Sunshine Coast Business Magazine 2017

BUSINESS

SUNSHINE COAST

Spring 2017 • Vol. 04 No. 01

MAGAZINE

Smaller Footprint Homes

GAIN GROUND PAGE 6

Marleen Vermeulen

Seven Colour Palette PAGE 22

The Business of

HEALTHCARE

A Lifeline for Residents of the Sunshine Coast PAGE 16

Simply Divine NORTHERN DIVINE The Canadian Caviar PAGE 26

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Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

PROOF #

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DATE COMPLETED: February 7, 2017

CONTRIBUTORS...

Publisher, Editor Susan Attiana is Publisher of the Local Weekly and the Sunshine Coast Business Magazine. She has 30+ years experience in the newspaper, media and magazine industry in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

She lives in Sechelt.

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK...

Contributing Writer, Editor Rik Jespersen is a journalist, editor and television producer who has worked with various print, online and broadcast media across Canada over the past 30 years. He lives in Roberts Creek.

Production, Graphic Design Christina Johnstone is a Graphic Designer with 11+ yrs experience in the news industry.

She produces the White Rock Real Estate Advisor, the Local Weekly, & the Sunshine Coast Business Magazine. She divides her time between Sechelt & White Rock.

Contributing Writer Donna McMahon has wideranging writing experience which includes freelance journalism, business plans, plain language legal publications, newsletters, novels and short fiction.

She lives in Elphinstone.

Contributing Writer Anna Nobile is a local writer, editor and art lover. In addition to writing the arts and culture column for The Local Weekly, she is the Prose Editor for Plenitude Magazine and curates the annual LGBTQ art show during Pride on the Coast.

Contributing Writer Brian Coxford is a well known, respected and award winning TV News Journalist who recently retired after reporting his stories on Global BC and BCTV for close to 40 years.

Brian recently moved to Sechelt.

W

ith a colder than usual winter season slowly moving on, Spring is in the air and we on the Sunshine Coast look forward to warmer times ahead. Business-wise in this edition, we look at smaller footprint homes that are gaining ground in some neighborhoods. We talk about affordable housing options and the move towards communal functioning spaces. (page 6 and 7). The real estate market is predicted to heat up again and, while maybe not to 2016 levels, the interest is high in our neck of the woods.

Some local struggling families have been the recipients of help from generous benefactors and volunteers. The chosen families receive help from Habitat for Humanity SC whose organization helps to balance the dream of home ownership with affordable options for those who want to move out of the rental market but never thought they could ever break that cycle. (page 9-11).

With Canada celebrating its 150th Anniversary in July this year, SC Business Magazine looked to see how far back we could document a local business and our healthcare system on the Sunshine Coast.

The Clayton family history takes us back to 1895, when Alfred Whitaker brought his family here when the country was less than 30 years old. (See page 20-21).

In our story on the Business of Healthcare (page 15-17) we received the help of Dr. Eric Paetkau, a local retired surgeon whose book on the history of healthcare is full of facts dating as far back as 1862, when outbreaks of smallpox occurred in First Nations villages. Fast forward to 2017 where VCH talks about our Sechelt Hospital

and modern day medicine including an upcoming infusion of technology. The Sechelt Hospital Foundation updates us on their supporting partnership in healthcare. The Foundation raises funds for critical equipment and special projects to enhance patient care at the hospital.

We highlight a local company, West Coast Log Homes, who partnered with Disney World to build Walt Disney’s Wilderness Lodge at the resort in Florida. WCLH will soon be working on another large project in the UK. (page 12).

While Northern Divine Aquafarms has kept a low profile for more than two decades on the Sunshine Coast, worldwide high-end chefs and food connoisseurs certainly have taken notice of its world-class, sustainable and award winning Caviar. (page 26 and 27).

And we could not finish a rounded look at our life on the Sunshine Coast without writing about a couple of our local artists including land and seascape artist Marleen Vermeulen, and First Nations wood carving artist Dean Hunt. We also discovered that “70 per cent of BC’s recreational boating takes place in the Salish Sea” so we have included an update on our local waters, marinas and businesses who cater to the sailing and motor boating lifestyle.

Special thanks out to writers Rik Jespersen, Donna McMahon, Anna Nobile and Brian Coxford for their research into the positive and interesting side of our life on the Sunshine Coast. Kudos to production and graphic designer Christina Johnstone for her layout and design expertise.

- Susan Attiana

THE SUNSHINE COAST BUSINESS MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED TWICE A YEAR BY THE LOCAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER.

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Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

WHAT’S INSIDE? >> TABLE OF CONTENTS

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AFFORDABLE HOUSING Smaller footprint homes gain ground.

10 FOREVER HOME Habitat for Humanity Sunshine Coast.

12 WEST COAST LOG HOMES Partners with Disney World.

14 ANOTHER HOT SUMMER FOR Coast real estate?

16 THE BUSINESS OF HEALTHCARE A lifeline for residents of the Sunshine Coast.

20 THE LITTLE STORE THAT COULD How modest ‘Claytons Grocery’ grew into Trail Bay Mall.

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22 MARLEEN VERMEULEN Seven colour palette.

24 BACH TO BUSINESS Coast couple invent new way for classical musicians to up their game.

25 DEAN HUNT The Heiltsuk artist.

26 SIMPLY DIVINE Northern Divine - The Canadian Caviar.

28 GIBSONS PUBLIC ART GALLERY Celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday.

31 CRUISING The Salish Sea

#213 - 5710 Teredo Street, Sechelt, BC, V0N 3A0 Phone: 604-885-3134 Fax: 604-885-3194 Email: publisher@thelocalweekly.ca www.thelocalweekly.ca This material written or artistic may not be re-printed or electronically reproduced in any way without the written consent of the Publisher. The opinions and statements in articles, columns and advertising are not necessarily those of the Publisher or staff of the Local Weekly. It is agreed by any display advertiser requesting space that the ownerʼs responsibility, if any, for errors or omissions of any kind, is limited to the amount paid by the advertiser for that portion of the space as occupied by the incorrect item and there shall be no liability in any event greater than the amount paid for the advertisement.

The Sunshine Coast Business Magazine is published twice a year by The Local Weekly Newspaper.

Cover Photo courtesy of: Northern Divine Aquafarms Featuring: Northern Divine’s Canadian Caviar

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

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Smaller Footprint Homes

GAIN GROUND

The Gardens is a small footprint cluster of semi-attached duplexes built by Click Modular Homes in Gibsons. DONNA MCMAHON PHOTO

T

he Sunshine Coast is noted for its many sprawling homes on large rural properties. In 2015, while just over 46 per cent of the dwellings in B.C. were detached single family homes, 80 per cent of Sunshine Coast dwellings were houses.

But that picture is changing. While a big house on an acreage is still a dream for many Canadians, others have different priorities.

“There’s a huge inventory of single family homes, but a lot of empty nesters want to stay in the community and don’t really have a way to do that,” said Tim Ankenmen of Ankenman Marchand Architects. He is working on a design for a new multi-family development on a five-acre site in Gibsons with a focus on one level convenient living with lots of amenities.

“If you create communal functioning spaces, it’s a real way for people to come together and bring back the single family neighbourhood into a multi-family project,” said Ankenmen. The design for 464 Eaglecrest incorporates features such as communal gardens, a shared workshop, and an outdoor kitchen with a harvest table.

6

A similar philosophy is evident with Rockwood Ocean Stories by Spani Developments, a planned complex of over 200 units adjacent to downtown Sechelt. Rockwood will have a range of housing, from fully independent one and two-bedroom condominiums to supportive living suites, and residents will share amenities such as a spa, library, coffee shop, lounge, and fitness centre.

Downtown Sechelt is rapidly transitioning from almost entirely single family homes to a much higher density. The 104-unit Watermark condo development, completed in 2013, will soon be joined by a number of multi-family developments which will allow residents to enjoy ocean views while living right next to shops and services.

Wesbrooke by the Sea is a proposed 124unit seniors complex of independent and assisted living suites currently planned for West Sechelt. And RTC Properties envisions a waterfront complex of 48 condominium units at Shorncliffe Avenue and Highway 101.

Another thing on people’s minds when they look for a home these days is energy efficiency, according to Pete Wieler of Space Buildings. “People are educating themselves,”

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

said Wieler. “I find clients are more and more knowledgeable about specifically what they’re after, such as passive homes.”

