October 2019 Issue 131 by Cowichan Valley Voice

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2019 OCTOBER ISSUE 131 EAT LOCAL I 50KM DIET I GLENORA FARM I LOCAL ARTS, MUSIC & THEATRE 1

Llewellyn Herbalist 6:307:30pm Lynn’s Vitamin Gallery 180 Central Rd, Duncan FREE Harmonic Arts Mushroom Demo 2-5pmThe Community Farm Store Duncan Garage 330 Duncan St

Cowichan Valley Retired Teachers’ Association Debate 5:00 - 6:30 PM Quamichan School Theatre Kaiut Yoga 9:30-10:30am 7999 Glenhurst Dr, Crofton kathywhiteyoga.com also 9/16/23/30

Current Threads VISDA 11-5pm Arbutus Gallery CVAC Cowichan Community Centre 2687 James St, Duncan Runs to 10/24 100 Debates on Climate Change 7-9 PM United Church of Canada (Duncan) Manage Pain Naturally Rebecca

Mushroom Mysteries & Medicine w/ Yarrow Willard 10-4:30pm The Community Farm Store 5380 TCH, Duncan $60 New Heritage Museum Sundays 12-4pm 2851 Church Way Mill Bay millbaymalahathistory.ca FREE Also 13/20/27

Mark Crissinger w/ Full Band CD Release Believe in Love 8pm Osborne Bay Pub 1534 Joan Ave, Crofton $10

5 1

Celebrate Somenos family fun day self-guided tours w/ nature specialists 10-2pm Somenos Marsh Open Air Classroom wildwingsfestival.com

Square Dance 7pm The Hub 2375 Kosilah Rd, Cowichan Station $10

Cultural Connections Activity Night Cowichan Intercultural Society 4:30pm-6:30pm 2687 James St, Duncan

Kaiut Yoga 6:30-7:30pm 7999 Glenhurst Dr, Crofton kathywhiteyoga.com also 10/08

Ice Bear Chippewa of Nawash Aboriginal Artist 12-2pm Excellent Frameworks 24 Station St, Duncan 250 746 112 RSVP

Qigong seminar w/ Sifu Lee Masters benefits the liver 1-5pm Glenora Hall 3660 Glenora Rd, Duncan Register rivendellrhythm@shaw.ca Old Mill Ivy Pull 10-1pm 2500 Recreation Rd, Shawnigan Lake cvrd.bc.ca/275/Volunteering FREE also 10/09 Parent & Child Sunrise Waldorf School 9:30-12pm Experience a morning of magic, warmth, education & play 250 743 7253 Valdy w/ Special Guests Karel Rossingh & Ryan Tandy 8pm Osborne Bay Pub 1534 Joan Ave, Crofton $25/$30

Print Makers Only Group Under Pressure Mon-Fri 11-5pm Sat 12-3 PORTALS Cowichan Community Centre 2687 James St, Duncan cowichanvalleyartscouncil.ca Runs to 10/19 Tanzania - A Naturalist’s Viewpoint 9:30am Fish Health Bldg, 1080 Wharncliffe Rd, Duncan Bring a mug $2

Glenora Farm Fundraiser 7pm dinner live & silent auction Whitespot 101 TCH, Duncan glenorafarm.org $75 Cowichan Valley Prostate Cancer Support Group Coffee Hour 2pm 103–225 Canada Ave, Duncan FREE

Think Shawnigan: Ideas Fair 7-8.30pm Hear & add to ideas for the future Village Community Centre 2804 Shawnigan Lk Rd, FREE

Currie Park Apple Pick 11-2pm 4384 Creighton Rd, Sahtlam cvrd.bc.ca/275/Volunteering FREE

Purica Mushrooms 5-6:30pm The Community Farm Store 5380 TCH, Duncan FREE

11-13

17-27

Beer & Burger Party for Rotary Gardens at Cowichan Hospice House 5-10pm Cobblestone Pub 3566 Holland Ave Cobble Hill $30

CFAX 1070 Candidates Debate 9-10am

Upon Reflection 3 day exhibition of sculpture Blue Grouse Estate Winery & Vineyard 2182 Lakeside Rd, Duncan

Cowichan Valley Public Art Gallery Official Launch 3pm Blue Grouse Estate Winery 2182 Lakeside Rd, Duncan 250 215 2823 Spa One Grand Opening 11-4pm Valley View Centre, Cobble Hill The Soul Shakers R&B dance 60s to now 8pm Osborne Bay Pub 1534 Joan Ave, Crofton $10 Traditional Paths Future Ways Harold Joe presents history of S’amuna’ village 10-12pm Garry Oak Forest registration req’d wildwingsfestival. com $10 Go Batty w/ the Hooters learn about local owl & bat species Garry Oak Forest registration req’d wildwingsfestival.com $10

Dark Mountain Project Climate Theatre Art Show 7:30am Queens Cup Café Queens Rd, Duncan jmowatsteven@gmail.com

12-13

Opening Reception: Current Threads VISDA 3-5pm Arbutus Gallery CVAC Cowichan Community Centre 2687 James St, Duncan

12-14

WildWings Festival Launch & Art Exhibition Opening 6-9pm Just Jakes Restaurant 45 Craig St, Duncan wildwingsfestival.com FREE Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum 6:30 - 9 PM Cowichan Performing Arts Centre

Wild Mushroom Foraging Weekend Deerholme Farm 4830 Stelfox Rd, Duncan deerholme.com Soleil Mannion remarkable artist paintings Barnhouse Studio Alderlea Farm 3390 Glenora Rd, Duncan

Wild Mushroom Cooking Deerholme Farm 4830 Stelfox Rd, Duncan deerholme.com

WildWings Paint Nite 6:30pm Cowichan Valley Best Western Inn 6457 Norcross Rd, Duncan $47.25 wildwingsfestival.com

Heron Rookery clean up 10am followed by talk The Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre 1845 Cow Bay Rd

Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism Death & Hard Truths Warmland Book & Film Collective 5-7pm VIRL 2687 James St, Duncan FREE

Mostly Men Kaiut Yoga for men 4 weeks 6:30-7:30pm 7999 Glenhurst Dr, $48 250 416 9916 also 22/29/5

Build Your Immunity & Vitality from the Ground Up 5-6:30pm The Community Farm Store 5380 TCH, Duncan FREE WildWings Pi’kwun learn to cook traditional sockeye salmon 8–1pm Kilpahlis Beach Cowichan Bay register wildwingsfestival.com $35

Visions Autumn Show & Sale 10-4pm Cobble Hill Hall 3550 Watson Ave

visionsarttour.ca FREE Also 10/20

An Introduction to Project Drawdown John Scull 7pm Fish Health Bldg, 1080 Wharncliffe Rd, Duncan bring a mug $2

October at the Mercury Theatre: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christoper Durang. Regular 22.00, Seniors/Students 17.00, https://vasamas.eventbrite.ca

Aging Well Seniors Expo 103pm Vendors Demonstrations Multipurpose Hall Cowichan Community Centre 2687 James St, Duncan FREE Think Shawnigan: Studio Dropin 4-6pm Meet the designers Shawnigan Lake Community Centre 2804 Shawnigan Lk Rd FREE U-Pick Pumpkins at Providence Farm 10-4pm 1843 Tzouhalem Rd, Duncan entrance on Donnay Dr Runs to Oct 31

Sacred Chant Circle w/ Sadie Bartram 7-8:30pm Rivendell Yurt 5215 Bills Rd, Duncan sdbartram@gmail.com by donation

Chemainus Classical Concerts Marilyn Rummel lever harp 2pm St. Michael’s Church 2858 Mill St, Chemainus ChemainusClassicalConcerts.ca $20/$10 Wild Weaving Workshop Maria Curtis 9:30-4:30pm use native plants registration req’d wildwingsfestival. com $90

21 23

Voting Day!

The Art of Stephen Lowe w/ author Lon Wood 12-1pm PORTALS Cowichan Community Centre 2687 James St, Duncan cowichanvalley artscouncil.ca $5 donation

Terrazetto Trio Continental Latin & Americana 7pm Osborne Bay Pub 1534 Joan Ave, Crofton

What Have You Done for Your Brain Today? 5-6:30pm The Community Farm Store 5380 TCH, FREE

Garden House Foundation Charity Used Book Sale 9-3pm Bonner School 3060 Cobble Hill Rd, Mill Bay FREE Also 10/20 9-2pm Think Shawnigan: Public Presentation of design concepts for future village 4:30-6:30 pm Shawnigan Lake Community Centre 2804 Shawnigan Lk Rd, FREE R&B Kingpins horn-driven band 8pm Osborne Bay Pub 1534 Joan Ave, Crofton $15 Open Mic Night Legion Upper Hall 9775 Chemainus Rd openstage@ cvcas.com Medicinal Plant Walk Della Rice Bright Angel Park Walkabout 10-12pm registration req’d wildwingsfestival.com $10

Harmonic Arts Mushroom Demo 2-5pm The Community Farm Store 5380 TCH, Duncan FREE

Weaver’s & More Show & Sale 12-5:30pm Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre 1761 Cow Bay Rd also Sat 9-5pm Sun 9-4pm Bright Angel Park Pollinator Meadow Restoration 10-1pm 2643 Riverfield Rd, Cowichan Station cvrd. bc.ca/275/Volunteering FREE Kirtanigans & Saltspring guests Call & Response Kirtan 7-8:30pm 2505 Alexander St, Duncan kirtanigans@ gmail.com By Donation Lindsay Elzinga w/ Jaimey Hamilton country pop indie rock 8pm Osborne Bay Pub 1534 Joan Ave, Crofton $10

HUB Film Club Becoming Astrid subtitles Rated PG 7pm The HUB 2375 Koksilah Rd hubfilmclub@gmail.com by donation Customer Appreciation Day Lynn’s Vitamin Gallery 180 Central Rd, Dunacan 15% OFF

It Ain’t Easy Being Green Gala Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society celebration 6pm Birds Eye Cove 5881 Genoa Bay Rd wildwingsfestival.com $25 La Familia Upbeat Latin 8pm Osborne Bay Pub 1534 Joan Ave, Crofton $15 Walk in the Koksilah Ancient Trees old growth forest 9am registration req’d wildwingsfestival. com $10

There is currently space in our PRESCHOOL & PARENT & CHILD Programs • Outdoor Playtime • Inspirational Environment • Crafts For Parents • Child/Parent Development • Storytime • Nourishing Meals • Seasonal Songs • Natural Toys

250 743-7253

admissions@sunrisewaldorfschool.org

Halloween 4-9pm family fun pumpkin carving haunted house The HUB 2375 Koksilah Rd FREE

Dancing in Paint Soleil Mannion Tzouhalem Spinners & Weavers Guild Imagine That! 251 Craig St, Duncan Runs to 10/25

Art Exhibition Opening: Passage 6-8pm 3091 Agira Rd, Duncan www.theougallery.com FREE

28-31

Dad’s War Art Installation by Fran Benton PORTALS Cowichan Community Centre 2687 James St, Duncan

s! u n Joi

Wild Wings Photo Competition People’s Choice Awards festival wrap-up 7pm Old Firehouse 40 Ingram St, Duncan wildwingsfestival.com

Veteran’s Reception 3-4:30pm PORTALS Cowichan Community Centre 2687 James St, Duncan cowichanvalleyartscouncil.ca FREE

Creating & Curating a Show Using Your Family History w/ Fran Benton 12-1pm PORTALS Cowichan Community Centre 2687 James St, Duncan $5 donation Cowichan Valley Cancer Support Group 10:30–12pm Canadian Cancer Society 103–225 Canada Ave, Duncan FREE

Cowichan Valley Prostate Cancer Support Group 2pm Canadian Cancer Society, 103–225 Canada Ave, Duncan FREE Purica Demo 10:15-1:15pm Lynn’s Vitamin Gallery 180 Central Rd, Duncan Senior’s Day, Lynn’s Vitamin Gallery 180 Central Rd, Duncan 15% OFF

Visit Us for Your Eco Friendly FALL Fashions

Saving Art: Tales from an Art Conservator Cyndie Lack BA, MAC 12-1pm PORTALS Cowichan Community Centre 2687 James St, Duncan cowichanvalleyartscouncil. ca $5 donation Nature’s Influence on Traditional Salish Art learn the forms & lines of West Coast Salish art 7-9:30pm PORTALS 2687 James St, Duncan $45 registration req’d wildwingsfestival.com $45

BIG selection of natural products, cosmetics, 9738 Willow St, Chemainus 250-246-9838 organic produce and so much more! Hours Mon-Sat 930-530 • Sun 12-4 Closed Stat holidays 5

October 2019 Issue 131 Cowichan Valley Voice Magazine Publisher Richard Badman Editor Sheila Badman Contact us at: editor@cowichanvalleyvoice.com 250 746 9319 6514 Wicks Rd, Duncan BC V9L 5V2 Visit us online at www.cowichanvalleyvoice.com Distribution Abigail Smith

Proofreader Diana Pink

Calendar Angela Sheppard

Administration Robin Gale

Advertising Enquiries Please Contact Adrienne Richards 250 510 6596 e-mail adrienne@cowichanvalleyvoice.com Next Ad Deadline October 15 for November 2019 Issue 132 *Non Profit Community Ad Rates available please enquire. COMMUNITY CALENDAR LISTINGS ARE FREE! Next EVENTS DEADLINE October 15 for November 2019 Issue 132 E-mail: Date, Event Title, Time, Location and Cost w/ subject “EVENT” to events@cowichanvalleyvoice.com Cowichan Valley Voice Magazine reserves the right to, omit and/or edit submitted listings due to space limitations SPECIAL THANKS TO FOLLOWING VALLEY VOICES Jan MacKirdy, Lauren Bosch, vanBoven Family, Mark Holford, Grant Easterbrook, Cheryl Painter Yonge, Amber Quiring, Alistair MacGregor, Cathy La France, Julie Pyon, Rebecca Hazell, Lynn Starter, Bill Jones, Tamu Miles, Nejma Belarbi, Jared Qwustenuxun Williams, Soleil Mannion, Catherine Johnson, Yvonne Vander Kooi, Dr. Levin, David Coulson, Swarn Hardy, Bill Stenson, Elodie Roger, John Magdanz, Rebecca Llweylln, Todd Carnahan, Ali Bertin, Venita Chow, Carolina Brand, Dr. Dave Preikshot, Helga Feichtinger, David Suzuki, Niki S, Debbie Wood, Chantel Jutras, Tracey Hanson and The Lovely Georgia Nicols We welcome your story ideas & photo submissions, however Cowichan Valley Voice Magazine reserves the right to omit and/or edit all submissions for space, clarity, content and style. The opinions expressed in Valley Voice Magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, publishers or other contributors. Please send a query e-mail with your suggested topic prior to sending your article as space is limited and may not always be available. Valley Voice Magazine is distributed through 450 + select locations throughout the Cowichan Valley- Malahat, Mill Bay, Shawnigan Lake, Cherry Point, Duncan, Cowichan Bay, Crofton, Chemainus and Salt Spring Island and to Cowichan Lake, Ladysmith, Victoria, Tofino and Parksville Cover Photo: Jill Bliss is an artist and naturalist living in the islands of the Salish Sea in WA and BC. Contact Jill at www.jillbliss.com (image copyright 2009 jill bliss)

Put your business in front of over 25,000 qualified readers each month! Contact Adrienne Richards for Holiday Specials and special marketing offers for local businesses. adrienne@cowichanvalleyvoice.com I 250 510 6596 6

OUR COMMUNITY October Events 4-5 Glenora Farm Fundraiser 8-9 Alistair MacGregor 31 Volunteer Cowichan Invites You to our Aging Well Seniors’ Expo! 32 The Wellness Benefits of Volunteering for Seniors 33 WildWings Nature & Arts Festival October 6 –29 42-43-45 Garden House Book Sale Is Back! 48 Think Shawnigan: Development Designed by Community 52 Election Candidates 54-55 Attention, Local Market Shoppers 56 Calling All Community Glenora Farm Fundraiser 61 Green Living Too Old for Halloween? 65 Halloween at the HUB 64 Community Farm Store Pages 72-73 Gifts with Giggles at Two Hoots 81 Let the children vote? 84 Georgia Nicols September Forecast 85 Directory 86-87 LOCAL FOOD & DRINK 50Km Reader Challenge 9 Duncan Farmer’s Market 50Km Local Food Guide at a Glance 10 Embrace a Thanksgiving Tradition and Eat Local! 11 Local Pairings for a 50Km Thanksgiving 12-13 Raw Dessert Delicious 14 Let’s Preserve: Home Processing 101 15 The Traditions of Breaking Bread 17 Cowichan’s Online Farmers Market 20 50Km Local Food Diet 20 Local Milk 21 Musings from The Vines 22 Pumpkin Delicious at the Duncan Garage Bakery 23 Chocolate Pearl: “Lo-cal, no. Local, yes.” 26-27 The Fungi Community 38 Traditional Pi’kwun 41 HOME, FARM & GARDEN Thoughts from A Local Farmer 18 10 Steps to Your Perfect Bedroom Nest 28 Garlic: Best Planting Practices for a Bountiful Harvest 39 Cowichan Ethnobotany II 40 Is your Hot Tub Truly Bacteria-Free 58 Designing Green Calling All Community – Again! 60 U Pick at Providence Farm 64 Sharing Your Solar Story 69 LOCAL ARTS Valdy Plays Osborne Bay Pub 7 Open Hearts Take to Open Mic Night 16 Mrs. Warren’s Profession 23 Ice Bear Presentation October 5 Excellent Frameworks 30 Art and Life 34 Current Threads 35 Our 30th Year -POG (Printmakers Only Group) 37 Wildwings Festival Launch& Art Exhibition Opening Reception 46 It Ain’t Easy Being Green Gala 46 Painter Soleil Mannion I Dream of Italy 47 Tzouhalem Spinners & Weavers Guild: Playing with Fibre 49 California and Montreal Guitar Trio” 50 Passage. Nanaimo painter Yvonne Vander Kooi 59 What is Somatic Attachment Psychotherapy? 66 Ukrainian folk punk band DakhaBrakha returns to Valley 76 BODY, MIND & SOUL Ancient Traditions 29 Spa Opening 36 Pain-Free: The Livin’ is Easy 59 Obstructive Sleep Apnea 67 Why We Should Read the Back of the Turtle: A Novel by Thomas King 68 Yoga for Wellness 74 The Neuro Feedback Experience 75 Dance Temple Cowichan 76 Crystal Shapes 77 Practice, Study and Meditation of the Buddha-Way 82 Inspired by Nature - Seasoned by Life 82 Relaxing with Reflexology 83 PETS, RECREATION & NATURE A Walk in a Local Ancient Forest 53 Are you concerned about the water quality?70 Go Batty with The Hooters ~ A Bat And Owl Interpretation Night 71 Winter Hive Preparation 78 Wildlife Safety Starts with You 78 Lucky Dog Dogs need jobs… 79

Brandy Moore and The Nightcaps Image Dean Kalyan

Valdy Plays Osborne Bay Pub

aul Valdemar Horsdal, born 1 September 1945 in Ottawa, Ontario, commonly known as Valdy, is a Canadian folk and country musician whose solo career began in the early 1970s. He is known for “Rock and Roll Song”, his first mainstream single. Valdy is the winner of two Juno Awards for Folk Singer of the Year and Folk Entertainer of the Year, and has received seven additional Juno nominations. His sixteen albums have achieved sales of nearly half a million copies, four of which are certified gold. Joining Valdy in this special performance at Osborne Bay Pub will be the incredible Karel Rossingh & Ryan Tandy. Karel Roessingh is a composer, arranger, producer and musician who has written scores for over five hundred television episodes, and many award-winning films, documentaries, and promotional videos. He has recorded and produced more than fifteen of his own CDs, including several for the Canadian Naturescapes series distributed world-wide, two jazz trio CDs and many solo piano CDs. His latest solo

project, Birdsong in the Parkade, was recorded with a Steinway grand piano in a Victoria parkade, with original music based on birdsongs collected across Canada. Ryan Tandy’s bass playing is inspired by Ray Brown, informed by Christian McBride, and influenced by Ken Lister, but the solid time and visible enthusiasm he brings to the bandstand are all his own. Born in Auckland, NZ, and raised in Victoria. In 2012, Ryan joined Nick La Riviere, Art Booker, and Damian Graham in forming New Orleans-inspired funk group The Hi-Fi, who recorded their second EP, “Coffee and Candy”, in 2014. An in-demand sideman, Ryan appears alongside local and touring artists. Recent highlights include performances with Maureen Washington, David Vest, Tia Brazda, and Michael Kaeshammer. Valdy with Special Guests Karel Rossingh and Ryan Tandy. Saturday, October 5 8pm, $25 advance at Eventbrite.ca or from the pub or $30 at the door. Osborne Bay Pub, 1534 Joan Ave, Crofton. Shuttle service available.

