16 minute read
Roasted Vegetables
Recipe courtesy Grant Easterbrook, The Olive Station, 225 Canada Avenue, Downtown Duncan
This is an easy recipe that’s simple, tasty, and always a crowd pleaser. You can substitute with other veggies like, asparagus, or substitute the potatoes for butternut squash, or whatever you have on hand. The most important thing to remember is that they are all cut in a similar size so they cook evenly. PREP TIME: 20 Minutes COOK TIME: 20 Minutes
For this recipe you will need the following:
12-15 Brussel Sprouts, trimmed and halved 1 whole Red Onion, peeled and cut into large chunks 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, seeded and cut into large chunks 8 ounces, weight Mushrooms (any kind), quartered or halved depending on size 2-3 carrots, cut into large pieces 2 Red Potatoes, cut into large chunks or 8 oz. fingerling potatoes halved 3 cloves Garlic, minced Salt And Pepper, to taste 1 teaspoon chopped fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme) 1/4 cup Mushroom & Sage Olive Oil 1/4 cup Red Apple Dark Balsamic
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Combine all the prepped veggies in a large bowl. Drizzle the Mushroom and Sage Olive Oil, then season with salt, pepper, garlic and other seasonings of your choice. Toss to coat. Arrange on baking sheet (2 sheets if your veggies are really big!) , spreading the veggies out to give them room.
Roast for 15 minutes, shaking the pans at least twice during that time. Toss and roast for an additional 5-10 minutes, until veggies are nicely roasted. While the veggies are cooking, simmer balsamic for about 15 minutes or until nice and thick. When veggies are done, drizzle with the Red Apple Dark Balsamic Glaze.
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Imagination: The Heart of Learning
Leah Burley, mother of four, M.Ed., Waldorf educator, and Owner/Artistic Director at Warmland Dance leads the studio preschool and kindergarten programs with a mind for “process vs. product”. The recital on stage can be a fun opportunity for some young children, and those who want to dance onstage, do, at Warmland Dance’s well-produced, notably tasteful, year-end showcases. “However,” Leah states, “the show is certainly not the goal of our children’s programs” instead, Warmland Dance opts for an innovative and experiential approach vs. over-intellectualized, endproduct driven classes. Leah shares that “the children are just developing a relationship to movement at this age, and if we teach them there’s a right and wrong way to dance, it’s overwhelming. I don’t want them to worry about failure, I just want them to LOVE it… and *laughing* that’s good for business anyway”.
Yes, you’ll see silk scarves flying, hula hoops spinning, balance beams, parachutes, tunnels, beanbags… the works in our studio, though instead of moving from one party trick to the next to keep ten preschoolers busy for half an hour, our Preschool and Kinder Movement lessons are delivered wrapped in a story, each movement intentionally designed and alive in the child’s imagination, keeping creativity and storytelling central to the art of dance.
In An Imaginative Approach to Teaching, Egan regards imagination as one of ‘the most powerful and energetic learning tools’ (Egan, 1986). Beyond ensuring children enjoy and engage in a meaningful way in dance class, Warmland Dance appreciates that learning through the use of imagination fosters the development of “critical consciousness”; the higher thinking and advanced problem-solving functions (Friere, 2007). Leah recognizes developing the imagination is required for human beings to understand the world around them, conceive their own identity, and find a sense of belonging; the impetus for the popular Warmland Dance social media campaign #BelongHere.
When a teacher views a child as a blank canvas upon which to impart their knowledge, they will tend to focus largely on teaching the movements or techniques themselves – Leah calls it the “old-school” way to teach dance. This unilateral, depository approach to teaching, also known as the “banking method”, will “anesthetize and inhibit creative power”, (Friere, 2007).
“Children come to us as anything but blank canvasses – they are full of colour and wisdom. I am interested in how movement and dance can become a part of their journey; to help them unfold and flourish”. smiles Leah.
