teach you everything I know.” The look on his face when I rolled into his shop, knives in tow, three months later was amazing.

What’s your specialty? My brisket will blow your mind. Lots of little tricks go into this one, but the finished product is out of control. Also, the Granpa Jones sandwich is some pretty serious business: chopped brisket, pulled pork and a smoked Red Barn sausage on a brioche bun. Barbecue porn!

24

freelance projects has been with Atomique Productions, taking on artist catering at Rock the Shores. The conversation was something like, “Hey Jonesy, can you do something really badass that nobody has ever done for artist catering? I wanna blow this up. It’s Weezer this year, you got it?” I said, “Hell ya, man!” I recruited Josh and four years later we have done all the Rock the Shores and Rifflandia events. We recently fed Pearl Jam, Snoop Dog and the entire lineup for the Pemberton Music Festival.

We’re shooting to do four mega festivals in North America next year under Cheeky Chaps Catering, our local (and not so local) catering company.

What is your favourite dish to cook and eat on a hot summer day? Sesame rubbed tofu steaks! Nah, I love to get that smoker going and do a big old rack of pork ribs on a summer’s day.

Throw them down on a big cutting board and get busy with a bunch of dill pickles. I shouldn’t joke about the tofu, we are actually going to smoke Portobello mushrooms at Jones Bar B Que for our veggie friends.

Can you share an easy, seasonal recipe for a quick nosh in August/September?

Usually I would be all over a food recipe, but I think summer is also a time for cool and tasty beverages. My favourite is something we brought back from Southern Texas: Watermelon Agua Fresca Fill your blender with cubed seedless watermelon. Add a cup of water and a cup of ice along with 2 ounces of simple syrup.

Puree until smooth. In a separate glass, bruise up some mint and a half a lime.

Pour blended watermelon juice into glass over lime and mint.

For a little something special, add a shot of white rum at the end!

TERRY JOHAL D E V E L O P M E N T S

QUALITY CUSTOM HOME BUILDER AND RENOVATOR TERRYJOHALDEVELOPMENTS.COM

250.418.1660

25

inspiredPEOPLE

“I just started sketching, and suddenly there were the lines that I was looking for to build my first designer’s chair.

It’s as close as I could get it to perfect.”

Ben Verduin outside one of his home studios.

Ben Verduin Master of functional art

by ANGELA COWAN Photos by DON DENTON

T

o say that industrial artist and innovator Ben Verduin thinks outside the box is an understatement to end all understatements.

Wandering his pastoral Duncan-based property, his unique perspective shines through in the massive barn-like workshop and steep-roofed rustic gallery — both of which he

26

built himself — his home-built 1952 Ford pickup merged with a Dodge Viper engine sitting in his carport, the vintage fire truck at the back of the property, and especially in the one-of-a-kind furniture pieces he’s started to create in his most recent foray into artistic expression.

Verduin’s never been one to stagnate in one direction for long,

and throughout his life he has moved from the family shoemaking business to locksmithing, to motorcycle racing, to designing and running a ’50s style diner, to restoring classic cars.

He and his family moved to Vancouver Island from Holland in 2001, and just two years ago he was inspired to delve into the world of functional contemporary design and art.

“Coming from a long history in art, I felt it was time to do something with my stronger growing interest,” says Verduin, whose mother, Ati Emmerik, is a well-known bronze sculptor in The Netherlands. “The winter of 2014, I created a sketch book full of contemporary modern art style furniture sketches, and selected some to bring to my studio to actually build them.” cutline goes here Surrounded with the tang of deconstructed metal contraptions and the earthy aromas of sawdust, he spent many hours experimenting with the designs, finding out what worked on paper and what worked in reality. He played with a mixed bag of reclaimed and repurposed materials until he had several pieces that emerged true to his vision.

“The experimental part was to learn and problem solve the blending of different materials into contemporary furniture with a strong sense of modern art and a blink to the past.”

The Rosie Wine Table, for example, is part old saw table, part wild-harvested cherry wood from a tree that fell on his property and part custom-built 360 degree fendered swivel wheels. Similarly, the Sunset Chair blends hand-shaped bare metal with smooth leather and the grill from an old wood stove.

“It was an experiment in repurposing something,” says Verduin. “The experimental part was to learn and problem solve the blending of different materials into contemporary furniture with a strong sense of modern art and a blink to the past.”

Each piece is a one-off, allowing Verduin to explore his ideas without ever getting stuck.

“I don’t want to be put in a box where you always make the same style,” he says. “Every piece has to be a challenge.”

Moving past his experimentation with repurposing materials, Verduin let his imagination take hold, and designed something entirely new: the Amazone Lounge Chair.

Cool and smooth to the touch with a luxuriously padded burnt orange suede upholstered seat, the Amazone Chair seems to fit into any environment with its gentle curves and seamless lines. It’s airy, with an almost aviation-inspired aura, and is without a doubt Verduin’s favourite creation thus far.

“I just started sketching, and suddenly there were the lines that I was looking for to build my first designer’s chair,” he says

20

A N N I V E R SA RY

1950 B Oak Bay Ave. 250-361-9243 www.heatwave.me Visit Our Showroom | High Efficiency Natural Gas Fireplaces

27

August 2016 – May 2017

Mom’s the Word

The Last Wife

by Kate Hennig

by Linda A. Carson, Jill Daum, Alison Kelly, Robin Nichol, Barbara Pollard and Deborah Williams

I Think I’m Fallin’

This Little Light

The Songs of Joni Mitchell

Book by Erin Macklem Music by Brad L’Écuyer Lyrics by Erin Macklem & Brad L’Écuyer

August 9—28, 2016 SUMMER

September 20—October 16, 2016 MAINSTAGE 1

November 8—December 4, 2016 MAINSTAGE 2

December 7—23, 2016 HOLIDAY

Gracie

Taking Off

by Joan MacLeod

by Deborah Williams

2017 SPARK Festival

Alice Munro Stories

January 20—February 19, 2017 MAINSTAGE 3

February 21—March 12, 2017 STUDIO

March 13—26 2017 SPARK FESTIVAL

April 18—May 14, 2017 MAINSTAGE 4

Contemporary. Canadian.

250 385 6815 / belfry.bc.ca

28

with a smile. “It’s as close as I could get it to perfect.”

It’s also the only piece that he’s decided to duplicate. He plans to build a series of 11 chairs, each with its own distinct coloured suede upholstery to preserve their individuality and value as art pieces.

“If I give all of them their own special colour, they’re all one of a kind,” he says. “Each chair has its own personality.”

The 11th and final chair will veer slightly from the pattern and be a commemorative piece, built from aluminum with its seat a mosaic of all the other colours.

Despite only having begun his art pursuits two years ago, Verduin is already making waves in the art world. Along with establishing his own gallery, the Gem ‘O the Isle in Cowichan station, his pieces are exhibited at the Lantzville Art Gallery, and the Amazone Chair, the Rose Table and Sunset Chair were accepted into this year’s Sooke Fine Arts Show.

The next step is to approach interested parties in New York, Seattle and London, but Verduin wants to set down some local roots first.

“The number of talented artists on the island is overwhelming, and this way we hope to become part of this island art community.”

In the meantime, Verduin is constantly coming up with new ideas for pieces as he balances family time with the workload of managing a running farm. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I don’t think there’s a day that I’m bored. Tired, yes,” he laughs. “We’re just working hard, playing and enjoying life and of course creating art.”

And no matter how busy he gets, the family motto — carved into a sign that sits outside the front door — is always there to remind everyone of what’s truly important: “There’s always time for a coffee.”

Check out his beautiful pieces at: www.benverduin.com

Surrounded by the tools of his trade.

C R E AT E Y O U R B E A U T I F U L H O M E

360 degree

FLOUR POWER. Award winning patisserie, and classic cuisine that’s 100%

360 degree construction ltd.

(250) 217 9360 360degreeconstruction.ca

250 598 8555 | marinarestaurant.com | 1327 Beach Drive at the Oak Bay Marina 29

“The fireplace is the first of its kind to be installed in Victoria, and is unique in that it offers the visual warmth of flame without overheating the room.�

30

HOT PROPERTIES

by Angela Cowan Photos by Vince Klassen and Geoff Hobson

PHOTO BY VINCE KLASSEN

Fire, water, light and earthy tones combine for a heavenly home

31

PHOTO BY VINCE KLASSEN

The light and simplicity of design create an art gallery feel, allowing Michie — a painter for more than 20 years — to showcase her many pieces.

O

ne of Oak Bay’s newest architectural additions fuses the primal elements of fire and water, and earth and air, in a light and serene design that fits seamlessly into the neighbourhood aesthetic and creates a flawlessly tranquil setting for all who visit.

For owners Lindy Michie and Steve Renshaw, making the move was a dramatic shift from their previous heritage home, designed by Samuel Maclure.

“We kind of recreated ourselves with this house,” says Michie, adding she and Renshaw were heavily involved in the design of the property. “We’ve gone from traditional heritage to modern.”

The home is grounded in the centre of subtle but expertly designed landscaping, solidifying its presence with native shrubs and flowers. A small, smooth waterfall feeds into a concrete pond beneath the front steps, the sound of the burbling water promising to carry away all worries and ruminations.

In many traditions, the act of stepping over running water symbolizes leaving one’s burdens behind, and the feeling of serenity is palpable as Lindy welcomes me in and I step over the threshold.

32

Inside, high ceilings and abundant natural light increase the sensation of lightness, as do the clean linen white walls, floating risers on the staircase and expansive wall of windows overlooking the backyard from the great room.

Slate-grey concrete tiles and the warm tones of Douglas fir in the kitchen help ground the airy atmosphere, while introducing earthy elements to add balance.

But perhaps the most striking feature of the great room is the fireplace. Three-sided, beneath an impressive column of faux stone that reaches to the peak of the vaulted ceiling, it is both grand and comforting.

A brand new product from California-based company Da Vinci, the fireplace is the first of its kind to be installed in Victoria, and is unique in that it offers the visual warmth of flame without overheating the room.

“We wanted something that would be eye-catching and warm it up,” says Michie. “We wanted modern, but we wanted it to be comfortable.”

When the couple first decided it was time to move on from their maintenance-heavy Maclure home, they contacted Rus

UNIQUE AS WE ARE

The Bay Centre 250.383.9188

Hillside Centre 250.595.0426

annlouise.ca

33

The kitchen, like the rest of the house, is bright and airy and infused with earth tones and splashes of colour.

“They had to design a home that was traditional in shape, but they wanted to incorporate some contemporary details.

Keeping things simple and clean was very important.�

34

SPACE STYLE STORAGE

EURO DOORS FOR TOTAL ACCESS TO AN INCREDIBLE CLOSET

ELEGANT STORAGE - FREE designs

EURO DOORS - Manufactured by Incredible Closets

CUSTOM WALK-IN - Made in Victoria

VISIT OUR SHOWROOM OR CALL FOR A FREE IN-HOME DESIGN & QUOTATION PH: 250-381-6511 462 BURNSIDE RD. EAST, VICTORIA WWW.INCREDIBLECLOSETS.CA

A waterfall feeds into a concrete pond beneath the front steps, and the sound of the burbling water welcomes those who enter the house.

I focus on your financial future… so you can focus on your business.

KYLEE, owner of Meraki AMRIT LALLI

BCom, FMA CFP

|

SENIOR FINANCIAL CONSULTANT, Investors Group Securities Inc

Tel: (250) 727-9191 1-888-475-3499 | Amrit.Lalli@investorsgroup.com | www.lalliwealthmanagement.com

36

Collins from Zebra Designs and gave him their wish list; a few weeks later he returned with a gorgeous floor plan for the threebedroom, 4,200-square-foot home.

Then builder Chris Walker of Christopher Developments was brought on board, along with interior designer Lorin Turner from Zebra, and the paper plans gradually became a reality.

Collins was able to incorporate virtually everything on the wish list, from a master suite on the main floor, wine room and meditation room. Michie’s art studio was a particular triumph, with an overwhelming abundance of natural light despite its basement location.

“Their new home was cozy and inviting over the winter months, and they’re now happily experiencing the summer season, taking advantage of the outdoor kitchen and barbecue out back.”

“We really landed on a dream team,” says Michie of the three professionals. “We love it all.”

“They had to design a home that was traditional in shape, but they wanted to incorporate some contemporary details,” adds Walker. “Keeping things very simple and clean was very important.”

That simplicity also served to create an art gallery feel throughout the home, allowing Michie — a painter for more than 20 years — to showcase her many pieces in a way that wasn’t possible in the Maclure home.

Rife with vivid colours and strong shapes, her pieces infuse the interior contemporary design with personality and her own artistic flair. The passion she has for her work shines through like a beacon.

When she first picked up a brush, she found painting an unexpectedly powerful outlet for a creativity she didn’t know she possessed.

“I actually realized from the first day; it tapped into this incredible joy I’d never felt before,” she says. “Everything about me made sense.”

And “it’s definitely a family thing,” she adds, pointing out a variety of paintings and sculptures placed in the great room from her father, grandfather and grandmother.

Michie’s love of vibrant colours came into play in the design of the house as well. Upstairs in the guest suites, she decided white just wasn’t going to cut it. And so each of the two rooms has a coloured feature wall — one in a lush lavender and the

Unit 1 – 477 Boleskine Road, Victoria, BC, V8Z 1E7 tel 250-598-2966 toll/free 1-888-274-6779 www.vshl.ca

the new west coast 2101 Government St

autonomousfurniture.com 37

the couple has certainly given the house a proper lived-in feel, despite only having moved in last October.

Bright and warm, their new home was cozy and inviting over the winter months, and they’re now happily experiencing the summer season, taking advantage of the outdoor kitchen and barbecue out back.

“The spring was fantastic,” adds Michie. “The landscaping came into its own, and the light in this house is incredible.”

And just opposite the French doors leading out into the backyard is a second small water feature, adding its own meditative splashing sounds to the atmosphere and bringing the elemental focus full circle.

Michie stands on the sun-drenched back patio, listening to the quiet bubbling and watching their two dogs play on the grass.

“There’s just something about the fire and water elements that I love,” she says. “We feel very lucky to live here.”

Suppliers List other a sherbet orange so rich you can almost taste a creamsicle looking at it.

But while she influenced the personality of the house, so too has the house started to influence her. After living in the calming environment replete with foundational greys and the subtle variety of textures, her artwork has shifted slightly in perspective.

“Grey gives a lovely serenity to a place,” she says, “and I’ve started using a lot of greys in my paintings now.”

With artwork adorning the walls, shelves full of well-loved reads and Michie’s art studio chock full of works-in-progress,

Details of bathroom (above) and bedroom.

38

Painting We Paint Builder Christopher Developments Cabinetry Hobson Woodworks Flooring (Hardwood) Dwell Flooring Flooring (Tile) Set in Stone Tile installation Evan and Mitchell Scoffings Plumbing Fixtures Victoria Speciality Hardware Lighting Illuminations Fireplace Wilk Stove Glass Royal Oak Glass Design Zebra Design

scsmithbuilding.com

TALKING WITH TESS

HEART & HOME Building a better tomorrow one house at a time

by Tess van Straaten photos by DON DENTON

S

tanding on a rocky outcropping overlooking the brilliant blue water and pristine shoreline, it’s easy to see why developer David Butterfield fell in love with the area now called Spirit Bay, just west of Victoria.

“I really was retired when I came here, but it’s such a stunning place and such a perfect place to build a new town, it was hard to say no to this opportunity,” Butterfield says from the sprawling oceanfront deck of the Spirit Bay sales office and welcome centre in Metchosin.

Marketed as “the evolution of enlightened home ownership,” the 100-acre development on Sc’ianew (Cheanuh) First Nation land will see 450 homes and a town centre, some industrial land and a $50 million resort and spa that will be the economic driver for the community.

“A big part of sustainability is jobs, so the spa will be key because it will create 200 jobs,” explains Butterfield, who grew up in the United States and has dual citizenship.

For the last three decades, sustainability — and sustainable development — have been Butterfield’s passion. In 1989, he formed the Trust for Sustainable Development, a not-for-profit corporation devoted to the principles of economically, socially and environmentally sustainable building.

“The question for me is how do we settle as human beings in a way that we enhance the ecosystem and provide for our

40

economic future in a socially responsible manner?” the 68-yearold asks. “Right now, we’re in the phase of ‘I want to do less bad as a society’ instead of being good. We have to face the fact that we’re doing a lot of damage.”

Spirit Bay is the third town Butterfield will have built. The first, Civano, was created in Tuscon, Arizona, in the 1990s. It was named one of the most sustainable developments in North America.

In 2003, Butterfield began work on the continent’s largest sustainable development, the new town of Loreto Bay in Baja, Mexico. Its unique goal was to create more potable water than it used, more renewable energy than it consumed and to improve the ecosystem. It also helped alleviate poverty in Central Baja.

Butterfield was also behind the ambitious re-development of Shoal Point at Victoria’s Fisherman’s Wharf. The environmentally advanced mixed-use project, which transformed a contaminated and largely derelict site, has won numerous awards including best building in Canada.

“Everybody knows there’s a better way to develop but very few people are doing it,” Butterfield says. “It’s surprising how little impact the sustainability movement has had on real estate development.”

At Spirit Bay, pipes run under the roadway to heat the homes plus the entire development with water from the ocean.

Developer David Butterfield on the Spirit Bay land in Metchosin.

41

“When we started here the Chief said he wanted a 100-year plan and that’s the kind of thinking we need.”

80% oF

A benefit for the Belfry Theatre

learning is visual

Crush

1 In 5

2016

children has a vision problem

A Fine Wine Affair

we recommend eye exams at

6 3

months , years,

Sunday, October 23 · 5 – 8pm Inn at Laurel Point

& e very year

age

5-18 Helping our patients have clear vision and healthy eyes throughout their lives

doctors of optometry www.victoriavisioneyecare.ca

Dr. Heidi Webster Dr. Meghan Hildebrand

42

(25 0) 3 83 -2 8 21

1005 Broad St. @ Broughton

Fine Wine Live Auction

Wine Tastings

250 385 6815 www.belfry.bc.ca/crush

Cuisine Pairings

Silent Auction

Join us! Tickets $95 Includes a generous tax receipt

Butterfield says it was a “no brainer” because the system is so much more energy efficient.

“It takes about seven times more energy to create heat by burning something than moving heat from one place to another,” he says. “Heat pumps are the key and they’re magic, especially when they’re working with water because they’re much more efficient than working with air.”

And that’s not all. Instead of blasting rock to make way for homes like most developers do on Vancouver Island, many of the Spirit Bay homes will be perched on the rocks.

“We try and set the houses in,” Butterfield explains. “We don’t try and destroy the land to get the houses in, so a lot of the homes are on treelike structures.”

It gives the development a unique look and Butterfield hopes it will be an example others will want to emulate.

“When people experience the quality of the relationship between the houses and the land, they will ask why everyone isn’t doing it this way,” Butterfield says.

But given the challenges of building in the Capital Regional

District, Butterfield says, the project wouldn’t have been possible without the partnership with the Beecher Bay band.