GLENORA FARM FUNDRAISER TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8TH DUNCAN @7PM TICKETS: $75 INCLUDES:

SIGNATURE COCKTAIL BUFFET DINNER LIVE & SILENT AUCTIONS PROCEEDS WILL HELP TO BUILD A RESIDENTIAL CARE HOME FOR ADULTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

GLENORA FARM

A Camphill Community @GLENORAFARM

Glenora Farm Fundraiser INFO&TICKET SALES: GLENORAFARM.ORG/ WHITE-SPOTFUNDRAISER ORCONTACT: 250-715-8454 SDOMAN@TELUS.NET

locally grown, organic and delicious

Ol’ MacDonald Farm Leeks, red & Green cabbage, carrots, beets, mustard Greens, arugula, eggs, garlic, tomatoes, sugar snap peas Delicious, local grown food with love. Available Saturdays at Duncan Farmers Market or from www.cow-op.ca - pick up Thursdays.

estled in bucolic Glenora in the Cowichan Valley, Glenora Farm offers a radically inclusive environment for adults with special needs – providing cultural, artistic, and therapeutic experiences through residential care and day programming. On Glenora farm, adults with developmental disabilities (“Companions”) live, work, and learn alongside their caregivers (“Coworkers”) within a horizontally structured social environment. This integrated model promotes self-efficacy and personal empowerment through mutual respect, meaningful work, and rewarding participation. Glenora Farm is owned and operated by the Ita Wegman Association, a member of the International Camphill movement and Camphill North America. The Camphill movement is dedicated to creating intentional communities based on the shared values of service, sharing, and responsibility to the earth. Under this philosophy, each individual’s unique gifts and contributions are recognized and valued; developmental disabilities are honoured and accommodated as a part of the fabric of human experience.

Daily activities on the farm revolve around “workshops” including arts and crafts such as weaving, felting, and candle-dipping; performing arts such as choir, drama, and handbells; outdoor work including forestry, growing produce, and animal care; and life-skill/vocational development such as cooking, landscaping, and preparing products for the Glenora Farm store. Persons with a wide range of needs and abilities in complex life situations are supported through highly individualized interventions that promote talents, facilitate choices, and celebrate passions. The result is an affirming place for all members within the community, complete with fulfilling work and a rich social/cultural life. There are currently 45 people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds living on Glenora Farm. Residential care for the Farm’s 16 live-in Companions is provided in extended familystyle homes, primarily out of three large buildings located on the Farm. Additionally, a few Companions join the daily activities from off-site housing situations. At this time, there is an overwhelming need to build a new residential care facility on Glenora Farm in order to welcome more Companions to

this special place. In response, the Association is working on the construction of a new multi-purpose “Farmhouse” that will create 5 additional residential care spaces for Companions and Coworkers. This facility will also provide housing for a resident farmer who will substantially expand and improve the number and nature of the workshops offered to all of the Companions on Glenora Farm. Glenora Farm will be raising funds for this important project with an event on Tuesday October 8th at the Duncan White Spot (7pm start). For $75, attendees will enjoy a signature cocktail from Duncan’s own Stillhead Distillery and a buffet dinner along with live and silent auctions. Tickets can be obtained online at glenorafarm. org/white-spot-fundraiser or by contacting Sharan Doman directly at 250-715-8454/ sdoman@telus.net. A tax receipt of $50 per ticket will be issued to ticket buyers. Until October 4th, Glenora Farm is also actively seeking donated auction items from community members and local businesses. Tax receipts are also available for eligible auction item contributions. To learn more about Glenora Farm, their Farmhouse project, or the October 8th fundraising event, please contact tbatho@glenorafarm.org.

50 Kilometer

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5. Send up to 3 images of your 50km food experience and include a detailed list with the names of the local farms and producers you supported along with what you bought from them.

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50 km Reader Challenge

in one of ten $50 gift certificates to enjoy some local food. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to relax with friends and family and enjoy the wonderful bounty of our beautiful land. To take part of the challenge follow these steps: 1. Plan your holiday meal around Duncan Farmer’s Market, Cow Op and other independent food and drink producers.

2. Purchase your goods noting each of the local suppliers who you bought from. If they happen to be smiling - take their photo too! 3. Take one photo that shows all the local ingredients you are using. This could be a photo of your food collection on your counter, in your kitchen, still in bags or in the car or wagon.

6. Identifty where you purchased or acquired each food item from - ie. local farm stand, Duncan Farmer’s Market, Cow Op Online Marketplace, Community Farm Store, Cowichan Green Community ReFresh, Glenora Farm Store... winery, brewery or cidery or any other local shop or store where you purchased your local product from. Complete entries will be entered into a random draw to win one of ten $50 gift certificates to somewhere local. Send your entries to info@ cowichanvalleyvoice.com Thanks to all those who enter! Winning entries will be notified by email and will be required to answer a skill testing question to claim their prize.

4. After preparing your meal take a picture of your fully loaded Thanksgiving table ready to serve. Cure Anniversary Party Nov.28 4-7pm - Taste the Store!

Now taking orders for Thanksgiving: Sausage Stuffed Turkey Roll Call or stop by to order!!

numerous other vegetables available in abundance, such as beets, colorful carrots, parsnips, every type of squash you can imagine, turnips, radishes, potatoes, leeks…

50km LOCAL FOOD GUIDE AT A GLANCE Embrace a Thanksgiving Tradition and Eat Local!

Local Greens

• Ol’ Macdonald Farm Mustard Greens, Arugula and Kale, Cabbage • Boots ‘n’ Roots Permaculture Farm - salad mixes and greens

Local Potatoes • Tatlo Road Farm - German Butter • Boots ‘n’ Roots Permaculture Farm

Local Wines

• Unsworth Vineyards Charme De L’ile • Rocky Creek Winery -Pinot Gris Blue Grouse Winery - Quill Red, Quill White

Fresh Bread & Pastry Well Bred Bakery - Naturally levaned breads, Frangipane tarts, Galettes, scones and pastries

Non GMO Poultry • Boots ‘n’ Roots Permaculture Farm - nonGMO roasting chickens

Local Apples

• Boots ‘n’ Roots Permaculture Farm

Garlic & Onions

• Island Shire - Polish White • Boots ‘n’ Roots Permaculture Farm • Ol’ Macdonald Farm - Red Russian • Tatlo Road Farm

Locally Grown Loose Tea

Local Beets

• Lockwood Farms - Beets • Boots ‘n’ Roots Permaculture Farm • Ol’ Macdonald Farm - Early Wonder Beets

Local Beer

• Small Block Brewery 10

• Westholme Tea Company -Heron’s Wake (Black Tea) Quail’s Plume (Roasted Green Tea) Maple Smoked (Roasted Green Tea)

Squash & Pumpkins • Ol’ Macdonald Farm • Boots ‘n’ Roots Permaculture Farm • Tatlo Road Farm - Delicata, Butternut, Kabocha types, and sugar pumpkins • Lockwood Farms

utumn is my favourite time of year because as a farmer it means things are finally slowing down, it’s time to reflect on the season and celebrate with a delicious meal… It’s time to give thanks for all the hard work, as well as the natural systems- the air, water, soil, and microbiologythat produce the food that sustains us. This Thanksgiving I encourage you to connect with good food and the folks who produce it by challenging

yourself to enjoy a truly local feast (a 50 km feast!). So much local food abounds this time of year and the freshest and best can all be found at the Duncan Farmers Market. Plan your Thanksgiving feast around seasonally available meats, wine, cheese, and produce. Perhaps stretch yourself to try something new (celeriac potato mash?!), and if you can’t find brussel sprouts why not try roasted cabbage wedges instead, or one of the

Filling a Thanksgiving spread based on a 50 km radius at this time of year is really no

challenge at all- it’s easy! If you head to the Duncan Farmer’s Market on a Saturday it’s pretty much a one-stop shop for all your holiday fixins’. And if you’re looking for something you can’t find, ask the farmers there about a good substitute, or ask them simply what they prepare for their own Thanksgiving meals. Farmers love eating too and they are experts at how to prepare the many different items they produce. Who knows, you might just discover a new Thanksgiving tradition. Niki is the co-owner/ operator of Tatlo Road Farm, and proud member of the Duncan Farmers Market.

• Ampersand Distilling Company - Ampersand Gin, Per Se Vodka • Small Block Brewery

Local Berries Local Carrots • Boots ‘n’ Roots Permaculture Farm • Tatlo Road Farm - Nantes types, plus purple and yellow • Ol’ Macdonald Farm Nantes

• Island Shire - frozen berries: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries

Local Cheese

Locally Grown Flowers • Dancing Dandelion Farms Flowers, Hand-tied bouquets/ centerpieces

Local Spirits

Sure Thanksgiving is about tradition, but the tradition was not to eat exactly the same meal of turkey, brussel sprouts, and sweet potatoes every year, the tradition was about celebrating a region’s LOCAL harvest! In our region we cannot grow yams (which are a tropical crop) and we are barely able to grow sweet potatoes (we’re on the northern cusp of their growing region, so if you do see local sweet potatoes snap them up and thank that grower!), but we are lucky to produce many Thanksgiving staples such as cranberries, squash, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery, apples, and pumpkins.

Local Parsnips • Tatlo Road Farm

• Haltwhistle Cheese Company -a variety of aged, raw milk cheeses made of both cows’ and goats’ milk. 11

Local Pairings For A Unsworth Vineyards

Tasting Room Open

Saturdays 11am - 5pm or by appointment.

250 597-4075 6798 Norcross Rd, Duncan

2018 Unsworth Gamay Pinot Noir Our 2018 Gamay Pinot Noir provides enough fresh berry profile to cut the fat of the meat, buttery mash potatoes and gravy, while offering its own savoury white pepper finish. This wine is a field blend, meaning the two grapes (Gamay Noir and Pinot Noir) were co-fermented in the same tank. The grapes are from a single vineyard in West Kelowna. They were hand harvested and quickly transported to our Mill Bay winery for crushing and fermentation. Barrel aged in older French oak for 9 months.

Emandare Vineyard

2018 Rosé Tart citrus meets refreshing wild red berries. Rosé isn’t just a summer wine, its also the perfect pairing for the comfort food we all love in the fall and winter. So good with turkey, ham and especially a great big creamy bowl of mac and cheese.

Ciderworks, Salt Spring Island Golden Harvey $6/ 6 pack $30

If you thought cider was nothing more than simple, sweet bubbles, think again: Ciderworks’ Golden Harvey is a mouthful of cider complexity, robust enough to stand up to the flavours of a hearty harvest season meal. Dry and rich, this cider is certified organic, made from 100 per cent estate grown heritage European apple varieties from Salt Spring Apple Company’s own orchard.

Enrico Winery

Noble Chardonnay $28.50 / Case $307.80 Chardonnay with its light mineral undertones, clean crisp acidity and fruit forward nature will highlight all the great turkey flavours. Our lightly oaked chardonnay also makes a great choice for basting your turkey, of course while you are enjoying a glass for yourself.

Averill Creek Vineyard 2017 Merlot $20 / $240 case

A classic, cool-climate Merlot: medium-bodied with plenty of tart berry fruit and juicy acidity to offset the richness of your Thanksgiving meal. A touch of herbaceous character plays well with the sage and thyme in your stuffing. Think of this vibrant wine as the cranberry to your turkey!

50km Thanksgiving Rocky Creek Winery Robin’s Rose 2018 $25 / Case $250 This rose is an intense rose that was just released a few weeks ago. It is made with Gamay Noir and Pinot Noir for wonderful cranberry, raspberry notes with a hint a spice. This would be a perfect pairing with turkey as cranberry and turkey go hand in hand. This wine would also pair well with smoked salmon and any goat cheese appetizers to start to the meal.

Cherry Point Estate Wines

2016 Pinot Noir This 2016 Pinot Noir comes from a single vineyard block carefully tended to in the spring to ensure excellent quality. It is aged in old oak barrels, has cherry aromas and hints of raspberry with undertones of clean cedar. Excellent pairing with turkey, roast beef and family gatherings around the table. So grateful for a bountiful dinner!

Valley Cider

Rouge $4.99 for a 330ml bottle. Handcrafted cider rested on Carmenere grape skins for six months, and then delicately blended with hibiscus, beet root and black pepper. The result is a berry-forward Rosé that will beautifully balance the salt and savory of a ham or turkey-centric thanksgiving feast.

Blue Grouse Estate Winery

2018 Estate Pinot Gris $25 Among the oldest Pinot Gris vines in BC, from one of the first vineyards on Vancouver Island, this vintage went through full malolactic fermentation and boasts aromas of butterscotch and vanilla with a medium-long finish and fresh acidity. Before reaching for yet another Pinot Grigio from Italy, try serving the same grape — Pinot Gris — but from BC! It will offer more intrigue for your feast, with slightly more weight and a spritzy jolt of acidity that will pair well with your turkey meal.

Westholme Tea Company Alderlea Vineyards

2018 Rosé $23.70 Estate grown red varietals Cabernet Foch and Cabernet Libre comprise this crisp and aromatic full-bodied rosé wine. Notes of cranberry make this wine a perfect pairing with Thanksgiving turkey and all the trimmings. It also pairs well with barbecued pork and salmon or a festive charcuterie plate.

Heron’s Wake Explore how this locally grown terroir black tea will complement your turkey, meat or decadent vegetarian dish. Be surprised how pairing with tea with your main can accentuate flavours and improve digestion. Heron’s Wake has notes of hazelnut and hints of ground cacao that will pair well with rich spiced foods and desserts.

Merridale Cidery

Celebration Cider This dry champagne-style cider is refreshingly effervescent with a delicate champagne bubble. Nice crisp acids make it the perfect pairing for your Thanksgiving celebration. At only 7% abv. it’s a great lower alcohol alternative for your guests. 12

hen you hear the ubiquitous food description: gluten-free, grainfree, dairy-free, vegan, organic and GMO-free, you might wonder, where’s all the tasty stuff? But of course, I found no shortage of flavour when I stopped in to try some new desserts at Glow in the Sol Centre in Duncan. As always, the Glow atmosphere feels pristine and holy, minus the preachy health food vibe. Tucked in next to the crystal shop, it’s a cafe where newbies to raw food

are welcomed, and it’s a perfect spot to share a dessert with a friend, celebrate a birthday or treat a child to a nutrient-dense, guilt-free sweet. In anticipation of celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas, owner Brandy Mandrusiak and her staff have launched a few new dessert recipes full of energizing superfoods, sprouted nuts, and fresh local ingredients.

After some taste-testing, I realize that I have discovered the perfect donut, at least for me. The last Hazelnut Cashew Cheesecake time I tasted one was with my dad in about 1982. I think it was a vanilla glaze, covered in multi-coloured sprinkles. Glow donuts, in contrast, aren’t showy, fluffy and drippy; they’re neat,

tidy and could fit in a shirt pocket. But don’t let the size mislead you. The latest flavour, with a nod to fall harvest, is the pumpkin donut with a sleek white glaze. Packed with Glenora Farm pumpkins, it’s dense and delicious, not overly sweet, and you could get away with eating it for breakfast along with a Green Goddess smoothie or a fresh-pressed juice. It comes in a miniversion as well, perfect as an occasional lunch box treat.

Raw Delicious Desserts

I have to admit, I have often eaten a whole Fuel Bar myself and enjoyed every last chewy, chocolaty crumb. But the latest version, mint-infused and sprinkled with chlorella and spirulina, I cut up and share with a few others. My son says the texture reminds him of toffee, plus he’s a big fan of the fresh mint. My friend Linda describes

it as “fruity, minty, very filling, and the best, healthiest power bar I have ever tried.” And it’s something you could eat in the middle of the day, which I have done more than once, enjoying it along with a Glow green juice and then hiked up a mountain. It’s infused with chaga, an antioxidant rich and immune modulating medicinal mushroom, cognitive boosting gotu kola and superfoods maca and lamuca. Last but not least, the Hazelnut Cheesecake looks and tastes like a true traditional dessert. The layer of rich, creamy mouse is offset by the nutty texture of the crust and the crunch of hazelnuts. It’s light, not too sweet, and would be a perfect birthday treat to share with a friend after a Glow meal. It would also pair nicely with a cup of tea on a Sunday afternoon. You can choose to eat Glow desserts because they’re free of things you may not want in your diet (like white sugar, wheat and dairy), or because they are truly delicious; the way a dessert should be! Plus they’re organic, rich in nutrients and healthy fats, and nearly guilt-free. Glow Juicery, 5380 Trans Canada Hwy (by the Community Farm Store) for orders 250 5972595www.glowjuicery.ca Marti Smith is a writer and musician happily living in the Cowichan Valley with her family.

Preserving encompasses a number of skills and techniques; canning,

There are two methods of canning used for different reasons, one is water-bathing for high-acids foods like pickles and jams; and the other is pressure canning for low acid foods, such as beans, fish, and tomato sauce. Novice canners should glean from approved recipes via Bernardin , Kerr and the like. These have been tested for safety and should be followed thoroughly. This is super important! Learning from a seasoned preserver makes it more interesting and provides an opportunity to tap into their wealth of information. Canning isn’t quite like freestyling a cookie recipe as there is more science to it. Once the rules and research has been done, some leeway may be possible. Until then, stick with CFIA approved methods and recipes that utilize them. Don’t let this hold you back. Start with a simple jam or pickle recipe and continue to learn from there with the seasons. It’s a great learning curve as well as very satisfying. Preserves also make for great gifts!

Let’s Preserve: Home Processing 101

Pumpkin Donuts

Since Nanaimo bars typically served up at parties often contain white sugar, wheat and heavy cream, I was literally over the moon to relish Glow’s original healthier Nanaimo bar, and now there’s a new flavour in town: Cherry Berry. It features the same dark creamy chocolate top and nutty bottom crust as the traditional and the lavender versions, but the middle is a smooth textured tart cherry and mixed berries. Any of the Nanaimo bars would be a popular addition to a potluck gathering and you can fairly easily cut them in half.

Cherry Berry Nanaimo Bar

Jan MacKirdy and Lauren Bosch, Medical Herbalist both work with Ceres Edible Landscapes (250) 748-8506

freezing, and dehydrating all come to mind. Depending on your needs and time, you can use multiple techniques on any type of food. For example, sometimes when I have a glut of green beans the easiest way to deal with them is to pick, clean, blanch, and then portion them into freezer bags. However, if I have the time it might be nice to pickle and jar them. I found an old recipe for drying them, turns out it was not a favourite of my family. This brings me to another thought. I have many tried and true recipes that I use yearly but I also like to experiment with new recipes as well. I have learned from experience to never double up on a new recipe, no matter how good it appears. A small batch of an undesirable outcome is better than cases of them.

anning and home preserving can be a fun and economical way to make fresh, seasonal foods available year-round. From dealing with excess fruit and vegetables from your garden or taking advantage of sales at your grocers, it just makes sense to process excess fresh foods. The processing of food used to be a common skill, and is an important one to learn for the future that climate change brings as well as being a practical piece of knowledge. It’s become a lost art that the older generations have clung to for some different reasons. Modern, industrialized diets have brought about cheaper convenient foods. It brings me great joy to see resurgence of vegetable gardening and selfsufficiency skills becoming popular and in vogue again. It is very satisfying work to be able to cook and serve the food of your labours, as well as it being better for your health and the environment by eating locally.

Apple Butter

Preserving Method: Water Bath Canning Makes about 6 (250ml) jars

What you need:

•4 pounds apples (about 12 to 16 medium) 2 cups water 4 cups sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon ¼ teaspoon cloves Water bath canner Jar lifter and lid magnet Metal spoon and ladle

Directions:

1. Fill canner with water to ¾ full and put on high on the stove. Wash and sterilize jars in the oven at 200°F for 20 minutes and leave in until needed. Put jar lids in a small pot of water and put on low. 2. Core, peel (if desired), and quarter apples. Combine apples and water in a large pot. Cook at a simmer until soft. Puree mixture using an electric food strainer or food processer. Measure 2 litres of apple pulp to ensure correct volume and return to saucepan. Add sugar and spices, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook at a gentle boil over medium heat until apple mixture is thick enough to mound on a spoon, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. If mixture becomes too thick, add a small amount of water or apple juice for desired consistency. Remove from heat. 3. Ladle hot apple butter into a hot jar leaving a 1cm of headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim with clean cloth. Centre lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled and put into boiling canner. Make sure the jars are covered with a few centimetres of water.