Warmland Arts Academy and Dance 225 Canada Avenue, Downtown Duncan www.warmlanddance.ca
The Salish Sea Shouldn’t Be An Overflow Parking Lot
Alistair MacGregor is the MP for Cowichan-MalahatLangford and the federal NDP’s Critic for Agriculture
Last month, I introduced a bill in the House of Commons that seeks to amend the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 in order to address a growing concern of our coastal communities. The South Coast of Vancouver Island is a world-renowned pristine marine environment that is home to many unique species and has thousands of years of First Nations history and culture. The place we are lucky to call home is the envy of many Canadians and the destination of many tourists from around the world, who come for fishing, whalewatching, boating, water sports, and adventure. While this sounds idyllic, every paradise has its problems. Over the last ten years, the waters off our coast have become overloaded with freighters awaiting their turn at the Port of Vancouver. Transport Canada has cited that Maritime law allows vessels, some as large as 300 meters to anchor wherever it is safe to do so. In addition to the noise and light pollution, the parked freighters have caused serious concerns with the potential pollution of the marine environment. Ancient clam beds, prawns, oysters, and endangered species, such as the southern resident killer whale, are at risk of environmental impact from these vessels. The ships have also been shown to swing at anchor and there are increased risks of them coming aground. Other than the introduction of an Interim Anchorages Protocol, there has been little to no oversight of these anchorages. Since first being elected in 2015 I have met with and heard from many community members, local First Nations, and stakeholders who have shared their frustrations with me. So far the action taken by Transport Canada through its Interim Anchorages Protocol seems to have only spread the problem around to more communities. As Canadian trade continues to grow, bringing with it more shipping to our area and longer wait times at the Port of Vancouver, we are left thinking about how we can expand trade in an efficient and sustainable way without harming our precious ecosystems or our costal communities. The bill I have put forward in the House of Commons will prescribe a specific area in and among the southern Gulf Islands where the proposed National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA) is to be established and prohibit the anchoring of freighter vessels. If the federal government sees value in protecting these waters through the establishment of an NMCA, then they almost certainly should not be used as an overflow industrial parking lot for large freighters. If passed, this bill will allow us to reclaim the use of this space for members of our communities and to protect our coast and the many species that rely on it. I encourage you to write to my office so that I may share your
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support with my colleagues, and I want to thank all the community members that have made this bill possible.
Alistair MacGregor is the MP for Cowichan-MalahatLangford and serves as the NDP’s Critic for Agriculture and Agri-food, Rural Economic Development and Deputy Critic for Justice Alistair MacGregor, Member of Parliament 126 Ingram Street #101, Downtown Duncan
Most of us grow up learning about the 5 senses (sight, sound, taste, smell and touch), without realizing we have many more that play an important role in our body’s ability to function. Some of these other senses are: balance, registering thirst and hunger as well as pain, our body’s ability to accelerate and decelerate, and our inherent sense of time. Let’s face it, we all have senses working full time keeping us safe, comfortable and functioning optimally.
Our body’s ability to monitor and manage its internal temperature, called thermoception, is also a lesser known sense. We all have something called a hypothalamic temperature sensor found in our brains, and receptors in our skin cells that run signals back and forth, helping our body respond to fluctuating temperatures. Our bodies respond by sweating, shivering or moving to adjust our external room temperatures. We do this all day, everyday. We hardly notice it’s even happening.
How Do We Regulate Our Body’s Temperature While We Are Sleeping?
When we are asleep and cannot easily adjust our external surroundings without waking ourselves up, our
Temperature Regulation for a Better Sleep
body has to compensate. Often this is what causes us to overheat at night. We are relying on our bedding materials to help create the ideal temperature environment for us, yet some bedding is not built right to do this. Heat is trapped in and we end up sweating and overheating. Since a cooler body temperature is ideal for a restful sleep, let’s see what we can do to make it easier to get our temperature just right at night.
Seven Ways to Regulate Your Body’s Temperature Effectively While Sleeping:
Avoid eating right before bedtime. The digestion process creates internal heat. If you need a light snack in the evening choose bananas, kiwis or cherries for an easy to digest fruit that also contain compounds that will help you fall asleep.