“When we started here the Chief said he wanted a 100-year plan and that’s the kind of thinking we need,” Butterfield says. “We had 18 barbeques and we took our time getting to know each other and in the end, we got 80 per cent of the band in favour. So instead of having a hostile community and a hostile municipal government, there was a partnership that enabled us to go very, very quickly.”

It’s a lesson Butterfield learned the hard way from his failed Bamberton development, one of two towns the Trust for Sustainable Development planned but wasn’t able to build.

“The one thing we’ve learned is we never go where we’re not invited — that’s the Bamberton lesson,” Butterfield admits.

“It’s a really big lesson. Everything else we’ve done has been by invitation.”

So what’s next for this world-renowned expert in sustainable development?

Retirement — and for real this time.

“My wife and I just built our retirement home on Hornby Island and we’re also building a home here at Spirit Bay, so it will be nice to scale back and enjoy what we’ve built.”

“The question for me is how do we settle as human beings in a way that we enhance the ecosystem and provide for our economic future in a socially responsible manner?”

(250) 940-3127 | Table21.ca 777 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC

Open Tuesday to Saturday 4pm-10pm

44

footloose Victoria’s Ultimate Shoe Destination Victoria’s Ultimate Shoe Destination

637 Fort Street 250.383.4040 www.footlooseshoes.com

248 2.80

3,380

For 48 months with $998.00 down payment. Offer includes freight and air tax of $2,000, and $0 in manufacturer rebates. Offer excludes taxes and dealer documentation fee up to $595. Package AWD300A

248 2.80

2017 MKC Compact SUV

3,380

For 48 months with $998.00 down payment. Offer includes freight and air tax of $2,000, and $0 in manufacturer rebates. Offer excludes taxes and dealer documentation fee up to $595. Package AWD300A

248 2.80

3,380

for 48 months with with $998.00 $998.00 down down payment. payment. Offer offerincludes includesfreight freightand andair airtax taxofof For 48 months in manufacturer $2,000, and and $0 $0 in manufacturer rebates. rebates. Offer offerexcludes excludestaxes taxesand anddealer dealer $2,000, documentation fee fee up up to to $595. $595. Package package AWD300A aWD300a documentation

2.3L model shown

suburban Lincoln 3377 Douglas st. | 250.475.2255 | www.suburbanmotorsofvictoria.com Hours of operation: Mon - Thurs: 9:30 AM - 7:30 PM Disclaimer Disclaimer

Fri - sAT: 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM

Dealer #5528

Vehicle(s) may be shown with optional equipment. Dealer may sell or lease for less. Limited time offers. offers only valid at participating dealers. retail offers may be cancelled or changed at any time without notice. see your Lincoln Dealer for complete details or call the Lincoln Customer relationship Centre at 1-800-387-9333. for factory orders, a customer may either take advantage of eligible raincheckable. Lincoln retail customer promotional incentives/offers available at the time of vehicle factory order or time of vehicle delivery, but not both or combinations thereof. retail offers not combinable with any Cpa/GpC or Daily rental incentives, the Commercial upfit program or the Commercial fleet incentive program (Cfip). †Lincoln employee pricing (“employee pricing”) is in effect from July 1, 2016 to september 30, 2016 (the “program period”), on the purchase or lease of a new 2016/2017 Lincoln vehicle (excluding 2016 MKt Limo/Livery and all 2015 final settled vehicles). employee pricing refers to a-plan pricing ordinarily available to ford of Canada employees (excluding any unifor-/CaW-negotiated programs). the new vehicle must be delivered or factory-ordered from your participating Lincoln Dealer during the program period. employee pricing is not combinable with Cpa, GpC, Cfip, Daily rental allowance and a/X/Z/D/f-plan programs. ††until september 30, 2016, lease a new 2017 Lincoln MKC aWD 300a for up to 48 months, MKC aWD 300a for up to 48 months and get 2.80% apr on approved credit (oaC) from Lincoln automotive financial services. not all buyers will qualify for the lowest apr payment. Lease MKC aWD with a value of $50,000 (after $998 down payment or equivalent trade in and total Lincoln employee price adjustment of$3,380 deducted and including freight and air tax of $2,000) at 2.8% apr for up to 48 months with an optional buyout of $23,500, monthly payment is $537.33 (the sum of twelve (12) monthly payments divided by 26 periods gives payee a bi-weekly payment of $248.00), total lease obligation is $26,789.84, interest cost of leasing is $3669.84 or 2.8% apr. total Lincoln employee price adjustment is a combination of employee price adjustment of $3380 and Manufacturer rebates of $0). taxes payable on full amount of purchase price after total Lincoln employee price adjustment has been deducted. additional payments required for ppsa (rDprM for Quebec), registration, security deposit (except in Quebec), nsf fees (where applicable), Disclaimer Disclaimerexcess wear and tear, and late fees. Lease offer excludes Green Levy (if applicable, and except in Quebec), license, fuel fill charge, insurance, ppsa (if financed or leased) , dealer documentation up to $595 and taxes. some conditions and mileage restriction of 64,000km for 48 months applies. excess kilometrage charges are 16¢ per km for MKs, MKX, MKZ, MKt and MKC; 20¢ per km for navigator, plus applicable taxes. excess kilometrage charges subject to change (except in Quebec), see your local dealer for details. all prices are based on Manufacturer’s suggested retail price. Manufacturer rebates are not combinable with any fleet consumer incentives. ‡‡receive a Lincoln Maintenance protection plan (“LMpp”) with the purchase or lease of a new Lincoln model at participating Lincoln dealerships. LMpp covers all required scheduled maintenance (as per each vehicle’s owner’s Guide) for 2 years or 40,000 km from Warranty start Date/zero (0) km, whichever occurs first (the “term”); plus coverage for 6 wear items (Brake pads and linings (maximum of 1 set every 60,000km), Brake rotors (maximum of 1 set every 60,000km), engine belts, hoses and hose clamps, shock absorbers, spark plugs, Wiper blades (maximum of 2 sets per year)) for the same term, due to normal wear or defect. Limit five (5) required scheduled maintenance service visits over the term, based on a 6-month/8,000 km interval. LMpp offer balance is transferable (transfer fee may apply) if the vehicle is sold (Canadian plans cannot be transferred to us customers). offer is not raincheckable. some exclusions may apply, see your Lincoln Dealer for full details. ©2016 ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. all rights reserved.

FASHION

Plaster Pink

Knitted midi dress ($338) by Intropia and Polynesia tassel necklace ($650) by Lizzie Fortunato Jewels, both from Bernstein & Gold

Sheep’s wool, hemp, cashmere and more cashmere — as the last long days of summer start to weave into the early golden days of autumn, it’s time for the season’s new fair-weather knits. New shapes and silhouettes bask in the new fall colour palette of deep reds with neutral greys and khakis. Get tactile this season because when it comes to wools, as good as they look, it’s really all about how they feel on your body. And these knits deliver.

COOL WOOL

By LIA CROWE PHOTOS BY CATHIE FERGUSON

46

Oxblood

Hooded cable cardigan ($1,195), sleeveless top ($255) and leggings ($445) all by Black Goat Cashmere at their new Government Street store; Bracelets ($68 and $128) by Marc Jacobs and from Violette Boutique; “Kim” lace-up runner

by Frye ($279) from Footloose Shoes.

47

Clay Grey

Knitted top ($550) and skirt ($310) by Luisa Cerano; silver and copper cuff ($330) by Karyn Chopik; all from Bagheera Boutique.

48

OREGANO

Hemp knit cardigan ($356), pants ($215) and shirt ($188) all by Eileen Fisher and from W&J Wilson;“Kim” lace-up runner by Frye ($279) from Footloose Shoes

49

50

Happy Cruising with TOMMY BAHAMA and SAINT JAMES

CLEMENTINE

One-button cardigan ($778), sleeveless top ($225), grey leggings ($445) and double jersey hat ($169) all by Black Goat Cashmere and from their new Government Street store

available at

Model: Kiah Eccleston, represented by Coultish Management. Makeup and hair: Jen Clark, inhouse makeup artist for COSMEDICA using glo•MINERALS makeup.

Styling and production assistant: Robyn Garner

Barbara’s Boutique 2392 Beacon Ave, 250 655 0372

Baden-Baden Boutique 2485 Beacon Avenue, 250 655 7118

Sidney, BC · badenbadenboutiques.com 51

FLIGHTS OF FANCY Luxury charter travel fills market void

by SUSAN LUNDY

52

photos by DON DENTON and Heath Moffatt

T

ucked away in the back of a spacious hangar near Victoria International Airport sits a 1958 Bell 47 helicopter complete with gleaming bubble canopy and an exposed-tube tail boom.

“It’s a piece of art,” says Jeff Wolfe, operations manager, VIH Execujet. “Look at the lines on it … the chrome.”

For Peter Norie, whose family has been involved in the ownership of VIH Aviation Group since the 1970s, the helicopter is part of his personal history.

“I grew up in it,” he says. “My dad bought it when I was seven.”

Sitting in the hangar next to the Bell 47 is Norie’s current ride, a luxurious Cessna Caravan amphibian floatplane, able to set down on both land and water. This is Execujet’s most recent acquisition — an aircraft the company believes will meet the demands of an emerging market on BC’s West Coast and beyond.

REALIZE YOUR BEST NON SURGICAL PROCEDURES     

Botox Cosmetic® Dermal Fillers Skin Tightening Skin Resurfacing Skincare Products

SURGICAL PROCEDURES  Facial Surgery  Rhinoplasty  Breast Surgery  Abdominal Surgery  Liposuction/Body Contouring

250.595.3888 | 805 Fairfield Rd www.clinic805.ca

DR. KENNETH A. SMITH CERTIFIED PLASTIC SURGEON

Peter Norie and a 1958 Bell 47 helicopter.

Clinic 805 and Dr. Kenneth Smith are proud supporters of Project H.A.N.D.S. For more information please visit our website www.clinic805.ca

53

photo by heath Moffatt photography

Clients who arrive here via first class can fly on the Caravan to remote destinations without sacrificing their upscale flight experience.

54

As tourists — many of them high-end travellers — flock from around the world to the West Coast, the time is right, Wolfe believes, for a luxury, custom charter flight option. And the Caravan — with its swanky, swivelling leather chairs, minibar, state-of-the-art cockpit and ability to land on water or asphalt — fits the bill.

Clients who arrive at the Vancouver or Victoria airports via first class can fly on the Caravan to remote destinations without sacrificing their upscale flight experience.

“We can pick them up on wheels at the airport and land elsewhere on floats,” Wolfe says. “Right now there is a gap in the first class travel experience for those people.”

Wolfe also points to an ever-increasing desire on the part of travellers to seek out unique situations.

“For example, they’re saying, ‘let’s go to a place where no one has ever fished before,’” he says.

Enter Peter Norie, an experienced fishing guide and pilot, who has been flying the Caravan since 2008 with its original owner, a wealthy American, who loves to fish.

One day, Norie recalls, the two took the Caravan to fish in three separate locations. They touched down at Tofino, Rivers Inlet and Bute Inlet, and “caught fish in all three places.”

The plane is “super fast,” he adds, flying up to 200 miles per hour. “It’s the fastest single engine floatplane in the world.”

It’s also pretty sumptuous and as you climb into it, the overwhelming scent of leather is the first clue that this isn’t your typical floatplane. The cushiony leather armchair-style seats, which swivel and recline, have all been lowered to allow better visibility through the large windows. Tables swing out in readiness for the inflight food and cocktail service, and the noise cancelling Bose headphones aren’t really needed, since the plane has been insulated to reduce sound.

“It’s the private jet of floatplanes,” says Norie.

Upfront in the glass cockpit, one is greeted by a mesmerizing swath of gadgets and blinking screens. A synthetic vision system — a computer-generated reality process that uses 3D and voice warnings — means “you can fly it without looking out the window.”

It’s therefore “very, very safe.”

While he can’t reveal the name of the former Caravan owner, who he still takes flying, Norie has flown a number of top CEOs and celebrities into the wilds of BC and Alaska.

One of his most memorable trips was three days spent with Roger Waters (from Pink Floyd) and the former band manager of Queen.

“Listening to those two talk about the history of rock ‘n roll…

I thought ‘I can’t believe I’m hearing all this.’”

The son of Frank Norie — who bought out Bill Boeing Junior to become a shareholder in Vancouver Island Helicopters (VIH) in the 1970s — Norie grew up around planes and helicopters; in fact, his entire family had pilot’s licenses.

built for life, Built for beauty established in 1980

“Here he was, all stressed out, telling me I’ve got the best job in the world and he’d trade anytime.”

“A Contractor you can trust” Enjoy a Conflict-Free Home Renovation Experience.

Our approach to renovating your home is simple: work as a team. When you treat your clients and sub-trades as partners, trust flourishes and conflicts are minimized. Thirty-five years in the business has taught us that the best way to achieve such a relationship is to have a rock solid process

www.macreno.com

250.412.8012 | 825 Viewfield Road, Victoria, BC

55

COSM_9303_BOULEVARD_JULY_X1a.pdf

Peter Norie in the cockpit of the Caravan.

1

2016-06-22

4:04 PM

CHOOSE A MEDICAL EXPERT FOR MEDICAL AESTHETICS DR. MARK LUPIN, DERMATOLOGIST, BSc MD FRCPC UBC MEDICAL SCHOOL CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR PAST PRESIDENT OF THE CANADIAN LASER AESTHETIC SPECIALISTS SOCIETY

DR. MARK LUPIN, BSc MD FRCPC BOARD CERTIFIED DERMATOLOGIST

56

250.598.3300 COSMEDICA.CA

He spent his childhood in Cobble Hill and later worked at ski hills, before rekindling his love of flight and obtaining both his helicopter and fixed wing licenses.

He worked three summers flying helicopters to remote fishing lodges from a base in Sandspit on Haida Gwaii, five years as a guide and pilot at the exclusive Nimmo Bay Resort, and continues to fly “on-call” with Blackcomb Helicopters, undertaking mountain rescue and heli-skiing runs.

It’s a great job, he says: “You never feel like you have to go to work.”

Once, he took the CEO of Rubbermaid on a run.

“Here he was, all stressed out, telling me I’ve got the best job in the world and he’d trade anytime.”

Now Norie has come full circle, working as a Caravan pilot for VIH Execujet, which is a division of VIH Aviation Group (formerly his dad’s VIH Helicopters).

Currently owned by Norie’s older brother, Ken, VIH Aviation Group oversees five divisions, including Cougar Helicopters, VIH Helicopters, VIH Aerospace, VIH Execujet and YYJ FBO Services.

Although it’s headquartered at the Shell Aerocentre near Victoria International Airport in Sidney, it employs 300

people worldwide and operates a fleet of more than 50 helicopters.

As the fixed wing division, VIH Execujet also charters an executive Challenger 604 jet, which sits, gleaming, in the Victoria hangar beside the Caravan.

With seating for 10 and an intercontinental range of over 4,000 miles, it often whisks people off to Europe or Hawaii, sometimes partially transforming into an entertainment area for kids on a family flight, or a boardroom for executives en route to a conference.

Wolfe says the Challenger has many of the features that high-end travellers want: a six-foot-high, stand-up cabin, luggage that is accessible (it flies in a closet near the lavatory instead of under the plane), the option to sit or sleep on divans that fold down into beds, high speed Wi-fi, and the ability to custom plan everything from takeoff time and catering to ground transportation and hotels.

Back in the hangar at VIH, the positioning of the Bell 47 beside the Caravan is almost serendipitous for Norie, who looks at the helicopter and remembers, “When I was a little kid, I’d go flying in it with my dad in it.”

In fact, it was the first aircraft that he ever flew. Now, piloting the Caravan, he’s come a long way.

“It’s a great job.

You never feel like you have to go to work,” says Norie.

• Quality Hardwood • Custom Plank Flooring • Ipe Decking

Your Natural Resource.

The Atrium 1323 Blanshard Street headoverheelsvictoria.ca 250.590.5154

#5-10189 McDonald Park Rd., Sidney, BC Mon to Fri: 8am to 4:30pm 250.656.0848 info@westwindhardwood.com westwindhardwood.com

57

GIN CITY summer sipping at its finest

by TOM HAWTHORN 58

photos by DON DENTON

“They even handchopped the wood for the still, like backwoods hillbillies producing moonshine.�

S

ome summertime letter combinations are so familiar as to appear wedded in natural harmony. Your spouse might want DIY chores completed ASAP, or at least before AM turns into PM. Myself, I prefer to RSVP an invitation to BYOB, especially when a P.S. indicates G&Ts will be served.

When the mercury rises, the cognacs and bourbons are pushed aside for the more refreshing spirits to be found in a liquor cabinet. Heat and humidity mean it is time for mojitos, margaritas and mimosas. It is also the season to enjoy a G&T. Ah, gin and tonic, a highball pairing two copacetic ingredients, the sum greater than the parts, a drink whose very name conjures images of the Empire, Kipling, and pith helmets.

In recent years, we have on the south island become home to 59

a number of distillers, a millennial response to the rise of microbreweries and boutique wineries in the preceding decades.

The first of these, Victoria Spirits, now Victoria Distillers, caused a stir eight years ago with the launch of Victoria Gin, featuring on the label a portrait of the monarch whose name graces our city, displaying her not as the dour, unamused, mourning queen of popular imagination, but as a graceful, wistful young woman with flowing luxurious hair. She looks like she’d not be averse to a sip of gin on a hot summer’s night.

Valerie Murray is responsible for the local boom in spirits. After a series of developments, she and her husband, Dr. Bryan Murray, bought full control of the distillery. Her son, a molecular biologist bored with his job as a DNA splicer, became the master distiller. A daughter, who had studied design at Concordia University in Montreal, came up with the label. Another daughter helped launch the brand in Eastern Canada, where the attitude was “nobody drinks gin until the 24th of May weekend,” Murray says.

In a short time, Victoria Gin became available at bars and liquor stores across the land, a triumph for a family-owned artisanal product in which, as she says, “everything was done by hand — bottling, labelling, everything.”

They even hand-chopped the wood for the still, like

backwoods hillbillies producing moonshine.

The Murrays sold their company last year and the new owners moved the company from a barn on a farm on West Saanich Road to a striking waterfront location in Sidney. The wood-fired still was replaced by a state-of-the-art steam system, gleaming copper cauldrons on display.

The new home includes a tasting room, though the distillery looks like the operation of a mad scientist, or an underground scene from Breaking Bad without the hazmat suits. Best of all, the old master distiller (Murray’s son) remains.

Vic Gin now shares shelf space with several British Columbia-bred gins, including Stump Coastal Forest Gin, produced by the Phillips Fermentorium.

Known for an excellent line of craft beers and sodas, the Victoria company uses a 1920s British-made copper still dubbed Old George and a modern German-built still to produce the gin, as well as a hop liqueur.

Along the isolated southwestern coast of Vancouver Island, Jason and Alayne MacIsaac blend British Columbia-grown grains with water from a natural spring on their property at 2631 Seaside Drive in Shirley, near French Beach.