Thanksgiving at the Farm Table Inn Sunday, October 13th Join us on the Farm for a beautiful Thanksgiving brunch buffet. The restaurant will be serving up all of its usual delicious offerings, plus turkey, gravy, and stuffing of course! One seating at 11am. The restaurant will also be OPEN for fantastic Thanksgiving Buffet Dinner that evening featuring roasted and carved-to-order turkey with all the fixings. One seating only at 6pm. Space is limited and reservations are required – please call 250-932-3205. Farm Table Inn 6755 Cowichan Lake Road www.farmtableinn.ca info@farmtableinn.ca

4.Process jars 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when centre is pressed. Recipe from freshpreserving.com

ery c Ev m i s u Fro eM Li v u n day 7p m S m4p

SERVING DELICIOUS WATERFRONT BRUNCH, LUNCH & DINNER OPEN MON - FRI 11:30am / SAT & SUN 10am MILL BAY MARINA • 740 HANDY RD • 778-356-3568 www.bridgemans.ca 15

Singer JoHannah Knight is a regular at Open Mic Nights,

Please, take a seat… A

P H O T O G R A P H I C

E S S A Y

DAPHNE & ART

CARLYLE

FEATURED ARTISTS SEP–OCT 2019

9871 WILLOW•CHEMAINUS•RAINFORESTARTS.CA•250-246-4861

Open Hearts Take To Open Mic Night

or Andrew Martin, open mic nights are valuable, two-sided coins. They bring musicians and other performance artists onto a stage where they can build confidence and skills; and they bring local audiences together to enjoy home grown entertainment and a sense of community. But Martin knows open mic is not for everyone. There’s lots of people who are never going to be interested in what they consider amateur performances, even if a devoted following, who love attending impromptu sessions whenever they can, sings the praises of open mic events. That still leaves “a whole section of people in the middle” who might want to give open mic events a try, Martin said. What they’ll experience is a vibrant part of the local music and performing arts scene. “At this point in time Chemainus is known on the Island as quite a little musical hub,” he said. “The net benefit is huge. In my mind a

healthy community typically has healthy musical components to it.”

True Grain’s large tear and share organic centrepieces can be ordered for your local Thanksgiving feast.

JoHannah Knight, whose 2 Sailing Wait CD was released in Chemainus a couple of years ago, is a creative mom, caregiver, wife and artist. For her open mic is a place she can tell her human story through song. “Being a musician is celebrating life and stories through song,” she said. “Being present in the here and now, putting yourself out there, presenting your piece, your side of your story.” Like Martin, she’s not sure star-making is the point of open mic, unless you think of stars as swirls in an artistic and emotional constellation. “I would hope we all are stars in our own way, making our way across a silent stage of hidden talents.” For Knight, like Martin, open mic is feeding and creating a community of spirit. “Life happens and with life there is history, brokenness and of course absolute glory with a family,” she said. “Yet, I can only give a small part back to those through song, who need to feel affirmed and validated – that it’s okay to give second chances, love the same lover over and over again, peel back and live a vulnerable life being true to your emotions and being guarded in your true authentic self.” Sort of emphasizes the word ‘open’ in the phrase ‘open mic’. Open Mic Nights in Chemainus take place the third Saturdays in October through May in the Legion’s upper hall at 9775 Chemainus Road. More information at 867-446-1052 or openstage@cvcas.com.

The Traditions of Breaking Bread Neolithic times, wheat Sandncebread has held a sacred i

role in human societies. Sacred is a big word, but when you imagine how our ancestors were reliant on each harvest for their community’s survival, a kernel of grain takes on larger significance. In today’s modern world, disconnected as we are with where our food comes from, it’s easy to fall into the habit of seeing bread as just another product, a food item made up grams of carbs and proteins. Too many of us spend no time in gardens, let alone time standing in a wheat field, contemplating the wonders that will feed us through the winter. Thanksgiving is when we gather with family and friends, those we hold near and dear to us. This time of year presents us with an opportunity to relearn some reverence for the things that truly nourish us. A perfect time to institute new traditions in the sprit of old gratitude. The word companion comes from Latin com- “with” + panis “bread.” The traditional practice of “breaking bread” is an acknowledgement of our collective need for friendship, trust and safety, all of which live in the moment when we

share our food. If you’ve accepted the challenge of eating within 50km for your Thanksgiving meal, you’re on your way to creating the new customs that can elevate the spirits around your table. It can be as simple as passing a tear-and-share centrepiece at the start of the meal. As each person tears their piece of bread, they’re invited to share something for which they are grateful. Or you can get elaborate with your grain choice and present a hearty loaf of spelt or rye on a wooden board. The board is passed around and the slices are cut with the same outpouring of appreciation. At True Grain, we value this cycle of farmer-miller-bakercommunity. We recognise it as doing more than filling a gap in a marketplace, rather it provides an access point to bread as it used to be – handcrafted using locally grown and milled grain. On paper it seems a simple process, but we know it’s rooted in something deeper. We hope you’ll make bread a central part of your 50km Thanksgiving feast. When you’re gathered at your table, take a moment to look at your bounty and try to calculate how many hands it took to create your meal. We promise that your food will never taste so good.

Ma Maison I 250-732-6096

10445 Chemainus Rd, Saltair

Submitted by Sophia Jackson

with the litany of global crises that humanity currently faces, I am free to act in a way that makes this world better, and surely that effect will ripple into the future. There is going to come a time when the industrial food system will break down and in its place a different kind of Victory Garden, along with the community that tends it, will grow—out of necessity. Indeed it is already growing-in the small farms, community gardens, school yards and back yards of this valley.

Support Your Local Farmers

Upcoming EVENTS

ow--the 50 km diet. Didn’t it used to be the 100 mile diet? We must be making progress.

Duck and Mushroom Dinner Saturday, October 19

Wild Mushroom Cooking Sunday, October 13th & 27th Wild Mushroom Foraging Workshop October 5th & November 2 Wild Mushroom Foraging Weekend October 12-13th Wild Mushroom Foraging Weekend II October 26-27th

For full details visit www.deerholme.com BY RESERVATION ONLY

250 748-7450 4830 Stelfox Rd Duncan

DELICIOUS MEALS MADE FROM SCRATCH

Saturday & Sunday Brunch Featuring our famous crêpes & bennys!

1765 COWICHAN BAY RD • 250 597 7373 18

Wrong. Globally, food miles are still on the increase. And sorry folks, you’re not going to save the planet by eating locally like the nice people who wrote the book. The almost undeniable fact is that climate catastrophe is certain to play out in its fullest, most horrific expression no matter how you eat. Jeez, Farmer Cam must be having a bad day you say. No, I’m having a great day. I’ve simply decided to turn my back on denial and false hope. And what I now face is optimism and true hope. By letting go of the hope that I can “save the world” and the helplessness I feel when faced

Shopping at the Farmer’s Market is one way to participate in human scale, community-based agriculture and to interact with the local community, two things we will dearly need in our future. I invite you to come on down and see how much of your holiday meal is grown right here in the Cowichan Valley. Meet a friend. Meet someone new. Share what you have with somebody else. And let’s remember to give thanks for the world we have. Cam MacDonald of Ol’ MacDonald Farm hopes you come say hello any Saturday at the Duncan Farmers Market.

50km local food diet All the local farms at your fingertips www.co-op.ca

hOMe Grown Living Foods Lake Cowichan Lake Cowichan Since 2008 we have been sprouting and dehydrating organic ingredients to create the most nutrient dense, shelf stable snacks available. Simply sprouted tastes better!

Good Bite Duncan/ Cowichan Valley Good Bite Bars are a yummy healthy baked snack bar & Good Bites are a delicious raw VEGAN treat both are made with organIc ingredients.

Michelle Rose CSF Cowichan Bay Enjoy coho and pink salmon as well as delectable rockfish. All harvested by hook and line from Haida Gwaii. Something different for Thanksgiving

Boots ‘n’ Roots Permaculture Farm Glenora BNR is dedicated to growing and raising food, not just sustainably, but in a regenerative manner. We grow over 50 different vegetables, fruits, herbs and berries.

Sorting locally grown food at Cow Op Marketplace for pick up

Cowichan’s Online Farmers Market

id you know that you’re able to support Cowichan’s farmers, fishers, bakers, snack makers and more with just the click of a button? Cow-op.ca is Cowichan Valley’s own online farmers market. Choose from vegetables, fruits, meats, seafood, eggs, breads, baked goods, healthy back-to-school snacks and more: all produced and procured right in your backyard. We are a co-operative of over 80 local farmers and food processers hosting an online marketplace of local, ecologically responsible grown and harvested foods. Everything is grown or produced right here in the Cowichan Region. This is a promising model for food producers and customers alike. The farmers save time and the buyers are able to shop from the comfort of their home, year-round, directly support local family farms and businesses. How it Works: Customers can place orders online from Friday 12pm to Tuesday midnight 12am (PST). Producers receive orders Wednesday morning and

prepare for delivery. Fresh orders are delivered to the Cowichan Green Community in Duncan (360 Duncan St.) and Zero Waste Emporium in Victoria (1728 Douglas St.) on Thursday morning. Duncan customers pick up between 3-6pm on Thursdays at Cowichan Green Community (360 Duncan St). Victoria Customers pick up orders on Thursdays between noon-6pm at Zero Waste Emporium (1728 Douglas St.). Getting started is easy! Just sign-up at www.cow-op.ca and click “shop now.” As the seasons change, so do our diets! Fall is a spectacular time to feast on the abundance that the Cowichan has to offer. Trying out a 50 km diet doesn’t get any easier. Let us do the dirty work for you. Choose from your favourite farm or buy from new farms that you may have never heard of. You click – we pick. To make this Fall’s 50 km reader challenge even more accessible Cow-op is offering $10 off your first order ($30 minimum) when you use the code 50KILOMETERS at checkout. Derrick Pawlowski Market Manager, Cow-op.ca

Local Milk! Cowichan Milk Company might have just started selling milk last month, but the dream has been in the works for many years. They have long appreciated how glass keeps the milk colder, fresher, and tasting pure. They also valued getting their food locally, and wanted to ensure the Cowichan Valley could have a source for local milk for a long time to come. Vanvalley Farm on Koksilah Road has been in the vanBoven family since 1960. When Matthew vanBoven decided to take on dairy farming as the next generation, the vanBovens knew they had to make the small family farm sustainable for the future. The first step was to build a new open-air barn with a robotic milker. The cows were moved into the new barn in April 2012 and have been very happy in their new environment, especially appreciating the 24/7 access to milking since “Rosie the Robot” never needs to sleep or take care of other farmwork. A couple years later, planning began in earnest for Cowichan Milk Company. The implementation took far longer than expected, with delays for seemingly everything. Old and new bottling equipment was found and purchased from across North America and refurbished for the 21st century

with more than a few hiccups through the process, construction delays followed each other like dominoes, and and then there was just the day to day farming to stay on top of! With a great deal of persistence, everything came together and the vanBovens finally reached their goal of selling their local glassbottled milk to the Cowichan Valley community on last month from their on-site farmstand. Since then, they’ve started to sell through nearby small retailers and have launched their farm-tohome delivery service, bringing local products and their own cows’ milk to doorsteps around the Valley. They plan to expand their selection of foods from various makers and growers around the Cowichan Valley, making shopping locally easier than ever.

TWIN VALE FARMS

Cowichan Station free-range, grain/veggie fed pork. $6/lb hanging weight incl. cut & wrap.

Rod & Lynda Bealing lyndajv3@gmail.com/250-213-9395

“Our goal is to give you the freshest, tastiest, highest-quality milk that you have ever served you and your family. From our farm to your table, we hope that you enjoy it just as much as we and our children/siblings and grandchildren/nieces/nephews do!” -Ben, Margie, and Matthew vanBoven Delivery orders can be submitted at www.cowichanmilk.ca for weekly deliveries on Fridays, or visit the farmstand at 4590 Koksilah Rd.

Musings From The Vines

Mark Holford, Winemaker/ Owner Rocky Creek Winery

ell Thanksgiving is upon us. With that comes harvest time in the winery. All the hard work over the past nine months is culminating in a six week blitz to bring in our grapes and start turning them into wine. For better or for worse, this is when a vineyard/winery owner gets to self-evaluate their performance over the past year. Was your winter pruning complete on-time? Did you miss any critical spray dates? Were you late

getting nets up? Do you leave too much or too little crop on the vines? All these factors can drastically change the type of success you have at harvest time. Then you factor in Mother Nature. So many ways that she can hinder even the most diligent vineyard manager. Late/early frosts, cool summers, wind/hail storms during flowering, rain during harvest, all can interfere with the objective of getting a large, ripe crop harvested and turned into wine. So far (and it’s still early days) the overall crop looks pretty good. The windstorm last Winter caused a lot of damage, and we spent a lot of time repairing the vineyard this Spring which made everything else late. However our other grapes look pretty good, a nice sized

crop on two out of three vineyards and so far we are on track for a pretty normal harvest schedule. We should be getting finished just around Thanksgiving before the Fall rains set in for good. The other big change that Fall brings is that I barbecue less and use my slow cooker more. During harvest days nothing is better after a long day picking / processing grapes then coming into our house to the smells of slow cooked beef brisket. I particularly like this because it takes a very inexpensive cut of meat and makes the most tender, succulent meal out of it and I can start it at breakfast time, and leave it all day. One fun tip, if you forgot to thaw the roast out, you can actually start it frozen on high in the slow cooker at breakfast, come in at lunch time and turn the slow cooker to low, and by dinner it’s perfectly done.

Mrs. Warren’s Profession- A Gem! Local Beef Brisket Sandwiches Courtesy Mark Holford, Rocky Creek Winery

Ingredients

1 3-4 lb local beef roast (brisket, chuck, or other inexpensive cut) ½ C ketchup ½ C Rocky Creek Red - On The Mark ¼ C vinegar 2 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp molasses 2 tbsp hot pepper sauce or 1 tsp hot chilli flakes ¼ C spicy/smoky BBQ sauce (my spicy wild blackberry bbq sauce is perfect) 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 cloves garlic (minced) 1 med onion – finely chopped Baguette Coleslaw

Method

Place meat into slow cooker – fat side up, turn slow cooker to low for 10 hrs or high for 6. (or if frozen – 6 hrs on high plus 6 hrs on low) Chop onions, mince garlic. Combine in mixing bowl with all other ingredients. Mix well and pour over roast. After cooking is complete, use two forks to pull the meat apart.

George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession made its debut on a London stage in 1902. The play was first written in 1893, published in 1898 but due to its subject matter which was both bold and risque, it was kept off the stage until a more modern and socially enlightened audience was ready for it. Set in England, the play focuses on the distant relationship between a mother and daughter. The first act opens with Vivie, brilliantly played by actress Martha Ansfield-Scrase. Her character, a young hard working math student, grew up rich and highly educated. With a firm handshake and a bold voice Vivie who was brought up in all the best boarding schools in England differs from the spoiled rich girls of her time and instead with a sensible head has no

time for holidays, nor any appreciation for luxuries such as art or music. She wants to work hard and make money Next comes Mr. Praed played by Tariq Leslie. A lovely and elegant character, his role plays a nice contrast to the rest of the zany cast throughout the show. An anchor for Vivie and the audience Leslie’s performance of Mr. Praed seemed to fit him like a second skin. Frank Gardner played by a comical Julien Galipeau is the naughty reverend’s son who has no ambition at all but to marry rich. As a feminist, his character was deplorable to watch but it is this tension that Shaw loves to put at the forefront. Kitty Warren, the infamous Mrs. Warren was played beautifully by actress Erin Ormond. Her sultry swagger and her sleek physique

matched her character of the successful madam she had built herself up to be. Kitty breaks herself out of the poverty she grew up in to give Vivie everything she could ever want. Vivie is horrified when she discovers that her life was grown out of the profits of prostitution, and on the backs of poor innocent girls such as her mother once was.

else? Mrs. Warren’s teasing affections for Reverend Sam was very entertaining and Aberle played the kooky Reverend hilariously. Bravo to Ksenia Broda-Milian for a creative and well lit set. The transitions between scenes were smooth and fit well with the performance. Applause for Crystal Hanson for beautiful costuming, the nod to the 30’s was perfect.

With a small but perfect cast of just six, each actor excelled in their role culimnating into one of the tightest and talented casts I have seen perform together at the theatre. They were able to keep up with Shaw’s striking and witty dialogue without any lag whatsoever. Notable mentions go to a very talented AnsfieldScrase who impressively maintained her English accent at a marathon pace. Bravo also to Declan O’Reilly who played Sir George Croft the snooty longtime business partner of Mrs.Warren. His facial expressions, dialogue and body language really built him into his character. You didn’t really want to like Croft - but O’Reilly’s impression of him made you like him.

I may be biased to this performance because I love Shaw’s work. Kudos to director Heather Cant, Stage Manager Lois Dawson and Sound Designer John Han. This production was excellent and the actors brilliant did justice to Shaw’s work.

Despite the subject matter of the play, it really was funny and adding to this comic relief was Stephen Aberle’s portrayal as Reverend Samuel Gardner, the father of Frank and possibly.. someone

Paired with a pre show meal in the Playbill Dining Room Mrs. Warren’s Profession will whisk you and your guest away from Vancouver Island, into the past of an England that only Shaw could let us peek into. Act quickly as it runs to October 5 and is almost sold out! chemainustheatrefestival.ca

Sheila Badman, happy wife and mother of two, loves experiencing the treasures of Cowichan, both indoors and out.

Cut baguette into 8 inch lengths, and cut in half. Load meat, coleslaw and “au jus” onto buns and enjoy!

Simple Brined, Mushroom-Sage Extra Virgin Olive Oil Basted Turkey

still have the same delicious flesh.” shares baker Jenny Bradford “We mix the house made puree with organic whipping cream, sugar, a rich blend of secret spices and egg yolks, then we whip the egg whites stiff and fold them into the rest of the filling before ladling it into the pie shells. This makes the filling rise like a souffle (which it kind of is) and when eaten, it melts gently over the tongue without losing the intensity of the pumpkin flavour.” Pumpkin pies are available in wheat or no gluten ingredient pastry.

Pumpkin Lattes, Pumpkin Stollen, Butter Rolls, and the BEST Pumpkin Pies there are!

Recipe courtesy Grant Easterbrook, The Olive Station, 225 Canada Avenue Downtown Duncan

Pumpkin Delicious at the Duncan Garage Bakery The Duncan Garage Cafe and Bakery bake more pumpkin pies during Thanksgiving than any other time of the year. “We use organic pumpkin in our pies, and when we can get it, organic Blue Hubbard or Red Kuri squash. Both of those squashes (first cousins of the pumpkin) have a rich flavour and a quite dry flesh, which is excellent for pies, as the filling doesn’t get too wet and soak the pastry. Both also grow quite well in the Cowichan Valley. Blue Hubbard has long been a favourite because even when they get enormous (and they get pretty enormous) they

We’re thankful for a lot of things, and Thanksgiving is surely one of them!

Ingredients 1 Local Turkey about 12 pounds For The Brine 1 1/2 Cups kosher salt 2 1/2 Gallons cold water

Another signature specialty is the Garage’s Pumpkin Stollen inspired by the staff searcing for more excuses to eat stollen. “We already had Susan’s excellent recipe for this rich, fruit-and-almond laden, marzipan stuffed treat, and we thought why not level up and add pumpkin and fresh cranberries to the dough? The real genius is when you get a zingy cranberry in with the sweet dough and marzipan. Try it toasted with butter, that’s the absolute bomb! The fruit we use in the stollen is actually the start of the fruitcake making process because the whole business is better if all the flavours do what we call ‘making neighbours’. We take as many kinds of organic dried fruit as we can, cut them up if they’re bigger than a raisin, add finely diced local apples and whatever other fresh fruit occurs to us, and toss it with

a light coating of booze, then pack it tightly into a container and leave it to marinate in our fridge for a month or more. Once we’ve made the Thanksgiving stollen, we mix all that’s left over with a fresh batch of fruits, with an eye towards making the dark fruitcakes a few weeks later. Other pumpkin lover treats available during the Fall season: pumpkin muffins, pumpkin walnut loaf, and chocolate pumpkin squares. We recommend reserving pies for Thanksgiving weekend to avoid disappointment. 250 748-6223 Open 7 days a week.

Roasting 3 Tablespoons Delizia Mushroom Sage Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Tablespoon freshly ground pepper 1/2-3/4 Cups chicken stock, as needed

Pick up by October 13. Closed Monday Oct 14.