Although regular exercise will help you sleep better, refrain from exercising at least 2 hours before bedtime. Exercising raises your internal body temperature, in turn signalling your body to be in “awake mode”. Let’s consider snuggling. A lot of couples like to cuddle, yet we all know bodies huddled together create heat. So once you are ready to sleep, find a comfortable position to get your z’s on your own.
Choose comforters that can moderate your temperature rather than trap the heat in. Wool filled comforters will wick away your heat and sweat into its bulky open fibers and give your body the space to regulate its core temperature. Conversely, feather down insulates and doesn’t allow for breathability, therefore it pushes your body temperature up throughout the night.
Use sheets that are breathable. Most linens over a 400 thread count are too tightly woven to allow for adequate breathability. In order to help your body stay cool throughout the night, your built up heat needs to dissipate through breathable sheets and linens.
Surround yourself with natural bedding materials. Synthetic fabrics like polyester are often not breathable and will cause you to overheat. Most conventional mattresses are made with these synthetic materials and yet we blame ourselves for overheating. Natural fibers like cotton, wool, linen and natural rubber latex will help you manage your sleep temperature.
Turn the thermostat down and open a window. The ideal room temperature for sleeping is around 65 degrees.This range will help you keep your body’s temperature at the most ideal level for the best quality sleep throughout the night.
With a little bit of effort and thoughtful bedding choices, you can be on your way to a more comfortable slumber. Temperature regulation while sleeping makes all the difference to a quality sleep; one that is undisturbed and rejuvenating.
Resthouse Sleep Solutions 126 Station St, Duncan Street, Downtown Duncan 250-597-7378
Dawn is co-owner of Resthouse and enjoys sharing about natural sleep practises.
Love Bombing 101
Love Bombing: the intentional development of a dependency relationship for the sole purpose of sexual exploitation and/or trafficking.
A lucrative enterprise with low risks for perpetrators, profits from forced sexual exploitation have been pegged at $99 billion USD annually. One sextrafficking victim can generate between $168,000-$336,000/ year. Although marginalized youth are at greater risk, there is no victim profile – any race, culture, or class from impoverished to wealthy with the average age of recruitment being 13-14. STOP! Read that again: the average age of recruitment is 13-14. 25% of Canada’s human trafficking victims are under age 18, 50% are age 18-24, and 41% of perpetrators are age 18-24. There is no trafficker profile – from 16 year old boys to tattooed gang members, scouts seeking customers (not just victims) at shopping malls, bus stops and parties, 12th graders recruiting 7th graders, and girls already being trafficked trafficking other girls.
In this age of social media youth are vulnerable and developmentally unprepared to deal with the very real dangers associated with sexual exploitation. Many youth don’t recognize they are on the path toward sex trade involvement. They become victims of persons who establish friendly or loving relationships with them, and more invisible is peer-to-peer exploitation. Today’s youth are technologically savvy but are they emotionally savvy? Can they detect sophisticated recruitment tactics? Can they protect themselves from manipulative grooming strategies? Can caregivers protect youth from adolescent denial, “Mom, you’re overreacting!” “Dad, you don’t know him/her the way I do.” “Nothing bad is going to happen (insert teen disdain and rolling eyeballs).” Sound familiar? Do our kids know more about ‘parental controls’ on their devices than the adults? Are you worried? We are.
Understanding the complexities of a trafficking situation is key to the successful intervention of it. “Love Bombing 101” is a free webinar presented by Children of the Street Society, hosted by Warmland Women’s Support Services Society and funded by the Department of Justice Canada, November 26th 1pm and is open to all persons concerned with the wellbeing of our most precious resource – our youth. Contact kthomas@ warmlandwomen.org 250-7108177 for registration details.
Warmland Women’s Support Services Society 331 St Julian St, Duncan (250) 710-8177
Submitted by Kendra Thomas
Cowichan Women’s Health Collective
Kathy Reid-Naiman
“Babies are born in the circle of the sun, the circle of the sun on the birthing day…” These are the lyrics to a folk song I learned one frigid Winter day on an old family homestead in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. “Up to the North, down to the South, the wind and the rain from the East to the West…” The song gets passed ‘round and ‘round, and people make up their own verses. Usually, it ends with: “Scattering my ashes in the circle of the sun, the circle of the sun on the dying day.” Life and death have always existed in sacred relationship with each other, and it is in that space between the light and dark where midwives and doulas stand.