The proprietors of Sheringham Distillery — he a former chef, she a sales and marketing whiz — make small batches of vodka, grain

“Gin, cursed fiend, with fury fraught, makes human race a prey,” a minister wrote. “It enters by a deadly draught and steals our life away.”

elcome to Kania W Luxury Canadian Sweatshirts. Born from

a need, a need to be comfortable, a need to stay stylish and a need to inspire.

No matter where you are or where you’re going, slip into the comfort that is KANIA. More than just your ordinary sweatshirt, KANIA is Luxury Redesigned.

Now offered exclusively at lalliah’s boutique in Pharmasave Broadmead.

Information about the KANIA launch & Fashion Show coming soon!

60

lalliah’s boutique at Pharmasave Broadmead Broadmead Village Shopping Centre 310-777 Royal Oak Drive | Phone: 250-727-3505 www.pharmasavebroadmead.com

Alayne and Jason MacIsaac sipping gin cocktails on the patio at their Sheringham Distillery in Shirley, near Sooke.

Serving Southern Vancouver Island: • GreAter Victori A • Sooke • cowichAn

Call to schedule a free consultation…

v i c t o r i a BLINDS & CLOSETS # 8 - 7 5 5 Va n a l m a n A v e .

Vi cto r i a 250. 59 0 .8 0 6 0 Co wi ch an 250. 929 .2 2 1 9 w w w. v i cbc. ca 61

Dance-Inspired Workouts A ’Quick Fit‘ for summer

A fitness class for every woman BARRE PILATES DANCE

StudioFitnessVictoria.com # 1 - 3 9 4 6 Q u a d r a S t re e t , 2 5 0 • 5 0 7 • 4 6 0 8

V i c t o r i a ’s f i r s t B a r r e s t u d i o .

We are excited to be working with an amazing group of local farmers, fishers, brewers and many other specialized awesome people.

OPEN FOR BRUNCH, LUNCH AND DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK

509 Fisgard Street, Victoria, BC (250) 590-8795 WWW.OLORESTAURANT.COM

62

OVER 35 YEARS OF

“The gin did not drive us mad, but left us with an eagerness to try building some cocktails, especially the sweeter ones.”

renovations that transform your lifestyle!

“A Contractor you can trust” Relationships are the most important thing we build as a company. We have forged many long lasting relationships with our clients over the years due to our attention to detail, integrity, and the personal service we provide to turn your dream into reality. Give us a call for your complimentary in-house visit from our kitchen and bath specialist.

www.macreno.com 250.412.8012 | 825 Viewfield Road, Victoria, BC

63

spirit and a Seaside Gin whose unique ingredient includes handharvested local wing kelp (Alaria marginata). It does not get more artisanal and West Coast than the taste of sea foam in your gin.

For those of my generation, a late Boomer, born in 1960, gin has been considered an auntie’s drink, a bottle brought out nightly for sipping. You got the sense it was drunk as a matter of habit, rather than revelation, or delight — hooch for the parlour set.

The history of gin is far more interesting than my petty prejudices might indicate. In Georgian London, gin madness swept the common people, who for pennies found temporary relief at the bottom of a glass from the travails of poverty. Women drank alongside men at gin joints, leading to a moral panic about neglected children coming to harm as mothers lost themselves to drink, a horror depicted in a famous Hogarth engraving of drunken deprivation.

“Gin, cursed fiend, with fury fraught, makes human race a prey,” a minister wrote. “It enters by a deadly draught and steals our life away.”

Gin has been part of Victoria’s daily life since the founding of the city. The second edition of the British Colonist included an advertisement placed by Alphonse Kaindler, a French-born wine and spirits merchant known for his “business probity and urbane social character.”

As Christmas and New Years neared in 1858, he let thirsty readers know he had quantities of cognac, whiskey, sherry, port,

bourbon and claret, as well as gin from Holland and Old Tom Gin from England.

Gin lends itself to exotic and time-tested drinks from the Tom Collins to the Singapore Sling. There’s the Gin Rickey (gin, lime juice, chilled club soda), Bee’s Knees (equal parts lemon juice, honey syrup and gin, a recipe from the Prohibition era of bathtub gin), Cucumber Gimlet (gin, lime juice, simple syrup, rosemary, a thin cucumber slice), Salty Dawg (gin, lime juice, grapefruit juice, pinch of salt), Gin Fizz (gin, lime juice, club soda, honey) and the Negroni (gin, Campari, vermouth).

To mark the first days of summer, we held an impromptu tasting with a bottle of Vic Gin (batch No. 151) ($44.99 at government stores). Our guests included a language student from Korea and another from Japan, both with limited exposure to gin.

“Kind of sweet with a floral taste,” said Hiroko Kataoka from Japan.

“It doesn’t smell too strong, but has a distinct taste. Some berry,” added Eunbi Kim from Korea.

Ah, the berry. That would be juniper. With notes of citrus, floral and spice. The secret ingredient, of course, is Vancouver Island’s peerless, pristine water. The gin did not drive us mad, but left us with an eagerness to try building some cocktails, especially the sweeter ones. Perhaps our visitors will remember 2016 as gin summer.

“It does not get more artisanal and West Coast than the taste of sea foam in your gin.”

RBC Dominion Securities Inc.

Protect and Grow Your wealth in all Market conditions You should only have to become wealthy once. Now that you’re here, let us help you preserve your capital and grow your portfolio along the way.

Bruce cafferkY, B.coMM., fMa Vice-President, Investment Advisor and Financial Planner www.brucecafferky.com 250-746-2412 | 1-888-668-1622

fall arrivals

RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund. RBC Dominion Securities Inc. is a member company of RBC Wealth Management, a business segment of Royal Bank of Canada. ®Registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. © RBC Dominion Securities Inc. 2015. All rights reserved. 15_90855_WC8_009

64

featuring Sarah Pacini 564 yates st victoria bc 250.381.4405 hughesclothing.com

The darker the night, the brighter the stars.

Or, you can just light up the night with stunning landscape lighting at Illuminations.

The Brighter Side of Lighting VICTORIA: 601 Boleskine Road | 250-384-9359

NANAIMO: 201- 4300 Wellington Road | 250-756-3614

ILLUMINATIONSBC.COM

Quality. Honesty, Integrity.

Exceptional Custom Homes Built for Luxury Living.

“I get excited by the opportunity to work with my clients to create their dream homes. I feel proud when someone has put trust in me to be a part of a very important decision in their lives.�

Rov Dosanjh, Owner

250-661-0465 raynproperties.com

PROPERTIES LTD.

VICTORIA’S FINEST REAL ESTATE

LU X URY A T YOUR DOORS T E P

Green Acres 455 Tuscan Lane, Victoria, BC $2,450,000 | MLS 367081 A multiple Care Award winner! From the spacious great room, French doors lead to the notable outdoor space warmed by a shared gas fireplace. Gourmet kitchen adjacent to the dining room features: SS double ovens, gas range & center island. Award winning master suite.

Upstairs; 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. The attached 3-car garage offers an upper level with a wired media & family rooms. 1.97 park-like acres.

Oceanfront Architectural Marvel 3051 McAnally Road, Victoria, BC $7,500,000 | MLS 365134 Architectural marvel situated on 1,350 feet of waterfront. A seamless merging of glass, modern luxuries and natural building materials constitute this magazine worthy abode. Encompassed by ocean and unwavering natural beauty, this unique residence is purely for the discerned buyers. 1.59 acres off the coveted 10 Mile Point Ecological Reserve.

Š2016 Engel & VÜlkers. All rights reserved.

Each brokerage is independently owned and operated.

735 Humboldt Street, Victoria BC, Canada V8W 1B1

The local real estate agent with the international network: vi.evcanada.com Scott Piercy Personal Real Estate Corporation 250-686-7789 scott.piercy@evcanada.com www.luxurybchomes.com vi.evcanada.com

Exquisite Waterfront Home

Luxury Duplex

Stunning Home & Views

237 King George Terrace, Victoria, BC $6,488,000 | MLS 360457

306 Dallas Rd. & 7 Oswego St, Victoria BC $2,600,000 | MLS 366747

695 Cains Way, Victoria, BC $1,999,000 | MLS 363242

Panoramic ocean and active sea life views from this stunning waterfront estate near downtown Victoria. The finest quality home over 7,000 sq ft with no detail spared. Gourmet kitchen, self-contained cottage, outdoor chef ’s kitchen, 1,200 bottle wine cellar, infinity pool, hardwood floors, large picture windows, and exposed beams.

Exceptional revenue opportunity to own both sides of this luxury duplex already established as a vacation rental. Paramount location across from the waterway on Dallas Rd. Each side offers 3 bed/3 bath: Granite countertops, hardwood floors & 2 gas fireplaces. The Master suite which encompasses the upper floor offers a secluded balcony overloooking the stunning vistas. 2 separate property titles sold in conjunction.

Privileged ocean and Olympic mountain views.

Brilliant contemporary, open design. A showpiece kitchen; with stainless steel appliances, Canadian walnut cabinets, spacious central island, and dramatic black honed granite countertops. Master suite features 30 foot ceilings.

2 private suites and a detached studio. Listed 1 million below replacement cost! Just 30 min from Victoria.

Stunning Home on 9+ Acres

The Heritage “Gwenllyan”

Nature’s Wonderland

6374 Bryn Road, Victoria, BC $2,350,000 | MLS 362588

599 Island Road, Victoria, BC $2,600,000 | MLS 364057

6601 Razor Point Road, Pender Island, BC $9,850,000 | MLS 360255

9+ private and sunny acres with abundant potential for the equestrian enthusiast. Stylish kitchen with high end appliances; living and separate dining rooms. 4 bedrooms and every ideal space for a large family or guests spread over 2 spacious levels. A must see Saanich Peninsula acreage. Live your dream.

6,570 sq ft stone mansion. The interior retains original heritage features, giving this home old world charisma in a modern age. Mahogany floors, 5 fireplaces, grand main staircase. Kitchen houses special edition AGA cooker from England. The garden has world class features; wisteria pergola, stunning and heritage registered Garry Oaks, pond & woodland paths. This garden and home are unequivocal.

60 stunning acres with incomparable privacy & almost a mile of ocean frontage! Modern upgrades provide an easy commute via Seaplane or helicopter with a landing area at the tip of the point. Foreshore development includes an aluminum ramp & catwalk that leads to a 40x10ft concrete float to secure your boats. Build your secluded dream home.

©2016 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved.

Each brokerage is independently owned and operated.

735 Humboldt Street, Victoria BC, Canada V8W 1B1

The local real estate agent with the international network: vi.evcanada.com James LeBlanc Personal Real Estate Corporation 250-812-7212 james.leblanc@evcanada.com www.luxurybchomes.com vi.evcanada.com

®

BINAB GROUP LD

SO

G IN M ON CO SO

2280 Florence Street 367466 $1,250,000

1017 Valewood Trail 363923 $1,700,000

401-601 Herald Street 367884 $500,000

1250 Tattersall Road

1139 Chapman Street 367959 $950,000

290 King George Terrace 367202 $1,400,000

EXECUTIVE C O R D O VA B AY H O M E 747 Walema Avenue

PICTURESQUE FA I R F I E L D C HAR ACTER 123 Howe Street

367773

Call for details

$1,700,000

$1,350,000

405-707 Courtney Street 367776 $400,000

4

UN

IT

2-1145 McClure Street 367717 $800,000

S

160 Memorial Crescent 367444 $1,200,000

ITALY

Call for details

FRANCE

3

S

T UI

ES

1733 Fairfield Road 366640 $1,050,000

LONDON

1038 Harling Lane 365636 $1,350,000

CALIFORNIA

4

UN

IT

S

966 Fairfield Road 364990 $1,600,000

GERMANY

NEW YORK

P R I VAT E I S L A N D

FA I R F I E L D E X E C U T I V E

366808 $4,000,000

366936 $2,500,000

E Q U E S T R I A N FA C I L I T Y

W I N E R Y / V I N E YA R D

990 Kanishay Road

11195 Chalet Road

365688 $3,490,000.00

356674 $2,500,000.00

Mowgli Island

HONG KONG

MONTREAL

1915 Quixote Lane

TORONTO

CALGARY

VA N C O U V E R

VICTORIA

WLISA WILLIAMS UPLANDS

SALt SPRiNg iSLAND

2510 NottiNghAm RD.

251 KiNg RoAD

$3,998,000

$3,880,000

LUXURioUS 2014 custom home in prestigious Uplands area on a lovely, private .87 acre property with expansive patios & gazebo!

5-6 bedrms/7 baths, 3-car garage plus extra parking, gorgeous finishing throughout, ocean glimpses & so much more . . . close to UVic, great schools, Yacht Club, golfing & the ocean!

PRime oceANFRoNt opportunity! 2 adjacent waterfront properties on beautiful Salt Spring Island totalling 16.78 acres . . . with 2 cottages, incredible ocean frontage, & sheltered cove perfect for boating! Warm, sunny and private location easy to access with mature orchards, meadows, and so many possible options!

N. SAANich

goRDoN heAD

657 ARDmoRe DRive

4409 mooNLight LANe

$2,788,000

comiNg SooN!

SPectAcULAR gated waterfront house on a beautiful & totally private 1.24 acre property w/southern exposure. Immaculately maintained and upgraded throughout w/fabulous, gourmet kitchen, expansive patio & decks, chic master suite w/spa ensuite, sunny seaside pool, and sheltered access perfect for boating!

goRgeoUS upscale home on a quiet cul-de-sac with exceptional ocean views and beautiful custom finishing throughout! This stunning home boasts 5900 sqft with 5 bedrms/5 baths, exquisitely renovated top to bottom and a fabulous design perfect for family living & entertaining. UVic, great schools & ocean mins away!

LISTING SOON — Immaculate 4-5 bedrm Rockland home w/ beautiful gardens on a quiet cul-de-sac ALSO — Stunning 2 bedrm + den condo at Promentory with incredible ocean, city & Mt. views

. . . IF YOU HAVE CONSIDERED SELLING YOUR HOME CALL LISA TODAY! c: 250•514•1966 L I K E N O OT H E R sothebysrealty.ca

Lisa.williams@shaw.ca Independently Owned and Operated

www.LisaWilliams.ca

$8,250,000

Exquisite Oceanfront Retreat

2560 Queenswood Drive, Victoria, BC: Bespoke home sited on a commanding viewpoint, a rocky headland of 1.68 acres of idyllic living in Victoria’s premier suburb. Masterfully designed by the regions pre-eminent designer, its stylish contours hug the shoreline with 6,638 sq ft of unsurpassed quality & comfort for a modern lifestyle. It flows effortlessly from the exquisite interior to the sheltered patio and fire pit overlooking the Salish Sea. Moon rises and sunrises are sensational backdrops to a contemporary way of life.

GLYNIS MACLEOD 250.661.7232

Personal Real Estate Corporation

gmacleod@sothebysrealty.ca

glynismacleod.com

I believe every home is a mansion, regardless of size, location or price.

Please call me if you are considering selling your home.

Recently Purchased

8285 Lochside Drive, Victoria, BC

LOCAL EXPERTISE, GLOBAL CONNECTIONS

Recently Purchased

8140 Marcott Close, Victoria, BC

sothebysrealty.ca

Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, Independently Owned and Operated. E.&O.E.: This information is from sources which we deem reliable, but must be verified by prospective Purchasers and may be subject to change or withdrawal. Not intended to solicit properties already under agreement

stunning waterfront Stunning waterfront architectural-estate home, West Coast forest inspired with Frank Lloyd Wright influence & Japanese flair. This is a unique and impressive residence, nestled between the Saanich Inlet and wooded forest, all with landscaped gardens and interior/exterior water features. The transition from outdoors to indoors is seamless and brilliant with skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows. Everything you would expect: theatre, marble slab flooring, wine cellar, greenhouse, billiard room, lounge for entertaining, 1 BR suite, private guest rooms, terraces from every level of the home, manicured gardens, hot tub and so much more, including a hen house & a sandy beach. With the SW exposure, the residence is warm, inviting and very private.

Offered at $7,250,000

sheila aujla REALTORÂŽ

Office 250.388.5882 Direct 250.889.4771 sheila@sheilaaujla.com www.sheilaaujla.com MLS award winner 2014 & 2015

MaCDOnaLD REaLTy LTD. 755 Humboldt Street, Victoria BC

SAANICH PENINSULA

REAL ESTATE EXPERT Helping you make the right decision.

Fe

At

e uR

FeAtuReD PRoPeRty

D

$1,698,000

10303 Resthaven Drive

N

eW

LI

I St

N

Exceptional low bank waterfront residence with gorgeous finishing details & progressive building technologies throughout!

Featuring 3 bed/4 bath + loft style den, this 2325 sq.ft. home is unmatched in quality & design! Highlights include an open concept living area w/ 10ft ceilings & oversized windows designed to maximize the water view & allow for incredible natural light, stunning master bedroom w/ expansive patio & spa-like ensuite, and striking kitchen w/ walnut cabinetry, professional grade appliances, and quartz countertops. Outside you will find a large patio and easy care lot w/ beach access. Situated walking distance from the town of Sidney and adjacent to other new homes, this is the last unit being offered for sale!

MLS# 366320

G

N

eW

LI

I St

N

G

$4,780,000

530 Salmon Road

Chace Whitson personal real estate corporation

MLS# 366997

¡ 250 818 9338 tel ¡ 250 388 5882 cel

$2,798,800

5271 Parker Avenue

MLS# 367567

Chace@ChaceWhitson.com CHACEWHITSON.COM

Extraordinary Properties!

Unrivalled Experience and Expertise

ENCHANTING 6.63 ARCE SW WATERFRONT! Situated on the Saanich Inlet, this rare country estate offers 6.63 secluded acres which enjoy SW exposure with sweeping ocean views. The home sits prominently high at the end of a long winding road through stone gates and beautiful forest. Outbuildings include a grandfathered deep water dock, a guest house, a swimming pool & pool house, as well as carport and workshop. This is truly a magical country escape, equidistant to city and airport. Offered at $4,495,000 MLS 366548

SHOAL POINT TOWER RESIDENCE WITH OCEAN VIEWS! Situated in prestigious Shoal Point, this oceanfront tower residence captures panoramic sea views from the Olympic Mountains, the outer harbour, the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Freshly renovated with new hardwood & carpeting, new kitchen counters and backsplash, plus stainless appliances; the suite is ready to move in! Amenities include Concierge, Indoor Lap Pool, Sauna & Fitness Center. 2 parking spaces. Offered at $1,880,000 MLS 366901

CUSTOM FAMILY HOME .39 ACRE GARDEN! Situated on a spectacular .39 acre garden nestled near Mt. Doug Park; this immaculate retro 1961 residence has been beautifully maintained with excellent quality renovations. 5 beds & 3 baths offer teen or in-law potential. Features include vaulted beams, Knotty pine ceilings with skylights & hardwood flooring. Custom Urbana kitchen has stainless appliances, granite counter tops.