Directions

Place Turkey and enough brine to cover in a large pot. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. If turkey floats to top weigh down with a plate and cans to keep it submerged in brine. Preheat oven to 400° rub 2 tablespoons mushroom sage extra virgin olive oil over the skin of turkey. Sprinkle pepper over skin and incavity. Tuck wing tips under loosely truss legs and place turkey on a V-shaped rack in roasting pan. Tent breast with foil. Put turkey in preheated oven. To ensure the bird cooks evenly rotate roasting pan 180° every 30 minutes. Roast for about one hour remove foil and baste Turkey with 1/2 cup of warm stock mixed with one tablespoon mushroom sage extra virgin olive oil. Start checking internal temperature after about one hour by inserting an instant read thermometer in the meatiest part of the thigh not touching the bone. If legs or breast begin to get too brown cover loosely with foil roast until internal thigh temperature reaches 165° total roasting time should be about two to two and three-quarter hours. Let bird rest least 20 to 30 minutes before carving.Balsamic

Submitted by Jenny Bradford

Duncan Garage Cafe & Bakery 330 Duncan Street Downtown Duncan 25

Chocolate Pearl: “Lo-cal, no. Local, yes.” Cheryl Painter Yonge is head chocolatier and co-owner of Chocolate Pearl

Now Open

www.theainslie.ca 161 Kenneth St., Duncan 250-597-3695

Happy Hour Daily 3-5pm featuring a weekly cocktail $7.50

JOIN US FOR DINNER

OPEN Tuesday to Saturday

look for our daily specials on 40 Ingram Street

www.theoldﬁrehouse.ca

Downtown Duncan

(250) 597-3473

f you look at Chocolate Pearl’s ad in this section, you’ll see our familiar catchphrase: “Lo-cal, no. Local, yes.” What that means is this; although our chocolates aren’t lowcalorie, we do source many of our ingredients from local agribusinesses – many of which are based just a few kilometres from Chocolate Pearl. What follows is a list of some of our chocolates made with local ingredients and the local suppliers associated with them.

Tea Ganache Even before we launched in 2017, a lovely tea ganache was always intended to be on our menu. And what do you know? There’s our neighbour, Westholme Tea Farm, who has the distinction of being Canada’s only tea farm. “WTF” (as we like to call them) has earned another distinction: exclusive supplier of Earl Grey tea to Chocolate Pearl. Distance between us: 8 km Lavender Ganache Lavender is a flavour that marries wonderfully with chocolate. It’s the reason why we wanted to introduce

a lavender ganache at Chocolate Pearl. But where does one get lovely lavender in Cowichan? Oh wait, there’s Damali Lavender & Winery in Cobble Hill. Distance between us: 15 km Coffee Ganache At Chocolate Pearl we’ve got tea ganache, so why not coffee ganache? Take another look at our ad and you’ll see a half-round chocolate speckled with blue and white. That’s our very popular coffee ganache. Source of the coffee: our friends at Drumroaster Coffee in Cobble Hill. Distance between us: 10.5 km Rhubarb Ganache Did you know that rhubarb is a vegetable and not a fruit? Nonetheless, it has proven to be a hit when blended into a chocolate ganache. Yes, it’s seasonal and locally grown. How local? Distance from our garden to where it’s pureed in our kitchen: about 10 metres. Wine Ganache “Like water for chocolate?”. Hmmm… how about, “We like wine with chocolate?” Obviously, for our wine ganache, we have umpteen quality local wineries to choose from. Thank you to Blue Grouse Estate Winery for proposing their Black Muscat – the

combination has become a hit. Distance between us: 7.5 km Ale Ganache Award winning local wine isn’t the only potable that blends well with our chocolate. Beer does too – big time. Again, we have many options available to us. Currently the dark ale in our ale ganache is the outstanding “Oatmeal Stout” supplied by our friends at Small Block Brewery. Distance between us: 2 km Lemon Mint Our popular lemon mint ganache is another chocolate that has local roots, so to speak. Made with white and dark chocolate, this staple of ours includes mint that’s cultivated even closer than our rhubarb. Distance from our mint planters to our kitchen: about 3 metres. Salted Caramel If you’ve been to Chocolate Pearl, you may have noticed that our chocolate caramels are available “with” or

“without” salt. If you ask for the former, you’re getting a handmade caramel sprinkled with salt… but not just any kind of salt. The salt we use is from Vancouver Island Salt Company. And we don’t need to tell you where they’re from. Distance to the Salish Sea where they source their salt: about 7 km. Currently, the net we cast for our local ingredients has a maximum range of 15 km and a minimum of, well, our backyard. Why do we go to such short lengths to source local ingredients? Naturally, it’s about supporting our local economy, but moreover, it’s because we prefer to use ingredients that are fresh and available, rather than massproduced and preservativefilled. Final note from R&D at Chocolate Pearl: because Nigel and I haven’t been busy enough, we’ve been working on other local flavours, including huckleberry, hazelnut, honey, Oregon grape, salal berry, and even chili. Will they be “lo-cal”? Probably not. Will they be

“local”? Most definitely. Chocolate Pearl 133 Craig St., Downtown Duncan

Chantel enjoys researching and helping people improve their sleep life

ith the arrival of the colder seasons, many of us may feel the winter blues creeping in. This can be the perfect time to consider updating our bedrooms. Just as bears begin to craft their cozy winter dens, we as humans may also feel inclined to nest. Sleeping in, lounging around and reading the hours away in bed become all too tempting to pass up. Creating your bedroom into a snuggly haven could just be the key to turning those winter blues around. Taking the time to consider all the details of your bedroom is important to determine whether they are working for you and keeping you inspired. Making a few small changes can uplift the energy in your room and make your space feel brand new again. Here is what we suggest... Declutter your space: Remove items that don’t relate to sleep. Tuck clothes away, and find new homes for any clutter so it remains out of sight, or better yet, out of the room all together. A tidy room feels rejuvenating and promotes a calm state of mind.

in Africa). These cuts cause the bark to secrete tiny drops of milky fluid. After several days of drying, the farmers scrape the hardened droplets off the trees. Then, they allow these to completely harden into small, translucent pebbles. These are later distilled with steam or run through a CO2 extraction process.

Opt for non-toxic: While building your nest, try to stick to non-toxic materials that are gentle on your body. This is not only important to make sure you are reaching optimum comfort, but also for benefiting your overall health. Try adding plants such as Aloe Vera, Peace Lilies and Spider Plants, which will filter toxins out of the air, as well as add natural elements to your space. Explore a new look: Try rearranging the furniture in your room. A new layout will refresh your space as well as your perspective. Increase your comfort factor: Surround yourself with things that make you feel good. Some soft cotton pyjamas, a pair of fluffy slippers or a couple of wool rugs are a perfect addition. It’s all about creating a space that makes you feel happy and relaxed. Think about making your bedroom a “Sense..ual” experience: Try activating your senses in new ways. It can be as easy as changing up your bed linens...switching to percale if you usually use sateen. I like to add a flannel bottom sheet when the weather turns colder, for a wonderfully soft feeling when crawling into bed.

10 Steps To Your Perfect Bedroom Nest Consider your bed: Ask yourself if you’re getting the comfort you need from your current sleep system. Is your bedding holding up? Replacing old or worn-out linens and pillows will make your bed fresh and cozy again. Try Diffusing Essential Oils: Many natural essential oils are calming and relaxing, and can be diffused safely while we sleep. Experiment with what scents are most comforting to you. Keep warm without overheating: We all want to stay warm as the cold season approaches, but too often the comforters or blankets we are using cause us to overheat. Steer clear of synthetics and feather down, as they trap your heat. Instead consider bedding made of breathable natural materials such as organic wool or cotton. Eliminate light at night: The devices we use, such as TVs and phones, emit a blue light that simulates the morning sun. Since melatonin production is interrupted by this light, try making a habit of turning off devices at least an hour before bed. Form a relaxation ritual: Try indulging in a relaxing bedtime activity. Sip a cup of herbal tea, practice meditating, listen to music, take a warm bath, or dive into a good book. Clearing your mind helps set the stage for a deeper, more refreshing slumber.

Incorporating Hygge Principles Into Your Nest... Hygge is a lifestyle within Danish culture that is built around fostering feelings of cozy contentment, and creating a warm, welcoming environment. The Nordic countries fully embrace the cold seasons by lighting candles, cuddling up with soft throws, baking homemade treats, and having friends over to create familial connections within their homes. Let’s face it, we could all use a little Hygge attitude in our lives. Consider topping your bed with a rustic wool blanket, adding some extra pillows or even just lighting a few beeswax candles to bring these concepts into your bedroom.

Ancient Traditions

rankincense’s rich history inspires a new body care collection from Saltspring Soapworks. I’m a partner in a body care company. We develop recipes, source ingredients, and manufacture soaps and other goods. We do all this on Salt Spring Island. Research is a big part of what I do. For our newest product line, I dove into frankincense’s history.

People burned frankincense at sacred rituals for its white smoke and powerful scent. Ancient Egyptians used it in mummification practices. More recently, we see frankincense used to create perfumes, cosmetics, and healing salves. This is in part due to this oil’s evocative aroma, which is sweet and woody. Frankincense oil begins as dried resin. Farmers make cuts in frankincense trees (often found

People apply the resulting oil on the skin reducing the appearance of skin imperfections. It also stimulates new cell growth. Frankincense oil is also used in aromatherapy. Users apply it to the hairline, neck, and shoulders. Doing so helps clear nasal passageways, relieving congestion. Its pleasing aroma is soothing and can reduce stress. (Some note that it improves their concentration and memory.) We spent the past year working with frankincense oil. After many tests and refinements, we blended it with vanilla oil and a set of other ingredients.

The result is a small collection worthy of this ingredient’s rich history. Visit us online or in-store to experience our new Vanilla Frankincense Wash and Lotion. Need a little calm? Give our associated Breathe Essential Oil Blend a try. We hope you’ll enjoy these products as much as we do.

Amber Quiring has been passionate about skin and body care for over 30 years. She is a co-owner of Saltspring Soapworks.

Salt Spring Soapworks 269 Craig Street Downtown Duncan 250 746 5454

With a few simple changes, you can say goodbye to the winter blues, and welcome the colder months with open arms from inside your warm, cozy nest. Your bedroom can become a place you look forward to being in, and sleep can become an anticipated and pleasant finish to your day.

Resthouse Sleep Solutions 126 Station Street Downtown Duncan 250 597 7378

Ice Bear Presentation October 5 Excellent Frameworks

ce Bear is a status member of the Chippewas of Nawash at Cape Croker at Georgian Bay in Ontario. For most of his childhood he was in the care of Indian and Northern Affairs. He credits his art and the strength of the visions the Spirits and the Creator have always given him for his survival of those early years.

Exquisitely hand-crafted works of art Imagine That! Artisans’ Designs 251 Craig St., Downtown Duncan

imaginethatartisans.com I 250-748-6776 DOWNTOWN

DUNCAN

250 510 8700

• Skin Care Services • Esthetics Services • Natural Sugaring Hair Removal • Onsite Gel Nail Artist • Facial Bar

#105 80 Station Street - Please use Craig St entrance 30

With his arrival on the west coast, and his acclimatization to the west coast lifestyle, his early love for fine art started to re-assert itself. Over the past decade, he has felt a growing need to follow his dreams, fulfill his “responsibilities” and give the visions the chance to materialize. He moved to Vancouver Island in the early 90s, adopting the name Ice Bear for his art, and made a personal commitment to pursue his fine art career, accepting only a few, specialized commercial commissions. IceBear’s aboriginal culture forms the underpinnings of his art, but not in any traditional way. From depictions of the great polar bears who inspire his totemic name to wide abstract canvases suggesting the beginnings of our universe, IceBear takes one

on a journey into Imagination. He leads you to the door to that magic place, unlocks it and allows the viewer to enter alone, to see and feel the spirit of that place according to his or her individual experience.

Ice Bear’s fine art has evolved over the past 15 years, from a graphic style that combined the forms and shapes of traditional Ojibway art, to a free flowing technique which provide richly toned paintings that can change colour and depth as sunlight moves, and day turns to night.. IceBear has been called ‘the wizard’ by clients commisisoning his talent, for his unique ability to listen, to understand and share a client’s vision, and to bring it to reality, even when the client is not fully able to express that vision in words. Join Ice Bear at Excellent Frameworks, Home of the EJ Hughes Gallery on Saturday, October 5th 12-2pm to see Ice Bear’s newest sculpture and the release of his new canvas giclee prints. RSVP recommended. 24 Station St. Downtown Duncan. 250-7467112

Image above, Hawk by Ice Bear

Excellent Frameworks, 24 Station St. Downtown 250-746-7112 Duncan Downtown Duncan

Alistair MacGregor is the MP for Cowichan-MalahatLangford and the federal NDP’s Critic for Agriculture

October 21 Is Voting Day

n three short weeks, on October 21st, residents of Cowichan-Malahat-Langford will head to the polls to elect their representative to the House of Commons for the 43rd Parliament of Canada. All political parties have been busy making their pitches to voters since the official start of the campaign on September 11th, and there have also been a number of debates for candidates to more fully flesh out and explain their campaign platforms. This is that special time in Canada when the voters are finally able to decide on the direction they want the country to take. In September’s column for Valley Voice, I talked about some of the accomplishments I was fortunate to achieve during my first term in office over the course of the 42nd Parliament. Now that I am in the running for re-election as the NDP incumbent in our great riding, I would like to take this opportunity to talk about three key policy planks I’m running on, which I think will make a real difference for people not only in our riding, but across Canada. As many of you will know, the NDP’s platform is called a “New Deal for People.” In it is a comprehensive list of the different policies our party hopes to enact in the next Parliament, which we believe will set us on a path of tackling our two greatest

challenges: inequality and climate change. We want to make life more affordable for everyday people and build an economy that works better for everyone. We want to build stronger, more vibrant communities, take better care of each other, and exhibit the courage to do what’s right. And our pursuit of environmental justice cannot be realized without an acknowledgement of economic and social justice. The three policy areas where I think our platform is going to make a key difference is in our response to climate change, in expanding our healthcare system, and in providing resources to solve the housing crisis that is affecting so many. Our climate leadership plan, “Power to Change,” will put in place ambitious, science-based greenhouse gas reductions targets, which will be backed by the force of legislation and a new and independent Climate Accountability Office. Climate change is the defining issue of the 21st century, and our response to it will determine how future generations live on this planet. While the issue is serious and warrants great concern, there are also tremendous opportunities in the renewable energy economy of the future. We plan on creating 300,000 jobs in all communities with our ambitious plan, and we will make sure that all workers impacted by this change have opportunities and supports for and during the transition. Our public healthcare system is a national treasure and the envy of many around the world. In fact, it is impossible to truly appreciate the system until you or a

family member truly needs it. Unfortunately, we still have far too many people who fall through the cracks when it comes to dental care and coverage for prescription medicine. Our plan is to expand Canada’s healthcare system to include headto-toe health care, and add expansions that will also cover mental health care, hearing care and eye care so that Canadians can get the care they need without having to worry about affordability issues. Everyone should have the right to a safe and affordable place to call home. On housing, we need an ambitious plan to build affordable places to live in every community across Canada. By working in partnership with provinces

and municipalities and building capacity for social, community, and affordable housing providers and co-ops, we have pledged to create 500,000 units of quality, affordable housing. Our communities and our country are facing many challenges, but by working together we can build a better Canada. On October 21st, I hope to again earn the trust you placed on my shoulders in 2015. Alistair MacGregor NDP #101-126 Ingram Street, Downtown Duncan

Volunteer Cowichan Invites You to our Aging Well Seniors’ Expo!

re You Aging Well? Are you making healthy choices to lead a fulfilling life? Are you aware of the many resources, supports and services available to seniors in Cowichan? There are various factors to consider when making healthy choices. Information is a key element to support you and your loved ones. What supports do you require to live life to its fullest as you age? Find out what Cowichan can offer: Volunteer Cowichan’s Aging Well Seniors’ Expo will answer many of your questions.

WILLOWANDORCHID.COM

Weekly and monthly floral subscriptions • Weddings & Events • Customized Gift Crates • Floral Design Classes and Workshops • Sympathy Arrangements • Online, Telephone and Email Ordering • Delivery 101 Station Street Downtown Duncan 250-748-9868 willowandorchid@gmail.com 32

We’re bringing businesses and organizations together to support you with a range of information and resources related to: health, financial, legal, medical, physical-care, volunteer opportunities and more! Sponsors for the Seniors’ Expo include the Municipality of North Cowichan, the BC Association of Community Response Networks, Valley Health and Fitness, Tim Horton’s, Thrifty’s Pharmacy, Wellness News, Connect Hearing and Smith Smiles Denture Clinic. We invite all Cowichan Valley seniors and their families to come to this free event where there will be a number of demonstrations, a flu shot clinic, and hearing tests available.

The Wellness Benefits of Volunteering for Seniors

• 10:30 am Zumba Gold with Nicolette Morris

Julie Pyon Program Coordinator Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Cowichan Valley

• 11:15 am Post Flu Shot Care Tips from Thrify’s Pharmacy • 12:00 Back Pain Blues with singer songwriter AugieDawg Greg Augustine • 12:45pm Financial Planning 101 offered by Ken Greig of Freedom 55 Financial • 1:30pm Advanced Care Planning role play/discussion facilitated by Cowichan Hospice Society • 2:15pm CMRT: Calming the Nervous System for people experiencing Anxiety, PTSD, Trauma such as Veterans and First Responders presented by Ingrid Kline of Time Out Massage Therapy For more information contact Volunteer Cowichan at (250)748-2133 or email vc@ volunteercowichan.bc.ca

#1 Kenneth Place Downtown Duncan 250-748-2133 Submitted by Cathy La France

here is no doubt that volunteering contributes to the health and well-being of our communities. According to the National Seniors Council of Canada, Canadian seniors make up some of our most active and engaged volunteers, playing a critical role in strengthening their local communities. However, not only does it make a difference in the lives of recipients, it also benefits volunteers mentally, socially and even physically. For seniors, volunteering promotes active aging, which can actually enhance quality of life in one’s later years. The Rotman Research Institute at Toronto’s Baycrest Health Sciences conducted a comprehensive review of 73 studies on the effects of volunteering on older adults. The studies included in the review measured psychosocial, physical and/or cognitive outcomes associated with formal volunteering – such as happiness, physical health, depression, cognitive functioning, feelings of social support and life satisfaction.

Among the key findings: • Volunteering is associated with reductions in symptoms of depression, better overall health, fewer functional limitations, and greater longevity. • Health benefits may depend on a moderate level of volunteering. There appears to be a tipping point after which greater benefits no longer accrue. The “sweet spot” appears to be at about 100 annual hours, or 2-3 hours per week. • More vulnerable seniors (i.e. those with chronic health conditions) may benefit the most from volunteering. • Feeling appreciated or needed as a volunteer appears to amplify the relationship between volunteering and psychosocial wellbeing. This research shows that a moderate amount of volunteering has the ability to enhance the overall well-being of seniors and provide protection against a variety of health conditions. The National Seniors Council of Canada reports that one of the keys to positive and active aging is social and intergenerational connectivity. Programs that bring people of different generations together are mutually

October 8 @ 2pm • Coﬀee Hour October 31 @ 2pm • Monthly Group Meeting

Canadian Cancer Society, 103–225 Canada Ave (Canada Building) Duncan

beneficial for both seniors and younger people. They prevent social isolation and provide an opportunity for seniors to share their experiences, wisdom and life skills with youth, as well as learn new things from younger people. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Cowichan Valley offers a Seniors For Kids In-School Mentoring Program. Seniors are matched with a child in a local elementary school and matches meet for one hour a week at the school. Match activities include reading, arts & crafts, Lego, baking,

board games and more. Call 250-748-2447 to register for an Information Session.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Cowichan Valley #1-60 Ingram Street Downtown Duncan

Travel Doodles

Photo by Dorian Melton

CURRENT THREADS An exhibition by the Vancouver Island Surface Design Association

Art and Life

o you wear jeans? Eat from dishes? Live in a dwelling? Clothing designers, artisans or architects design your jeans, dishes, and homes. They create applied art that allows you to enjoy and appreciate your life. Art galleries do the same thing.

Clearwater Studio, on Clearwater Farm Open By Appointment or Sundays, 11am to 4 pm, June through September. Visit clearwaterstudio.ca

3915 Clearwater Road, Cobble Hill

VISIONS ARTISTS AUTUMN SHOW & SALE OCTOBER 19 & 20 IN COBBLE HILL HALL 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday 18 Artists and Artisans, Art Music and Food all in one place. Enjoy paintings, pottery, jewellery, silversmithing, painted glass, photography, collage, painted glass and clothing. Music by guitarist Brad Prevedoros

VISIONSARTTOUR.CA 34

You might think, “Art? That’s just stuff on walls—nothing to do with me.” Art galleries show you otherwise, and your world gets bigger and more interesting. Art galleries do have stuff on walls—and in the middle of the floor and even on the ceilings. Some art includes writing, music or video. Every artwork is a window on a new world that says, “Come see in this new way! Laugh or cry or be puzzled! Ask questions!” Galleries offer programs for people of all ages to make and understand art. It engages both brain hemispheres and shows us how to celebrate what makes us human and to see every moment of life as new and amazing. Art galleries vary. A commercial gallery represents a few artists. Member-artists run other galleries to showcase their art. Entry is free, but they want you to buy.

and invited artists

A public gallery is funded by a broad general membership and by governments in countries like Canada that value art as both wealth and heritage. It hosts international traveling exhibits and also houses a permanent collection. You don’t go to buy but to enjoy. Public galleries run educational programs, host special events, store archival materials, and sometimes offer cafes and gift/ book shops. You pay to get in, but you pay more for a movie with treats. And members receive free admission or steep discounts. Art museums are like public galleries and offer the same services. Sometimes they are privately owned. Often, wealthy art lovers founded and filled them with their personal collections. But it doesn’t much matter what kind of gallery you go to: just go! Discover your inner artist, who is begging for attention. Your life will be enriched beyond measure.