Wieler’s company specializes in off grid construction. Long before rainwater harvesting was on most people’s radar, Space Buildings was constructing homes with rainwater collection and solar energy because of their remote location on islands such as Gambier, Keats and Paisley. The company uses that experience to build smarter homes in serviced areas, as well.

Energy efficiency is also to be found at the Parkland subdivision in Upper Gibsons, serviced by the Town’s geothermal energy utility. Parkland has built out its first two phases of compact homes and duplexes, and is moving on to a 26-lot Phase 3.

Another small footprint development nearby is The Gardens, a cluster of semi-attached duplexes built by Click Modular Homes. Click’s contemporary-looking, super efficient designs make good starter homes for families or singles. The compact Phase I units of The Gardens sold out, so Click is adding a new phase of two-storey, 1350 square foot units.

Click’s homes are a new twist on an old staple of the Sunshine Coast--manufactured homes-which have long been a popular option for people on fixed incomes, especially seniors. Most mobile home parks were developed decades ago, but soaring property values have sparked renewed interest.

Big Maples Park in Davis Bay is proposing an expansion, and in Elphinstone, a new subdivision is planned with 16 bare land strata lots and 64 mobile home pads on an eleven hectare parcel backing onto Chaster Creek ravine.

Meanwhile, in older neighbourhoods, Gibsons is encouraging home owners to build laneway and garden suites, which provide rental housing inventory while helping families to pay their mortgage.

Across the Sunshine Coast, a wider choice of housing options will help support a diversity of residents of all ages.

- Donna McMahon

The Parkland subdivision in Upper Gibsons is serviced by the Town’s geothermal energy utility. Parkland has built out its first two phases of compact homes and duplexes, and has started on a 26-lot Phase 3. DONNA MCMAHON PHOTO

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

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2016 Board of Directors.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GIBSONS & DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

GIBSONS CHAMBER SEES OPPORTUNITY IN GROWTH, CHANGE

I

n March of 2017, the Gibsons and District Chamber of Commerce is celebrating its 70th anniversary. For seven decades, through economic booms and downturns, the Chamber has maintained its focus: to build a better community, create a positive business environment, and help its members compete in an expanding and changing global marketplace.

In the past decade, the Coast has experienced unprecedented growth, and our economy’s direction has moved from the resource sector into the service-based industries. Recognizing the challenges faced in this time of change, the Gibsons Chamber has partnered with other business organizations in our wider Coastal community to deliver a series of workshops designed to keep our businesses competitive while improving the bottom line for all.

This time of change offers an opportunity to grow our economy in a new direction. As the economic development representative for the Town of Gibsons and SCRD Areas E and F, the Gibsons Chamber developed a comprehensive website as part of its outreach strategy (www. gibsonsanddistrict.ca) and is working closely with the Sunshine Coast Economic Development Organization to partner on future strategies.

And with tourism moving to the forefront of our Coastal economy, the Gibsons Chamber has strengthened ties with the Sunshine Coast Tourism Partnership. The Chamber welcomes visitors to the Coast at its Visitor Information Park near the top of the Lower Gibsons Bypass. This is a very visible point with maps and signage introducing our destination. Travellers are also directed (via our on-board Ferry Ambassadors) to the Visitor Centre in Gibsons Landing where they are welcomed with maps, brochures, and a wealth of information on attractions, facilities and events. The Gibsons Visitor Centre, operated by the Chamber since 1983, is open year-round, as the “tourist season” now seems to be starting in March or April and ending in late October or early November.

There are many benefits available to Chamber members besides our comprehensive insurance programs – discounts on hotels, gas, automotive servicing, airport parking and travel to name a few. Find out more at our website (gibsonschamber.com) or call Chis Nicholls at 604886-2325.

William Baker

President Gibsons & District Chamber of Commerce

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Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

9

Forever

I

HOME

t’s the smile on the faces of all the participants that you notice. The joy they feel knowing they have lifted a family out of the cycle of endless rent and poverty and moved them into their forever home. It has happened nine times on the Sunshine Coast and two more homes are nearing completion, changing forever the fortunes of two more young struggling families.

For Rebecca Nelson, her husband Ken and their four children what Habitat for Humanity volunteers have done for them has been a blessing, a dream come true. “It is nice knowing you are paying to own and we can stay here as long as we want. Its our forever home” says Rebecca. “It has put us in a better financial position and we are able to provide more amenities for our children, dance classes, baseball and soccer, like all the other kids. We now save money every month. It is pretty amazing.”

Since its incorporation 13 years ago, the Habitat chapter on the Sunshine Coast and its many volunteers have been dedicated to building homes and giving hope to struggling

Habitat homeowners, Ken and Rebecca Nelson and Zara Gale and their children. PHOTO COURTESY OF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

young families and giving them the security of home ownership. It is an ambitious goal with a stellar record of achievement. In the last three years, the nine BC chapters have built 27 homes. Sunshine Coast Habitat volunteers have built six of them, more than 20% of the total.

The new homeowners who have been rescued from the cycle of rent, unlike conventional home buyers, are not required to post a down payment, but they do pay in a unique way. Every Habitat family must donate 500-hours, 62 working days, 12 weeks of their time volunteering without pay, doing their part to move Sunshine Coast Habitat closer to its goal. It’s called sweat equity, an unconven-

tional approach to building equity in your new home. (Habitat believes that access to safe, decent and affordable housing is a basic human need that should be available to all.)

The duplex homes volunteers build in Habitat’s Wilson Creek Village are valued at the current appraised market value. The mortgage qualifying formula is like no other. The family income of the qualifying family is based on a scale according to family size. Habitat holds the mortgage and the mortgage payment is based on 25% of the family net or gross income from the previous year’s tax assessment.

Habitat divides that amount by 12 to get fair and manageable monthly payments. The mortgage goes up and down depending on the new owners latest year income tax assessment.

Cori Lynn Germiquet is Habitat’s Executive Director, just one of a half dozen paid employees. She comes to the Sunshine Coast from a career in economic development. “We help people who will never get out of the cycle of rent. They have to establish they need to improve their quality of life. They must have no criminal record, be employed and have the ability to pay.”

Its a success story built on generous donations from community residents and income from Habitat’s Restore and recycling operations.

Restore like the home building side of Habitat is largely run by its dedicated army of over 60 devoted community volunteers.

Volunteers working on site. PHOTO COURTESY OF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

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Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

Restore re-sells donated furniture, house-

hold and business items. When they sell, the donors get tax receipts. Restore and the recycling operation raise almost $700,000 a year.

Half of it goes directly towards building new homes and the other half pays salaries, rent, insurance and the operation of Habitat’s trucks.

Restore will be approaching Port Metro Vancouver in the hopes of convincing the giant Port Authority to allow us access to containers of unsaleable merchandise to its Sechelt store and other affiliate stores around Metro Vancouver. These are goods that would normally be destroyed. Habitat is hoping to sell the unused items to raise even more funds to build homes.

“The philosophy is more volunteer driven” says Germiquet. “It is amazing, our financials and balance sheet are very strong. The future is bright. Politically people have to take note and rather than spending all their money in Metro Centres, take a closer look at what is happening in rural BC such as the Sunshine Coast. Our goal here is to build as many homes as we can.

You see young people who want the best for their families. Its emotional to see that we are giving them a future and a place for their children to grow up. We have 30,000 people on the Sunshine Coast and they know if they help us, bringing us goods to sell, they are helping others in their community.”

Ed and Gwen Hawkins realized the power of positive thinking when they set up Habitat Sunshine Coast back in 2004. They wanted to do something for their community and they have been there with financial and volunteer support every step of the way. Habitat Canada at first resisted because head office thought Sechelt was too small, but the Hawkins knew their community and its generous residents would prove them wrong, and they did. Hab-

children, Lucia and Miranda are two of 16 kids under eleven years old who live and play in the Habitat Village. “This has been an opportunity that has pulled us out of poverty. We were renting and it was taking 70% of our income.

The 500 hours of sweat equity has been a real commitment, a real example of community building. The stability of the program has taken the stress from me and that reflects on my children.”

Ed and Gwen Hawkins, Habitat’s Sunshine Coast Founders. PHOTO COURTESY OF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

itat Sunshine Coast has proven year after year with Ed and Gwen and its nine volunteer directors at the helm to be one of the best and most generous Habitat for Humanity chapters in any country.

Sean Whalen manages the home building site. “I get a great deal of satisfaction seeing the smiles on their faces when they move into their new homes. You know you are making positive changes in their lives.”