Professionally landscaped garden fruit trees, raised flower beds, green house & hot tub.

Offered at $875,000 MLS 367128

MACDONALD REALTY LTD. 755 Humboldt Street, Victoria, BC | T 250.388.5882 | TF 1.877.388.5882 leslee@lesleefarrell.com | www.lesleefarrell.com

Call Leslee Farrell at 250.388.5882 for assistance with your local and global real estate needs.

Expect Excellence

B

DEEDRIE

ALLARD

Prime Waterfront

$3,200,000

Fronting on 5 Acres of Prime Waterfront in North Saanich, this warm expansive 7079 sq foot 5 bedroom 5 bath home will fill all the needs for your growing family, including 3 acres for horses, and an Oceanside pool and hot tub. The amenities in the home are endless, with loads of light and bright living space, and an orchard of 27 fruit trees, located 30 minutes from Victoria. A short drive to the airport, ferries, marinas, quaint Sidney and Golf. If there is an artist in your family there is a fabulous private Studio on the property complete with view and fireplace, or it could be a perfect Guest House. Quality is evident when you view this beautiful home.

Luxury Condo

$849,000

Offering this elegant, spacious 2 bed/2 bath home in prestigious Wedgewood Estates gated community with sea views through lush green & wooded grounds. This friendly community welcomes you to a relaxed lifestyle. Walking distance to Cadboro Bay beach, hiking trails & charming village. A wonderful place to call home…

Luxury Townhouse

$425,000

Enjoy the lifestyle of living in James Bay. This 2 bedroom character conversion townhome offers an open floor plan, quality built ins, freshly painted, new hot water tank & washer/dryer. Enjoy your walk out south facing patio & beautiful gardens. This is a rare offering-so be sure to see it!

CAMoSUn Phone 250.744.3301 · e: deedrie@deedrieballard.com · W: deedrieballard.com 4440 Chatterton Way, Victoria, BC V8X 5J2

1286 Fairfield Road Victoria, BC

The Value of Experience

Sylvia Therrien

Personal Real Estate Corporation

3000 Rutland Road | $4,950,000 Fully Restored | The Uplands

3125 Uplands Road | $2,788,000 Uplands Character

5499 Forest Hill Road | $2,395,000 6.3 acres | Elk/Beaver Lake border

Sylvia@SylviaTherrien.ca • LuxuryWaterfront.ca • SylviaTherrien.ca 250.385.2033 • Cell: 250.888.6621 • Toll-free: 1.888.886.1286

Dallas Sells Victoria/Oak Bay

“My goal is to find your dream home and ensure that the decision you make stands as a wise investment over the long term.”

IC

NG

FO

R

AS

KI

SO

SO

PR

LD

LD

E

PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION

DEAN PARK

SIDNEY

Elegant bright 3BD, 3BA home with high ceilings, corner windows & a new deck. Living room with hardwood flrs & gas fireplace.

Beautiful kitchen with granite counters & s/s appliances including gas range. Master with spa-like ensuite (heated flrs). 2 blocks to Sidney shops & amenities. $629,900

CORDOVA BAY

Great for 2 families. Elegant home with designer colours. 3 bedrooms up, new bathroom & new ensuite, 2 bedrooms down for the kids or inlaws. Renovated kitchen opens to dining room overlooking south facing wrap-around deck.

Oak floors, sunroom. Lower level renovated in 2009. $699,900

LD

PR IC E

AB OV E

SO

SO

AS KI NG

LD

This bright beautiful 6 BD, 3 BA family home backs onto John Dean Park. Lower entry level offers a family rm, 4 bdrms, & a 5 pc main bath – perfect for the kids! Upstairs is a spacious kitchen that opens to the family rm, dining rm, the master bdrm & 6th bdrm. 3 sets of French doors opening to deck. $709,900

YOUR HOME HERE

OAK BAY CHARACTER

STUNNING VIEWS of the ocean, snow capped mountains and the cruise ships light up the horizon at night. Den on main floor is used as a bedroom plus 3 spacious bedrooms up and 1 down. 2006 renovated kitchen. Wood floors under carpets Large lot to expand or re-build. $999,800

CORDOVA BAY RANCHER

Fabulous rancher – best price in vibrant Cordova Bay! 3 bdrms, 2 baths, 1,700 sq.ft.. Spacious master with newer ensuite. New quartz counters in renovated kitchen. Open layout with French doors to patio. Over sized garage. On Lochside Trail, steps to Cordova Bay Golf Course & Matticks Farm shops. $640,000

With the market being extremely active, it’s the perfect time to sell your home!

LISTINGS WANTED!

For a FREE Market Evaluation call me at

250-744-3301

Dallas Chapple RE/MAX Camosun • Tel: 250.744.3301 • Toll Free: 1.877.652.4880 www.dallaschapple.com • Email: dallas@dallaschapple.com 79

ingridjarisz

IJ

SELLS VICTORIA Personal Real Estate Corporation

2444 Beacon Avenue, Sidney, BC V8L 1X6 Tel: 250.656.4626 www.ingridjarisz.com

Helping you make better real estate decisions.

DOWNTOWN LIVING, envision the next chapter of your life, from ocean views to charming neighbourhoods, the city’s finest residences are for you to discover.

Let’s explore and see if urban living is the lifestyle for you!

“Home is the Canvas on which you are free to Paint your wildest and most beautiful Dreams”

Fabulous Downtown Location

$879,000

1,561 sqft condo

403-999 Burdett Ave NEW MLS 367346

2Bed + Den 2Bath

Susanna Crofton 250-888-6648

RE/Max Camosun-Oak Bay, 2239 Oak Bay Ave. BCSelectHomes.ca

80

Sharen Warde & Larry SimS

250-592-4422

service@WardeSims.com www.WardeSims.com

at home on the water

by Laura Goldstein

From Sleepless in Seattle to sleeping underwater in Dubai, floating homes are emerging as an alternative lifestyle PHOTO BY DON DENTON

81

PHOTO BY Sandy McKellar

Floating homes, like these at Ladner Reach in Delta, are traditionally painted in bright colours.

I

magine exploring the emerald waters of the warm Arabian Gulf, where diverse coral reef ecosystems of purple sea anemones and beckoning sponges hide vibrant clownfish and steely moray eels. A sea turtle swims nonchalantly by your floor to ceiling glass walls — an underwater panorama viewed from your master bedroom and Jacuzzi bathtub.

Welcome to The Floating Seahorse: 42 luxurious, floating over water villas with their own mooring in the Arabian Gulf, located four kilometres by boat (or floating jetties) from Dubai. The first of their kind in the world, the project is the brainchild of CEO Joseph Kleindienst of Kleindienst Group Real Estate and Property Developers of Austria. The completion date is set for the end of 2016.

“Fabricated on the Dubai mainland, the underwater hull will be constructed using watertight reinforced concrete with a conventional, durable material to withstand the Arabian Gulf environment,” says project director Udhay Lall. Recessed energy efficient lighting, external portable freshwater holding tanks, sewage tanks (emptied by marina staff) with airtight doubleglazed glass and safety railings throughout adhere to strict safety regulations.

An interior designer’s dream, each Floating Seahorse will

boast three levels — one underwater, one at sea level and an upper deck. Flooring in the spacious, open plan living room with adjoining dining room and powder room is constructed with European marine timber.

The kitchen’s high-end Miele appliances are camouflaged behind custom wood cabinetry that boasts a glass backsplash and natural stone skirting. A curved, futuristic deck area for sunbathing or al fresco dining is reached through floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors. It’s also the perfect jumping-off point for a dip in the sea or snorkeling.

The upper deck level can double as its own guest suite with a comfortable sleeping area with retractable curtains, external shower, kitchenette and even a glass-bottomed Jacuzzi whirlpool.

But it’s the underwater level — an airtight aquarium in which the sea life can watch the humans — that transforms the floating villa into the realm of fantasy.

The master bedroom is full height with internationally approved underwater safety glass floor to ceiling windows. And of course, the full bath with high-end finishes, stand-alone tub and shower facing the coral reef means you may never want to leave the bathroom to enjoy the rest of the floating home!

All this luxury comes with a hefty price tag: each Floating Seahorse costs $2.16 million Cdn.

“All this luxury comes with a hefty price tag: each Floating Seahorse costs $2.16 million Cdn.”

82

WITH SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.

ExpressRail cable railing shown with wooden top rail Photo courtesy of Quayle & Company Design/Build

SURROUND YOURSELF

A beautiful outdoor deck becomes even more stunning when you add the sophistication of a stainless steel railing system. Now, you no longer need to hire a custom metal fabricator to create this upscale look. Introducing ExpressRail from AGS Stainless. This off-the-shelf railing system features easy-to-install, marine-grade stainless steel posts and stylish components that withstand the harshest winter months. ExpressRail is a great way to add the refined elegance of stainless steel to your home.

Copyright AGS Stainless, Inc. 2016

Available throughout Western Canada exclusively at everyone’s favourite specialty hardware store – Industrial Plastics & Paints.

For more information, visit: GoIndustrial.ca or call 250-727-3545.

Obviously not a deterrent, as at least 35 are already sold.

Back in BC, a Great Blue Heron alights on the communal dock of Ladner Reach, in Delta, a charming private community of 27 colourful floating homes located on an inlet on the Fraser River overlooking protected marshland.

Seduced by the lifestyle, the residents are a special breed unto themselves; they are adventurers, lovers of nature and their close community, passionate about the water and all that entails, and they march to their own drummers.

It can be an expensive lifestyle with most floating homes ranging in price from $200,000 to $2.5 million for a three-level, architecturally designed 2,500-square-foot home plus monthly mooring costs and, in some cases, strata fees. Add to that, utilities, taxes and marine (house) insurance.

Here in Victoria, Mark Lindholm, development manager of Westbay Marine Village, says, “You have to be a bit of a maverick to live in a floating home.”

The community of 22 luxury float homes, ranging from 1,700 to 2,100 square feet, features homes mostly designed by architect Dan Boot of Studio DB3. He is renowned for his sculptural residential designs and these are stunning examples of how the most innovative architectural elements in land homes can be adapted to floating homes.

“Working with our architect and engineer, we really wanted to create a WOW factor here with unusual rooflines, spiral staircases, outdoor kitchens on rooftop terraces — we even have a resident that had a butler’s elevator installed in their floating home, ” Lindholm enthuses.

The fully serviced village offers longterm leases and custom built “leading edge homes designed to appeal to those who want a beautiful, carefree waterfront home and an unparalleled marine lifestyle.”

The location is prime as residents live right on the Inner Harbour, just across the bay from downtown Victoria. And the float homes are all part of a well-established marina that encourages both live-aboard and recreational users.

Back at Ladner Reach Properties Ltd., managing director Mike Owen is an affable ‘Jimmy Buffett’ character in Hawaiian shirt and sandals, who created this floating “Margaritaville” through business smarts, personality and vision back in the ‘80s.

“Here we have a mix of floating homes built on foam-filled wood barges and state-of-the-art foam-filled concrete barges, owned outright,” says Owens. “There is no strata here but owners pay a monthly moorage, plus annual operating expenses that covers parking stalls, garbage collection and marina upkeep.”

“We’re sailors and I have an allergy to mowing the grass,” laughs Frank Archer, a retired pharmacist, who, with his wife,

“we really wanted to create a WOW factor here with unusual rooflines, spiral staircases, outdoor kitchens on rooftop terraces.”

LOCALLY HANDCRAFTED DESIGNER KITCHENS

W I N N E R O F 5 G O L D C A R E AWA R D S 2 0 1 4 & 2 0 1 5

84

THE NEW RANGE ROVER EVOQUE

BORN IN THE WILD. RAISED IN THE CITY.

The new Range Rover Evoque is perfectly adapted to the city. Featuring ground breaking design and the legendary capability of Land Rover, the Range Rover Evoque conquers the urban jungle. Schedule your test drive today.

Land Rover Victoria 3351 Douglas St Land Rover Victoria 3351Victoria, DouglasB.C. Street • Tel. 250 475 3313 V8Z 3L4 Mon-Thu 9:30 am- 6:30 pm Fri-Sat 9:30 am - 6 pm

Contact: Little Sales - General Sales Contact Ruben Ruben Little, General Manager 2504753313 www.jlrvictoria.com jlrvictoria.com

Dealer #30479

©2016 Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC

Manager Ruben Little

Calvin McCullough

John Malone

Mark Lum

Quinn Liberatore

Viktor Selezniov

Peter Atwal

Sam Giles McKittrick Bodley-Scott

Frank and Marchien Archer’s home, designed by architect Russ Chernoff.

Marchien, “upsized” after living in an apartment for 17 years when they moved to a custom built floating home in Ladner Reach 23 years ago. Their sailboat, Windbourn II, that sleeps 5, is conveniently moored alongside.

Designed by architect Russell Chernoff, of Chernoff Thompson Architects, in Vancouver, their curvaceous, 1,350-square-foot floating home boasts a two-level spiral oak staircase leading to a swivel hatch rooftop deck and spectacular 12-foot-high glass skylight/sunroom overlooking the main floor with exterior catwalk.

The master bedroom has a walk-in closet, bathroom and sauna (the latter used for boat storage). Opening a hatch in the floor off the kitchen offers wine storage in a low basement area (yes, storage is underwater,) and state-of-theart kitchen with Jenn-Air appliances. A sunken hot tub was built on the main level’s deck.

Another Ladner Reach resident, Sandy McKellar, is urging me to come and feed the swans that swim up to the floating homes as soon as salmon kibble cat food is tossed into the water. She is a professional photographer and VP of Wood n Frog Communications and her

husband, Kelly McCloskey, president, have lived in their three-storey, 1,800-squarefoot floating home since 2014.

World travellers and antique collectors, the exotic vibe of their floating home’s interior is an eclectic mix of Persian carpets, carved teak and rosewood armoires, tables and plush upholstered seating.

Moving into their floating home demanded careful orchestration and although nothing had to be hoisted from the water, two trucks needed to arrive at high tide to assure that the angle of the steel ramp down to the dock was navigable; then unload as quickly as possible.

Are there any major negatives to living in a floating home?

“My main complaint is the number of ‘looky-loos’ who kayak and canoe right up to our main deck. I could reach out and hand them a cup of coffee, they’re so close,” laughs Marchien. “Once I even caught a woman with her face pressed up to our window. They seem to think we’re a tourist attraction! And sometimes, if the weather is a bit rough, I have to tie those long Pilates rubber bands from our dining room chandelier to the chairs, to steady them.”

Otherwise, they all agree, it’s paradise.

Accentuating elegance with a refined touch.

ASHLYN ™ BATH COLLECTION

Available at Splashes Bath & Kitchen

The Ashlyn™ Bath Collection suite blends sleek, angular lines with soft edges for maximum versatility and modern flair. This collection incorporates Delta’s revolutionary EZ Anchor® top-down mounting assembly on its widespread faucet to promote easy installation – ideal for anyone looking to add function and flair to their bath.

Bath & Kitchen ANDREW SHERET LIMITED EST. 1892

86

21 SHOWROOMS IN BC: • Courtenay • • Victoria • Langford • Campbell River • • Duncan • Vancouver • • Nanaimo • Surrey • • Parksville

Richmond Port Coquitlam Abbotsford Chilliwack

• • • •

Kelowna Vernon Penticton Kamloops

• • • •

Castlegar Salmon Arm Terrace Prince George

Visit us online at SplashesOnline.com or follow us on Facebook!

Puglia, Italy

natuzzi.ca

Summer Sale

Inspired by Puglia, we blend design, functions, materials and colors to create harmonious living.

Pasquale Natuzzi

Interior Design service available in store.

758 Cloverdale Avenue • 250-384-5263

Introducing our new

Aristokrat Series

2cm H

Siena, Milan and Tuscan Travertine

Aristokrat Series HydraPressed Slabs Feature: • No efflorescence • Use outdoors or indoors • Stain and mark resistant high density surface • Precise sizing greatly reducing installation time and cost • Superior strength / thickness ratio than concrete or natural stone • Lightweight (only 9lbs/ft2) provides cost savings in shipping and installation • Install on pedestals, sand or mortar set

Coffee Cream

More than 20 beautiful color blend Contact an Abbotsford Concrete Products dealer near you: Central Landscape Supplies Ltd Dodds Lumber & Building Supp Lumberworld Sharecost Rentals & Sales Slegg Construction Materials

1345 Fisher Rd. 7281 Trans Canada Hwy 3955 Quadra St 1716 Northfield Rd 4950 Jordan Ave 2030 Malaview Ave 1496 Admirals Rd 2901 Sooke Rd 2046 Keating Cross Rd

Cobble Hill Duncan Victoria Nanaimo Nanaimo Sidney Victoria Victoria Saanichton

250-743-9989 250-748-1032 250-479-7151 250-758-2401 250-268-2005 250-883-7540 250-516-2177 250-478-5509 250-652-1130

www.centrallandscapesupplies.com markcorr@shaw.ca www.lumberworld.net www.sharecost.ca www.slegg.com www.slegg.com www.slegg.com www.slegg.com www.slegg.com

• Interlocking Pavers • HydraPressed Slabs • Retaining Wall Systems

Cascade Granite

HydraPressed Porcelain Slabs Carrara Marble

Sahara

Arctic Mist

Milan Travertine

Tuscan Travertine

Siena Travertine

BlueStone

BrownStone

BlackStone

Pacific Coast Granite

Glacier Granite

Cascade Granite

Coffee Cream

Dover Grey

Onyx

Oxford Limestone

Hampton Limestone

Cambridge Limestone

Salt & Pepper

Tamarack

Sequoia

BlueStone Close-up

BeachWood

IronWood

Bull-nosed pool coping and stair treads are available in all colors

ds and textures to choose from

Perfect for ponds, pools and water features Perfect for ponds, pools and water features

For more information and to download our Aristokrat Series brochure visit:

www.pavingstones.com

Available in multiple sizes and in stock for immediate shipment.

FOOD & DRINK

Berry

OF THE SUN A Moroccan-inspired picnic

By CHEF HEIDI FINK PHOTOS BY DON DENTON

A

trip to Morocco four years ago left me with a permanent love for North African food. The rich flavours, liberal use of spices and the emphasis on fire-cooked meats, fresh herbs and vegetables was soul-satisfying in the extreme and I’ve found cooking inspiration in North African cuisine ever since.

I am especially drawn to it in the late summer months, a time when the abundance of local produce and the warm evenings draw me to a relaxed Mediterranean-inspired cooking style. I want freshness and ease; I prefer to eat foods that can be easily made ahead, and don’t have to be served warm.

The foods of North Africa fall well into a healthy Mediterranean-style cuisine: olive oil, grains, vegetables and legumes take centre stage, with meat and sweets playing a supporting role. Still, the riot of spices, herbs, olives and citrus keep a fresh and flavourful spin on what might otherwise be a plain diet. So, it’s not only soul satisfying, but absolutely refreshing.

It’s a perfect choice for a warm-weather menu, whether in the dining room, on the patio or packed for a picnic.