Rebecca Hazell is an award winning author, artist and educator living in the Cowichan Valley.

Current Threads VISDA – Vancouver Island Surface Design Association has long been exploring the boundaries of the contemporary textile scene. We are the Vancouver Island branch of the SDA – An international organization focused on inspiring creativity, encouraging innovation and advocating for artistic excellence. Before the 1960’s and early 70’s, there were ‘quilts’ created within “Current Threads” exhibits October 3-24 this year, in the CVAC Portals Gallery located in the Cowichan Community Centre, (formerly the Island Savings Centre) in Duncan at 2687 James Street Before the 1960’s and early 70’s there were “quilts’ created within many circles of women, producing traditional designs to be used as practical bed covers for warmth and comfort. In 1971 the first exibition was held in New York, where quilts were added to the contemporary art scene. Fifty years later there is much to compare and explore between the orginal bed quilt and today’s expanded ‘fibre art’ genre. In addition to the traditional styles, new and previously unimagined techniques have been added and embraced by the contemporary fibre artist. With

the use of computer assisted design, manipulation with fusion, embellishment, painting, dyeing, weaving – the tool box has grown extensively, as have the surfaces and techniques. This showing of work includes felting, fabric jewellery, crochet and knitting, beading, sculpture, natural and commercial dyes, purses, dolls and cards.

Cowichan Community Centre Arbutus Gallery 2687 James Street, Duncan October 3rd – October 24th 11am – 5pm Daily

Reception October 8th 3-5pm

Margot Page

Artists showing: Barb McCaffrey, Enamelling on Copper and Steel Barbara Sobon, Bryony Dunsmore, Clare Attwell, Dale MacEwan, Donna-Fay Digance, , Ede Russet, Gill Riordan, Gillian Smith, Gina Dingwell, Iris Bell, Jean Cockburn, Joanne Barnard, Judi MacLeod, Jewelery • Vases • Journals • Guestbooks Judith Whitemarsh, Kathleen Frames • Bookmarks • Magnets • Lightswitch Plates Drinkwater, Laura Feeleus, Lesley Comassar, Lesley Turner, Available locally at: Imagine That Artisans Linda Carswell-Bland, Lori Rainforest Arts • Artzi Stuﬀ • TOSH Mudrie, Louise Young, Lynda Morrison, Paulette Cornish, Pelka 8/8/2011 Whiteshire, Sally Sheppard, quaylecard.indd 1 Susan Duffield, Wendy Duffield

www.margotpage.com

You are invited to view the annual Current Threads exhibit, October 3–24 and to attend our Opening afternoon reception, 3-5 pm on Tuesday, October 8th. Members will be present at the opening and will span the show, to discuss and answer questions, enhancing visitor experiences. Gallery hours 11–5 daily and include Sunday viewing.

250 746 8446

BEADS BEADS BEADS

3:23:00 PM

Etc!

9752c Willow St

Chemainus

250 324 2227 Open 7 days a week

Best prices on the island • HUGE Selection • Workshops & Classes Beading I Kumihimo I Bead Weaving I Viking Knit I Herringbone and more!

Services Offered: Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Formulas, Cupping, Tuina, Frequency Specific Micro Current for recent injury & physical pain, Post Concussion, chronic conditions such as carpal tunnel, whiplash, sciatica, post-stroke weakness, post-surgery recovery. Facial Rejuvenation using Colour Energy and Micro-current together.

Spa One Opens in Cobble Hill

heryl Thibault is somewhat of a sensei in the Aesthetic and Spa field, being highly regarded and even a regular judge at Nailympia—a leading and most prestigious global professional nail competition, that prizes skill and creativity—and she is bringing this experience and quality to the Cowichan Valley! Spa One will be celebrating their Grand Opening in Cobble Hill at their new location in the Valley View Centre, on October 12 from 11-4pm. Guests will be able to peruse the impressive range of products and services the spa offers, along with an opportunity to bring home one of numerous giveaways, and even get the chance to take 50% off of their first service appointment.

Hidden Gem Reiki Studio

Judy Johnstone, Reiki Master 250-661-0192 www.hiddengemreiki.com 36

Edie said: “I have not seen that print for a long time, the edition having sold out some years ago.” I thought how timely the discovery of a thirty year old print, created by one of our founding members with the image being of our first meeting place. It was time to celebrate this milestone.

The services Spa One are offering range from Reflexology, Hot Stone and Relaxation Massage, to Nail Esthetics, Waxing, Pedicures, and so much more. Definitely a destination to hit when you want to pamper yourself or to give as a gift to someone special after you take a tour of the Cowichan Valley wineries!

Beyond Cheryl being a Certified Esthetician/Spa Therapist, Eyelash and Nail Technician, she is also a qualified instructor of adult education, who has been teaching since 1983. She is the creator and owner of ‘Spa One,’ Professional Nail, Skin Care and Make up Products, and holds copyrights for several training manuals on the subject. In 2005, she founded Mirage Spa Education in Victoria to share her expertise and passion in Esthetics and Spa Therapy, and raise the skill level of new graduates entering into the industry. Mirage also offers online courses that are a first of their kind in Canada, that are aimed at people wanting to enter the field but require more flexibility than college programs offer. The Valley now has a new hot spot for luxurious living, operated by the best in the business. Make sure to pop by the new location with some friends on October 12th to meet Cheryl and her wonderful team, and prepare to enter a new level of bliss! Spa One Grand Opening Event! October 12, 11-4pm Valley View Centre, Cobble Hill

Our 30th Year - POG (Printmakers Only Group)

eptember 1989 marks the beginnings of the printmakers group. Four like minded artists got together at the iconic Arbutus Café in Duncan and over coffee discussed forming a club for printmakers. Their first name ‘Printers Only Group’, later changed to ‘Printmakers Only Group’. The club started meeting on a monthly basis and has continued ever since with a growing membership, welcoming fellow printmakers.

Malo and myself, Lynn Starter are still going strong, producing work for the POG annual show. The first annual POG show was held on May 16 to June 10, 1990 at ‘The Old School House Gallery and Arts Centre’ in Qualicum Beach; the original four members exhibiting their work. We are a small club and over the years, members have come and gone with an average membership of around fifteen printmakers.

At our annual POG barbque this past August, one of the members, Bev McLeod showed us a print she had Poster for the show in 1990 recently found in a local art shop; a hand colored etching by Edie Miller. The print was dated 1989 and the image was of the Arbutus Café. The print had been unearthed by the present owners of Excellent Frameworks Gallery from old stock that had belonged to the previous owner.

Thirty years later the four founding members, Beverlee McLeod, Edie Miller, Jim

POG members excel in a wide range of print making techniques such as relief printing (lino/ woodcuts) , gelatin prints, monoprint, monotype, collagraph, serigraph, embossing and various forms of intaglio techniques such as etching, drypoint, aquatint and mezzotint.

POG Annual Show 2019 Celebrating 30 years together

October 7 -19

PORTALS Annex, Cowichan Community Centre, Duncan Meet & Greet Printmakers Monday, October 7 from 3 to 5pm

Our original mandate has always been to exhibit our work and to help enlighten, educate and/or introduce the public to the aspects of original printmaking verses various forms of commercial reproductions. Those members that have their own etching press make their presses available to members who do not have such equipment. The group provides a creative outlet, sharing printmaking ideas, techniques, knowledge and offers workshops to its members and others. For more information visit Printmakers Only Group on FB and Instagram.

The annual POG show titled ‘Under Pressure’ will open at Portals Gallery on Monday, Show runs October 7- 19 at PORTALS Gallery Island Savings Centre, Main Floor 2687 James Street, Duncan. (Closed Thanksgiving weekend October 12-14). Submitted by Lynn Starter

The Fungi Community Bill Jones is an author, chef and food consultant Deerholme.com

ild mushrooms underlie the very fabric of our valley. One major class of fungi is called the mychorrizal group. These are the mushrooms (like Chanterelles) that grow below our local trees (like the Douglas Fir). They help nurture and even accelerate the growth of many trees in our forests. The relationship between the fungi and trees is profound. Fossil records going back 400 million years have identified the presence of plants and helpful fungi partners. The network of fibers

that forms the mass of the mushroom organism is called the mycelium. These tiny rootlets bond with the roots of trees and in essence help extend the root network of the trees. The mushrooms take sugars and nutrients from the plant and in return bring moisture and vital minerals and elements to the plant. The relationship is mutually beneficial and results in healthy and sturdy forests. On the flip side there are other fungi that are parasitic and can cause great damage and death to trees, they also act as natures recyclers and return wood and the forest floor litter back to the earth. Nature seems to like a balance between life and death. Why is this important? For several reasons, firstly that when forests are cut down, the mychorrizal fungi go dormant. This continues until the forest can recover and the canopy grows up - and the mushrooms can resume their mutual relationship with the

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(upper portion). If the weather is dry you can undercut the garlic to loosen the roots and let it sit for a few days before pulling it up. Dry your garlic in bunches in a wellventilated area with good air circulation and keep it protected from rain and direct sun.

Oliver with locally foraged fungi.

trees. Once a forest is cut down the ground is exposed to direct sunshine, the moss dies off and sun-loving (and water hungry) plants like ferns, salal and blackberries take over. It takes about 20 years after logging for the forest floor to recover, produce moss and again become a friendly environment for mushrooms. The moss acts like a moist and comforting blanket for the mycellium. It also helps to lessen evaporation and keep more moisture available to trickle into our watershed and the local freshwater aquifer. Water is becoming a precious resource here in the Valley and healthy forests contribute to a healthy watershed. Watersheds feed into streams and streams turn into rivers on the way to the ocean. Many organisms depend on these waters, from insects to salmon feeding on the insects, onto bears and eagles feeding on the salmon. All the waste produced gets worked back into the soil as organic material is broken down and reunited with the soil. It is all connected in life to death and everywhere in between. I often think the level of logging I see in the hills is unsustainable. One of the more depressing things I have done on this island is take a small plane trip over the southern end to scout for new

mushrooms areas. All I can say is that the mature forests are shrinking at an alarming rate. I’m not even talking about the precious stands of old growth timber. I’m talking about mature 3rd and 4th generation timber that was replanted in the last 50 years. Forestry is an important part of the heritage and economy of our valley, as the population grows, more demands will be put on our forests and lands. Something needs to change in our view and management of our forests. We need to stop shipping raw logs to China and start creating more jobs and economic development through local manufacturing - and start looking at the forest as an economic engine for tourism and all the other potential forest products - like the mushrooms. All these add up to making the quality of life we enjoy here in the Cowichan and represent values we need to protect from abuse and overly aggressive development. I can only hope we elect governments that care about the forests as much as tax decreases for the elite. We need to view the forest as a vital part of our community and realize our health is linked the health of the trees, the mushrooms and the local environment.

Garlic: Best Planting Practices for a Bountiful Harvest

Tamu Miles, Freelance journalist, blogger, and office manager at Vancouver Island Gutter.

f you grew garlic this year,

chances are you’ve already watched the leaves turn brown and wilt, cut the scapes when they began to uncurl, and you’ve harvested your aromatic bounty. Now, you’re onto the task of planting the cloves that will become next years bulbs. So it’s a great time to brush up on some of the best practices of this easy and fulfilling crop. In Canada, garlic is generally planted in the Fall to allow for as much root growth before the cloves go dormant over the winter. Here on Vancouver Island, it’s best to plant between the Autumnal Equinox and the first frost date. But before you plant, you need to think about soil requirements. Garlic needs deeply-cultivated, well-drained, rich soil with a pH of 6.4 to 6.8. Choose a bed that is low-maintenance weed wise,

and add a couple of inches of compost and well-rotted manure. Raised beds with a row spacing of between 6” and 12” works best. When choosing what kind of garlic to plant, don’t be afraid to experiment. Planting more than one variety means that you will still get a good harvest even if one does poorly. Make sure that your seed garlic is of the highest quality and that you pick the largest cloves. The larger the clove, the larger the resulting bulb. Plant the cloves about 2” deep and about 6” apart with the peel intact and the pointy end up. To help keep weeds under control, cover the beds with 6” of seedless straw. As soon as the ground thaws in Spring, the cloves will begin to send up shoots. Fertilize every other week and water the equivalent of 1” of rain per week. Providing adequate moisture ensures that you don’t end up with stressed out plants and small bulbs. However, overwatering leads to disease and poor storage once harvested. Stop watering your garlic about three weeks before you harvest. Wait until about half the leaves have turned brown (lower portion) and half are still green

With these tips you should be well on your way to gifting your friends and family with more garlic braids than they could ever use come this time next year. Dinter Nursery has a great selection of garlic. Here’s a list of the varieties you can expect to see stocked on their shelves: • Gabriola Garlic: A lovely garlic locally developed on Gabriola Island. • Bogatyr Garlic: An easy to grow garlic with rich garlic flavour. True garlic flavour without the spice or heat. Great in Italian cooking. 6-8 cloves per bulb. • Dugansk Garlic: Among the tallest garlic plants. Deep, pungent, fiery flavour mellowing to a pleasant aftertaste. Great garlic to grow from bulbils. 5 cloves per bulb. • Mexican Garlic: Hot and spicy, becoming milder when baked. 8-16 cloves per bulb. • Elephant Garlic: Not a true garlic, but actually a variant of the garden leek. Very large, garlic-like cloves. Milder than garlic, and more palatable, to some people, when used raw in salads. A great keeper.

Qigong Seminar 5th October

i is all around us. The Bagua is ancient and traditional Chinese theory which expands on the theory of Yin and Yang and identifies the directions that relate to different Qi for each of the major internal organs of the body. This Qigong form that Lee Masters is teaching, called Kunlun Twining Hands Bagua, uses this knowledge to collect and release these different kinds of Qi by walking around the Bagua. It also focuses on the liver and so strengthens the blood circulation. Beginners welcome. Glenora Hall 5th October 1~5pm. Contact Lee Masters, 250 748 4060 rivendellrhythm@ shaw.ca to register. www. WildGooseQigongCentre.com

or millions of years, humans have had a long history with the plant world, for sustenance, medicine, and technology, and ethnobotany is all about that. Plants have been our allies since the beginning of time, and many cultures still use plants on a regular basis for all the reasons mentioned above. Whether it is to treat an infection, pain, injury or building transportation, each region in the globe has its relationship to the plants that are available in their local ecosystem. But our relationship with our rooted allies expands much beyond the physical realm, in most cultures; they play an important part as messengers, in ceremony and as indicators of change in environmental conditions. The Cowichan Ethnobotany event last October hosted by the Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society, showcased the meeting of western scientific knowledge and traditional knowledge by bringing together two amazing Ethnobotanists, Dr. Nancy J. Turner, and respected

Cowichan Tribes’ Elder Luschiim (Dr. Arvid Charlie). That event was sold out which signified to many of us that there is a general yearning to awaken our dormant relationship with the plant world and broaden our body of knowledge about the plants that share our mutual environment. Dr. Arvid Charlie has greatly contributed in the teachings of Coast Salish culture and his ethno biological knowledge is of immeasurable wealth to the generations to come. He has been committed to protecting Cowichan Valley’s environment and ecosystems for many years through cultural teachings and stewardship. Dr. Nancy J. Turner, whose work is known around the globe, has worked for over 45 years, collaborating with Indigenous communities in documenting and promoting traditional knowledge of plants and their habitats. She brilliantly combines ethnobotany, ecology, anthropology and linguistics in her research, which she shares far and wide. The meeting of western scientific knowledge and traditional knowledge has brought the world a greater understanding of the biodiversity that surrounds us and its connection to humankind. Knowledge about plants, the stories they tell us about their growth habits in relationship to soil and other species has given us information about climate change, new medicines, and hopefully a deeper understanding that biodiversity is tied to us in more ways than we can imagine.

work project to keep me busy and away from the dangerous winter river’s edge. Funny where life takes us.

Traditional Pi’kwun

“P Because we barely scratched the surface of this immense body of knowledge last October, the upcoming Wildwings Nature and Art Festival will host Dr. Arvid Charlie and Dr. Nancy J. Turner once more to share their important knowledge on Cowichan ethnobotany, and culturally significant plants. Cowichan Ethnobotany II will take place on October 17, 7-9pm, VIU Cowichan Campus. For more information visit www.wildwingsfestival.com Nejma Belarbi is a Herbalist, Ethnobotanist Writer and an advocate in social and environmental sectors.

i’qwun, pronounced like “peak” and “win” mushed into a single two syllable word, is the classic coastal First Nations fire roasted salmon. This cooking technique dates back to before European contact and was used by first nations chefs to prepare large feasts. The entire process of preparing Pi’qwun can be done well within food safety and HACCP guidelines using only traditional technologies. This means no electricity, no natural gas, no agriculture, no metal.

These ancient techniques are alive and well in the modern world, in part because of the efforts of traditional food enthusiasts and dedicated chefs like me. My passion for Salish food sovereignty, cultural education in traditional foods, as well as an active career in culinary arts, has given me the skills to host events that are known for leaving guests full of food and hungry for change. Being raised on the Cowichan River I saw the direct decline in our salmon stocks by the number of salmon in my dip net. My father taught me to make Pi’qwun as a boy on the riverside while he had his dip net for uncle Louie’s smokehouse. To this day I think I was taught as a make

Join me at Tl’ulpalus beach in Cowichan Bay on Thursday October 10th for a cooking lesson like none other. We’ll start the day by lighting the fire at 8am. While the fire warms, we’ll talk about the cultural significance and flavor profile of the woods used in the fire building. At 9:30am I’ll start butchering the salmon and we can talk about how some people cut fish from the front and others cut it from the back. Who would have thought culture could be seen in how you cut a fish? When we get the fish over the fire and I get all washed up we’ll have a good talk about the barriers to traditional food. Then sometime around noon, when the fish is done, we’ll eat and I’ll answer your questions and hear your perspectives on traditional Salish foods. Only through education and working together can we make the changes needed in our food system. So I hope to see you there as we feast for the Somenos marsh and continue the fight for Salish food Sovereignty.”

Thursday October 10th, 8am 1pm Traditional PI’KWUN with Jared Qwustenuxun Williams - How to Cook the Cowichan Way, Kilpahlis Beach, Cowichan Bay. At the end of Botwood Lane – the road used to access the Ocean Front Suites at Cowichan Bay. $35, advanced registration required http:// wildwingsfestival.com

Jared Qwustenuxun Williams, Father and Husband, Elders Kitchen Manager, Owner of Medieval Chaos, and Salish Food Sovereignty Champion

Kurtis Howes 250-210-1705

Cowichan Ethnobotany II

WILD WINGS NATURE & ARTS FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS The Somenos Marsh is pleased to announce the 10th anniversary WildWings Nature & Arts Festival begins Sunday October 6 with Celebrate Somenos, a family Fun day at the Somenos Marsh Open Air Classroom. This is followed by the everpopular WildWings festival launch party and WildWings art show opening reception Wednesday October 9th at Just Jakes Restaurant in downtown Duncan.

Twenty one additional art, cultural and nature events follow until it ends with the Nature of Cowichan Photography Competition People’s Choice awards and festival wrap up party Tuesday October 29 at the Old Firehouse Wine Bar in Duncan City Square.

WildWings Nature & Arts Festival

October 6 -29 We are very pleased to welcome Cowichan Tribes as a partner in WildWings. To celebrate this relationship WildWings will be hosting a number of cultural events including a medicinal plant walk, how to cook salmon the Salish way, Harold Joe’s movie, Dust n’ Bones, Ethnobotany, and nature’s influence on Salish art.

Other events include exploring the Koksilah secret old growth forest, an evening

walk with bats and owls, two nights of fish talks (one with whisky) and learning about estate gifts for conservation. Some events are hands-on including a heron rookery cleanup in Cowichan Bay and a biodiversity planting workshop on Somenos Creek. Our newest event is the ‘It Ain’t Easy Being Green Gala’ at the Birds Eye Cove Farm with a dinner by Farm’s Gate, Averill Creek wines and Craig Street’s WildWings beer on tap. Our Keynote is Pat Morrow, a Canadian adventure photographer who is famous for his ascent of Mt Everest in 1982 as well as being the first person in the world to climb the seven

highest mountains of the seven continents. Many events are free, by donation, or with reduced prices for families. To learn more about festival events, to book tickets please visit www.wildwingsfestival.com

See you soon!