Habitat for Humanity is now helping young families obtain home ownership in 100 countries. On the Sunshine Coast its many volunteers are committed to building affordable housing and restoring dignity to the lives of the hard working poor families on the coast.

When it comes to performance, the Sunshine Coast Habitat and its volunteers certainly punches above the belt. Not bad for the smallest per capita Habitat for Humanity in Canada outside of the Northwest Territories.

- Brian Coxford

Habitat Village, in partnership with SD #46 and Vancouver Island University, is also a school for grade eleven and twelve students who want to pursue a career in the building trades. In an on-site classroom, students get theory and on-the-job training helping to build the homes for the young families. This is a University level course where students get apprenticeship training and first year university credit. Carl Brownstein has been the instructor for five years of the eight years the program has been running. “I love working with the kids.

They leave here and they get jobs. It is a perfect partnership that is community minded.”

Zara Gale is a single mom who moved into the village with her two young daughters. Her

A new resident looking at one of the homes they are building now. PHOTO COURTESY OF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Frank Lin, A Corporate Volunteer on BMO Work Day.

Grade 11 and 12 Sunshine Coast Students who are part of the apprenticeship and volunteer program on site.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

PHOTO COURTESY OF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

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West Coast Log Homes Partners with Disney World PHOTO COURTESY OF WEST COAST LOG HOMES

W

est Coast Log Homes (WCLH) owner Andy Koberwitz is looking forward to the imminent opening of a special project built by his company in Florida. A restaurant and pool bar has already opened and twenty-six 1400 sq. ft. luxury cabins will follow soon at Walt Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, located at Disney World Resort in Florida.

WCLH won the contract, says Koberwitz, because of its distinctive style, and also because “not that many companies could build so many homes so fast.” An additional edge was that WCLH uses red cedar, an extraordinary wood with natural oils that preserve wood and inhibit insects. In Florida, red cedar is the only untreated wood permitting for buildings.

Logs for the Disney project were sourced from Vancouver Island, and cut into timbers by Terminal Forest Products, WCLH’s neighbour at Twin Creeks near Langdale. The WCLH team framed up the cabins in their yard, then disassembled them and shipped them to Florida.

A crew from the Sunshine Coast trained American crews on how to assemble the cabins on location.

“Disney was very interested in connecting the story of where the wood came from with the cabins and the pool bar,” said Koberwitz.

WCLH approached several local museums to source logging photographs from their archives. Prints of photos from the Campbell River

PHOTO COURTESY OF WEST COAST LOG HOMES

Museum and Archives will soon hang in the Wilderness Lodge’s cabins and bar.

Disney World Resort in Florida is visited by over 52 million people annually. The property covers 110 sq.km. (larger than Paris), and includes 27 themed resort hotels, nine non–Disney hotels, four theme parks, and three golf courses.

“We are now in negotiations about building a larger hotel out of timbers,” said Koberwitz.

In the meantime, his company is busy with another large contract in the UK. The largest castle in Wales, Gwrych Castle, is being renovated as a luxury hotel and WCLH is creating a village of one hundred post-and-beam cabins to surround it. The project will require about 10,000 red cedar logs, all sourced from the Sunshine Coast.

Getting building permits for the cabins has been challenging, since the construction methods used are unfamiliar in Wales. A team from WCLH will travel to Wales this spring to train locals on assembling log buildings.

Andy Koberwitz founded West Coast Log Homes in 1999. His company has grown to employ 29 staff and contractors, creating uniquely beautiful cedar buildings that are shipped to four continents.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WEST COAST LOG HOMES

- Donna McMahon

PHOTO COURTESY OF WEST COAST LOG HOMES

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Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

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westcoastloghomes.com Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

13

Another

HOT SUMMER for

Coast Real Estate?

I

t’s looking like 2017 could be another banner year for Sunshine Coast real estate. And if that prediction is right, it’s great news for sellers, while those looking to purchase might save some money by buying soon.

Nothing is likely to match the red-hot sales numbers and price increases we saw in 2016, and we always have to keep in mind that real estate, like interest rates and currency values, is notoriously unpredictable (almost nobody predicted the 2016 boom, for instance). But if the economy stays relatively steady, the market is not expected to cool off much, according to Gary Little, of Royal Lepage Sussex, who keeps a set of automatically updating, local real estate charts on his website at GaryLittle.ca.

“We’ve got to keep this in perspective, “said Little.

“Last year was amazing, probably the best year in terms of sales we’ve ever seen. So we’re comparing against a very high bar. But, if we’re better than 2015 but not quite as good as 2016, that’s still a pretty good year, particularly when prices are going to continue to go up because of the lack of inventory.”

Inventory—especially among detached homes—

has been low, with just 200 available in early winter this year. That’s only about one-third as many on the market compared to a few years ago. When low supply meets high demand, well-priced homes sell quickly—and prices go up.

“The median price went up 18 per cent for detached homes. It was $419,000 the previous year and it went up to $498,000 in 2016,” Little added.

A new pressure that’s driving demand even more is the 15-percent provincial tax imposed last year on foreign residents buying properties in Metro Vancouver.

“It is good for our market up here,” said Stacey Buchhorn, of Sutton WestCoast Realty. “We tend to think of the foreign tax targeting the Asian market, but I have U.S. buyers inquiring and some from Europe as well. They’re looking further than the Lower Mainland, and finding the Sunshine Coast.”

Buchhorn also noted that the exchange rate on the U.S. dollar makes our properties much more attractive for American buyers, but is a disincentive for Canadians who would otherwise purchase in the States.

“People who were looking for sunny U.S. destinations aren’t looking as hard there anymore,” she said. “So where else do you look if you’re keeping your money in Canada but to the West Coast and the Sunshine Coast, which is ideal for retirement or recreational property.”

People cashing-in in the Lower Mainland still

make up a large proportion of buyers here, Little said.

“The market [in Vancouver] is down a little bit, but even if you do sell your home there, you’re probably still getting a lot more than you paid for it, and it’s all tax-free if it’s your primary residence. Prices here have gone up, but they’re still nowhere near what Vancouver prices are, so you can pick yourself out a nice home over here and still have some money left over.”

Bucchorn said she’s also seeing a slight shift in the age of purchasers. That could be a result of what’s been dubbed the “new economy,” opened up by the rapid expansion of the internet.

“I’ve been dealing a bit more with younger buyers coming out of the Squamish area and the Lower Mainland, who are willing to give the Coast a try,” she said. “With technology changing the traditional work environment, so much can be done from remote places. More companies are providing more workplace options for younger folks in order to keep good talent.”

Little agreed, but noted that the draw of Vancouver, whether for work or play, is still a factor in the market.

“A lot more jobs are getting focused on working online. You can work anywhere,” he said. “But Gibsons prices are still a little higher than elsewhere on the Coast. People like to be there so they can get into town faster.” - Rik Jespersen

“Local, Family Owned and Committed to Supporting Our Neighborhood!” #101 - 5641 Cowrie Street, Sechelt 14

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

604-885-8843

www.AllForPets.ca

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) recently celebrated 15 years of service. As one of BC’s largest health authorities, we are proud to provide health services to more than 1 million people – nearly one quarter of our province’s population – in communities spanning Richmond, Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, the Coastal Mountain region, 14 Aboriginal communities...and of course, the Sunshine Coast.

Whether you work with us or you have sought care from us, you have been part of our 15 year journey.

We thank you for helping us grow as a provider of high quality, safe and increasingly innovative care.

And be sure to check out our 15 years of care photo gallery at: http://www.vch.ca/about-us/news/ celebrating-15-years-of-care.

LOOKING FORWARD Karin Olson, Chief Operating Officer, VCH Coastal

As Chief Operating Officer for the Coastal Community of Care, one of the best parts of my job is working with our communities to create care solutions for their health challenges. Since returning to Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) to take this role last fall, I’ve met with many groups on the Sunshine Coast and heard about your desire to collaborate with VCH on improving some local services.

Seniors care has certainly been a focus, but there are many other areas of interest, including home support, adult day care, hospice, and mental health care. I’ve heard the different opinions on the new long term care facility planned for Sechelt and I appreciate the candor. The Sunshine Coast needs more long term care beds. Silverstone will address some of the shortfall but, equally important, it will provide a much better environment for those who will call it home.