With this in mind, I’ve devised a late summer menu that draws inspiration from the sun-drenched and slightly exotic Mediterranean cuisine of North Africa.

Every recipe below is make-ahead, with an intention to be served cold or at room temperature. However, most of these dishes can also be served warm. This provides flexibility and ease for the cooks, allowing them to fully

90

enjoy their garden party or picnic.

Make as many or as few of the dishes as you like; make it all ahead, or keep a few to cook at the last minute and serve warm.

Above all, enjoy the process, enjoy the warm summer evening and eat it all up.

A SIMPLE, MOROCCANINSPIRED PICNIC MENU Bites: Lemon-Coriander Marinated Olives Fresh Cheese Pita Crackers Moroccan Carrot Spread

Mains: Freekeh Tabbouleh with Harissa-Roasted Chickpeas Lamb Kefta with Minted Yogurt Spiced Picnic Chicken Salad: Spinach and Herb Salad

Dessert: Fresh fruit (grapes, nectarines, persimmon, tangerines) Fresh figs with fresh cheese (above) and honey Almonds Chocolate-Cinnamon cookies or pastries

91

FREEKAH TABBOULEH WITH HARISSA-ROASTED CHICKPEAS

Serves 8 to 10 people Freekah is green wheat, steamed, dried and cracked. It has a nutty flavour and delicious texture. It makes an excellent substitute for bulgur in this fresh tabbouleh salad.

can of chickpeas, drain and rinse well. In a medium bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt and harissa. Add the chickpeas and stir, coating them evenly with the spice mixture. Spread out on a parchment-lined tray. Place in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring several times, until chickpeas are slightly crispy. Remove and let cool.

Freekah: In a small pot with a tight-fitting lid, combine the freekeh, water and salt. Bring to a boil, stir well, reduce heat to low, cover tightly and cook 20 minutes. Keep covered, remove from heat and let sit 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. It should be put into the dressing while still warm (see below).

Harissa-Roasted Chickpeas:

1 small can chickpeas 1½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil ¼ tsp salt ½ tsp harissa powder (or 1 tsp harissa paste)

Freekah:

1 cup freekeh 1½ cups water ¼ tsp salt

Salad: While the freekeh is cooking, get everything else

Dressing and Salad:

4 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice ¼ tsp salt, plus more, to taste 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil ⅔ cup minced flat-leaf parsley ⅓ cup minced mint leaves 3 fresh ripe tomatoes, diced small ½ long English cucumber, seeded and diced small

Harissa-roasted chickpeas: Preheat oven to 425°F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Open the

ready. In a large bowl, mix together the lemon juice, salt, garlic and olive oil, until well combined. Mince all the herbs and chop the vegetables, but keep these separate for now. Once the freekeh is ready immediately pour it into the lemon juice mixture in the large bowl. Stir well to allow all the freekeh to be coated in, and absorb, the dressing. Set aside to cool, stirring several times. This will take about 20 minutes. Once the freekeh is no longer hot, stir in the herbs and vegetables.

Transfer to a serving dish, scatter the harissa-roasted chickpeas over the surface, and serve.

Salad may be made up to five days in advance. Keep refrigerated. Reserve the chickpeas until just before serving, though, or they will lose their crispness.

JOI N US in delicious hors d’oeuvres and sparkling cocktails. Be part of Jingle Mingle, an U N F O R G E T TA B L E evening at one of the Island’s premier events in S U P P O R T of the BC Cancer Agency’s Vancouver Island Centre.

INDULGE

Thursday, December 1st, 2016 The Fairmont Empress | Tickets $175 bccancerfoundation.com/jinglemingle Tickets are known to sell out! Advance reservations: 250.519.5416 or jinglemingle@bccancer.bc.ca

92

LAMB KEFTA WITH MINTED YOGURT

Serves 4 to 8 people Juicy and flavourful, these kefta work just as well on the grill as on a sauté pan. Wrap lamb mixture around a kebab skewer before grilling.

Lamb Kefta:

patties and place on a parchment-lined tray or plate.

Heat sauté pan over medium heat. Add olive oil to coat the bottom. Place the balls or patties in the pan without crowding, and sauté for 2-3 minutes per side, transferring to a serving platter as they are finished cooking. Serve warm or at room temperature, with minted yogurt for dipping.

Minted yogurt: Mix together the yogurt, sour cream, salt and chopped mint until combined.

1 cup lightly packed parsley (leaves and soft stems) 1 cup lightly packed cilantro (leaves and soft stems) 1/3 cup chopped onion (about ¼ of an onion) 375 g ground lamb 1 tsp salt 1 tsp Ras el Hanout ¼ tsp cayenne ¼ tsp turmeric Olive oil

LEMON-CORIANDER MARINATED OLIVES

Minted Yogurt:

¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves ¾ cup plain yogurt 1 Tbsp sour cream 1/ 8 tsp salt

Kefta: Place the parsley, cilantro and onion in the work bowl of a food processor and process until very finely chopped, almost pureed. Alternatively, mince by hand. Scrape mixture into a bowl. Add lamb, salt and spices. Using your hands, work this mixture until it is completely mixed, with no streaks of unseasoned meat or unmixed herbs. Form mixture into small balls or

Makes 1 cup 250 ml green olives (preferably French olives) 1 clove garlic, smashed, peeled, and sliced thin Finely grated zest of one lemon 1 tsp ground coriander 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice Place olives in a bowl. In a small pot, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and coriander. Heat together over medium-low heat for about a minute, until everything smells fragrant. Make sure the temperature stays on the low side. Pour this mixture over the olives, add lemon juice and stir well to mix. Ideally, let the olives marinate for 24 hours before serving.

JBEN (FRESH HOMEMADE CHEESE)

Makes about 1¼ cup of delicious fresh creamy cheese This fantastic fresh cheese is easy to make and can be used for

rest

relax

indulge zebragroup.ca

250.360.2144 93

either sweet or savoury dishes. The cheese tastes best if eaten within 24 hours of making. The taste gets sharper as time goes on.

2 cups whole milk (do not use organic milk*) ½ cup whipping cream 2 cups buttermilk Equipment: small pot, medium bowl, large bowl, sieve, cheesecloth. *Organic milk is usually ultra-pasteurized, so won’t form proper curds.

Combine the milk and whipping cream in a small pot. Have buttermilk measured and ready in a medium bowl. Place pot on a burner and turn heat to medium-high. Heat until just before the boil — you will see steam rising and small bubbles.

Remove from heat and pour milk mixture into the bowl with the buttermilk. Stir briefly. Let mixture sit for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, rest the sieve over the large bowl and line the sieve with a double or triple thickness of cheesecloth. Once the milk mixture has rested for about 30 minutes, pour it into the cheesecloth-lined sieve. The milk mixture will have separated into curds and whey. The curds will collect in the sieve and the whey will drip through to the bowl. Let this sit for at least 2 hours and as long as 12 hours. The cheese will be firmer the longer you let it drip. I like to strain the cheese for 3 to 4 hours.

The soft white cheese can be served as is, or mixed with fresh herbs and salt for a savoury appetizer, or drizzled with honey to serve with fresh fruit and nuts for dessert. The whey can be chilled and drunk as a refreshing high-protein beverage, or used in baking anywhere where you would use buttermilk.

SPINACH AND HERB SALAD

Serves 8 as a side dish The liberal use of fresh herbs as a salad green adds a freshness to this dish.

Dressing:

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed ¼ to ½ tsp harissa powder, or chili powder ¼ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp paprika ¼ tsp salt 2 to 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice Pinch sugar

Salad:

4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves 1 to 1½ cup leaves of flat leaf parsley 1 cup leaves of cilantro 1 cup leaves of mint (torn if large) ½ cup dried cranberries OR 8 dates, pitted and chopped ½ cup slivered almonds, toasted 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes, red or yellow ½ bell pepper, seeded and sliced (red or yellow)

Dressing: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, or small mason jar with a tight fitting lid. Whisk or shake until ingredients are mixed.

94

Enjoying a Moroccan picnic in Beacon Hill Park.

95

Spinach and Herb Salad, Lamb Kefta with Minted Yogurt and Freekeh Tabbouleh with HarissaRoasted Chickpeas.

Salad: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to mix. Serve immediately.

SPICED PICNIC CHICKEN

Serves 8 to 10 people The spice-laced salt and sugar rub both brines and flavours the chicken, keeping it very moist even when served cold at a picnic. The slashed skin and high heat of the cooking help the skin to crisp up and keep it from being rubbery when cold.

Spice mixture:

2 Tbsp (35 g) kosher salt or coarse salt 2½ Tbsp brown sugar 1½ tsp garlic powder 2 Tbsp paprika 1 Tbsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp turmeric ¼ tsp cayenne

Chicken:

Up to 6 lbs chicken legs, separated into thighs and drumsticks Combine the salt, sugar and spices together in a small bowl. Separate the chicken legs into thighs and drumsticks.

Slash the skin of each thigh three times. Rub the spice mixture on to the chicken until all pieces are evenly coated, making sure to get some of the spice mixture under the skin of each chicken piece. You may not need all the spice mixture. Excess mixture can be placed in a small jar and stored in a cupboard for later use.

Place rubbed chicken in a container, or on a large tray.

Cover and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours and up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Remove chicken from fridge and place, skin side down, on a parchment-lined baking tray, or on the rack of a baking pan. Place in the oven and roast 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temp to 400°F. Use tongs to flip pieces of chicken over so they are skin side up (drumstick pieces need to be turned as well). Return to oven and roast at least 20 more minutes, until meat is cooked through and skin is crisp. Depending on the size of the pieces, you may need to cook up to 10 minutes longer.

Chicken can be served warm, at room temperature, or cold. It keeps up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

MOROCCAN CARROT SPREAD

Makes about 1½ cups This spread is a delicious and unusual alternative to the standard cheese-based or bean-based picnic spreads.

1 lb carrots (about 6 large) 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 or 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar 1 Tbsp paprika 2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground 96

2 cloves garlic, minced ½ tsp salt ½ cup minced fresh parsley Peel and chop the carrots into 1-inch chunks. Toss with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt. Place in a preheated 425°F oven and roast for 25 minutes, until just tender and getting brown on the edges. Scrape into a pot and add just enough water to cover the carrots. Bring to a boil and cook until the carrots are fully tender and falling apart. Drain and reserve the water.

Meanwhile, mix together the garlic, paprika, cumin and 2 tablespoons of the parsley. Heat a small pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and swirl to coat bottom of pan. Add the spice mixture and fry for a few seconds, until fragrant. Add about ¼ cup of the carrot-cooking water and cook, stirring, until the water mostly evaporates and the oil is floating on the surface.

Put the cooked carrots, the fried spice mixture, the remaining olive oil, one tablespoon of red wine vinegar and the salt in the work bowl of a food processor and puree well. Add carrotcooking water as needed to get a fine puree. Add some parsley and puree again.

Taste the spread. It may need more salt and/or vinegar.

Scrape into a nice bowl and sprinkle the top with the remaining parsley. Drizzle with olive oil, if desired. Serve with warmed pita.

COCOA SUGAR COOKIES WITH CEYLON CINNAMON

Makes 3 to 4 dozen The cocoa powder, almond extract and Ceylon “true” cinnamon elevate these crisp-chewy sugar cookies to another level.

Rediscover Yourself

Experience Pure Pampering Gift Certificates & Fitness Center Memberships Available

Cookies:

½ cup butter 1 cup granulated sugar 1 egg ½ tsp vanilla extract ¼ tsp almond extract 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 5 Tbsp natural cocoa powder 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon (true cinnamon) ½ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt

Topping:

2 tsp milk 3 Tbsp sliced almonds 2 tsp sugar ½ tsp Ceylon cinnamon In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add sugar and beat well until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extracts, beating until well-blended and fluffy. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture until mixed.

Remove dough from mixer and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 3 cookie sheets. For the topping, put the milk in a ramekin or small bowl, have the almonds ready and mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a different small bowl.

97

On a well-floured surface, roll out one-half of the dough to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Using a paring knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 2 cm wide strips lengthwise. Then cut into the same width strips diagonally.

The dough should now be cut into diamonds. Transfer cookie diamonds to cookie sheet. Brush each cookie with the milk, place a couple of sliced almonds on each cookie, and sprinkle each cookie with the cinnamon sugar.

Place cookies in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to let cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

Re-roll dough scraps one time only.

When cool, transfer sugar cookies to cookie tins and store in a cool, dry place for up to 4 days. These cookies freeze well.

Black and white picnic blanket from Citizen Clothing.

Picnicware: blue and white enamal dishes, cloth napkins, picnic basket and wooden cheese board from Capital Iron.

Special thank you to model Andrea Nemeth.

Cocoa Sugar Cookies with Ceylon Cinnamon.

Helping People Attain

Optimum Health Bellicon Rebounder Made in Germany Excellent for: Cardio • Lymph flow • Back pain • Diabetes • Osteoporosis •

Blendtec® Blender Nothing beats a hearty soup or tasty smoothie! This blender will do the best job every time!

10 year warranty exclusive from Triangle Healing.

Triangle Healing Products offers an amazing range of well-researched products that enhance well-being!

770 Spruce Ave. 250-370-1818 trianglehealing.com 98

Botox & Fillers Complete IPL Services • Profractional Laser • Microdermabrasion • Dermal Rollers

Revaleskin Skin Care Latisse • Cellex C • Rodan and Fields • Cloud Vitamin Cream

•

•

•

•

TRAVEL FAR

Provencal perfection A trio of divine destinations in Provence

by ANNE MULLENS

The medieval hill town of Les Baux-de-Provence near the Domaine de Manville, a member of Small Luxury Hotel brand in France.

99

N

o one does intimate luxury hotels like the French, and the inns of Provence top them all —impeccably appointed manor houses surrounded by craggy hills, olive groves and vineyards that in some cases come up to the hotel gate.

These landscapes were immortalized by the French Impressionists, who captured the region’s soft light and outstanding palette of colours.

I fell in love with Provence more than 30 years ago, exploring its hill towns, castles and Roman ruins as a backpacking youth staying in hostels and dives.

I’ve longed to return to explore the historic sites, sip rosé on a patio shaded by plane trees, smell once again that unmistakable air — a melange of pine trees, rosemary, thyme, sage and lavender — so distinctive it even has its own name, garrigue.

Earlier this year I finally did, but in style this time, staying in Small Luxury Hotels (slh.com), a brand of 520 worldwide, independent, high-end hotels.

Here are three that I visited, each an elegant five-star boutique inn with red tiles, pale ochre walls and green shutters. All have exceptional food, wine and service. They were situated about an hour from each other, like points of a triangle placed between Aix-en-Provence and Arles.

Domaine de Manville

A winding road and landscape of olive groves, oak and almond trees leads to this hidden gem, a 100-acre estate set in a valley in the Alpilles regional park. It is right below the medieval hill

100

town of Les Baux-de-Provence, one of the most beautiful — and most visited —historic villages in all of France.

From the resort’s eco-responsible 18-hole golf course you can look straight up to the ruins of Les Baux’s castle walls, dating from the 11th to 15th centuries. But when you look down from those very same ramparts, the golf course and the hotel buildings are completely invisible — so artfully have they been designed to blend into the Provencal countryside.

That same care and attention seems to have gone into every detail, from the spacious, beautifully decorated 30 main rooms and nine private villas, to the fresh daily creations of Chef Matthieu Dupuis-Baumal, to the design of the spa and lounge.

Breakfast is held each morning in a charming greenhouse, called the Winter Garden and when summer comes it moves out to tables under the trees. At night, sipping our pre-dinner rosé in the bar, we were entertained by a former member of the famous Gipsy Kings, whose trio plays there regularly.

My ground floor suite opened up to its own little patio and the central courtyard beyond, where plane trees arched around an inviting pool.

Despite overcast weather, I couldn’t resist a few laps.

Early one morning I took one of the many wellmarked hiking paths up into the limestone Alpilles. My hour-long ramble was rewarded with birds, wildflowers and stunning 360 degree views over vineyards and valleys, all the way to the Mediterranean.

EAT. DRINK. CELEBRATE on our patio… 250.385.5643 | glovictoria.com

Garden at Le Pigonnet, located near the centre of Aix-en-Provence.

philippe doignon photo

2940 Jutland Rd. Victoria, on the Selkirk Waterway

614 Johnson St. Victoria

250.381.6260 www.aureagems.com

101

Arles is just 15 km to the southwest where you can explore the impressive Roman ruins, walk in Van Gogh’s footsteps or visit the new Van Gogh Foundation. I did all that and highly recommend it.

But the highlight? Riding one of the hotel’s electric-assist bikes (hills are so fun!) over the meandering roads, seeing gorgeous stone homes nestled under craggy outcrops, breathing in that wonderful garrigue.

More info: www.domainedemanville. fr/en/

Domaine de Fontenille

hired Michelin starred chef Jerôme Faure to head the gourmet restaurant and bistro.

Opening this past February, Domaine de Fontenille is an exceptional property that feels intimate and personal, as if you are a guest in a very rich friend’s gorgeous home. The windows in all the rooms look out through the plane trees, over the patio, the 18th-century fountain and classical gardens to the little hill town of Lauris, with its castle in the misty distance.

Just across the road from the hotel is the winery, where 35 hectares of grapes are now under organic cultivation. In the winery tasting room you can try their red (grenache/syrah), their white (white grenache/syrah/clairette) or rosé (my favourite), or even take a course in tasting or oenology.

The hotel has a spa (natch), an outdoor pool, yoga classes and nearby horseback riding. And of course the locally sourced food is heavenly; asparagus was in season and I devoured it at every meal.

My favourite pastime? Sitting in the comfort of my lovely room, opening the great big French casement windows, and looking out over the gardens to the hills beyond.

See www.domainedefontenille.com

“My hour-long ramble was rewarded with birds, wildflowers and stunning 360 degree views over vineyards and valleys, all the way to the Mediterranean.”

Successful French businessman Frédéric Biousse had climbed the height of the retail fashion world, heading up an international chain of clothing stores, but he wanted a new passion and focus.

He and his partner Guillaume Foucher found it in Domaine de Fontenille, an 18th-century manor with a 17th-century vineyard, in the Luberon region of Provence, near the picturesque town of Lourmarin, about an hour north of Aixen-Provence.

They revived the vines and started their own vintage; renovated the mansion into 17 boutique rooms, filled the place with art and designer furniture, created an onsite art gallery and

quarriers and fabricators of natural stone Vancouver Island’s Largest Selection of Granites, Marbles and Engineered Stone

Vancouver Island White Marble

2890 Allenby Rd. Duncan: 250-746-7257 Victoria: 250-384-9717

matrixmarble.com 102

Elegant interior at Domaine de Fontenille, an 18th-century manor in the Luberon region of Provence.

Where service and quality exceed expectation.

102-6660 Butler Crescent, Saanichton BC • 778.351.3390 thomasphilipswoodworking.com 103

Le Pigonnet

Above, interior at Domaine de Fontenille; below, outside the bar at Domaine de Manville.