FOR MORE INFORMATION, LOCATIONS, TICKETS RESERVATIONS ETC. Celebrate Somenos Join us at the Somenos Marsh Open Air Classroom (OAC), for self-guided tours with nature specialists at each boardwalk pullout and along the trails providing information about, birds, fish, photography and other related things. Sunday, October 6, 10-2pm By donation, no advance tickets or booking required Great Blue Heron Rookery Clean Up The Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre is leading a heron rookery clean up in the Wessex Ravine Park, home to an important Great Blue Heron rookery. The cleanup will be followed by a short talk about Herons. Meet at the Estuary Nature Centre. Wednesday, October 9, 10am Free: Please sign up at info@ cowichanestuary.ca or 250 597-2288

WildWings Festival Launch & Art Exhibition Opening Reception Join us at Just Jakes Restaurant for the annual WWNAF launch party and WildWings Art Exhibition opening reception, the kick off for 3 weeks of cultural, 44

art and nature events, hands-on experiences and outdoor learning adventures at Somenos and around the Cowichan Valley. Wednesday October 9, 6-9 pm Free event, no tickets or advance booking required

Traditional Pi’kwun Learn about cooking sockeye salmon from start to finish the traditional Salish way with Chef Jared Qwustenuxun and then eat it afterwards while sitting on Kilpahlis Beach and enjoying Mt Tzouhalem and Cowichan Bay right in front of you. Thursday October 10, 8am – 1pm $35, advanced booking required Traditional Paths and Future Ways Harold Joe will walk you through Ye‘yumnuts and the Somenos Garry Oaks Protected Area while sharing the history of S’amuna’ village and the often misunderstood ways of the Cowichan people and their dead. Saturday October 12, 10am to Noon $10 per person or family, advance booking required

Go Batty with the Hooters Join conservation biologist Todd Carnahan under the giant oaks in the Somenos Garry Oak Protected Area and Ye‘yumnuts. We will discuss all the local owl and bat species and learn some amazing facts about these nocturnal predators. Saturday October 12, 7pm $10 each or $10 family, advanced booking required Coastal Waterbird Survey Join us at Hecate Park to track the abundance and distribution of waterbird species to monitor and track changes in waterbird populations and habitat use. Sunday October 13, 4:30pm Free event, no tickets or advance booking required Paint Nite The perfect opportunity to unleash the inner artist within yourself and your friends all while having fun together. Join our hosts, the Best Western Cowichan Valley Inn, for a very special fund raising evening. Monday October 14, 6:30pm $47.25 *advanced booking required on Paint Nite (Yaymaker) website Green Drinks Monthly gathering of green-leaning folk with a scheduled speaker at Craig Street Brew Pub. Come and mix with like-minded people or come to learn about

all the environmental and conservation goings-on in the Valley. Tuesday October 15, 5:30 start Free, no advance tickets or booking required

Nature’s Influence On Traditional Salish Art Maynard Johnny Jr will be sharing his Coast Salish roots at the PORTALS Gallery and how nature has inspired his art while leading you through some painting exercises that will help you understand the forms and lines of West Coast indigenous art. Wednesday October 16, 7pm 9:30pm $45, advance registration required Give Where You Live Leaving a legacy for the Cowichan Valley Attend a free 1.5 hour estate planning program hosted by the Pacific Salmon Foundation and presented by Cory Towriss, a local lawyer specializing in wills and estates. Learn how a bequest in your will can ensure the sustainability of local fish, wildlife and habitat for future generations. Thursday October 17, 2-4pm Free, reservations required

Cowichan Ethnobotany Come join us at this once in a lifetime event at VIU where Dr Nancy J Turner and Quw’utsun’ Elder Lushiim give an important talk about Cowichan Detach this centrefold schedule for quick reference to festival events October 6 - October 29

PLEASE VISIT THE EVENTS PAGE AT WWW.WILDWINGSFESTIVAL.COM Valley’s Ethnobotany. This event showcases important knowledge on the plants in this region and their historical use by Quw’utsun’ and surrounding tribes. Thursday October 17, 7pm-9pm $30 per person, advance registration required Medicinal Plant Walk Join indigenous plant expert, Della Rice for a Bright Angel Park walkabout and discovery of everyday plants, and some rare ones too, and how they are used now and before the arrival of modern medicine. Saturday October 19, 10amnoon $10 per person or family, advance registration required

Movie Night- Dust & Bones Dust n’ Bones examines legal issues, political controversies surrounding the preservation and re-dedication of First Nations artifacts, burial sites, and remains through the point of view of Cowichan archaeological consultant Harold Joe. Saturday October 19, 7pm $15 per person, advanced registration required

Fish Tales Everything you need to know about fish and whisky and aren’t afraid to ask. Join Stillhead Distillery and Dr. Dave Preikshot for an evening of fish and whisky, the perfect combination to encourage Fish Tales on a grand scale. Tuesday October 22, 7-9pm By donation. Limited seating -reservations required making workshop using native plants before she retires. All materials and tools are supplied and spaces are limited. Sunday October 20, 9:30am - 4:30pm $90 per person/max 8 people, advance registration is required

Alien Invasions: What You Can Do About Them A representative from the Conservation Science Section, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy will give a presentation on a number of emerging invasive species (including bullfrogs) and what people can do about preventing arrival and spread of these species. Monday October 21, 7pm Free, pre-registration required

Native Biodiversity Planting Let’s Celebrate Climate Action Day together by helping the recovery of our local environment. We will be planting native species that are needed to shade out the Parrots Feather currently forming large mats and depleting the oxygen in Somenos Creek. Thursday October 24, 10am to 1pm Free event, no tickets or advance booking required Wild Fins Listen to Dr. Dave Preikshots tale of watershed changes and learn how it’s critters seek to survive and adapt. We don’t know yet what Dr Dave plans to discuss - that’s what makes it so worth coming! See you there! Thursday October 24, 7pm start Free event, no tickets or advance booking required A Walk in the Koksilah Ancient Trees Join Warrick Whitehead on a hike to the Koksilah Ancient

Trees to experience this incredible old growth forest with tall Douglas firs that are up to 800 years old. Saturday October 26, 9am start $10 per person or family, advanced booking required The ‘It Ain’t Easy Being Green Gala’ Please join us at the Birds Eye Cove Farm for a Farms Gate catered dinner to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society as well as the 10th anniversary of our baby, the WildWings Nature & Arts Festival. Saturday October 26, 6pm start $125 with a $50 tax receipt Bring Back the Bluebirds Come and hear the cheeps, trills and update about an amazing local effort to rebuild Western Bluebird populations in the Cowichan Valley, one of the region’s most beautiful feathered friends as presented by Genevieve Singleton. Monday October 28, 7pm By donation, no advance tickets or booking required The Nature of Cowichan Photo Competition The first annual Nature of Cowichan photography competition People’s Choice Awards Night where amateur and pro photographers show us their best nature work and vie for the People’s Choice Award. Tuesday October 29, 7-9 pm Free event, no tickets or advance booking required

Don’t worry about coming alone. We’ll be there together!

Wild Weaving Workshop Maria Curtis is offering her very last day-long basket Post on the fridge for reference or carry with you to events for quick festival details - October 6-29

WILDWINGS FESTIVAL LAUNCH & ART EXHIBITION OPENING RECEPTION Wednesday October 9, 6-9 pm Join us at Just Jakes Restaurant for the annual WWNAF launch party, the kick off celebration for the 3 weeks of cultural and nature events, activities, hands-on experiences and outdoor learning adventures at Somenos Marsh and around the Cowichan Valley. The Launch involves tasting the annual WildWings ale, sampling the gourmet Wild Bites, and surrounding yourself with great jazz by always-there-for-us John Wade and the WildWings trio. The launch party is also

THE ‘IT AIN’T EASY BEING GREEN GALA’ FEATURING PAT MORROW ADVENTURE PHOTOGRAPHER Saturday October 26, 6pm

the opening reception for the WildWings Art Exhibition; a collection of nature art for sale by south Vancouver Island artists. Just Jakes Restaurant, 45 Craig St, Duncan Free event, no tickets or advance booking required

Please join us to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society as well as the 10th anniversary of their baby, the WildWings Nature & Arts Festival. Join us at the Birds Eye Cove Farm for a Farm’s Gate Foods and Catering catered dinner, music by John Wade and the WildWings Kings, fun, silent auction, and listen to our keynote speaker, Pat Morrow- adventure photographer, author, and the first person in the world to climb the seven summits of the seven continents. Coincidentally, Pat was a speaker here over 30 years ago when the Cowichan Valley Naturalist’s

hosted him just before they launched the Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society. Dress is requested to be semi-formal and your first two beverages, a choice of Averill Creek Vineyards fine wines, Craig Street Brew Pub’s WildWings beer or other beverage, is on us! Birds Eye Cove Farm, 5881 Genoa Bay Rd, Duncan $125 with a $50 tax receipt

Moon Echo, Oil on Canvas

Colbalt and Gold, Oil on Canvas

Cowichan Artisans Fall Studio Tour

If there is one thing I strive for in my painting practice, it is to turn off judgment and let in playful joy—the kind we all had as children before we tried to paint something specific, before art became about finished product and not about experience.

Spend a day or two experiencing the art and studios of 14 professional, full-time artisans dotted around the Cowichan Valley. See how art is born as each artist opens their studio doors to share experiences and showcase their work. Each artist member of the Cowichan Artisans aims to inspire those that tour their studios, each piece of work is original and each, a labour of love reflecting the highest standards. To find out more about the tour, the artists and the map please see the latest Cowichan Artists brochure or website at www.cowichanartisans.com See you on the Tour!

Painter Soleil Mannion I Dream of Italy

The Cowichan Artisans are excited to announce their 2019 Fall studio tour: November 2 - 3. 10 am to 5 pm.

“A

blank canvas is a vast expanse of possibilities. It is almost unbearable, but if I throw caution to the wind and leap into the nothing, all else falls away and I am.” smiles painter Soleil Mannion. Pablo Picasso says ‘The chief enemy of creativity is good sense.’ “Good sense, in my mind, is the voice of fear— that which says You can’t, nothing will come, it won’t be any good. But who is to say what is good and bad?

Painting is the love of Mannion’s life. Her work is intuitive and instinctive.”What I paint becomes a mirror and in it I see my authentic state. I know I am living genuinely and for that I feel deeply grateful. I believe that my art is a gateway from my heart to the viewers. I want my images to touch their feelings. My paintings are created with the desire to inspire the viewer with a sense of wonder, opening their eyes to my experience of the quintessential essence of being part of this thing we call life.” Born in the Netherlands, Mannion’s formative years were spent in Vancouver. Her travels through the dramatic landscapes and seascapes of the Pacific coast awakened her artistic insight and personal aesthetic.

In 1991, Soleil moved to London, England to engage in multidisciplinary art studies in drama, dance, and costume design. As she went on to work and teach in acting and costume design, she refined her sensitivity to lighting and spatial dimension – elements which have played central roles in her paintings and mixed-media works ever since. While overseas, Soleil traveled through Europe, cultivating an openness to aesthetic discoveries along the way. One year in the Netherlands inspired an increasing love of open spaces - for their aesthetic possibilities and meanings, and also for their emotional potential. Two years in Greece and Italy rewarded her with a sharp sense of the various powers of warm light and subtle colour. Her show ‘Dream of Italy’ takes place at The Barnhouse Studio, Alderlea Farm 3390 Glenora Road, Duncan October 12-14. This show is part of her gratitude show and sale. All proceeds from art sales will go towards a placement in Italy to work in the studio of artist Alberto Inglese. If you miss the show at Alderlea Farm on Thanksgiving weekend don’t fret her work is showing at Imagine That! Artisans’ Designs Cooperative, 251 Craig St, downtown Duncan to October 25. www.soleilmannion.ca 47

comes from creating unique cloth that results from our personal exploration of combining colour and fibre. Members tell me that it is the art itself that chooses us; we are drawn to the act creating something that did not exist before and cannot be replicated by another person or a machine.

Garden House Book Sale Is Back!

veryone is invited to the Garden House Foundation Fund’s 12th annual charity book sale on Saturday, October 19th, 9 am to 3 pm and Sunday, October 20th, 9 am to 2 pm at Bonner School in Mill Bay.

Debbie Berg, Executive Director of CWAV, says of last year’s grant, “We have three youth groups that are challenged by precarious funding to which it will be applied to keep these programs going.”

This is your chance to score some great fall and winter reading from tables stacked high with 20,000 quality adult and children’s used books, all at bargain prices. Be sure to also check out the silent auction of more valuable books.

While B.C. S.P.C.A. Philanthropy Officer Vanessa Lee jokes about “tails wagging and whiskers twitching” in response to the Cowichan shelter grant, she also soberly credits it for “saving lives”.

The sale has become a regular event for many Valley residents such as Nancy Bennett from Mill Bay who says she looks forward to it each year. “I like how wellorganized it is. I bring my list of titles to search for, but also find it’s a great opportunity to look around and get something different that I don’t often buy.” Profits from the sale go into a permanent grant-giving fund which benefits Cowichan Family Life, Cowichan Women Against Violence and the Cowichan and District S.P.C.A. 48

The sale depends on the support of over 150 student and adult volunteers, hundreds of book donors and many businesses and organizations such as Ten Old Books and Bibles for Missions. Each purchase you make will have a lasting impact on our community. Hope to see you there! For more information, visit www.gardenhousefoundation. wordpress.com or call 250743-4627 to donate books year-round.

Tzouhalem Spinners & Weavers Guild: Playing With Fibre

ave you heard any of these comments? “Only old ladies and grannies knit”, “You can buy the same thing cheaper in the store” or even “No one makes their own yarn anymore”. Well the members of the Tzouhalem Spinners and Weavers Guild have something to say about this! Our members range from retired folks, new mothers and those still a ways from retirement. We all have one thing in common; we love to “play with fibre”. Members prepare their own sheep and alpaca fleeces for spinning or use commercial yarns for knitting, crocheting, weaving, felting and so much more. Some of us learned as children from our grandmothers and mothers while others came to playing with fibre later in life. We value the satisfaction that

The satisfaction of seeing the beautiful shawl created from yarn spun from a specific fleece, the feeling of accomplishment and joy at sharing projects with family and friends, making warm sweaters for our families and the challenge of choosing colours for a project are just a few of the reasons why we do what we do. Our Guild meets monthly at St. Peter’s Church Hall, 5800 Church Road on the second Tuesday from 12:00 to 4:00 and on the fourth Tuesday evening (6:00 – 9:00 pm). We welcome new members. Creating something to use, to wear, and enjoy coming from ones heart and hands is a gift to cherish. Our Guild Show and Sale is held at the Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre on October 25, 26, & 27. We offer hands on demonstrations for a variety of crafts. You can purchase a unique one of a kind item for yourself, your home and your family and friends.

The sale is cash only.

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California + Montreal Guitar Trios “This wasn’t your average classical guitar concert—it was a mind blowing experience. These are great musicians that are cutting a new musical genre.” –Ottawa Life Magazine

n paper, the blend of the California Guitar Trio and the Montreal Guitar Trio would seem at odds. CGT is classically disciplined and stylistically adventurous. MGT is more smouldering and brash, inspired by the percussive might of flamenco and myriad folk inspirations. However, together on stage, this unique six by six-string group becomes a “phenom-ensemble’. Guitar aficionados are in for an incredible evening of entertainment as CGT’s steel stringer guitars seamlessly blend with the MG3’s nylon-stringed guitars. With music from Queen, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Rush and original arrangements from MG3 and CGT, the sound is brilliant and singular. Each performance features these world-class musicians fearlessly crisscrossing genres and styles. The Montreal Guitar Trio has been described by CBC as the “hottest” guitar ensemble in Canada. The trio has For over

15 years, MGT’s virtuosity, rigor, creativity and impressive stage presence – where humour and interacting with the public go hand in hand – have been winning over audiences around the world. The trio features Marc Morin, Sébastien Dufour and Glenn Lévesque. The universe knows no bounds for the California Guitar Trio. Since 1991, the group has enthralled listeners with a questing spirit that drives it to explore the intersections between rock, jazz, classical and world music. It even throws in the occasional surf or spaghetti Western tune for good measure. CGT is comprised of Bert Lams, Hideyo Moriya and Paul Richards. For Cowichan Valley guitar enthusiasts who are already looking forward to the next International Guitar Night in January, a Guitar Series price is available. Attend both shows for $68. Individually IGN is $38 and CGT + MGT $36. Thursday, October 17, 7:30 pm Tickets are available in person at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre Tickets: $36 / eyeGO: $5 Guitar Series: $68 (with International Guitar Night) Cowichan Ticket Centre, 2687 James Street or by phone 250 748-7529 or online at www.cowichanpac.ca.

n Shawnigan Lake we are very conscious of the future we want to create. We don’t believe in just “letting things happen,” we create our opportunities and reach for our goals. From October 17th to October 19th the Shawnigan Lake Community will be involved in an Intensive Design and Planning process for the future look and feel of the Shawnigan Village. During this process we will look at the heart of the Village area (see map). This area was chosen because the community has expressed a desire to see our village developed thoughtfully and with the community’s needs in mind. This intensive process will also develop detailed three dimensional drawings that will be grant and project ready. It is expected to tackle a number of challenges including: mobility improvements, intensity of desired development, amount of future retail and commercial space, and a more detailed assessment of housing needs. The resulting plan will aid future development decision making and provide clear design directions for the streets, public areas, and other improvements. More event details: iloveshawnigan. com/events or Facebook Shawnigan Gathering

Think Shawnigan: Development Designed by Community The intensive design process will bring together designers, architects and engineers with community members. Ideas have been gathered throughout the Summer and Fall. All of the various ideas will be brought together, sifted, and married with technical information, to produce detailed documents and an action plan. We have an amazing opportunity to tailor our village! It’s an exciting time! If you care about the future of Shawnigan Lake Village,

mark your calendars to participate: • October 17th Ideas Fair (Hear and add to what the designers have heard so far) 7-8:30pm • October 18th Studio Drop-in (Watch the designers at work, See the ideas taking shape) 4-6pm • October 19th Presentation of draft design concepts for the future Shawnigan Village 4:30-6:30pm

• All events are FREE and will be held at the Shawnigan Lake Community Centre! All welcome! After the intensive design process, the consultants will polish the results and share the final designs, anticipated for December 2019. Sign up to be kept informed at thinkshawnigan@gmail.com

A Walk in a Local Ancient Forest

he Koksilah River Ancient Forest and Recreation Area is approximately an hours drive from Duncan up the Koksilah River, the last part unpaved logging road. The walk into the Grove is 5km return on a undulating trail that is good for anyone that is reasonably fit. The area of Ancient Forest is approximately 75 hectares within the privately owned forestry land of Mosaic. (Formally TimberWest.). What we experience is a forest like much of Vancouver Island lowlands once were. Even though it is in the Hemlock Biogeoclimatic Zone what we will see is forest that is normally in the Douglas Fir zone with very large examples of them some over 80 metres high with diameters in excess of 2 metres, up to 800 years old. These trees are in a small area with other species like Cedar and Grand Fir that still exist because of two

loggers Louie Van Beers and Don Hughes, in 1989 when they refused to cut them and told the Company (Fletcher Challenge). “And we both felt they could put aside a little piece of that”. Because of their Vision a diverse group is still working to set aside not only the Ancient Forest as a park, but connecting it to the existing Koksilah River Provincial Parks, including buffer and riparian zones to protect those trees in perpetuity for all the people of the Cowichan Valley and British Columbia. Trees Join Warrick Whitehead on a hike to the Koksilah Ancient Trees to experience this incredible old growth forest with tall Douglas firs that are up to 800 years old. This is a dog-free, all-day event, bring a bag lunch and water and dress for the weather with appropriate footwear. Saturday October 26, 9am start Meet at 9am at the Cowichan Community Centre entrance $10 per person or family, advanced booking required.

WHY VOTE? There are many reasons to vote. A pivotal one this election is the climate crisis. What our federal government does or doesn’t do to reduce emissions and limit climate disruption in its next mandate will affect everything – our water, our health, our food systems, and our resilience as a society. The impact on our children’s future is immeasurable. Last year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change told us we must halve our emissions over the next decade to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Our traditional federal governing parties have plans that either take Canada back to doing less on climate or keep us on a woefully inadequate path. Two parties are ready to scale up substantive climate action. Who governs next– in a majority or minority– holds our fate in their hands. October 3rd hear candidates on climate at www.facebook. com/100debatesCML/and vote for all our future on October 21st.