Along the same lines, people have asked me about the future of Shorncliffe and Totem Lodge. While these facilities no longer meet the standard for long term care, we want your input up front on how they can best serve the community’s needs and priorities in the future. I believe that we can work together to discover ways to use them and I look forward to collaborating with you over the coming year on that and other ideas on how best to provide residents of the Sunshine Coast with the care they need and to keep them in good health.

I’m proud to be part of the history of health care in this vibrant part of our province. The outstanding care and services offered locally – past, present and future – are a testament to the many partners working shoulder-to-shoulder with passion and commitment.

TELEHEALTH EXPANDS ACCESS TO QUALITY CARE

JEH JEH CIRCLE OF CARE SUPPORTS WELLNESS

Vancouver Coastal Health is using a combination of new staff and technology to save Sunshine Coast residents time and effort as they pursue recovery.

The TIDES Rehab program uses a blend of telehealth technology and face-to-face service delivery to create a “hub” of health care professionals, including Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Practitioners, along with specialty nursing resources. The result is improved access to high-quality care for local residents recovering from medical issues such as stroke.

While a small number of TIDES staff will live in rural communities like Bella Bella, Bella Coola and Powell River, the hub of Allied Health Care professionals will be based in Sechelt. For more information, contact Outpatient Rehab at 604-885-2224.

Complex wound care also on its way to the Sunshine Coast Similar to TIDES, VCH is tapping into technology to expand local access to wound care, ostomies, continence and enteral-stomal therapy, improving on existing local treatments.

VCH’s existing specialized support team will soon use a telehealth system to put health professionals in touch with patients across long distances using videoconferencing and supporting technologies that reduce the costs and burden of travel for both patients and care providers. We’ll also be hiring a wound care nurse to join the local community health team to help support the telehealth service.

The benefits are clear: Access to this kind of care helps patients achieve better health outcomes by reducing healing time and lessening the risk of reoccurrence.

For more information, call Sunshine Coast Home Care Services at 604-741-0726.

After taking time to determine how best to support the Tla’amin First Nation community, VCH and members of the Tla’amin First Nation are well into making the Jeh Jeh Circle of Care Complex Care Management Team a success on the Sunshine Coast.

“Jeh Jeh” as an indigenous term meaning “We are Related” and signifies the connections that we all share within our communities.

The team uses a family-centred approach designed to build off existing programs and support the highest-need First Nation clients in Sunshine Coast communities. The goal is to connect and support Aboriginal clients on their health journey by treating those with chronic disease such as Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s as well as providing counseling and other social supports.

The Jeh Jeh Circle of Care team has been creative in maximizing the impact of their resources, hiring a Chronic Disease Nurse to support more than 50 clients with complex medical conditions and a Care Manager to provide counseling and advice in Powell River and Sechelt. The Jeh Jeh social worker has started a suicide prevention youth group for the Sunshine Coast and plans are underway for a Youth Drop-in Centre using space offered by the Shíshálh Band.

Key to success has been close collaboration with the Tla’amin First Nation, the Shíshálh First Nation (in Sechelt), the First Nations Health Authority and VCH acting on our shared commitment to enhancing community wellness.

www.vch.ca twitter.com/VCHhealthcare facebook.com/VCHhealthcare

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

15

The Business of

HEALTHCARE A Lifeline for Residents of the Sunshine Coast

PHOTO COURTESY OF SECHELT HOSPITAL

T

he business of healthcare is a work in progress in the community hospital that is a life line for residents on the Sunshine Coast. The $5-million renovation and technical up-grade to the 53-year old ambulatory care wing at Sechelt Hospital is moving ahead on schedule expected to be completed by next year. The renovation, engineered to accommodate future growth will give patients more privacy and create better spaces to service them.

Michelle Stanton is the Manager of Acute Services. “There will be an infusion of technology allowing better sharing of patient information across Vancouver Coastal Health and extensive use of Tele-Health methods for medical appointments with specialists. It will improve patient outcomes.”

Healthcare has a supporting partner on the Sunshine Coast. The Sechelt Hospital Foundation is contributing $815,000 for new equipment, technology and furnishings, improving and enhancing capacity for day care procedures in Ambulatory Care. When the new $44.5-million hospital wing and tower was under construction in 2010, the foundation raised $1.2-million for equipment and furnishings. Foundation chair Gerry Latham says, “ the generous Sunshine Coast community has enabled the hospital to perform

3,500 mammograms a year, 16,000 ER visits and 5,300 CT scans.” Since its inception in 1995 the Foundation has raised $14.5 million to fund targeted priorities.

The foundation of giving and caring for the health of others started years ago on the Coast. Retired surgeon, Dr. Eric Paetkau was one of the Coast’s early permanent physicians. In 1959 he came for two weeks and stayed for life. Along with partner Dr. Al Swan and three other doctors, they were dentists, vets, medical doctors and surgeons. “We did

a lot of good work saving people. They trusted us.” Paetkau wrote a book on the history of health care here. They routinely provided trauma care, everything from logging accidents to plane crashes injuries, cases that are transported via Air Ambulance today to major hospitals in Vancouver. “Even today, I run into people who tell me, you saved my life.”

Injuries and illnesses in the early days before 1875 were unconventional. People with common colds were wrapped in a blanket and steamed. Cuts were treated with pine tar

Pender Harbour, August 1930. Dedication of St. Mary’s Anglican Columbia Coast Mission Hospital at Garden Bay. PHOTO COURTESY OF: SUNSHINE COAST MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES

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Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

pitch, skin infections were rubbed with skunk cabbage. Stroke patients were brought to Porpoise Bay and immersed in a tub of mud.

The locals of the day believed the mud had special healing properties.

In his book, Dr. Paetkau states, outbreaks of smallpox in 1862 and 1893 and measles in 1898 created medical trauma and death in First Nations villages. The first medical health officer, Dr. Forbes came to the area in 1888. He traveled by canoe to patients along the coast between Britannia Beach and Egmont. The first hospital in the region servicing 800 iron ore miners was set up on Texada Island.

Dr. Fred Inglis was the first permanent doctor on the Coast. He built Stonehurst in Gibsons, it was his home and clinic. He travelled on horseback and later on motorcycle to administer care to patients as far away as Egmont. Inglis befriended J.S. Wordsworth and his family, who for a time lived with him in Stonehurst. Wordsworth is credited with helping found the CCF party which later became the NDP. In those early years, starting in 1904, Paetkau says, the Columbia Coast Mission (CCM) boats funded by the Anglican Church, sailed in and out of communities from Rivers Inlet to Gibsons bringing spiritual and medical help to people in need in logging camps and small communities. “They had a doctor, occasionally a dentist and a preacher on board. They married and buried people and lectured on the evils of drinking and smoking.” At one point, perhaps a precursor to Medicare, they offered a prepaid health plan to residents. One dollar a month for a single person and a $1.50 for a family.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SECHELT HOSPITAL

petition and raised $3,000 to fund the hospital construction. Their benevolent actions kick started a number of Ladies Auxiliaries on the Sunshine Coast. The Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary, through its Thrift Store in Sechelt and Gift Shop in the Hospital, raises nearly $500,000 a year.

In 1960, the Sechelt First Nations Band offered land for a new hospital for one dollar with no strings attached. Built for $886,330, it opened four years later. Local taxpayers through the Auxiliary contributed $327,767, more than a third of the cost. In 1978 St. Mary’s was named one of the 10 best small hospitals in Canada. In 2015, the name was changed to Sechelt Hospital.

CCM built the first full service hospital on the Sunshine Coast, St. Mary’s in Pender Harbour in 1930. There was no 911 in those days. When a red sheet was hung from the hospital balcony it was an urgent signal, the doctor was needed. 252 residents signed a

Recently, the Hospital Foundation committed $600,000. for a health clinic in Gibsons. The money will fund furnishings and equipment, consolidated public health, home and community care in the clinic and build an audiology booth for children with hearing disorders. Jane Macdonald, Executive Director of the Foundation states “We have also committed $55,000. to fund a Clinical Services review of the Mental Health

Kingcome Inlet, c. approx. 1930. Anglican Church Coast Mission Society, MU Columbia medical and hospital vessel. PHOTO COURTESY OF: SUNSHINE COAST MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES

PHOTO COURTESY OF SECHELT HOSPITAL

and Addiction services, focused on current and future needs and best practices to serve these needs. It is a larger issue in our community than most people believe.”

The GP for Me program launched to attract doctors to the Coast has been an overwhelming success. Residents are now in the enviable and highly unusual position of being able to find a family physician if they need a doctor.