The oldest of the three, this property has been running as a family-owned hotel since 1924, near the centre of Aix-enProvence. The 18th century mansion, with a chestnut-tree-lineddrive into its entrance, was renovated in 2013. It still has that air of refined privilege, a patina of history and tradition in its 44 rooms.

It has extensive manicured gardens and grounds and in one corner is the exact spot where locally-born Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne stood to paint the white limestone Mont Sainte Victoire in the distance, a frequent subject of his paintings. The view looks pretty much the same today.

I found it easy to picture past luminaries sipping their pastis here in the charming outdoor bar. Evidently it was a favourite of opera singer Marias Callas and French actress Fanny Ardant.

The centre of Aix is a 15 minute walk away where you can stroll the wide main street, Cours Mirabeau, and explore the ancient cobbled streets radiating off it, or cool down beside one of the many fountains, in this City of Fountains.

One of the highlights in Arles was seeing an exhibit of British artist J.M.W. Turner’s works at the Hotel Caumont Art Centre, a beautiful 18th-century mansion that was designed and built by the chief architect for Louis XIV, the Sun King. Newly opened in 2015 after an extensive renovation, the art centre, with its tearoom, classical garden and elegant salons, is worth a visit no matter what is showing.

No one would fault you, however, if you decided to simply stay at the hotel and lounge by the pool.

See www.hotelpigonnet.com

Cancel the scooter excursion.

As our region’s only not-for-profit burial park, we’re in no hurry to have you here.

4673 FALAISE DRIVE VICTORIA, BC

1 0ROBP_9432_Scooter_BLVD.indd 4

1

250-658-5621 ROBP.CA

2016-06-30 1:47 PM

Portable infrared-heated Italian marble chaise-lounges made in Europe can be ordered online and shipped to Canada.

infrared hot trend Homeowners join spas in jumping on the health-enhancing bandwagon

by Pamela Durkin

106

health & FITNESS

A

ccording to the influential website Spa Trend, today’s spa-goers want more then pampering — they’re seeking results-oriented treatments that significantly enhance their wellbeing. And increasingly, infrared therapy is emerging as a treatment that can meet this demand.

Here in Victoria, people like artist Helen Stewart as well as patrons of various local health and spa centres are finding that infrared therapy can even treat specific health issues.

It’s not surprising that more and more spas are installing infrared saunas. But they are joined on the infrared train by homeowners, who are making space for infrared “sanctuaries” that allow them to enjoy this healing modality in their own homes.

So what exactly is infrared treatment and how do these infrared saunas work?

Clearly, these are not your grandmother’s saunas — the technology is vastly different. The term “infrared” refers to a type of light wave that lies just below “visible” light on the electromagnetic spectrum. Unlike other forms of heat, the “radiant heat” from infrared waves penetrates deep below the skin’s surface where it stimulates the deeper tissues to release stored toxins, fat and wastes.

Studies indicate that while the sweat produced by regular physical exertion or traditional saunas contains three per cent toxic material, the sweat produced by infrared saunas contains 15 to 20

per cent toxic matter. This “penetrating” warmth also boosts blood circulation and increases metabolism. These factors translate into tangible health benefits, as some compelling research has shown.

Here’s what the white-coat crowd has discovered about infrared therapy’s healing potential. Studies show regular infrared sessions can: improve joint pain, alleviate asthma symptoms, help lower blood pressure, improve cardiac function, speed healing from infections and sports injuries, alleviate stress and help fatigue.

If that doesn’t impress you consider this — a recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Diabetes showed that infrared treatment was able to safely lower weight and waist circumference, without any dietary or lifestyle changes, in overweight and obese patients, in just three months. And another Canadian study, conducted by the Department of Family Medicine at UBC, indicated that 20 minutes of infrared treatment, three times per week, improved the fatigue, social functioning and general health of those with Type 2 Diabetes.

The treatment’s ability to blitz fatigue doesn’t surprise local artist Helen Stewart, who credits her infrared sauna for helping her alleviate the effects of Lyme disease. ”It doesn’t cure the disease,” she says. “But it helps keep it in check. I didn’t use it last summer and my fatigue was overwhelming — now I go in it at least two times a week and I feel ever so much better.”

According to Kristen Humphrey, general manager of Le Spa 1 07

Sereine in Victoria, regular sessions of infrared therapy may also be an investment in good skin.

“Many of our clients with skin conditions like eczema and rosacea see visible improvements with infrared treatment; in fact most people notice their skin has a more radiant healthful glow and clarity to it after several sessions in our sauna,” she states.

Humphrey is not alone in praising infrared’s beauty-boosting abilities — supermodel Cindy Crawford recently told the folks at intothegloss.com that her sauna helps her relax, improves her sleep, and stimulates collagen production to help improve her skin tone and reduce wrinkles.

Rodney Palmer, president of SaunaRay, the Canadian company that handcrafted Crawford’s sauna, isn’t surprised by her endorsement.

“We get tons of testimonials,” says Palmer. “The studies are nice to rely on as verifiable evidence, but what’s really fulfilling is to hear how infrared-therapy has changed people’s lives.”

Crawford’s not the only celebrity benefitting from “at home” access to an infrared sauna. Avril Lavigne, Belinda Stronach, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow have all recently had “Canadian-made” infrared saunas installed in their homes.

Clearly, installing an infrared sauna in the home can be a prudent, health-enhancing move. Rushing out to buy the first

sauna you see, however — perhaps not. Health benefits reported by the studies were conferred by “medical grade” saunas. To ensure you’re getting a quality product, make certain the sauna has undergone rigorous EMFR testing (electromagnetic radiation field), is made from an all-natural, allergen-free material and contains no formaldehyde, toxic glues, chemical fire retardants or plastic or fibreglass heaters.

Another thing to consider is the type of infrared sauna best suited to your needs and décor. Currently there are two basic options available — the standard cabin style sauna which can be handcrafted in various sizes — or the newer, portable infraredheated Italian marble chaise-lounges made in Europe, which can be ordered online and shipped to Canada.

Both can be customized and outfitted with additional “bells and whistles” like padded benches and stylized lighting in the cabin variety, or plugs for laptops and iPhones in the chaise-lounges. Of course, while the latter are perfect for small spaces and can imbue your home with elegance, they do require deep pockets and can only be used by one family member at a time.

If you’re not quite ready to make the “installation commitment,” but would like to reap some of the health benefits associated with infrared saunas, fear not — many local spots boast infrared therapy as part of their treatment menu.

Here are a few spots around town: Le Spa Sereine, Acacia Integrative Health, Atlas Health Therapy, Diversified Health Clinic, Quadra Sport and Fitness.

“Clearly, these are not your grandmother’s saunas — the technology is vastly different.”

christopherdevelopments.com 108

FINE CUSTOM HOMES

A

D

L OTS SO L T N I O

ET P

SUNS F O % 0

5

A SEASIDE VILLAGE BASED ON HUMAN HAPPINESS

Spirit Bay is a new community where every planning and design decision has been based on what maximizes human happiness.

Woven into the oceanside landscape on the south coast of Vancouver Island is a vibrant, close-knit, sustainable community - Spirit Bay. Come explore this beautiful place, where the community works in harmony with the natural environment, where every building, road and pathway promotes human interaction, and where the site provides unprecedented access to the ocean.

Come and experience Happiness by Design!

To find out more Norma Butterfield 250.516.9004

Cathie Jeffrey 250.857.2283

Walter Van Norden 604.417.3908

info@spiritbay.ca or visit us in Metchosin at 4901 East Sooke Road. spiritbay.ca

Seaside Village Homes

1

14

COLWOOD

VICTORIA 14

Ro ad

METCHOSIN e ok

o East S

Spirit Bay

SALISH SEA

N

from the

$370’s to $1 Million +

{35 minutes from Victoria}

SHOW HOMES OPEN Thursday to Monday 12 - 4 PM

TRAVEL NEAR

The beach that beckons A summertime escape to the sun and sand in Parksville

by SUSAN LUNDY

W

ith the first step onto the warm sand at Rathtrevor Beach — breathing in the mingled scent of ocean air, seaweed and salt water — it all comes rushing back.

I recall buckets and shovels and splashing through tide pools on this very beach as a child. Then I remember those magical, languid sunny days on the same stretch of sand as a young

110

mother — with sandy, little fingers clutching my hands, pulling me here and there — watching handstands and cartwheels, and wading and swimming in the surprisingly warm water.

It’s actually the same beach where my mother and father walked hand-in-hand as a young couple and close to where my grandparents set up camp in neighbouring Qualicum to access this beautiful shoreline in an area now known as Oceanside.

Catering, picnic baskets, & gourmet cuisine

Summer picnic baskets for the perfect al fresco lunch Gourmet catering for breakfast, lunch, dinner and more!

Delicious deli items available fresh in-store every day

250.595.3212 cherylsgourmetpantry.com info@cherylsgourmetpantry.com 2007 Cadboro Bay Road Client: HELIJET / Size: 3.5” x 4.75” / CMYK / Boulevard Mag.

WE’VE GOT THE ISLAND COVERED Spectacular, scenic, scheduled helicopter flights from Victoria and Nanaimo to Vancouver + Kids Fly Free!*

Rathtrevor Beach at Parksville. * Terms and conditions apply

Located just two hours from Victoria, the region beckons as the perfect spot for an easy summertime beach escape. So we planned a mid-week, three-night stay, packed up a cooler, our swimsuits, beach towels and a couple of thick novels, hopped in the truck and headed up the island highway.

Arriving just before dusk on our first night, we checked into a newly renovated, ocean view room — just a staircase from the

helijet.com | 1.800.665.4354 | @helijet | helijet 111

The Beach Club Resort in Parksville is located just steps away from the beach.

bod y scul pting + healt h rejuvenation

Introductory Rate

$59.99

(* per zone)

www.lumisenz.com Mattick’s Farm 250.888.7294 View Royal 250.588.7488

FUSION OF SCIENCE + BEAUTY

natural, organic beauty, inside and out!

STAY A N D E N J OY Q UA L I C U M B E AC H

GUEST ROOMS • CONFERENCE ROOMS CVIEW RESTAURANT • PATIO WITH OCEAN VIEWS

2690 Island Highway West Qualicum Beach, BC V9K 1G8 To l l - F r e e : 1 . 8 0 0 . 6 6 1 . 0 1 9 9 www.qualicumbeachinn.com

112

beach — in the Ballenas Building at Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort and immediately faced a pressing question. Where to drink our Prosecco? Outside on the deck overlooking the stunning beach view? Inside in the two-person soaker Jacuzzi tub? Or on the cozy-looking couch, perhaps watching a replay of the Jays game?

We chose to sit outside on the deck on this clear warm evening, sipping the wine and watching the play of colours — pinks, purples and a touch of gold — on the ocean as it ebbed and flowed back and forth over the sand. Eventually, the sun dipped below the horizon in a rich orange blaze, perfectly framed like a Roy Henry Vickers painting.

The next morning, I sipped my morning coffee in the tub, taking in the “contemporary rustic” room, which, at 700-square feet, was spacious and roomy with all the kitchen essentials, king bed, and beautiful bathroom, and nicely furnished in liveedge wood tables and chairs — all made in nearby Duncan.

The rest of the day was all “beach” and Tigh-Na-Mara helped out there too. With three kilometres of sand and surf at the resort’s doorstep and a tide that recedes almost to the horizon, it was a perfect spot for a morning saunter along the water’s edge. Later, we picked up a “Picnic by the Sea” basket (prepared by the topnotch Cedars restaurant), found ourselves a shady spot on the sand and opened our box of treasures. In addition to the quintessential red-checkered tablecloth, there were white linen napkins, glassware, plate ware, cutlery and then … the food: a divine mix of local cheeses and Italian cured meats, smoked salmon, crackers, French bread, olives, apple jalapeno jelly, apples, grapes and, to top it off, a bottle of choice bubbly.

We’ve got the locals smiling.

Adding to the sense we’d just landed in heaven, the soft sounds of a pan flute murmured somewhere nearby and an eagle dipped and dived over the sea in front of us.

Fully satiated, we headed to our next stop — this at the north side of Parksville — and checked into a jawdropping, one-bedroom, twobathroom suite at the Beach Club Resort. Situated on the Visit us at 823 Broughton St fourth floor of the oceanside resort, the suite offered or UrbanSmilesVictoria.com stunning views over the beach below us, mountains in the distance, evening sunset to the west and morning sunrise. The suite itself was spectacular with all the comforts and amenities of home, and I briefly imagined us selling our house and moving in.

The Parksville Beach Boardwalk, which passed right beneath our balcony, beckoned, so we walked its length, winding along the shoreline, past the bustling Parksville Community Park, Lion’s Venture Land Playground and Water Spray Park, and all the way to a painted labyrinth at the far end.

Eventually, the sun dipped below the horizon in a rich orange blaze, perfectly framed like a Roy Henry Vickers painting.

OUR BOOK Y APPT. L DENTA DAY! TO 6 1.987 250.38

Visit us at 823 Broughton St or UrbanSmilesVictoria.com

Visit us at 823 Broughton St or UrbanSmilesVictoria.com

113

Guests at Tigh-Na-Mara can enhance their beach experience with a gourmet picnic basket prepared by Cedars Restaurant.

new look

BEFORE

THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE WAY TO IMPROVE CURB APPEAL

NOW

ALUMINUM 路 VINYL 路 STUCCO 路 BRICK 路 HARDIE BOARD

250.900.6606 VANCOUVER ISLAND

114

This is the site of the Parksville Beach Festival and its premiere event, the Quality Foods Canadian Open Sand Sculpting Competition, which took place in mid-July, but is open for viewing until August 21. Each July, master sand sculptors have 30 hours over four days to create works of art using nothing but sand, water and a few gardening tools, competing for a share of the $43,000 prize purse. The festival also includes a free outdoor summer concert series, Friday and Saturday nights.

Parksville and the entire Oceanside region are also becoming known for their outdoor summer markets — a nice inland sideshow to any beach holiday. Parksville’s Tuesday evening Summer by The Sea Street Market features 140 artisans from all over Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, food trucks and entertainment.

Just up the highway, the year-round Qualicum Beach Farmers’ Market runs Saturday mornings with vendors who make, bake or grow all of the products they sell. There is also a market in neighbouring Errington, selling local produce, baked goods and local arts and crafts in a woodsy setting. It runs through the summer on Saturday mornings, starting at 10 o’clock.

The region also boasts several seafaring adventure tours, including kayak tours by Wet and Wild: Adventuress Sea Kayaking, which, among its offerings, has a four-hour tour to nearby islands that includes a stop on the beach for a picnic.

Then there’s Pacific Rainforest Adventure Tours, which offers a Beach Treasures Tour, checking out Parksville and Qualicum Beach treasures as it explores beaches, forests, artisans, Coombs Market and waterfalls.

And back at the Beach Club, there are bikes available to rent as well as paddle boards.

But we chose to cling to the shoreline and after our stroll along the boardwalk, enjoyed a beach-holiday-appropriate Corona on the resort’s oceanside patio, followed by an exquisite dinner at the Pacific Prime Restaurant and Lounge. Although the restaurant is renowned for its steak, we feasted on “quattro of seafoods” (including pan-seared halibut, sockeye salmon, scallop and prawn jasmine rice, julienne vegetables, and saffron chardonnay fish velouté) and the equally seafood rich “west coast salmon cobb salad.” Dessert, wine … utterly divine.

The restaurant’s beachfront location is unique in Parksville and, in addition to the fabulous food, provides an ever-changing mosaic of beach viewing.

Because our suite was so spectacular, we ordered dinner from the room service menu on our second night (roasted vegetable, quinoa hemp seed salad for her; deluxe burger for him), setting up the table on the balcony, drinking in the sunset and watching the tide roll in over the sand.

The cascade of colours mesmerized us as the scene slowly shifted from soft pastel blues, stretching into the horizon, to deeper, darker and more defined distant shapes. Then came the sharp blast of yellows and reds, while the ocean below transformed into inky black shapes on blue. Somehow the view morphed from realism to abstract as we watched.

A soft cool wind gently reminded us that night had fallen, and the beach sounds — muffled by the expanse of water — subsided. Beneath us, the waves continued to lap the shoreline, just as it has done for all those generations of my family.

Heading home the next day, we carried with us the beauty of the beach and more items to add to a cache of memories.

Gorgeous Handmade Silver Copper Jewellery

&

CERAMIC TILE & NATURAL STONE

Necklaces • Bracelets • Earrings

CERAMIC TILE & NATURAL STONE CERAMIC TILE & NATURAL STONE

Cleopatra Necklace inspired by the symmetry of moon, sun and stars. Layers of fine silver natural impressions hand drawn silver pieces.

Victoria, BC

MAYFAIR MALL MAYFAIR MALL

FINLAYSON FINLAYSON

TOLME TOLME

BLANSHARD BLANSHARD DOUGLAS DOUGLAS

we are here

RETAIL SALES & INSTALLATION SHOWROOM: 3205 QUADRA VICTORIA, BC

decoratile.com | 250.475.2033

BLANSHARD DOUGLAS

115

MAYFAIR MALL

FINLAYSON

3205 QUADRA TOLME

250.727.1232 for studio hours www.lindarajotte.com

decoratile.com | 250.475.2033 decoratile.com | 250.475.2033

3205 QUADRAwe are here 3205 QUADRA

CLOVERDALE

Silver Ocean Designs by Linda Rajotte

CLOVERDALE CLOVERDALE

we are here

RETAIL SALES & INSTALLATION RETAIL SALES &3205 INSTALLATION SHOWROOM: QUADRA VICTORIA, BC SHOWROOM: 3205 QUADRA VICTORIA, BC

Self Portrait, 1975 / reworked 1994, oil and ink on canvas, by Glenn Howarth.

116

front row  By robert moyes

GLENN HOWARTH, MASTER ARTIST

I

f there were an award for the inverse proportionality of an artist’s abilities to his or her nearcomplete lack of fame, Victoria’s Glenn Howarth would be a frontrunner. Howarth died in 2009 and the Legacy Maltwood Gallery at UVic’s McPherson Library is presenting The Averted Eye Sees, a well-deserved tribute to a uniquely humane and gifted artist.

Drawn from a trove of archival material that includes sketches, photos, journals, paintings and drawings, it offers insight into both the man and the artist.

“I think Glenn was an artist of compelling ability and profound intellect,” declares Robert Amos, a fellow artist and friend who had known Howarth since he was one of the key players in the Chinatown art scene in the late 1970s and into the ‘80s.

“I was in awe of the brilliance of his mind and the intensity of his artistic vision … his work has similarities to that of Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud.”

Aside from his great technical abilities as a painter, Howarth was obsessed with the actual processes of optics and the psychology of perception whereby our eyes and brain make sense of the world.

“I have very clear hallucinations,” he once quipped to Amos.