Submitted by One Cowichan

COWICHAN VALLEY - MALAHAT - LANGFORD - MEET YOUR CANDIDATES

Young People Are Ready to Vote Katia Bannister is 16 year old environmental and social justice activist. She is a student at QMS Duncan and lives on Thetis Island.

Alistair MacGregor New Democratic Party (NDP) alistairmacgregor.org Over the last four years I have been honoured to represent you in the House of Commons. As a dad of three, I am committed to building a country of our dreams, where no one is left behind. Climate change is the defining issue of our century and how we respond will determine the survival of future generations. We must meet science-based reduction targets of GHG emissions, stop the Trans-Mountain pipeline expansion, and immediately end subsidies to fossil fuel companies; instead investing in clean-energy initiatives. Many people in our communities are struggling to find affordable housing, provide healthy food for their families, and pay for prescription medications. The NDP’s New Deal for People has bold solutions to tackle climate change, the rising cost of medications, housing and affordability issues. I urge you to look at my record. On October 21st, I hope I can re-earn your vote so I can continue to be your voice in Ottawa.

Lydia Hwitsum Green Party of Canada lydiahwitsum. greenparty.ca I was born and raised in the Quamichan village here in the Cowichan Valley and continue to build a life here with my children and grandchildren.

Here on Vancouver Island, a new youth-led initiative is taking hold. Bolstered by the Global Climate Strikes, the Vote16bc campaign is growing in support around the island and the province. The campaign is you started and led but supported by Dogwood, B.C’s largest citizen engagement network. It’s an organization dedicated to empowering everyday people to reclaim power of over our shared environment and democracy. And the empowerment is working,

this particular campaign is speared-headed by youth all over British Columbia many from local communities including, Victoria, the Comox Valley, Campbell river and the Cowichan Valley. Young people around the province are raising their voices and standing up for change. From gun violence to human rights to global warming, we are fighting for our future, a future of our design. But without the right to vote, youth have been shut out of the decision-making that will affect us for the rest of our lives. With the Federal election looming many politically active and informed youth including myself are looking to party leaders to create platforms that include lowering the voting age

to 16. Presently, only the Federal Green and NDP parties have lowering the voting age on the agenda. Lowering the voting age to 16 is not a new concept, and while it’s never been implemented before, the time has never been better. With the Climate Strike movement circling the globe, and youth activism being ever present in the media, now is the time for the new legislation. Vote16bc is a vision for the future, not only do we aspire to lower the voting age, but to increase voter education through schools and thus decreasing voter apathy, particularity in the younger demographics. The time for lowing the voting age is now, and candidates should know the next generation of voters is watching.

ALL CANDIDATES FORUMS Hear tthem speak! Wednesday, October 2 Cowichan Valley Retired Teachers’ Association Debate - 5:00 - 6:30 PM Quamichan School Theatre Thursday, October 3 100 Debates on Climate Change - 7:00 - 9:00 PM United Church of Canada (Duncan) Wednesday, October 9 Duncan Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum - 6:30 - 9:00 PM Cowichan Performing Arts Centre Thursday, October 10 CFAX 1070 Debate 9:00 - 10:00 AM VOTING DAY OCTOBER 21

The Green Party of Canada is the only party that reflects my personal values: true collaboration, meaningful partnerships through reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, advancing gender equality including LGBTQI2+ rights, and a commitment to take the necessary action on the climate crisis. As your Member of Parliament, I would continue to advocate for human rights, ecological justice, fairness, and accessibility, as I have done in both my personal and professional lives. My unique world view and set of skills have given me the experience to ask the hard questions that create opportunities for solutions, as I have done as Chair of the First Nations Health Authority and founding Co-Chair of the Cowichan Watershed Board, among other roles. I would be honoured to be entrusted with your vote to represent you in Ottawa.

*All Cowichan Valley-Malahat-Langford candidates were invited to participate.

Attention, Local Market Shoppers

re you a knitter, whose name is consistently called by yarn? Or are you a spinner who hankers after fluffy fleece and scrumptious skeins of roving?

SOLEIL MANNION soleilmannion.ca Echo, oil on canvas 36”x36” $4,500.00

Maybe you are a weaver who will kick down doors for bargain bags of stash and the perfect cone of cotton. Perhaps you are a felter who requires roving for needle or wet felting. Or are you looking for fabulous handmade gifts (the season is nearly upon us…) – gloves, socks, toques, sweaters, shawls, tea towels, clothing, soap, wooden items, cards, purses, stuffed toys, decorations, rugs, buttons, knitting kits and patterns, books, art pieces - the works. Creators and shoppers have a hall-sized selection to plough through at the Cowichan Fleece and Fibre Festival. The festival has been running annually for over twenty years when it was part of Producer’s Day, an Inter Island Sheep Breeders Association event that included a fibre component. Today the festival runs on its own - alas, no live sheep, but plenty of their product - and is host to 28 vendors, raffle, lunch café, and throngs of

friendly people. Come on down to the Cobble Hill Community Hall and continue the tradition of supporting local farmers and artisans. And if your friends have ever called you a “fibre freak,” this is the place for you. Saturday, October 26, 2019 10am – 4 pm, Cobble Hill Community Hall 3550 Watson Avenue, Cobble Hill www.cowichanfleeceandfibre festival.com

Submitted by Catherine Johnson

Passage. Nanaimo Painter Yvonne Vander Kooi

‘P

assage,’ a new series of paintings by Yvonne Vander Kooi explores family history from pre-war colonial Indonesia, World War ll, and subsequent migration to Holland and Canada. Drawing on personal memories as well as imagery sourced from old black and white photos, the paintings expand on suggested narratives. The work considers shifting perceptions of the past and how stories change as they are shared in the present. Creating this work involved research and exploration and opened up new understandings about the artist’s family and how it has adapted across time and place. Translating the image from photo to canvas raises questions in the mind of the artist and the viewer. In this way the story is altered while remaining anchored by the facts of the events and challenges that have shaped her family across generations. A family moves through

time as a changing, adapting organism and these paintings serve as both a record and a contribution to an evolving story. Paint allows the artist to bend narrative, explore possibilities, and shape her perception. Through experimentation, evocative imagery emerges as the palette shifts and changes from turquoise and pastel to fluorescent pink and saturated yellows. The surfaces are worked, layered, scuffed, scraped, and stained adding complexity and visual interest. A balance of figurative and abstract elements, along with a sensual use of colour, creates work that is vibrant and contemporary. Yvonne Vander Kooi’s art practice has embraced community, collaboration, education, public art and studio work. Born and raised in Ontario, she received her BFA in Michigan, and

has lived in Toronto and Vancouver. She currently lives in Nanaimo with her family and two dogs. She has participated in numerous group shows and in public art projects here on the island and has work in private and corporate collections. She currently works as the Art Education Coordinator at the Nanaimo Art Gallery. Yvonne’s work invites us to consider stories about people, places, and movement that are both personal and universal.

Saturday October 28th 6-8pm. Art Exhibition Opening: Passage. Nanaimo painter Yvonne Vander Kooi November 2, 9, 16. FREE. 3091 Agira Road, Duncan. www.theougallery.com

Is your hot tub truly bacteria-free?

this photo is a relatively mild example of biofilm extracted during a flush performed by Mike at ORCA Pool & Spa.

he beauty of Fall is offset with the pains and strains that come from Autumn yardwork: the raking, trimming, pulling and ladder climbing can exact a toll on joints and muscles. Coupled with such varied and painful conditions as arthritis, nerve pain, back pain, and work or sport related injuries, pain is the most common reason that people visit a health care professional. Pain is also the leading cause of disability, and a major health care expenditure. (National Institute of Nursing Research)

o what is biofilm? According to the The American Heritage® Science Dictionary, biofilm is “a complex structure adhering to surfaces that are regularly in contact with water, consisting of colonies of bacteria and usually other microorganisms such as yeasts, fungi, and protozoa that secrete a mucilaginous protective coating in which they are encased. Biofilms … are typically resistant to conventional methods of disinfection.” Biofilm forms naturally, especially in dark and warm water environments typically within the network of plumbing and equipment in hot tubs, jetted bathtubs, spas and pools. Bathers introduce a plethora of organic contaminants exfoliated skin, sweat, etc. - that feed biofilm. Couple this with other substances, like soaps and lotions, and you’ve got a ripe environment for biofilm to proliferate.

People mistakenly think that the sanitizing chemicals they use will kill all the bacteria in their hot tub. Not so. Sanitizers, such as chlorine or bromine, can only reduce the free-floating bacteria in water. The remaining bacteria can become lodged within the biofilm matrix. It is difficult for sanitizers to get through the slime layers of biofilm to

kill all the potentially harmful organisms. So what can you do to purge your hot tub (or other recreational water vessel) of biofilm? Ahh-Some is an eco-friendly, unique product that performs a cleaning, scrubbing, clarifying action along with removal of odours and contaminants caused by biofilm and other organic substances. For a DIY fix, you can purchase this product direct from the Ahh-Some website or from Mike at ORCA Pool & Spa.

250 746 0706 24/hr Service

However, if you’re a bit squeamish about taking this on for yourself, Mike can undertake the job for you and leave you with a biofilm-free hot tub!

We’ve a whale of a good reputation!

• Pool installs, service & maintenance • Hot tub service, including bio-film ﬂushes • Equipment repair/replacement & supplies • Inspections & consultations Mention this ad for a 10% discount on service or supplies

Pain-Free: The Livin’ is Easy

A note of caution to anyone who has acquired a hot tub with a home purchase or purchase of a used tub, it’s highly recommended to do a biofilm flush. Learn more in Mike’s video on the home page of www.orcapoolandspa.com Healthy tubbing from your friends at ORCA Pool & Spa! Remember to mention this article and receive a 10% discount on the biofilm product or flush service. Visit www.orcapoolandspa.com to see a video demonstration of what’s entailed to perform a successful biofilm flush. Or call Mike to do it for you 250-466-4050.

Contact Mike, owner & certiﬁed technician

CALL: 250-466-4050 TEXT: 778-837-0138

EMAIL: orcaspaservice@gmail.com

www.orcapoolandspa.com

No Pain, No Gain? Pain isn’t all bad. In the short-term, pain tells you to pull your hand away from the fire or reminds you to rest an injury so it can properly heal. Pain that lasts more than three months, however, is known as chronic pain. Chronic pain is more common in women, and it increases with age to peak between 45 and 65 years. (Medline) Because chronic pain often involves inflammation, the go-to remedy has been over-the-counter medications including aspirin and ibuprofen, or prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, also known as NSAIDs. While these options can offer relief, reliance on these medications can lead to liver damage, ulcers, an increased risk of heart attack and kidney trouble. (WebMD) We’re left to wonder if the side effects are worth the risk.

Extra, Extra! If you don’t notice significant improvement with diet & lifestyle changes, you may consider taking supplements for pain relief that are natural alternatives to NSAID drugs. For joint pain, stiffness & inflammation, look for a formula which includes antiinflammatory compounds like curcumin, devil’s claw, and pine bark extract. These reduce the body’s chemicals that cause inflammation, as a way to minimize pain. Also, try a supplement that solves the root cause of the problem by rebuilding the joints with cartilage. Look for ingredients like collagen, bamboo silica, glucosamine sulfate, MSM and vitamin C, which work together to rebuild the joint structure. If you experience pain from arthritis, swelling from injuries, or sinusitis, consider taking Serrapeptase. This enzyme breaks down scar tissue and inflammation, which is involved in many conditions ranging from cardiovascular disease to carpal tunnel syndrome and fibrocystic breasts. Also try taking Serrapeptase a week or two after a surgery to help with painful post-operative swelling and to encourage a speedy healing process. As always, visit your healthcare provider to find out what’s best for you so you can spend your days happily and healthily. Manage Pain Naturally with Nutritionist and Herbalist, Rebecca Llewellyn Thursday, October 3rd Doors 6pm/ Talk starts 6:30pm All Enerex products on sale that evening. Enter to win an Instant Pot sponsored by Enerex! Submitted by Rebecca Llewellyn

180 Central Rd Unit #4, Duncan I (250) 748-4421 59

David Coulson is a local certified Built Green design builder. He has a staff of 25 that have built throughout the Island for over 20 years.

DESIGNING

GREEN

Calling All Community Again!

o I thought, seeing as we at David Coulson Design are celebrating our 30th year building in the Valley, we should turn our attention once again to giving thanks to the community for all their support these last three decades. We have decided to throw our support both physically and financially behind two great

well as music, drama, and a hand bell choir.

community projects. The Somenos Marsh Society and the (remove the) Glenora Farm. By press time, the new timber Somenos Viewing Tower will have been erected complete with ribbon cutting. It was truly a great pleasure working with the Society and especially with their captain at arms, Paul Fletcher. The community certainly has a champion in that character. And special thanks to Canadian Bavarian for their generous donations of timber, Buepoint Consulting Engineers, MacDonald and Lawrence for design and Seasonal Cedar for milling all the cedar to name just a few of the outstanding donors. And now we are endeavoring to build a 7 bedroom residence for the members of Glenora Farm.

Having a brother of 55 years with developmental disabilities has brought me close to their cause and we here at David Coulson Design have provided design services, and now construction services to make this a reality. For those not in the know, set on a 97 acre farm in Glenora, Glenora Farm provides residential and day program support services to adults with developmental disabilities providing a home environment and therapeutic interventions that integrates all persons into the community. What this means is that on

Glenora Farm, adults with developmental disabilities live on the farm, work and learn alongside their caregivers - promoting individual empowerment. The farm also runs a flexible day program for individuals that want to live off site, and participate in activities such as weaving, felting, cooking, farming, herb production for teas salves and balms, as

So, we are calling on as many of you suppliers and businesses in the community to jump on board and help us get this project underway. If you have recently completed a renovation of your own and have surplus materials, here is your personal chance to contribute. Already we have willing suppliers like Matrix Marble and Stone on board supplying us with local stone counter tops. We also have Pontius Brothers Excavating assisting with foundations and road building and our friends over at McPherson Cabinets helping us with millwork. And engineering by Buepoint Consulting Engineers and John Ivison for fire suppression design. But we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect those few to offer all that we need.

We need lumber, metal roofing, concrete supplies, forming lumber, flooring, windows and doors, drywall, insulation and paint, plumbing and lighting fixtures and so much more. Glenora Farm has some funding to see this project to completion but fire suppression, water storage, and generator requirements will add to costs that were destined for the building process. So your kind generosity of cash or in-kind contributions will not go unnoticed. The entire community will be reminded and a fully tax deductible receipt will be provided for all donations valued over $25. We did it 20 years ago when saving the Green Door downtown on Ingram Street. As a community we saved the Gary Oak meadows on Maple Bay Road and we collectively saved the Kinsol Trestle. No job is too big for this community. Pitch in or attend the Glenora Farm fundraiser at the White Spot on Tuesday October 8th at 7pm. 101 Trans-Canada Highway, Duncan See you there!

GLENORA FARM FUNDRAISER TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8TH DUNCAN @7PM TICKETS: $75 INCLUDES:

SIGNATURE COCKTAIL BUFFET DINNER LIVE & SILENT AUCTIONS PROCEEDS WILL HELP TO BUILD A RESIDENTIAL CARE HOME FOR ADULTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

GLENORA FARM

A Camphill Community @GLENORAFARM

INFO&TICKET SALES: GLENORAFARM.ORG/ WHITE-SPOTFUNDRAISER ORCONTACT: 250-715-8454 SDOMAN@TELUS.NET

Open 7 days a week 11-3pm in the SOL-Centre 5380 Trans-Canada HWY Duncan, BC

Visit us to find a magical selection of semi-rare crystals and gemstones, oracle decks, eco-clothing, books and more 7 days a week in the SOL-Centre.

Find us on Instagram@cfsforthesoul and Like us on our ‘CFS for the Soul’ Facebook Page for product details, announcements & more.

We are open

10 a.m. — 4 p.m. Monday - Saturday Closed Sundays And Stat Holidays

Our store and it’s selection of all things wonderful is growing and growing! More clothing, toys, books, cards, prints and handwork supplies. Bring your questions and your children. We have a lovely gnome-home where your children can play while you browse. Handwork and dollmaking with Donna on Thursdays, please inquire.

www.urielpharmacy.com

Proudly carrying toys, clothing, books and supplies and from Mercurius Canada ~ Warmth Weather ~ Sarah’s Silks ~ Ostheimer Wooden Toys ~ Floris Books ~ and so much more! 62

Through The Rainbow:

Children’s birthdays are a time of reflection to look back over the last year, and remember the day they arrived in the world. The Waldorf tradition is to tell the birthday story - the tale of a little soul who crossed the rainbow bridge, came to earth, found a loving family and became the birthday boy or girl. The birthday story has been told for generations and holds a unique place in the hearts and memories of thousands of families. Through the Rainbow is a faithful and inspiring retelling of the most well-known version of the story by parenting coach and Waldorf parent Lou Harvey-Zahra, and is accompanied by soft, ethe-real illustrations by Waldorf artist and teacher Sara Parrilli. This beautiful picture book can be-come part of a family’s traditions, read every year to celebrate a child’s special day. Through the Rainbow can be personalised, making it unique for each birthday child.

Birthday Rings are a wonderful birthday tradition. In Waldorf tradition,

parents tell the birth story and light each candle as they go through the memory of that special year. Whether you follow Waldorf traditions or not, it is magical for children to hear the story of how they came into world. The Birthday Ring can be set up on the birthday morning and makes an delightful decoration throughout the day. Choose from a wide range of beautiful Birthday Rings and ornaments.

The Birthday Book: Celebrations for Everyone

by Anne Druitt, Christine Fynes-Clinton, Marije Rowling; Packed with recipes, stories, songs and games, and ideas for cards, decorations, and presents, The Birthday Book is spiced with quotations from famous birthday celebrants and amusing historical anecdotes.

Artwork titled Autumn; A postcard reproduced from an original artwork by Marjan Van Zehl. Come see our selection of beautiful art cards for all occasions from Wynstone Press, Mercurius and local artists.

Our highest endeavor must be to develop free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives. The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility—these three forces are the very nerve of education. ~ Rudolf Steiner

Come see all the beautiful books, cards, gifts, silks, candles and lovely wooden birthday rings we carry in our store to help make those birthdays into special celebrations. Something for everyone!

Located in the Sol Centre Adjacent to the Community Farm Store 5380 Hwy 1, Duncan, BC To be notified by email of Waldorf and Steiner inspired events in the Valley, email nicolette111@icloud.com

The Children’s Party Book For Birthdays and Other Occassions

Anna and Peter Thomas

The Children’s Party Book, by Anne and Peter

Thomas has become an invaluable reference for parents and caregivers short on time and ideas. It contains 240 ideas for games and craft activities that will make any children’s party, from 3 to 12 years, go with a swing. All the activities are clearly presented with illustrations, diagrams and step-by-step practical descriptions, and are coded for age-suitability.

Here at the Freya-Sophia Waldorf store we are inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner and committed to meeting the soul needs of our children and our community by providing books, toys, supplies, resources, classes, workshops, instruction, support and conversation to those who visit us. We are here to help and to support.

Rudolf Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, playwright and artist who lived between 1861 and 1925. influence of Steiner’s multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, education, philosophy, reli-gious renewal, movement, speech, drama, agriculture (biodynamics), beekeeping and the arts. We carry a vast selection of titles on these subjects and much more at the Freya-Sophia Waldorf Store.

Green Living

Too Old For Halloween?

Halloween at the HUB Halloween at the HUB. A Spooktacular fundraiser for all the family. This is a free event with fair style tickets for all food and activities. Come in costume and enjoy some chili around the cauldron, dance if you dare in the gym and watch a LIVE dance performance by Warmland Dance. Carve a pumpkin with the kids, go on a flashlight scavenger hunt through the forest or watch a movie with the HUB Film Club. Roast a Halloweenie and toast your buns around the fire and join in the great sense of community that the HUB is known for.

ROWAN HAMILTON MEDICAL HERBALIST

Diploma in Phytotherapy, MNIMH, SCS, DTCM

at a healing place...