Foundation House, funded by the Sechelt Hospital Foundation, provides accommodation for visiting doctors and healthcare professionals who are here providing care to residents of the Sunshine Coast on a temporary basis. The dedicated Hospital Foundation volunteer Board works closely with the 600 health workers on the Sunshine Coast including 50 doctors and 200 nurses.

Sechelt Hospital, with support from the Sechelt Hospital Foundation, is a lifeline helping provide residents on the Sunshine Coast with the best health care available in an environment where health resources across the country are in short supply.

- Brian Coxford

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

17

Talbot Insurance Services Ltd

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Communication Caring Commitment

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

• Market comparison to match your lifestyle and needs are reflected with your existing carrier; • Provide you with information to manage the risk of water damage & other exposures, thereby avoiding or limiting potential expense; • Research optional Protection Bundles that could save you some hard earned dollars, yet still provide comparable coverage; • Arrange a payment plan to help spread the cost over a 3 to 12 month period.

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604-840-9777 | www. praxisgroup.ca | admin@praxisgroup.ca Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

19

The Little Store That Could: How modest ‘Claytons Grocery’ grew into Trail Bay Mall Edric Clayton stands outside his grocery store while it’s first expansion construction is underway next door, 1956.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CLAYTON FAMILY

I

than 30 years old.

what is now Trail Bay Sports.

In 1949, Edric took his decades of retail experience and left the steamship company’s general store so he and Florrie could open their own retail food outlet next to their home. Clayton’s Grocery was intended to be a small family business that might provide the couple some retirement income. But business boomed from the get-go and just kept growing.

So, who were the Claytons, I wondered, and what’s their story?

It was one of Alfred Whitaker’s sons, the very ambitious Bert, who would soon buy up all the property between what is now Shornecliff Avenue and Wharf Avenue, and from the Strait up to Sechelt Inlet. Bert Whitaker then founded a trading post, set up a logging camp, and ran a supply and passenger boat between the Coast and Vancouver before he eventually sold everything, the land and all the enterprises, to the Union Steamship Company.

It turns out that the first of the clan-tobe to settle in Sechelt, Edric Clayton, came nearly100 years ago, in 1919. But Edric might never have made a home in the small village on Georgia Strait had it not been for the prior arrival of the Whitakers. Emigrating from England, and having made a first stop in San Francisco, Alfred Whitaker brought his family here in 1895, when this country was less

Enter the Claytons. Just after the end of the First World War, Bert’s cousin—Edric— moved up from Vancouver to manage Bert’s (and later, the steamship company’s) big general store on the waterfront. Edric and his wife, Florrie, would have four children here: Margaret, Phyllis, Richard (Dick), and John.

The family lived in a small house at the corner of Trail Ave. and Cowrie St., at the site of

needed groceries on the day more than 20 years ago that I moved to the Sunshine Coast, so Claytons was one of the first Sechelt businesses I ever walked into. And as many people likely do on their initial visits, I couldn’t help but notice the collection of big black and white photos mounted above the store’s cashiers’ area, some depicting scenes from a place also named Claytons, but in other times, and some from very long ago.

Edric and Florrie’s relatively modest enterprise would eventually become the sprawling, four-building shopping centre we know now. The mastermind was eldest son, Dick, who, in his own way picked up where his father’s cousin, Bert Whitaker, left off.

“If you’re wondering who the visionary is, it’s Dick Clayton,” said Dick’s son, Neil Clayton, now Claytons president and general manager, during a recent interview with some members of the family.

“When Edric died [in 1965], we only had that small store on the other side of Trail Avenue,” Neil said. “But other than that, the commercial land was acquired in stages, and mostly after Edric died.”

The store went through a series of makeovers and re-brandings, then moved down the block, with the mall slowly getting built around it, and over time became the mini-empire that still thrives in the heart of Sechelt nearly 70 years after it began.

Neil’s cousin Bruce Morris, son of Phyllis (Clayton) Morris, is president of another of the family’s companies, Trail Bay Properties.

He echoes Neil’s view of the family’s business history.

The Clayton’s store on Cowrie Street near Trail Ave., 1950. PHOTO COURTESY OF CLAYTON FAMILY

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Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

“Dick is really the entrepreneur,” Morris said. “He is the one who got this thing going.”

Edric Clayton did have the foresight back in the day to buy other acreage up the road when the opportunity arose. Known as the Clayton Family Lands, the West Sechelt properties are now the site of housing developments and the proposed seniors’ residence, Wesbrooke by the Sea. These days, some of Edric’s great-grandchildren are employed at the grocery store,

marking the fourth generation to work there.

Studies show that fewer than 12 per cent of family businesses remain successful through to even a third generation. Nearly 100 years later, and thanks to vision and good management, Edric and Florrie’s little-store-thatcould has bucked the odds.

- Rik Jespersen

Edric and Florrie Clayton pose in their store, 1959.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CLAYTON FAMILY

And he kept it going, through a series of property acquisitions over the years that steadily expanded the family holdings into a 50-store shopping complex.

“They were small visions, a little at a time,” Dick, who turns 85 this year, added modestly.

“Five different times we’ve acquired property to enlarge the [mall] area.”

Dick’s younger brother, John, became an accountant but also went into business in 1973 when he opened Trail Bay Sports on the site of the original Clayton homestead.

John sold the business a few years ago, but the family business still owns the property.

Dick Clayton, left, and son Neil pose outside Claytons Heritage Market today. RIK JESPERSEN PHOTO

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Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

21

Marleen Vermeulen

Seven Colour Palette

W

hen Marleen Vermeulen first saw the Sunshine Coast, she almost cried. It was not a positive reaction to the coastal landscape which would become the painter’s signature subject. “It was dark and it was wet,” recalls Vermeulen. “I thought, ‘I’m going to be buried alive here.’” Nick, Vermeulen’s husband, was spearheading the move to Canada, to the West, where there was lots of space, compared to Europe’s density. A chance encounter with a stranger and the need to store five classic cars, a passion of Nick’s, led the Vermeulens, with their two young sons, to the Coast. It was 1994. Vermeulen, originally from Holland, had given up a highly successful career as a graphic designer in London, UK where she had won gold at the National Graphic Design and Print Awards in 1989 for her work with Alliance International. She was at the top of her game. “When we started dating I knew Nick wanted to go to Canada,” says Vermeulen, who was only 16 when she met her future husband. “Being this successful designer in London…and then on the highway to Roberts Creek, I felt Nick’s enthusiasm, but I thought, ‘I cannot function here.’” He wisely brought her back to the Coast on a sunny day and she agreed to give it a try for one year.

By then, her fate was sealed. She had fallen in love with the Coast.

Vermeulen’s formal training was in graphic design, not painting, but her work experience has proven invaluable. With her canvasses now hanging all over the world, Vermeulen

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“A Reflective Thought” 30x60.

likens the process of working with a client on a commissioned painting to working with a client in graphic design. “I learned to be creative within a framework,” she says. “Other people might see that as a restriction, but I still find it so fascinating to work within that

Marlene Vermeulenwith one of her paintings.

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

MARLENE VERMEULEN PAINTING

context. There’s so much to explore.” Known for her large canvasses of forest scenes and seascapes, she developed her technique exploring textures on a small scale first. She’d bring her oils to the beach to paint sand, “move the paint around” until the canvass

DOLF VERMEULEN PHOTO

blended and disappeared into the beach. “I always thought I would be an abstract painter,” she says. “Any small area of my canvass is an abstract painting in itself.” It’s when the viewer stands back, that the form and shape of the landscapes she paints take on their realistic qualities. Her work in design also led to an excellent command of colour theory. She uses a limited palette of just seven colours to reproduce the beauty of the forest and the expanse of the ocean. “Within the “mud” of all those colours, I find all the gradations I need,” she says.

“I rarely use other colours.”

Using a palette knife to apply the oils thickly, Vermeulen’s paintings achieve the perfect balance of expanse, light, and texture. “I don’t paint what I see, I paint what I feel,” says Vermeulen, trying to explain why her landscapes speak to people. “To me the forest feels like a big warm embrace, a nurturing, warm energy. The ocean feels like this open energy, the freedom of openness.” One large canvass might take her a week to complete the base. Working on more than one at a time, she rotates through the canvasses she is working on, pausing always to ask, “How do they feel?” Building up the layers of paint takes more time. “I never paint something that I haven’t experienced,” she says. “I feel so much joy in the process.”

the Sunshine Coast Art Crawl in October, which draws thousands of people to her studio over the weekend. “It’s like eating a whole chocolate cake by yourself,” she says of the intensity of the Crawl.