Indeed, his signature tondo canvases — arresting circular paintings, a style popularized in the Renaissance — contain certain enigmas of perspective that only hint at Howarth’s unique view of the world. Yet despite his towering intellect, Howarth was a kindly man who was a much-loved teacher famous for his insightful yet gentle critiques.

“This should be an intense and wonderful show,” predicts Amos.

extend your family time,

social time, and quiet time

Running until October 23 at the McPherson Library.

STANDING UP FOR COMEDY Victoria’s Mike Delamont got his start doing sketch comedy as a cast member of Atomic Vaudeville. He moved to Toronto in 2011 to pursue a bigger career in that field, but troupes like Second City gave him the cold shoulder. A friend suggested that he try standup instead — and let’s just say that friend has a real future in career counselling.

After four brief years, Delamont is now one of the fastestrising comics in Canada: last year his more than 100 performances yielded in excess of 50,000 tickets, in gigs ranging from nightclubs to Fringe Festivals to Just For Laughs.

He’s most famous for his award-winning — and truly hilarious — God Is A Scottish Drag Queen extravaganza, which Delamont performs about three-quarters of the time he’s on tour.

But he also does a standard standup show, where he

Custom made, weather resistant CommerCial & residential solutions for outdoor spaCes

PH. 250.361.4714 TF. 1.800.563.5558 2-2745 BRIDGE STREET, VICTORIA PACIFICROLLSHUTTERS.COM

117

specializes in long-form story telling with the jokes embedded in the arc of the story rather than being a spray of one-liners — think Eddie Izzard or Billy Connolly.

And that is what’s planned when he takes over the Royal Theatre early this August, a homecoming of sorts that is also being taped for release in a lot of smaller TV markets in the United States. It’s all part of nurturing a career in the cutthroat world of comedy. But whether he’s enduring an overlong tour or having to perform weird (but lucrative) corporate gigs, Delamont is very aware he leads a charmed life.

“Hey, I could have to dig ditches or work in a mine,” he admits with a grateful chuckle. “The fact I can make a living off of comedy is ridiculous.”

Performing August 5 at the Royal Theatre. For tickets, call 250-386-6121.

“We have stipulated that 80 per cent of the wines be ‘value’ and sell for $25 or less,” says Bain, who predicts that anyone who samples widely will find new affordable favourites.

“And to help raise the understanding of novice and middlelevel wine drinkers, there will be sommeliers at the event to answer questions and make people feel more confident,” he adds, certain that consumers will walk away with the tools to make more informed wine purchases.

Although 40 per cent of the wines won’t be available in BC, an onsite pop-up store means that if you fall in love with a new Zinfandel you can take a couple of bottles home with you.

Ironically, Bain, a longtime event marketer, only got serious about wine after starting this festival.

“I used to have a personal cellar of only two to three bottles,” he chuckles. “Now it’s over a hundred.”

Running September 23-24 at the Parkside Hotel, 810

SPLENDOUR IN THE GLASS

Humboldt. For information, see Victoria Wine Festival.

Over 1,000 people are expected to attend the Victoria International Wine Festival, the third annual event for those who love their Pinots and Cabernets (or maybe just want to find out what all the buzz is about).

“We will be pouring nearly 400 wines,” says event director Dave Bain. “Our vendors have large portfolios and there will be lots of interesting wines to choose from.”

Two evening tastings are planned, as well as a smaller afternoon tasting and several specialized daytime seminars. But it’s the evening tastings that attract the crowds, with 42 tables showcasing tasty product from all the major wine-producing countries.

THEATRE ON THE FRINGE With 20,000 attendees expected, and 52 acts scheduled at 11 venues, the Fringe Festival is anything but fringe when it comes to the Victoria cultural scene. Not bad for something that started three decades ago with just a handful of shows presented over a weekend.

One of the oldest Fringes in Canada, this 12-day extravaganza features promising performers from all across the continent as well as many farther-flung companies from Australia and Britain.

So, how best to tackle this smorgasbord of drama, comedy, magic, modern dance, puppetry and more?

A Pet Care Centre with the best spa in town

September 24, 2016, 7-11 pm The Union Club of BC, 805 Gordon St.

Get ready Victoria! ART + FARE 2 is a celebration of all things local – food, drink, music and art – all in support of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV)

A Pet Care Centre with the best spa in town

Proceeds go to AGGV’s Children and Family educational programming & the conservation and preservation of its collection.

Tickets are available at AGGV In person, phone, online 1040 Moss St., Victoria (250) 384-4171 aggv.ca

118

• Comfortable, clean & healthy fresh air environment • Quality, nutritious foods • Exercise yards up to one quarter acre • Feline “Cuddle Time” • K-9 Playschool course • Recommended by Veterinarians • Full grooming services available

$125 per person

$25 tax receipt if requested

$1500 Patron Ticket 4 event tickets Access to AGGV benefits & $1000 tax receipt

A Full Service Pet Care Facility

250-652-2301 • puppylove.ca • email: info@puppylove.ca 2918 Lamont Road, Saanichton Just minutes from Victoria Airport & BC Ferries Terminal Like us on Facebook!

The Victoria International Wine Festival runs September 23-24.

Helping you make better investment decisions.

Work with an Investment Advisor who listens, understands and offers clear solutions.

Contact me today.

Dwayne Dyson, B.Sc. Econ, FCSI Vice President, Wealth Advisor Branch Manager, Victoria and Vancouver Island Tel: 250-361-2413 dwayne.dyson@nbpcd.com

BMO Wealth Management is the brand name for a business group consisting of Bank of Montreal and certain of its affiliates, including BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., in providing wealth management products and services. ® “BMO (M-bar roundel symbol)” is a registered trade-mark of Bank of Montreal, used under licence. ® “Nesbitt Burns” is a registered trade-mark of BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of Montreal. If you are already a client of BMO Nesbitt Burns, please contact your Investment Advisor for more information.

BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. is a Member - Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada.

119

“Do your research, and especially come to preview night at Centennial Square,” advises Katt Campbell, this year’s guest producer. “Everyone who’s available gets two minutes to promote their performance, and I expect that about 40 shows will be represented.”

There are lots of popular returnees this year, including poetranter Jem Rolls, poet-turned-raconteur Rob Gee, and the dazzlingly skillful Vancouver magician Travis Bernhardt. Cultish Aussie fave Trent Baumann is also back, but he’s caging his “Birdmann” persona in favour of something new. Plus there’s lots of buzz around RibbitRePublic’s hilarious Best Picture, a lampooning of Hollywood consisting of short scenes from every Best Picture Oscar winner.

“And don’t miss the pop-up museum celebrating the 30 years of our Fringe,” adds Campbell. “It’s an archive of posters, buttons, press articles and so on, but it will also be interactive and experiential.”

“Hey, it’s the Fringe … it’s supposed to be innovative.”

It’s your little secret. Balance shapers from Amoena® slip into your bra to help restore your silhouette after a lumpectomy, reconstruction or if you’re naturally uneven.

Available at

Suite 210-2250, Oak Bay Ave. 250.384.1791

Dynamic performance? Or a luxurious ride? With the new Jaguar XJ’s advanced Adaptive Dynamics you toria, V8Z 3L4don’t have to choose. Ultimately, the new Jaguar XJ delivers a rare combination of sports car-like handling and extraordinary comfort.

ager

Call or visit to find out more:

Jaguar Victoria Jaguar Victoria

3351 Douglas Street, Victoria 3351 Douglas Street, Victoria, V8Z 3L4 250 475 3315 250-475-3315 www.jlrvictoria..com www.jlrvictoria.com

THE ART OF PERFORMANCE Contact Ruben Little, General Sales Manager | Dealer #30479 Contact: Ruben Little - General Sales Manager

120

BOOK YOUR 24-HOUR TEST DRIVE TODAY

Running from August 24 to September 4 at multiple venues. For information, see Victoria Fringe 2016.

ROLLING OUT THE ‘RIBBERS’ Part foodie extravaganza, part musicpalooza — and part travelling carnival — the Esquimalt Ribfest is full-on family fun that has no equal on Vancouver Island.

Now entering its fourth season, Ribfest was inspired by similar events that got their start in Ontario. At its heart are 20-person teams of “ribbers” who travel on a circuit and haul giant smokers that can cook 200 racks of ribs at a time (as well as chicken, brisket and pulled pork).

Esquimalt will feature six such teams, all engaging in a friendly competition while dishing up literally thousands and thousands of lunches and dinners to hungry partiers. Although heaping plates of sauce-slathered barbecue are the main draw, the music menu is equally impressive. By tradition, Beatles tribute band The Sutcliffes own the joint on Friday night.

“They get the place going crazy,” beams Thomas Woods, committee chair for this calorie-rich event.

But there’s music going day and night, about 20 bands in all, performing everything from blues to vintage rock ‘n’ roll.

And notwithstanding the ocean of beer by premium local producers such as Driftwood, Hoyne and Lighthouse, this is very much a family-focused event that includes a “kid zone” featuring a bouncy castle and bubble soccer.

Best of all this is a free event, a charity fundraiser whose goal is an all-season playing field for Esquimalt High.

“There’s a big donation bin at the gate,” says Woods. “On the way out people are so happy they chuck in $10s and $20s. We made $40,000 last year!”

Running from September 9-11 at Bullen Park, behind the Esquimalt Plaza on Lyall Street.

BAROQUE BEAUTY The Early Music Society of the Islands continues to go from strength to strength, especially when it combines forces with nearby early music groups for the large-scale Northwest Pacific Baroque Masterworks projects.

Such is the case with Handel and his Rivals, which is a

Up To

F F O 50% S E M A R ALL F

*

SS

D SALE EN

16

R 3, 20 E B M E T EP

AnythingButOrdinary.ca

*with complete pair purchase

OAK BAY VILLAGE - 250.595.2773 / BROADMEAD VILLAGE - 250.881.8252

OAKBAY BAYVILLAGE VILLAGE -- 250.595.2773 BROADMEADVILLAGE VILLAGE -- 250.881.8252 250.881.8252 OAK 250.595.2773 // BROADMEAD

121

UCLUELET • BRITISH COLUMBIA

100%

AMAZING

Escape to Black Rock Oceanfront Resort, a magical location on British Columbia’s wild west coast

1-877-762-5011 • blackrockresort.com

Unique pots, plants & garden assessories

South of Duncan on the Trans Canada Hwy

oldfarmgarden.ca

122

Amanda Forsythe in Handel and his Rivals.

celebration of Baroque operatic virtuosity — and a showcase for emerging superstar Amanda Forsythe, an American lyric soprano possessed of jaw-dropping technical ability.

“She’s amazing,” says EMSI artistic director James Young.

“She has the most astounding technique of any American singer, maybe ever, and is already the most in-demand early music soprano in North America.”

She’ll be sharing the stage with about 30 musicians from Vancouver’s Juno-nominated Pacific Baroque Orchestra, one of Canada’s most acclaimed Baroque ensembles.

The idea of the show is to counterpoint the compositions of Handel with those of his lesser-known younger rivals such as Nicola Porpora and Johann Hasse.

“There’s an absolutely astounding amount of fabulous operatic music from the 18th century that nobody was listening to until about five years ago,” explains Young, who adds that much of this music was extremely virtuosic and showy, having been composed expressly for the superstar singers of the day.

“And Amanda is one of the few singers who has the chops to do justice to it.”

About a third of the Rivals program will consist of orchestral works, with the rest comprising opera repertoire highlighting the beauty and quicksilver agility of Forsythe’s remarkable voice.

“This is Amanda’s debut here … and likely her last appearance,” notes Young. “It’s an opportunity to hear something truly special.”

Appearing September 17 at Christ Church Cathedral. For tickets, call 250-386-6121.

More than just windows…

enerheatrenos.com • 250 382 1224 Serving the iSland for 38 yearS

Quality WindoWS

Superior renovationS

Free eStimateS

secrets AND LIVES

can-do spirit Angela Coté thrives on business, charity and motherhood

By SUSAN LUNDY PHOTOS BY LIA CROWE

1 24

W

aiting in The Atrium building for Angela Coté, I’m expecting a blond whirlwind to blow through the doors. She’s recently launched a new business, does tons of volunteer work and is raising two children — she must be a bundle of raw energy.

Sure enough, as we settle in at a sun-dappled table, Coté exudes vitality. But she’s also thoughtful, articulate and self-aware.

“Everything is figure-out-able,” she says. “If you really want something to happen, it might require a little modification but there’s almost always a way. I love being around people with a can-do attitude.”

“Can-do” is an apt description for Coté. During her first 18 months in Victoria, she and her husband Shawn Coté opened three of her family’s M&M Meat Shop franchises, almost doubling projections for the first store and going on to set national sales records. Over the next decade and a half, she’s volunteered tirelessly for various charities, reinvented herself as a franchise specialist and, along with Shawn, is raising 13-year-old Brodie and 11-year-old Lily.

But what has really enriched her life, she says, was an opportunity presented by her philanthropic father, who, upon selling M&M Meat Shops in 2014, offered Coté $350,000 to hand out in small increments to Victoria charities.

“It was an amazing opportunity,” she says.

“Right away I knew I wanted to research organizations that address homelessness. Living in James Bay and working downtown, it’s something I see a lot of.”

She met community leaders, non-profit executive directors and other philanthropists.

“I asked a lot of questions and attended events to learn about the amazing things being done in our community. And of course, it was really fun to be able to say, ‘I am going to give you $10,000.’ I always followed up with a chuckle, saying ‘…of my dad’s money.’ It was a true privilege and honour.”

Donations to two charities particularly moved her, she says.

The immediacy of services offered by the Umbrella Society really impressed her, as people in need can text the organization for help and receive it right away. And donating to the Bateman Foundation’s nature education program also touched her, especially when her son’s school class happened to be the first group to benefit from it.

“Anything that had people matching funding was also exciting,” she recalls, “and of course I tried to keep my dad in mind as I made the decisions.”

Her father, Mac Voisin, founded M&M Meat Shops in 1980, eventually expanding it to 470 stores across the country.

“Growing the business was a grassroots family affair,” she recalls.

“If you really want something to happen, it might require a little modification but there’s almost always a way.”

PARTNERS IN DINE PARTNERS IN DINE.

PARTNERS IN DINE.

The O Bistro at the Oswego offers a unique and dynamic Coast dining experience u any other. Enjoy exquisite ingredients for intimate din with friends and loc The O Bistro at thechillout Oswego Hotel in the lounge The O Bistro at the Oswego Hotel offers a unique and dynamic Weston Wednesd

PARTNERS PARTNERSIN INDINE. DINE. PARTNERS TheIN DINE. O Bistro at the Oswego Hotel

offers a unique and dynamic West dining unlike TheCoast O Bistro at theexperience Oswego Hotel dining experience unlike anyaCoast other. exquisite local offers unique Enjoy and dynamic West any other. Enjoy exquisite local Coast dining experience unlike ingredients for intimate dining or ingredients for intimate dining or any other.

Enjoy exquisite chillout with friends andlocal local jazz chilloutforwith friends and or local jazz ingredients intimate dining in the lounge on on Wednesdays. in the lounge Wednesdays. chillout with friends and local jazz in the lounge on Wednesdays.

offers a unique and dynamic West Coast dining experience unlike any other. Enjoy exquisite local The O Bistro at the Oswego Hotelingredients offers a for intimate dining or unique French500 Modern dining experience Oswego Street | Victoria, BC | T:250.294.7500 | 1.877.767.93 reservations@oswegovictoria.com oswegovictoria.com unlike any other. Enjoy Chef Koohtow’s chillout with friends and| local jazz locally inspired dishes for intimate dining or chilling out with friends. the lounge onINDIVIDUAL. Wednesdays.

CHIC.inURBAN. IN THE HEART OF VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA

500 Oswego Street | Victoria, BC | T:250.294.7500 | 1.877.767.9346 500 Oswego Oswego Street Street || Victoria, Victoria, BC | | T:250-940-7500 T:250.294.7500 | | 1-855-737-2685 1.877.767.9346 500 reservations@oswegovictoria.com | oswegovictoria.com 500 Oswego Street | Victoria,BC BC | T:250.294.7500 | 1.877.767.9346 JOB #16487 reservations@oswegovictoria.com | oswegovictoria.com reservations@oswegovictoria.com | oswegovictoria.com reservations@oswegovictoria.com | oswegohotelvictoria.com

CLIENT: THE O BISTRO PUBLICATION: TBD INSERTION DATE: TBD IN THE HEART OF VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA SIZE: 4.75” X 4.81” THEHEART HEART OF OF VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA ININ THE VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA PREPARED BY: ECLIPSE CREATIVE INC. @ 250-382-1103

CHIC. URBAN. INDIVIDUAL.

CHIC. INDIVIDUAL. CHIC.URBAN. URBAN. INDIVIDUAL.

JOB #16487 JOB #16487 CLIENT: THE O BISTRO JOB #16487 CLIENT: PUBLICATION: THE O BISTRO TBD CLIENT: THE O BISTRO PUBLICATION: TBD INSERTION DATE: TBD PUBLICATION: TBD INSERTION DATE: TBD SIZE: 4.75” X 4.81” INSERTION DATE: TBD INC. @ 250-382-1103 SIZE: 4.75” X 4.81” PREPARED BY: ECLIPSE CREATIVE SIZE:CREATIVE 4.75” X 4.81” PREPARED BY: ECLIPSE INC. @ 250-382-1103

A HAND-CRAFTED

PREPARED BY: ECLIPSE CREATIVE INC. @ 250-382-1103

cake

& FAMOUSLY BEAUTIFUL

500 Oswego Street | Victoria, BC | T:250.294.7500 | 1.877.767.9346 reservations@oswegovictoria.com | oswegovictoria.com MAKES ANY OCCASION FEEL

MORE JOYFUL. CHIC. URBAN. INDIVIDUAL.

IN THE HEART OF VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA

JOB #16487 CLIENT: THE O BISTRO PUBLICATION: TBD INSERTION DATE: TBD SIZE: 4.75” X 4.81” PREPARED BY: ECLIPSE CREATIVE INC. @ 250-382-1103 www.cakesetc.ca 250.360.2396 2821 Quesnel Street

125

The family travelled in an RV to various grand openings, meeting up with aunts, uncles and cousins. She and her brother often dressed in costumes — “things like Sammy Steak and Kelly Kabob,” she laughs — to wave at passing cars, something common today but cutting edge back then.

“I didn’t realize how much learning was going on at those events,” she says, but she continues to draw the experiences.

Entering business administration at Wilfrid Laurier University, Coté fully expected to land on a corporate path — perhaps even take over the family business.

But while her peers headed to Toronto for summer work, she wanted to do something “exciting and unique.” She accepted a co-op position in Vancouver and fell in love with the West Coast — and her husband to be.

“Everyone said I would meet a guy and want to stay out west, which I fervently denied, but sure enough within two weeks of being in Vancouver I met my future husband.”

By the late 1990s, she was working across Western Canada, opening M&M Meats Shops, training new franchisees and providing ongoing support as a field consultant.

“In late 2000, I made the decision to move to Victoria to get the chain up and running on the Island, switching from the corporate franchisor side to becoming a franchisee,” she recalls.