Meg Fulton, a Holistic Reproductive Practitioner and doula here in Quw’utsun, is intimately aware of this, and, as she says, “Unfortunately, not all pregnancies result in a baby.” The hopes and dreams that are sometimes lost in the journey of pregnancy and birth can be harder to grieve, as there is often less cultural awareness and support available. “Pregnancy loss can feel very isolating,” Meg goes on, “Especially when the news of pregnancy hasn’t been shared yet.” Some choose to wait until they’re out of their fi rst trimester to share the news of their pregnancy. If there is a loss in this period, (the most common time for a miscarriage to occur), it can be especially hard as family and friends may not be aware that the need for support exists.
When asked about how the experience might be different, Meg explains, “Many people wait for the second trimester before hiring a doula. However, connecting earlier on with a full-spectrum doula who has been trained in pregnancy and infant loss can mean that the person has professional support if a loss occurs at any point during their journey.” And as with any loss, this connection and support can help women, partners, and entire families to not feel so alone in their experience of grieving the loss of a child. For more information on Meg Fulton and her services visit: https://www.rosewaterwellness.ca/
Last month, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance was commemorated internationally. Miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, molar pregnancies, and SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) are all risks people face when bringing new life into the world. In addition to Meg, we have many trained doulas, midwives, and naturopathic physicians in the community who specialize in and provide fertility, pregnancy and birth, as well as early post-partum support services. There are also programs, such as the Doulas for Aboriginal Families Grant Program (DAFGP), that aim to address the fi nancial barrier associated with accessing doula support. For more information on the DAFGP visit: https://bcaafc.com/dafgp/
During the pandemic, Vancouver Island hospitals fortunately allow a second support person in labour and delivery wards. This means that not only can a partner be present, but it also makes it possible for a doula to be present for a birth as well. This extra support is important for all births, and can never be underestimated during times of loss. “The comfort of physical touch and presence has a powerful effect when supporting a person through hardships and grief,” says Meg. “Doulas can easily ‘do’ many things to support their clients, but there’s magic in offering compassionate, unbiased support by simply being present.” Being present for each other’s grief is something we can always do for each other – physically distanced or not! Hanna Elise (she/they) Kate Koyote (she/her) The Cowichan Women’s Health collective acknowledges our settler relationship to Cowichan Women’s the unceded territory of the Hul’q’umi’num’ speaking peoples upon which we live. Health Collective
NATUROPATHIC CARE AT MATRAEA CENTRE
Dr. Rikst Attema ND
and Dr.
Jenna Waddy ND
provide naturopathic care for the entire family. Naturopathic medicine offers a holistic approach to health, while aiming to uncover and address the root cause of illness. With over 16 years of combined experience, naturopathic doctors Attema and Waddy use a multitude of modalities, treating a wide variety of ailments with compassionate, professional, individualized and attentive care.
One of their special interests is in Women’s Heath and includes: • preconception care • fertility, • recurrent miscarriages, • prenatal and postpartum care
In Naturopathic medicine, safe natural treatments are used including nutritional guidance and supplementation, herbs, physical medicine and more that are incorporated into a treatment plan tailored to the individual
Please call 250-715-0444 for more information or to book an appointment.
PRACTITIONER & SERVICES AT MATRAEA CENTRE: Denise D’Fantis, Registered Acupuncturist, Rebecca Christopherson R.C.C., Hayley Sinai Youth & Family Counsellor and Intuitive Reader, Registered Midwives Jane Ballaro, Talia McKenzie, Kate Koyote and Elizabeth Morrison, Amanda Slydell Tax Preparation, Two Moons Lactation with Candice Wray, Naturopathic Physicians Dr Attema ND & Dr. Waddy, ND, Amber Burwash and Erin Sheen, The Place to Mortgage, Cowichan Valley MLA Offi ce.