“You don’t feel that good afterwards.” Still, participating is important to her. “My paintings are a connection with myself, but also a connection with other people. All the love and support I feel in this community, I do not take that for granted. I would never leave here. It’s so beautiful.”

Visit marleenart.com to see more of Marleen Vermeulen’s work.

- Anna Nobile

Represented by the Kurbatoff Gallery in Vancouver since 2008, Vermeulen is preparing for her annual spring show, May 25 to June 8.

She is also one of the Eleven Equal Artists who produce the Power of Paint in August at the Seaside Centre, and will be participating in

“Spring Is In The Air” 36x48.

“My Sanctuary” 60x40.

MARLENE VERMEULEN PAINTING

MARLENE VERMEULEN PAINTING

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

23

BACH to business:

Coast couple invent new way for classical musicians to up their game

A

n idea spawned during a chance meeting in a hot spring has inspired two Coast residents to develop a unique interactive music app recently launched on iTunes.

It’s called Sit-ins, a kind of karaoke for chamber musicians. Subscribers to the $8.99-a-month service virtually “sit in” with video recordings of a group of professional chamber musicians. Participants follow the provided online sheet music—be it for violin, viola or cello—and play along with the pros at whatever pace they choose, stopping, starting, backing up, jumping forward, in complete control.

“It makes learning classical music a blast,” said Sit-ins CEO Lily Weisbecker, speaking in her Langdale Heights home overlooking Howe Sound. “It is truly like sitting in with a group of master players.

But you get to be in charge, and you don’t have that feeling of intimidation or judgement for being a non-professional player yourself.”

American-born Weisbecker’s partner and husband, Vancouver native Jamie Bowers, came up with the idea for Sit-ins in 2014. They were lolling about in a Colorado hot spring when they were joined by two chamber musicians who the couple had heard play at a concert the night before.

Bowers, a recording producer, composer and rock guitarist who’s played on tour with the likes of B.C. bands Chilliwack and Prism, complimented the chamber musicians on their ensemble’s extraordinarily tight playing. When the they asked Bowers about his background, and he explained that he’d written and licensed theme music for Global TV’s news programs—a very lucrative gig—the musicians wanted to know how they might licence their own performances.

That was enough to spark Bowers’ creative imagination.

“Overnight, I came up with the idea,” he recalled. “I’d been a multitrack musician for many years, so I thought we could have a video of an ensemble to go along with a recording, put in technology so you could mute or solo the instruments, have scrolling musical notation, and have all those tools for learning in one place.”

Sit-ins.com was conceived.

Weisbecker and Bowers later would travel to Budapest to record audio and video with three first-rate Hungarian chamber ensembles to provde their online repertoire.

Sit-ins now has 108 different musical movements on the site and in the iTunes store. (The app itself is free). They still have another 80 pieces to add, and plan to record more.

The concept is aimed at music teachers, students young and old,

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Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

Langdale’s Lily Weisbecker and Jamie Bowers, creators of the interactive music app, Sit-ins. RIK JESPERSEN PHOTO

and at adult amateurs. But it’s not meant to be a sort of artificial intelligence instructor all on its own, said Weisbecker.

“We do not want to be in competition with teachers, we want to be in partnership with them. So it’s very important that we’re supporting them and how they teach. Sit-ins is what we call ‘a bridge between lessons.’”

As she developed the program, Weisbecker decided to be her own guinea pig and take up the cello.

“I’m the first person to ever use Sit-ins on a regular basis and I started with it as a beginner,” she said. “It has supported me in learning. I can tell if I’m playing in time, if I’m in tune. And I can put together a list of problems I couldn’t solve, and take them to my teacher.”

Bowers said if Sit-ins takes off, he’d like to branch into developing play-along pieces for piano trios—piano, violin and cello.

“You can always take your cello or violin over to someone else’s place to play. But pianists are more isolated because they can’t just take their instrument with them. Besides, there are about ten times more pianists than violinists,” he said with a smile.

- Rik Jespersen

DEAN HUNT

The Heiltsuk Artist

D

ean Hunt knows an opportunity when he sees one, even if it comes in the form of a frog and a broken elbow. The Heiltsuk artist, known for his wood carvings, paintings and jewellery, is also a beats DJ and indigenous tattoo practitioner. His father, Bradley, is a respected carver and painter, and his older brother, Shawn, has made a name for himself in contemporary art circles. Hunt’s path as an artist was open to him, but he opted to study music engineering and production at Columbia Academy in Vancouver instead. “Art hadn’t spoken to me yet,” says Hunt, despite acknowledging that he had been drawing from a very young age. While working “a terrible job” as a telemarketer, he at least had lots of time to draw. “Eventually a Northwest Coast frog popped out,” he says of one of his cubicle drawing sessions. “It was my guide that got me to hop out of that job and started the ball rolling,” he laughs. Add to that a skateboarding accident that led to the broken elbow, and Hunt found himself “hanging around my Pops’ studio. It was meant to be,” he says.

Born in Vancouver, Hunt arrived on the Sunshine Coast at age three, and he and Shawn graduated from Elphinstone Secondary. At 23, he began a five year apprenticeship under his father with additional guidance from his brother. He started with jewellery, honing

Dean Hunt with his painting: “Wikv (Eagle) Spirit”, acrylic on wood. ANNA NOBILE PHOTO

his design and carving skills on copper and silver. When his father was hired to carve four 10 foot entranceway posts for a client in Roberts Creek, Bradley put his sons to work.

“They kinda threw me in the fire there,” recalls Hunt with a smile of the opportunity. “It was a good way to learn. I’m very lucky to have really strong mentors that guide me.” Hunt credits his father’s influence on his design style. “My dad is self-taught,” explains Hunt. “He was able to develop his own unique style [which] is quite ‘flowy.’ I think Shawn and I both have his tendencies.” Bradley’s teachings gave his sons a solid grounding in traditional forms that has stood them well as they explore their individual artistic practices. “There’s a certain way [the forms] should be done,” says Hunt.

“This is our written language. It’s like learning the alphabet so that they can be read properly.” Shawn’s work draws on Western art history and combines traditional Northwest Coast forms to push his art into new territory.

“He’s done some wild and crazy things,” says Hunt of his brother. “He’s given me the con-

fidence to try new things because he’s really fearless.” In his own carvings and paintings, Hunt finds himself gravitating toward the old pieces, such as works by Heiltsuk master Captain Carpenter, but adding his own touches, like turquoise paint to a traditional formline design, or a beard to a bear mask with traditional bolt nostrils. “Innovation is key to the art form growing and evolving,” says Hunt.

“Because that’s what we’re doing as people.”

Another new form Hunt has incorporated into his practice is indigenous hand poke and skin stitch tattooing. “I never thought of being a tattoo artist, but I jumped at this opportunity,” says Hunt who completed a four week intensive residency with artist Dion Kazsas. “Working on skin is different,” says Hunt. “There’s a responsibility to stay within the traditional practice as there aren’t that many of us doing it.” In addition to all his other projects, Hunt has been offered a chance at revisiting his musical roots. He and Bracken Hanuse Corlett are See Monsters, an “audio visual indigenous DJ experience” that will be touring the festival circuit this summer. “I didn’t go looking for it, but you gotta jump at those opportunities,” says Hunt. A certain frog guide would undoubtedly agree.

- Anna Nobile

Bear mask carving.

DEAN HUNT PHOTO

“H’zi Bounce” by Dean Hunt. Red Cedar Panel.

Butterfly and Skull bracelet, silver. PHOTO COURTESY OF:

PHOTO COURTESY OF: LATTIMER GALLERY

INUIT GALLERY OF VANCOUVER LTD.

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

25

Simply Divine

PHOTO COURTESY OF: NORTHERN DIVINE AQUAFARMS

I

vest the sturgeon here sending the meat to restaurants across Canada and process the sturgeon eggs as the only certified organic caviar in the world. Northern Divine is Canada’s largest producer of caviar. Apart from the Canadian market, they also export the caviar to several different countries and are awarded as Top-5 Best sustainable caviars in the world.

is a sought after brand and fills the void created after the collapse of the Russian caviar business in the early 1990s. “People want sustainable organic products, but most of all they want quality and they are willing to pay for it.” say Justin Henry, Northern Divine’s long time General Manager. “We are a leader in the organic aquaculture world market”.