“Our first store took off — projections were for about $800,000

if we did everything right, and we ended up doubling that in our first year.”

Although Shawn had worked as a customs broker in the trade show industry, the couple decided it made more sense for him to work with Coté in the stores, which he still runs today.

“Dad instilled in me this sense that I would have to work twice as hard … that as the boss’s daughter, people were watching me,” she says. “There was no special treatment as a family member when I opened the franchises.”

Philanthropy is another trait she inherited from her father as well as her mother, Karin Voisin, who is very community oriented and worked as a fundraiser. Under the Voisins, M&M Meat Shops’ corporate charity was the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada — not because a family member was afflicted, but because back in the 1980s, it supported “closet diseases.”

“We wanted to help a charity that really needed exposure and awareness,” Coté says.

“Over the years, the company raised over $26 million for the CCFC.” Coté’s charity work in Victoria has been extensive, but one stands out, and she currently dedicates much of her time — working alongside her daughter — to supporting 100 Girls.

“About a year ago, a friend encouraged me to check out the local chapter of 100 Women Who Care,” Coté says, noting that members meet and donate $100 each to various charities four

“Dad instilled in me this sense that I would have to work twice as hard … that as the boss’s daughter, people were watching me.”

Available in Black and Cobalt

126

Lily Coté with her mom, Angela Coté.

Need a better sleep?

We’ve got you covered Organic Natural Latex Mattresses starting at $1699 in Queen

HOME DECOR

115 Kenneth St. Duncan BC 250 746 9809 www.embellishhome.ca 127

times a year. “When I came home and told Lily about it, she said, ‘Why can’t we do girls?’”

Since most girls can’t give away $100, Lily and her friend Ella Stanger came up with a plan for members to donate $1 to $10. The girls, between eight and 13 years old, meet three times a year and have so far given over $1,200 to three local charities.

Their goal is to get 100 girls to one meeting (the next is in October).

“It’s so neat to see the girls inspiring other girls to get involved in philanthropy,” Coté says. “They’re learning about local causes in the community and that by coming together, they are stronger and can have a greater impact.”

But amid Coté’s busy life a few years ago, she found herself “getting restless and ready for a new challenge.”

She hired a professional coach —“best money I ever spent” — and after about 18 months of soul searching and exploring different avenues, she realized she had a unique skill set in franchise development.

“It became apparent that other than franchise lawyers, there aren’t many franchise specialists on the island.”

Calling herself a “franchise and business growth specialist,” she works with business owners who want to explore franchising

as a growth strategy, as well as established franchisors, who need help operationally.

“I am selective about who I work with,” she adds. “I love to work with progressive, open-minded local business owners who are prepared to listen and learn. If you ask my father what he did right in the early days of M&M Meat Shops, one thing he would say is he understood the importance of soliciting help from the experts — and really listening.”

All the networking she did while distributing her dad’s money has also helped build her business.

And although the two of us chat about myriad things sitting at that brightly lit table in The Atrium, she keeps coming back to this experience, something that was most assuredly a life-changing event.

“It was an amazing opportunity to be able to learn more about such amazing people in our community, many of them volunteers, many of them settling for less pay but a greater sense of purpose.”

She adds: “It was inspiring and enriching … and now I’m more inspired to be successful so I can give away my own money.”

It’s an appropriate comment from this “can-do” bundle of energy.

“It was an amazing experience to be able to learn more about such amazing people in our community, many of them volunteers, many of them settling for less pay but a greater sense of purpose.”

A Spe

cial to be Great n er Housin V gS

A SPECIAL EVENING

featuring a sumptuous array of tastings Fine scotch, cognac and wines Premium cigars • Craft beerA S• Local cider pecia l Ev Exquisite chocolates from around the world to ben ening efit t Great Plus... Delectable hors d’oeuvres er Vic he toria Houand Luxury-inspired silent auction singraffle Featuri Societ ng a s y umptu ous arr All to benefit Fthe ay of ine sc ta o

stin

tch, c

gs ognac Premiu , wines Craft m c ocola ig bee ars tes fro m aro r, local cide und th r Delec e Luxury w orld tab -inspir ed Sile le hors’ d’o eu nt Auc tion & vres Saturd Raffle ay, S •

Exquis

Featur

ing a

uou Fine sc s array o otch, cogn Exquis Premiu ite ch Cra ocola tes fro ft beer, loc m aro und th Delec Luxury t a ble ho -inspir rs’ ed Sile nt Auc d’o tion & Saturd

r2

6- 9PM

Victori 4, 201 a1110 6 Victoria Golf Club, Golf CBeach Drive 6– lub Presented by

Tickets ft roftaste aste2016.e ventb $175 @grea AMatterofTaste@greatervichousing.org rite tervic housin .ca g.org

matte

Presented by Gautam Arora of

Presented by Arora of Scott Garmanofof Paul BarronGautam Scott&&Mike Mike Garman of

Platinum Sponsor

128

Paul Barron of

a Golf

ptemb

Club,1

er 24, 6–9

110 Be www.a ach D m amatt atteroftast e2016 Tickets $ erofta .e ste@g reaterv ventbrite ichou sing.o

9 ,1110 www.a Beach pm matte $175 Driof Gautam AroraaofTickets Scott & Mike Garman ve Paul Barron of ro

www.AMatterofTaste2016.eventbrite.ca

ay, Se

Victori

ite ch

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER epte24 mbe

sumpt

STUDIO ACTIVATE STUDIO ACTIVATE™™™ ® ® ®

GERM-FREE GERM-FREE NO-TOUCH NO-TOUCH FLUSH FLUSH GERM-FREE NO-TOUCH FLUSH YOU CAN CAN RELY ON ON EVERY TIME TIME YOU YOU CAN RELY RELY ON EVERY EVERY TIME STUDIO® ACTIVATE™ The new Studio ActiVate is available as either a The new Studio ActiVate is as a The new Studio ActiVateor is available available as either either Right Height® elongated Right Height rounda Right Height® or Height round Right configuration.

Height® elongated elongated or Right Rightsided, Height round front The smooth high front The smooth sided, high front configuration. configuration.

The the smooth efficiency toilets obtain best sided, 1,000 high g MaP efficiency toilets toilets obtain obtain the the best best 1,000 1,000 g g MaP MaP efficiency flush score* and include a slow close, telescoping flush score* score* and and include include a a slow slow close, close, telescoping telescoping flush seat surface at no extra cost.a Theand newEverClean Studio ActiVate is available as either seat and EverClean surface at no no extra extra cost. seat and EverClean surface at cost.

GERM-FREE NO-TOUCH FLUSH YOU CAN RELY ON EVERY TIME

MODEL PRODUCT DESCRIPTION MODEL PRODUCT DESCRIPTION MODEL PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 2794.119 RH EL Studio Activate Combo With Seat 2794.119 RH EL Studio Activate Combo With Seat 2794.119 RH EL Studio Activate Combo With Seat 3075.120 RH EL Studio Bowl With Seat 3075.120 RH EL Studio Bowl With Seat 3075.120 RH EL Studio Bowl With Seat 2795.119 RH RF Studio Activate Combo With Seat 2795.119 RH RF Studio Activate Combo With Seat 2795.119 RH RF Studio Activate Combo With Seat 3053.120 RH RF Studio Bowl With Seat 3053.120 RH RF Studio Bowl With Seat MODEL PRODUCT 3053.120 RH DESCRIPTION RF Studio Bowl With Seat 4000.119 Studio Activate HET Tank 4000.119 StudioActivate Activate HET With Tank 2794.119 RH EL Studio Combo 4000.119 Studio Activate HET TankSeat 5218.210 Telescoping Elongated Seat 5218.210 Telescoping Elongated Seat 3075.120 RH EL Studio Bowl With Seat 5218.210 Telescoping Elongated Seat 5121.210 Telescoping Round Front Seat 2795.119 RH RF Studio ActivateRound ComboFront With Seat 5121.210 Telescoping Seat 5121.210 Telescoping Round Front Seat

STUDIO® ACTIVATE™ Right Height® elongated or Right Height round front configuration. The smooth sided, high EverClean® efficiency toilets obtain the best 1,000 g MaPSurface EverClean® Surface Surface flush score* and include a slowEverClean® close, telescoping Includes antimicrobial Ordinary EverClean seat and EverClean surface at Includes no extraantimicrobial cost.

Includes antimicrobial Ordinary EverClean properties that inhibit the Ordinary Surface EverClean Surface properties that the properties that inhibit inhibit the Surface Surface growth of stain and odor Surface Surface growth of stain odor growth of stain and and odor causing bacteria, mold and causing bacteria, mold EverClean® Surface causing on bacteria, mold and and mildew the surface. mildew on the surface.

Includes antimicrobial mildew on the surface.

Ordinary EverClean

3053.120

RH RF Studio Bowl With Seat

CHINAWARE

Germ-Free No Touch Flush Surface

Surface

properties that inhibit the growth of stain and odor causing bacteria, mold and

CHINAWARE 4000.119 COLORStudio Activate HET Tank CHINAWARE COLOR 020 WHITE COLORTelescoping020 5218.210 Elongated WHITE Seat 020 WHITE 5121.210

Telescoping Round Front Seat

CHINAWARE COLOR

020 WHITE

Smart Sensor, No-Touch mildewTechnology on the surface.

Smart Smart Sensor, Sensor, No-Touch No-Touch Technology Technology Simple hand-wave flush Simple hand-wave flush Simple flush Our smarthand-wave sensor ensures smart ensures Smart Sensor,Our No-Touch Technology Our smart sensor sensor ensures consistent optimal

Simple hand-wave flush

consistent optimal optimal consistent performance and prevents

performance and prevents prevents Simple hand-wave performance and unintentional flushes. flush

unintentional flushes.

Our smart sensor ensures unintentional flushes. consistent optimal performance prevents Two year and battery life† Two life† unintentional flushes.

Two year year battery battery life†

Two year battery life

Powered by 4 AA batteries Powered by 4 batteries Powered 4 AA AA batteries (included)by and features a (included) and features a

(with low battery indicator)

(included) features Two year and battery life†a low battery indicator. low battery indicator.

low Powered by 4indicator.

AA †Basedbattery on a average of 12batteries flushes per day. †Based on a average of 12 flushes per day. (included) and features †Based on a average of 12 flushesaper day. low battery indicator.

Convenient, manual Convenient, manual manual Convenient, flush option flush option

†Based on a average of 12 flushes per day.

Convenient, manual flush option

flush Buttonoption is conveniently Convenient, manual Button is is conveniently conveniently Button located on the sensor to flush option located on the sensor to

located the if sensor to manually flush needed.

Button ison conveniently manually flush flush if if needed. needed. manually located on the sensor to manually flush if needed.

Power-off mode for Power-off mode mode for for Power-off easy cleaning

Power-off mode for easy cleaning

easy cleaning cleaning Power-off mode for easy Easy one-step deactivation easy cleaningdeactivation Easy one-step Easy one-step deactivation of sensor avoids unwanted

Easy one-step deactivation of sensor sensor avoids unwanted of avoids unwanted flushes cleaning. of sensorwhile avoids unwanted flushes flushes while while cleaning. cleaning. flushes while cleaning.

testing performed by IAPMO R&T Lab. MaP report conducted * MaP MaP testing performedInc. byand IAPMO R&Tand Lab.Company.

MaP report conducted byMaP Veritec Consulting Koeller testing performed IAPMO R&TLab. Lab. MaP report conducted testing performed by

by IAPMO R&T MaP report conducted ** MaP

* Veritec Consulting Inc. and Koeller and Company. by byby Veritec andKoeller Koellerand and Company.

VeritecConsulting Consulting Inc. and Company.

SCAN FROM YOUR SCAN FROM YOUR SCAN FROM FROM YOUR SCAN YOUR MOBILE DEVICE TO MOBILE DEVICE TO MOBILE DEVICE TO MOBILE DEVICE TO SEE THIS PRODUCT SEE THIS THIS PRODUCT SEE PRODUCT SEE THIS PRODUCT IN INACTION ACTION IN IN ACTION ACTION

Nanaimo

Saanich

Courtenay

2067 Boxwood Road

4248 Glanford Avenue

3-2989 Kilpatrick Avenue

250.758.1771

250.727.9976

250.334.0645

©2014 AS America, Inc. SAL14E206 ©2014 AS America, Inc. SAL14E206

©2014 AS America, SAL14E206 ©2014 Inc. AS America, Inc. SAL14E206

PHOTO BY DON DENTON

OUTTAKE

Boulevard’s Don Denton and Lia Crowe had the enviable task of photographing gin and gin drinks at Sheringham Distillery for Tom Hawthorn’s story, Gin City.

The drinks looked so delicious, Boulevard asked for the recipes, and here they are:

LADY TERESA ANN Seaside Gin Soda Water Muddled mint and cucumber with lime over ice 130

THE FORAGER Seaside Gin Fever Tree Naturally Light Tonic Fresh wild foraged berries over ice

The Forager, a gin drink prepared at Sheringham Distillery.

SEASIDE GIN & TONIC Seaside Gin Philip’s Cucumber Tonic Dash of Fairtrade Lemonade/ Lavender syrup over ice

THE ULTIMATE ULTIMATE SENSE VICTORY THE SENSEOFOFCONTROL CONTROL IS SWEDE. ATheNEW allBEGINNING new 2016 Volvo xc90, VICTORY IS SWEDE. our idea of luxury ALL ROADS. ALL WEATHER. THE XC60 IS READY WITH ALL-WHEEL DRIVE, HILL-DESCENT

ALL ROADS. ALL WEATHER. THE IS WITH ALL-WHEEL ALL ROADS.AND ALLHILL-START WEATHER.ASSIST THE XC60 XC60 IS READY READY WITH CONFIDENCE ALL-WHEEL DRIVE, CONTROL TO GIVE YOU EXTRA WHEN HILL-DESCENT YOU NEED IT. CONTROL CONTROL AND AND HILL-START HILL-START ASSIST ASSIST TO TO GIVE GIVE YOU YOU EXTRA EXTRA CONFIDENCE WHEN YOU NEED IT.

2016 VOLVO XC60

Special Edition T5 AWD

2016 2016 VOLVO VOLVO XC60 XC60 Special Special Edition Edition T5 AWD

INTRODUCING INTRODUCING THE THENEW NEWVOLVO VOLVOXC90 XC90 IT’S IT’SHERE. HERE.ORDER ORDERYOUR YOURNEW NEWXC90 XC90TODAY. TODAY.

From

Offeredfrom from$60,700 $60,700 Offered

From From

$58,235 Themost most awarded awarded suv suv of of the the century century The

ATUURREESS: : FFEEAT PLUS IntelligentDrive-E Drive-Epower powerthat thatembodies embodiesour ourmantra mantraofofdriving drivingluxury luxury Intelligent PLUS PLUS 2.0litre litreSupercharged SuperchargedTurbocharged Turbochargedwith withElectrification Electrification 2.0 IntelliSafewith withadaptive adaptivecruising, cruising,360 360camera, camera,active activehigh high beam, park assist and more IntelliSafe beam, park assist and more with Freight and PDI with Freight and PDI

$58,235 $58,235 withFreight Freightand andPDI PDI with

JimPattison PattisonVolvo Volvo Of Of Victoria Victoria Jim

Jim Pattison Volvo Of Victoria

Extra

2016 VOLVO XC 90 WINNER OF

2016 Motor Trend SUV of the Year® 2016 AJAC Award for Best New SUV (over $60,000) $60,000)

Extra

$2,750 off

$2,750 off the the price price for for Cash Cash or or low low Lease/Finance Lease/Finance options options

the price price for for Cash Cash or or the low Lease/Finance Lease/Finance options options low

And sweet, sweet, too. too. Because Because winning the 2016 Motor Trend SUV of the Year®® And award is is an an accomplishment accomplishment that makes us, at Volvo, extremely proud. Especially award considering every every single single part on the All-New 2016 XC90 was completely considering redesigned. A A feat feat that didn’t come easy, but definitely paid off. redesigned.

Reettaaiilleerr N Naam mee 112 23 3A Addddrreessss,, C Ciittyy ((xxxxxx)) xxxxxx--xxxxxxxx uurrllhheerree..ccoom R m

2735Douglas Douglas Street, Street, Victoria, Victoria, BC BC || www.jpvolvoofvictoria.com www.jpvolvoofvictoria.com | 250-382-6122 2735

Dealer#10969. #10969.See SeeJim JimPattison PattisonVolvo VolvoofofVictoria Victoriafor forcomplete completedetails. details.

Dealer

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Nam cursus. Morbi ut mi. Nullam enim leo, egestas id, condimentum at, laoreet mattis, massa. Sed Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Nam cursus. Morbi ut mi. Nullam enim leo, egestas id, condimentum at, laoreet mattis, massa. Sed eleifend nonummy diam. Praesent mauris ante, elementum et, bibendum at, posuere sit amet, nibh. Duis tincidunt lectus quis dui viverra vestibulum. eleifend nonummy diam. Praesent mauris ante, elementum et, bibendum at, posuere sit amet, nibh. Duis tincidunt lectus quis dui viverra vestibulum.

2735 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC | www.jpvolvoofvictoria.com | 250-382-6122

2735 Douglas Douglas Street, Street, Victoria, Victoria, BC | Jim Pattison Volvo Of Victoria 2735 Jim Pattison Victoria Dealer #10969. See JimVolvo Pattison VolvoOf of Victoria for complete details.

Dealer#10969. #10969.See SeeJim JimPattison PattisonVolvo VolvoofofVictoria Victoriafor forcomplete completedetails. details.

Dealer

www.jpvolvoofvictoria.com | 250-382-6122

PhotograPhed at delta ocean Point resort, lower deck on the inner harbour bY garY MckinstrY

Lexus Nx 200T F-sporT: A good ride For work ANd pLAy Jennifer Lowe may have only purchased her 2016 Lexus NX 200T F-Sport a few weeks ago, but she’s already in love with it.

From safety features like the back-up camera and the blind spot indicator light, to the luxurious touches such as seat position memory and the ability to lock and unlock the doors with a touch, Lexus offered Lowe everything she was looking for in a vehicle.

“I wanted to move to something more classy and easier to drive,” says Lowe, a mortgage broker with DLC Modern Mortgage Group. “In my business, first impressions are important. I’m on the road a lot meeting with my clients and business partners, and

driving my new Lexus provides an important first impression of success and professionalism.”

But it’s not just all about work; the comfortable and roomy interior also makes for an enjoyable drive when she’s taking her two children to and from school and the myriad activities they’re involved in.

The biggest pleasant surprise turned out to be the price, she adds.

“My dad just purchased a Lexus a few months ago and suggested I take a look,” she says. “I thought it was out of my price range, but was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t. The value in Lexus is excellent.”

2016 Lexus Nx 200T F-sport Nicely equipped from $50,870

Includes Freight, Delivery and Pre-Delivery Inspection.

the Pursuit of Perfection

623 FINLaySoN STreeT, VIcTorIa 250-386-3516