The Fraser River sturgeon (50,000-strong) are at various stages of maturity, raised in a land based aquaculture farm using pristine mountain water from seven wells. They har-

The historical fish that has survived for two million years on earth has been certified by Ocean Wise, Sea Choice and has a green seal from Seafood Watch at the prestigious Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. The caviar is a delicacy that comes with a price, and may not fit the dining out budgets of everyone. A 1 kg can of the protein rich omega-3 black eggs sells for $2,640, a 30 gram can retails for $96. Nevertheless it

The company’s owners have been very patient investors. It took eleven years for the first sturgeon to mature and produce caviar. They also survived a political bump in the road that no employer should have to endure, when the Sechelt District council delayed rezoning approval of its small processing plant over a decade ago. When the mayor and councillors couldn’t decide after five years of stalling, taxpayers finally gave

PHOTO COURTESY OF: NORTHERN DIVINE AQUAFARMS

PHOTO COURTESY OF: NORTHERN DIVINE AQUAFARMS

PHOTO COURTESY OF: NORTHERN DIVINE AQUAFARMS

t is sustainable, natural, safe, healthy, award winning and a world class business and its local owners believe it might be the greenest aquaculture fish farm in the world. While the good reputation of Northern Divine Aquafarms keeps growing, it has gone almost unnoticed for more than two decades on the Sunshine Coast.

Known world wide by high end chefs and food connoisseurs for its caviar, the hatchery sits on 60 acres of land on the north side of Porpoise Bay in Sechelt. Its small green tanks, only visible from the air, are teaming with organically grown sturgeon and Coho salmon.

26

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

their approval in a referendum. It allowed Northern Divine to finally construct its green processing plant, which was no larger that a medium size house. That was five years ago and since then the company and its 17 employees have moved ahead with innovation and gained world recognition in the organic market place. Henry says, “I love it that our team has enabled our company to be leaders in organic aquaculture.”

Northern Divine can now boast with pride about its achievements. It was the first Canadian aquaculture company to have certified seafood in the market. The only organic caviar in the world. The first aquaculture business to receive a disease free certification three years ago from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. And the first fish farm to produce organic eggs year round from organic raised farm coho salmon.

In addition to sturgeon and caviar, Northern Divine is developing a growing organic coho industry. Its tanks hold 12,000 salmon, almost all female, ten generations of coho spawning every three months. Henry says, “Right now it represents 25% of our business, but it could become the biggest part of what we do.” In 2012 Northern Divine exported a couple of hundred thousand eggs. This year four million were shipped to over a dozen countries and in five years it could top ten million, making the Sechelt company the largest exporter of organic coho eggs in the world.

Henry says, “We are conservative water users compared to other systems which are flow through designs. They use significant amounts of fresh water and have to replenish it in their tanks on a continual basis.” The water conservation methods used at the Sunshine Coast aquaculture operation are tops in the industry. The water in the tanks is filtered and purified in a unique eco-system where fish and plants, herbs and vegetables, collaborate to reduce the constant need for fresh water. The fish produce the nutrients the plants need and the plants filter and clean the water for the fish. It is nature doing its best work to produce organic products. It means the water only has to be circulated every six or seven days, up to a month during the warmer months when the sun is hot and the plants are in full growth.

In addition to marketing organic sturgeon meat, caviar and coho eggs Northern Divine also sells its herbs and vegetables, a couple of hundred pounds a week, to restaurants and markets in Vancouver.

Henry says the company insists on using all parts of their sturgeon. The heads and

fins go to Chinatown for soups, the meat to restaurants and the tails are marketed as dog treats. Even the liver is a delicacy.

“The meat has a unique mild flavour and doesn’t taste like fish,” according to Jefferson Alvarez the chef at Cacao Restaurant in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood. “It is denser than halibut and has the texture of veal.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF: NORTHERN DIVINE AQUAFARMS

Alvarez says, “Sturgeon is a different type of fish. It is so under rated. You have a sustainable food product, its organic, it is local and you can use all of it. The loin is used as a bacon and the gelatine used in desserts is good for our bones.”

With skilled precision the caviar eggs are carefully extracted from each fish in the processing plant. The eggs are lightly salted and packed in caviar tins. The roe is never mixed and each caviar tin is coded and traceable.

The eggs can be traced back to the mother and back through her life. “The aging of the caviar depends on the fish and customer requirements for texture, colour and flavour,” says Frank Pabst, the Executive Chef at the Blue Water Cafe in Yaletown in Vancouver. “mild caviar is aged about a month and developed caviar about six months. The new customers, the younger generation, want a milder flavour and that requires less aging.”

Pabst says Northern Divine is his best selling, most popular caviar. Its pricing is more competitive than other caviars and it is always dry and its quality consistent. “It is sustainably farmed, has consistent taste and the sturgeon swim in clean filtered local water. We feature the sturgeon as well. It is very different. It is the pork or chicken of the sea.”

A sturgeon can take up to 16 years to mature and produce caviar valuing the average fish and its eggs at about $5,000.

PHOTO COURTESY OF: NORTHERN DIVINE AQUAFARMS

PHOTO COURTESY OF: NORTHERN DIVINE AQUAFARMS

PHOTO COURTESY OF: NORTHERN DIVINE AQUAFARMS

A single organic coho and it eggs which ages in about a fifth of the time is worth about $500.

Both organic species grow in tanks at their farm in Sechelt. Business opportunities around the world for the organic eggs has never been better. In December, world demand for North Divine Caviar outstripped supply. There is now a waiting list for the delicacy.

-Brian Coxford

PHOTO COURTESY OF: NORTHERN DIVINE AQUAFARMS

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

27

JUNE 29 TH - JULY 24 TH

Celebrating Canada’s 150th Birthday

T

he Gibsons Public Art Gallery will be celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday by transforming the gallery into an Expo-style pavilion. Stewart Stinson, President of the GPAG Board, wrote a successful Canada 150 grant to support the project. “I really enjoyed Expo ’86,” says Stinson who came up with the idea to creStewart Stinson (right) outside the gallery with dedicated volunteer Yvonne Vanheddegem. ANNA NOBILE PHOTO ate the pavilion intended to showcase all to inspire creative community collaboration.” that the Sunshine Coast offers. “It was a way to bring together the In addition to celebrating First Nations history and culture, the whole community in a fun event.” While still in the planning stages, arrival of pioneers, loggers, mariners, hippies, and refugees from the list of invited exhibitors so far includes the Squamish Nation, the across Canada and the world, the exhibit will include sections on Sechelt Nation, the Town of Gibsons, the Sunshine Coast Regional modern ecology and conservation, and feature artists and innovaDistrict, the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives, the Sunshine tors.

It will also, of course, include the Coast’s ties with the iconic Coast Wildlife Project, the Sunshine Coast Community Foundation, Beachcombers television show. “For a lot of people, including tourand Deer Crossing the Art Farm. “Participating groups and organiists, but other Canadians as well, their knowledge of Canada and zations will help create the exhibit narrative,” says Stinson. “We’ll be their introduction to our coast was through watching The Beachrecognizing our history as a creative community, acknowledging combers, ” says Stinson.

“Those images captured during the series the beauty and preciousness of our natural environment, and hope really contributed to Canadian culture.”

A CELEBRATION OF SQUAMISH NATION ARTS AND CULTURE

26

The gallery received just $2500 toward the project, and Stinson

CELEBRATING

that creating the pavilion is an ambitious proposRECEPTION: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29THacknowledges 12-3PM

Begins at the gallery and ends with a walk to the Chekwelp Reserve. All are welcome.

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al given the minimal funding. “We’re soliciting for more business sponsors,” says Stinson. “And there are a couple of other grants we’re applying for, but it’s definitely a low budget affair. We’re accepting of Gibsons that as a Town challenge. ” Stinson hopes to hear in late March about a BC Sunshine Coast Regional District The Blackberry Heritage 150 grantShop which would allow the gallery to commission an Coast Lifestyles Network realty artistic retrofi t of the Wendys/Tim Hortonsoutside of the gallery building.

In the meantime, Stinson is forging ahead with plans for the paBC Ferries vilion. “This is the gallery’s way of being an open house for the community,” he says. “When you make a pot of soup, everyone brings something. We’re bringing the pot, come in and throw in the ingredients.” The Sunshine Coast Pavilion will open June 29 and run to July 30. Anyone wishing to be involved, from performers to sponsors to volunteers, should contact the gallery at: info@gpag.ca - Anna Nobile

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Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

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O

ur Pender Harbour and District Chamber of Commerce has been quite busy getting ready for 2017. We have our budget in place. Membership renewal is well underway. Existing projects are continuing and some new ones are in the planning stages. We have been meeting with other community groups to ensure there is no duplication of efforts as we work on our community goals.

Throughout the year, we work in collaboration with related organizations, such as the Sunshine Coast Regional Economic Development Office, Sunshine Coast Tourism and the other Chambers on the Sunshine Coast, to expand regional economic activity and encourage tourism. In the summer, the Chamber will operate our Visitor Center and co-sponsoring Pender Harbour Days, a celebration of maritime heritage happening July 7, 8 and 9. We are developing new content for our paper, web and social media channels, continuing to use these channels to promote local events.

We plan to hold two more community “night club” themed events and expand our Christmas programs.

Another focus is our continuing involvement in the effort to develop a fair dock management plan for Pender Harbour.

We are very proud of the work being done by many other Pender Harbour community groups to further the activities identified by our recent Economic Development Study. With the limited space available in this article it is not possible to list all the groups and all the work done but I will mention a few. With support of the Rotary Club of Pender Harbour and the Pender Harbour Advisory Council the Pender Harbour Hiking Group took on the task of mapping, marking and signing the trails in our area. It is a job nearing completion and was very well done, a contribution by Pender Harbour to what we hope will be a soon-completed network of trails from Howe Sound thru to Powell River. The Hiking Group is also collaborating with the Pender Harbour Living Heritage Association to design welcome signs at our community entrances.

We are helping a coalition of community groups and individuals establish additional ocean and lake access complete with signs and web based directions on how to get there. We anticipate helping them achieve their goals by assisting

pender harbour chamber music festival

20 7 August 18 – 20 School of Music | Madeira Park, BC 604.989.3995 | www.penderharbourmusic.ca

30

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

Pender Harbour / Madeira Park government wharf (old forestry boat rendezvous)

with securing permits, establishing formal procedures to obtain the necessary stewardship approvals and updating web sites with the pertinent information.

I am hopeful all our community groups on the Sunshine Coast will continue to work together on furthering our Economic Development activities. We remain convinced our long-range community prosperity depends on how successful we are at attracting and retaining young people and families. As we grow older one of the things that bring joy is interacting with the young people and watching them grow and prosper. They are our future and it is our job to provide the things that encourage and allow them to live on this beautiful coast.

Please visit our web Site at: www.penderharbour.ca Follow us on facebook at: www.facebook.com/penderharbouranddistrict

Leonard Lee,

President, Pender Harbour & District Chamber of Commerce

PENDER HARBOUR CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL 2017

T

he Pender Harbour Chamber Music Festival celebrates its 13th season this summer. From August 18th – 20th, music lovers can enjoy a weekend of extraordinary music. Artistic Director (and stellar pianist) Alexander Tselyakov has programmed a wide range of the chamber repertoire and in honour of Canada’s 150th birthday, Canadian composers will be featured in each concert. The Gryphon Trio returns to the Festival (Annalee Patipatanakoon, violin; Roman Borys, cello; and pianist James Parker), along with celebrated clarinetist James Campbell and violinist Joan Blackman.

They’ll be joined by Maria Larionoff (violin), Jason Ho (violin), and Brian Yoon (cello). These musicians will play 4 ticketed concerts over the weekend in the Music School in Madeira Park overlooking the harbour, surrounded by tall trees and sea breezes. Our free Rising Tide concert features two Coastal voices— mezzo-soprano Rose-Ellen Nichols and baritone Louis Dillon—accompanied by pianist David Poon.

The Pender Harbour Chamber Music Festival is supported in part by generous Friends of the Festival and a dedicated community of volunteers. We have a loyal audience and always welcome anyone wanting a beautiful musical experience. Watch for our brochures in late spring and keep an eye on our website for details about ticket sales and concerts: www.penderharbourmusic.ca

Cruising the Salish Sea

PHOTO COURTESY OF: SUNSHINE COAST TOURISM

M

any of us who live along the shores of the Salish Sea take our inland waters for granted--not realizing that we live in one of the most extraordinary areas in the world for sailing and motor boating. These protected coastal waters offer a huge diversity of inlets, islands, and harbours, and every landscape from wilderness anchorages to urban ports, all within 150 kilometres of Metro Vancouver.

“Seventy percent of BC’s recreational boating takes place in the Salish Sea,” said Michael McLaughlin of the BC Ocean Boating Tourism Association (BCOBTA). “Many people don’t venture outside of that area much because of perceived navigational challenges, isolation, and weather.”

BCOBTA estimates that boaters contribute over $13 million directly each year to the economy of the Sunshine Coast. Between Gibsons and Lund, 21 marinas welcome traveling boaters, offering everything from fuel and marine services to luxury accommodation and fine dining.

“The sector has rebounded from a low in

2009,” said McLaughlin. “In the last two years marine resorts have been reporting best years they’ve ever had.”

According to McLaughlin, the boats visiting local marinas are also getting bigger. “I know of several marinas that have reconfigured their moorage space, so that where they had an abundance of 25- to 35-foot slips, they’re now 35- to 65-foot slips.”

BCOBTA’s goal is to help even more visitors to discover this area through the AhoyBC website, launched last year. AhoyBC.com features an overview of destinations, facilities, and marine safety information, amid an array of spectacular photos and videos.

For visitors starting out from Vancouver, the first stop is often Gibsons Landing. The harbour’s main wharf can accommodate large vessels, and Wharfinger Larry Ostrosky reports that they hosted a 165-foot motor yacht last year (a record), and a 135-foot sailboat. They expect another busy summer in 2017.

The next stopover is Secret Cove, where Smuggler Cove Marine Park offers a picturesque anchorage, and the sandy beaches of North Thormanby Island are a summer draw.

Two marinas tucked in behind the shelter of Turnagain Island provide marine services.

But the biggest marine stopover on the low-

PHOTO COURTESY OF: SUNSHINE COAST TOURISM

er Sunshine Coast is unquestionably Pender Harbour, where boaters can explore a tangle of scenic inlets, islands and harbours. As well as public wharves at Madeira Park, Hospital Bay, and Whiskey Slough, a number of resorts offer moorage for visitors arriving by boat.

“We definitely noticed increased overnight visitors from the USA on their way to Alaska this past summer,” said Walter Kohli of the Painted Boat Resort. Painted Boat is a favourite docking point for small to mid-size vessels, offering onshore accommodation and West Coast cuisine.

Allyson Nelson, owner of Fisherman’s Resort and John Henry’s Resort in Garden Bay also noticed the number of American boaters.

They were over 50% of her visitors last year.

Nelson is happy to welcome American visitors, but cautioned that tourism from the U.S. tends to fluctuate with the value of the Canadian dollar, so she would like to attract more Canadian boaters.

Nelson, who bought the business in 2015, has done extensive renovations to her properties, including putting in a cafe, and changing the product mix in John Henry’s store to include more boater provisions such as high end groceries.

The final destination for many boaters is Princess Louisa Inlet, located at the north end of Jervis Inlet, which is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful places in B.C. Visitors come from all over the world to see this dramatic fjord with dozens of waterfalls cascading down its steep granite walls.

The Princess Louisa Marine Park is maintained by Parks BC and the Princess Louisa International Society, who work to preserve and protect this unique jewel for the benefit of all.

PHOTO COURTESY OF: SUNSHINE COAST TOURISM

Painted Boat marina and restaurant.

PAINTED BOAT PHOTO

- Donna McMahon

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Spring 2017

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We are excited to be offering weekend service to Victoria (Pat Bay) and flights to YVR coming this spring! Sunshine Coast Air offers daily scheduled flights to Nanaimo starting at $75 when you book early and FREE parking. We provide charter services to any West Coast destination as well as spectacular flightseeing tours to the world famous Chatterbox Falls, Skookumchuck Narrows and Phantom Lake.

Check out our NEW Beaver & Brew and Winery Tours to Nanaimo with Vancouver Island Expeditions. We have partnered with West Coast Wilderness Lodge for our Fly N Dine Packages and Princess Louisa Inlet boat and seaplane circle tours. We are also excited to be working with Coastal Weddings providing elopement and wedding packages to some of the Coast’s most romantic destinations.

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