250 510 0062 64

Cowichan Valley

The volunteer, costumed, crew at the HUB look forward to seeing you there for our 4th annual Halloween fundraiser. October 27 Halloween at the HUB, 4-9 pm, The HUB at Cowichan Station, 2375 Koksilah Road, FREE

U Pick at Providence Farm Pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, pumpkin soufflé? Or perhaps the perfect Jack ‘o Lantern for Halloween! We’ve got a bounty of lantern & sweet pumpkins that are ready to share! Whether to eat or carve, there are thousands to choose from, with small, medium and large varieties between 5 – 30 lbs. Our farm team has been working hard, with persistence and fortitude, to foster this bounty of squash. The possibilities are abundant and delicious! We’ll be holding our annual Hayride & Pumpkin picking with school groups on October 8th to 11th and 16th to 18th. Pre-booked groups hop on our hay wagon and head to the field to pick their perfect pumpkin. For more information, please contact reception at 205.746.4204. Our U-Pick pumpkin gates will be open from October 18th to 31st, between 10am and 4pm. This is the first time, in our 40 year history, that we’ve had U-Pick Pumpkins – so we are excited to begin this new tradition. The field entrance is located along side Donnay Dr. and we welcome the public to come, pick out a pumpkin while simultaneously supporting the Therapeutic Community of Providence Farm. Oct. 18 to 31, U-Pick Pumpkins at Providence Farm, 10am to 4pm, 1843 Tzouhalem Road Picking entrance on Donnay Drive.

Tracey Hanson, proud Cowichan Valley community member and business owner www.cleanchoice cleaners.com

t wasn’t too long ago that Halloween in my family meant young children dressed as pumpkins and pirates heading out around our neighbourhood to collect treats and share in community festivities with friends. I would cringe at the sight of teenagers out in either gory costumes that scared my children or in little to no costume at all, seemingly all for the sport of collecting free candy from unsuspecting neighbours. Funny how perspectives change as life stages evolve. Last year I was ecstatic my teen was interested in Halloween at all. The time and effort he spent coming up with that “scary” costume was endearing. It meant that he wasn’t embarrassed to have his peers see him in costume and I saw a glimpse of whimsy that had been hiding far too long. He and his buddy made plans to volunteer at the community hall haunted

house. Sure they stopped at a few neighbourhood houses along the way to collect some candy, fair compensation for their volunteer hours I’d argue. Teens are not far out of the phase where Santa, Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy have lost their magic, in their world Halloween just might be the last vestige of childhood foolery and creatively. Do we really want to take that from them too? Even as adults we sometimes enjoy costume parties and if I’m being honest my boys know that I get dibbs on the peanut butter cups that they collect. When it comes right down to it what would we rather teens get up to on Halloween night? Ask yourself if free candy is really the worst thing that they could be indulging in. So this Halloween, leave your light on a little longer for when the older kids come to call and stock up on peanut butter cups for me!

Traditional Chinese Exercise for Health Wild Goose Qigong (Chi Gong) Gentle movement Calms your mind Heals internal organs Develops ﬂexibility Mondays 9~10:15am (Rivendell) Wednesdays 10:15am-11:30am Thursdays 8:45am-10am (HUB) Fridays 10am-11:15am (Victoria) Northern Shaolin Chun Yuen Quan Dynamic movement Improves posture Increases energy Strengthens bones Tuesdays 6pm-7:15pm Wednesdays 9am-10:15am

250 748 4060 rivendellrhythm@shaw.ca

Upcoming

www.WildGooseQigongCentre.com

Qigong seminar:

Kunlun Twining Hands Bagua Taught by Sifu Lee Masters Glenora Hall, 3660 Glenora Road, Duncan.

Saturday 5 October 1~5pm rivendellrhythm@shaw.ca 250 748 4060

www.wildgooseqigongcentre.com Return to a clean home and workplace.

Giving you back the luxury of time and a naturally clean home to enjoy it in! Providing professional, eco friendly cleaning services.

250 929 8381 www.cleanchoicecleaners.com Licensed - Insured - Bonded

Diana Pink I 250 597-2102 I afreshstart@shaw.ca

Home Cleaning Gift Certiﬁcates available for Family & Friends!

REIKI WELLNESS 250-743-8122 Debbie Shkuratoﬀ Reiki Master-Teacher-All Levels Usui-Karuna-Komyo-Seichim

250-812-9813 Sara Tillie Registered Acupuncturist Traditional Chinese Medicine

Reiki Therapy & Classes - Detox Foot Spas Acupuncture - Amethyst Mat - YL Essential Oils Daytime • Evening •Weekend • By Appointment Only #13- Upper Level • Valleyview Centre • Cobble Hill www.reikiwellness.ca • reiki-wellness@shaw.ca

Swarn Hardy, MA, RCC Registered Clinical Counsellor Somatic Attachment Psychotherapy for • Trauma & Abuse • Anxiety & Depression • Relationship Issues

250-709-3744 swarnhardyrcc@gmail.com www.innerlighthealingarts.com

Release trapped emotions Resolve sleep problems Manage stress and pain Achieve self-confidence 250-597-3686

First appointment free!

David Yaeger

Certiﬁed Emotion Code Practitioner davidyaeger650@gmail.com https://discoverhealing.com/practitioner-map/ (ﬁnd me just north of Duncan)

• • • • •

Website Design & Development Social Media Marketing Search Engine Optimization AdWords, Facebook, PPC Consulting & Training

250-732-2937 66

What is Somatic Attachment Psychotherapy?

SARA TILLIE ACUPUNCTURE

or too long, the pervasive effects of trauma have been ignored in psychotherapy. As neurobiology has made huge leaps in the last decade in our understanding of trauma, a new model of psychotherapy has emerged that integrates this important information. Somatic Attachment Psychotherapy is an approach to counselling focused on resolving shock and attachment trauma, and the combination of the two, called complex trauma. Complex trauma usually underlies most recurring problems for which people seek help. Trauma occurs when our experience is “too much and too fast” for our brains to process in the moment. Sensory fragments of the event get stored in the body as dysregulated neural states, which can easily be reactivated. These patterns of both over-reacting and under-reacting to people and stressors can wreak havoc on our lives if left untreated. In order to resolve trauma, we need to be regulated and embodied. Being regulated means you feel safe, grounded, and present. Being embodied means you can feel and tolerate the momentto-moment sensations in your body, both pleasant and uncomfortable.

info@MAC5.ca www.MAC5.ca @MAC5WebDesign

1- 855-622-5932

“Somatic” refers to the body, and in my sessions, I attend

VALLEY DENTAL CLINIC Dr. Gordon Levin DMD Dentist

to both my body and my client’s. I track gestures, tone of voice, subtle movements of the face, and our neural states (regulated vs. high or low arousal). “Attachment” refers to our earliest patterns of relationships with our primary caregivers. Abuse and neglect can leave a person more vulnerable to trauma. For example, if a child was not comforted or told it was not her fault when something bad happened, that child may believe she was wrong or bad, and not worthy of comfort. That belief can linger, and as an adult, she may be reluctant to seek help from others to recover from current hurts. She may also feel like at her core, she is not worthy of love, and find herself repeating unhealthy relationship patterns. As an attachment-based therapist, I focus on repairing relational ruptures that have lead to a person’s distorted beliefs about herself. Resolving these core beliefs by attending to the dysregulated states held in the body can transform the debilitating effects of trauma into a more integrated and healthy sense of self.

Swarn Hardy, Registered Clinical Counsellor, sees clients in her quiet “tiny office” in the woods. innerlighthealingarts. com

Detailed screening for sleep apnea with dental appointments

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Dr. Levin is a general dentist with special interest in Orofacial Pain and Sleep dentistry

n this article we will look at side effects of oral appliances to treat obstructive sleep apnea, and also the phenomenon of O.S.A. in children. One very common side effect of oral appliances is TMJ discomfort (that is discomfort of the Jaw joints – temporo mandibular joints, ( i.e. TMJ’s) This is almost always temporary but the dentist providing the appliance still must be prepared to help. The best and most widely applied solution is an am (or morning) repositioner .Since the sleep apnea oral appliance works by advancing the patient’s jaw forward, the am repositioner helps put the jaw joints back where they belong. The repositioner is very simple and only needs to be used for a short period. Another common side effect is the tendency for lower teeth to tip forward and upper teeth to tip backward. The sleep dentist should be aware of this tendency and again it is possible to create an appliance to counter this. Interestingly there is also a strong tendency for overjet and overbite to reduce over

the years of oral appliance wear for obstructive sleep apnea. Sometimes this is a welcome change! When I first began to treat patients for obstructive sleep apnea the prospect of side effects worried me. Overtime I have learned that they can be easily managed. As a side note, a colleague of mine, an orthodontist tells me in his practice he has treated CPAP wearers on multiple occasions for the opposite side effect induced by wearing CPAP. That is the flaring of the upper front teeth (tipping forward) and tipping backward of the lower teeth.

Qualified Dentist American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine

# 101-321 Festubert St Duncan, British Columbia V9L 3T1 250-746-9697

reception@valleydentalclinic.ca Bring Courage, Clarity and Commitment to Your Business and Life

Florie Varga, MPA CPC

Business and Personal Coach Business Consultant and Facilitator

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The key point is to recognize the potential for side effects and be prepared to counter them. Another reason for the importance of special training for dentists contemplating dental sleep medicine. A few thoughts about an obstructive sleep apnea condition often overlooked, that of pediatric patients. Yes children suffer from OSA. One of the reasons we see sleep apnea in children is sadly due to increasing incidence of childhood obesity. We know that obesity, even just overweightness is very commonly associated with sleep apnea. Symptoms in children are very different than among adults. Typically adults

report daytime sleepiness. Not so with children. More likely to find are: irritability, hyperactivity, and other socially limiting behaviors (makes me wonder about possible misdiagnosis of ADHD???)

Generally the most common treatment for children will be removal of tonsils and adenoids, although sometimes an appliance to expand the maxilla, especially the palatal areas can be effective.

Why We Should Read The Back of the Turtle: A Novel by Thomas King

homas King’s 2014 fictional work is full of magic of all kinds. He brings to life an extremely grave situation. Diverse, multifaceted characters wholly engage the reader. With King’s renowned skill, the horrific nature of a manmade environmental disaster that destroyed the fictional Smoke River Reserve is revealed. The government forced off the reserve those who did not die. It sent them to reserves provinces away. It is after The Ruin where we, the reader, enter into the telling. The story is that of the survivors.

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The Domidion Corporation was building a pipeline across interior British Columbia. The people of Smoke River, environmentalists and difficult terrain presented problems. To speed up development, a Domidion worker sprayed improperly diluted defoliant over the watershed. A powerful rainstorm unleashed it throughout the reserve, down the Smoke River and out into the ocean, killing everything in its path. It is at this point, one of Domidion’s scientists is discovered missing, and the telling begins --- each well-wrought character makes known their integral piece of the tale. King’s skillful storytelling exposes the wide chasm of belief between those who live with the land and those who take advantage and ruthlessly exploit it. Thomas King takes us into the hearts and minds of characters who live in the

Smoke River area, and those in the corporate offices on the other side of the country. The author is expert in imparting the ingrained thinking and instincts of the CEO of the huge pharmaceutical, agricultural, biotechnical corporate giant who has engineered the catastrophe. King presents a study in carefully orchestrated methods that those in power use to gloss over realities in order to muddy truth with false statements and distractions. King’s humour is sharp-edged and his satire keen. While being deeply funny, quirky, mysterious and as always, original, his fictional tale is an educational read presented in King’s skillful manner of presenting truths – telling us stories that we need in order to really understand the history, and the present of Canada. The Warmland Book and

Call us to see our full range of blinds

Sharing Your Solar Story Film Collective – explore, celebrate and learn from Indigenous authors and filmmakers – meeting the 2nd Wednesday/each month. VIRL 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Next meeting is October 9th and the next book is Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga. Questions? warmlandcollective@gmail. com

e enquired about what was available and decided to go much bigger than just charging our car, and we now have 33 panels on our roof. Viridian were very patient with our questions and provided us with the kind of answers that made us decide to create a house that produces a surplus of electricity in the spring, summer and fall (for which B.C. Hydro credits us to offset the winter usage) and we have noticed that even under cloud infested skies the panels generate most of our energy use this time of year. Once we made the decision to have the system installed we had to wait three or four weeks because they were busy and they had to order the materials. A crew of four showed up at our house and completed everything in one day. It was a ballet showcase on our roof and the neighbour video taped some of it. It does very well and we are able to monitor it on our computer which is kind of fun. “This system will generate about 13,400kWh of electricity per year.” says Kuan-Jian Foo from Viridian Energy. Numbers suggest we

will get about an 8.2 percent return on our investment the first year. As hydro goes up so will the return. I believe the system will pay for itself in about 11 years. These kinds of projects should be more commonplace than they currently are. Government grants would help. We get did relief from one government tax, but with the credits given for electric and hybrid vehicles, I’m puzzled that more help doesn’t come and land on the roofs of homeowners all over B.C. The way I see it, each installation such as ours is like owning a brick in the Site C dam and if B.C. Hydro decides to make their focus the provision of electric power for B.C. citizens instead of mimicking free enterprise and trying to make money from its customers, we would all be better off.

Our Designer Discount ensures you of a competitive price every time.

Tina 250.709.1610 / Mike 250. 701. 2009 www.tinamoizerdesigns.com tina@tinamoizerdesigns.com

Bill Stenson is a writer who grew up in the Cowichan Valley and is happy he has finally moved back.

Are you concerned about the water quality in Somenos and Quamichan Lakes?

ince the beginning of time, Nature has provided us with food, shelter and medicine. It has inspired and facilitated one’s connection to the World. And yet, we easily forget how delicate

Go Batty With The Hooters ~ A Bat And Owl Interpretation Night

and fragile Nature’s balance is. For the past thirty years, the Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society has been monitoring and protecting one of Cowichan’s most incredible jewels: The Somenos Marsh and its watershed. As a result of our restoration efforts, the Clean Water Action Project (CWAP) was launched last fall in partnership with the Cowichan Land Trust. Through targeted restoration practices involving invasive plant removal, shading of the creeks and native species planting, the CWAP aims to increase landowners’ capacity to improve fresh-water and habitat quality around

Somenos and Quamichan Lakes. Since July 2019, 28 landowners benefited from our expertise and restoration recommendation reports were produced for each site. This Fall, we begin hands-on restoration efforts with property owners and volunteers from the community. On October 24th, we will be celebrating International Climate Action Day with a Native Biodiversity Planting event in partnership with the Wildwings Nature and Art Festival (www. wildwingsfestival.com) (10am-1pm, meet at Somenos Creek Dog Park on Beverly Street, Duncan). This November, Feel-GoodFridays volunteer event series is coming back! Four Fridays of hands-on habitat restoration at various locations throughout the Somenos watershed! And don’t miss the Wildwings Nature and Art Festival starting October 6th and running for three weeks. For its 10th anniversary, the festival will feature some of the most remarkable artists and traditional knowledge

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holders. Don’t miss a chance and flag your calendars! Whether you are a property owner hoping to improve your riparian area’s health, or a keen volunteer looking for opportunities to engage in ecological restoration work and water monitoring. Visit our Facebook page, website www.somenosmarsh.com or contact us at programs@ somenosmarsh.com for dates, times and more details for each event and activity. Come join us!

Elodie Roger | Program Manager, Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society

Collectibles Eclectibles Estates & More! Come Snoop Around!

ave you heard an owl hoot while bats fly under the moonlight? Owls are loved by many, but seen by few. We’ll find out why bats and owls are great allies to our community even though they are at risk from many human-caused threats. We’ll compare calls of all the local owl species and learn some amazing facts about these secretive predators. Once you learn their hoots, test your skills in a hooter contest for illustrious prizes and glory! Bats are the subject of a great deal of misinformation and unwarranted concern after a recent rabies death on the Island. We will visit bat habitats, learn the qualities of attractive bat boxes, and hear their recorded calls adjusted to a lower pitch for human ears. If you have a bat box you haven’t mounted yet, bring it along to learn if it may be acceptable to our local bats. We’ll discuss your chances of contracting rabies, how to live with bats, and why we scare the living cobwebs off our flighty mammal friends. Join conservation biologist Todd Carnahan under giant oaks in the Somenos Garry Oaks Protected Area at 7pm on Saturday, October 12 for this free family event. This event is part of the WildWings Festival hosted by the Somenos Marsh

Wildlife Society (www. somenosmarsh.com). This year’s 10th anniversary WildWings Festival kicks off on Wednesday, October 9th at Just Jakes Restaurant in downtown Duncan with a launch party as well as the opening reception for the WildWings art exhibition. This year’s events are diverse and interesting. Event experiences include Cultural, Nature, Art, and Celebration learnings and activities. The festival continues to the end of October finishing with the Green Gala and the Green Award presentations.

250 715 6174

Valleyview

Centre

So much to oﬀer!

When: Saturday October 12th, 7pm Where: Somenos Garry Oaks Parking is available at Trillium Way or Seine Road, both of which are accessed via Lakes Road, first or second left up Lakes after the roundabout. Then walk into the Somenos Garry Oaks. The site of our nighttime classroom is also known as YE’NUMNUTS, a sacred ancestral village site of the Cowichan people. Cost: Suggested donation $10 per individual or family Bring the whole family and flashlights, but leave the dog at home for safety. Register: Space is limited to 25 participants. Please register at: Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society, 55 Station St, Duncan, or call 778-4018460

1400 Cowichan Bay Rd Wellness Reiki Wellness 250 743-8122 Reiki, Foot Detox, Infrared, Acupuncture, Reﬂexology Flourish Hypnosis 250-929-0202 Stop Smoking, Lose Weight, Remove Fears, Boost Conﬁdence

Healthcare Cobble Hill Dental 250-743-6698 Friendly, Family Practice

We Welcome New Patients!

Food Country Grocer 250 743-5639 Bakery, Meat, Seafood, Produce, Deli & Floral, Supplements

Cure Artisan Meat & Cheese 250 929-2873 Charcuterie, Cheese House Made Pates

Fitness Valley Health and Fitness 250-743-0511 Full service gym/classes

Todd Carnahan is a conservation biologist living in the Cowichan Valley. Todd volunteers with the Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society to share the wonders of this ecological jewel.

The Community Farm Store Pages — Your Organic Health and Whole Food Market in Duncan — 250-748-6227

SALE

Unique Fair & Ethical Traded Crafts & Products from around the World

~OVER 30 VENDORS~ SUNDAY November 10,2019 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Queen Margaret’s School 660 Brownsey Avenue Off Government St. Duncan

October is Mushroom Month! Join us as we celebrate the wondrous world of medicinal and culinary mushrooms with informative events, in-store demos, and beautiful displays to feature our fungal friends. Come in to learn more about how to identify, grow and cook mushrooms… and how to tap into their immense healing powers. Mushroom Month Workshops

Hallowe’en is coming up, which means it’s time for all of our favourite organic Hallowe’en treats! Look forward to YumEarth Hallowe’en Fruit Pops, Candy Corn & Gummy Fruits, Denman Island Dark Chocolate Pumpkins, and Que Pasa Day of the Dead Tortilla Chips! We’ll also have party packs of Surf Sweets Spooky Shapes & Hallowe’en Lollipops and Glee Gum Variety Packs, Gum Pops & Hallowe’en Gum, perfect for handing out to those trick or treaters and for school parties. And organically grown carving pumpkins will be arriving soon to our Produce Aisle!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Find all your organic feasting ingredients, including ethically raised roasting chickens & vegan options, potatoes & root vegetables, fresh cranberries, brus-sels sprouts, squash, stuffing ingredients, stocks & gravy seasonings, pie fixings, and so much more. We are grateful for our growers & suppliers!

The Community Farm Store Organic Health & Whole Food Market www.communityfarmstore.ca TWO LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU:

HIGHWAY #1 250-748-6227

DUNCAN GARAGE 250-597-3644

All workshops are held on the CFS Mezzanine except for the field trip portion of Yarrow’s workshop. Mushroom Mysteries & Medicine with Yarrow Willard Sunday, October 6th from 10-4:30 Pre-register at Customer Service. Cost is $60 Build Your Immunity & Vitality from the Ground Up Wednesday, October 9th from 5-6:30 FREE Purica Mushrooms Thursday, October 17th from 5-6:30 FREE HIGHWAY 1 250-748-6227 #2-5380 HWY 1 Next to Sol-Centre

DUNCAN GARAGE 250-597-3644 330 DUNCAN ST Downtown

8—7 Monday 8—7 Tuesday 8—7 Wednesday 8—7 Thursday 8—7 Friday 8—7 Saturday 10—6 Sunday

8-5:30 Monday 8-5:30 Tuesday 8-5:30 Wednesday 8-5:30 Thursday 8-5:30 Friday 8-5:30 Saturday 8—5 Sunday

OPEN THANKSGIVING Monday, October 14th CLOSED THANKSGIVING Monday, October 14th 10—6

10,000 square feet of one-stop organic, planet friendly, family friendly, market-style shopping - here to serve you 7 days/week! 72

Vendor Feature: Mosqoy Peruvian Textiles

Mosqoy is a community-based textile revitalization initiative that supports Indigenous Quechua weaving cooperatives in the Cusco region of Peru, providing economic stability and keeping their culture alive. All products are fairly traded and hand-woven using locally sourced alpaca and sheep wool dyed with natural plant pigments. Mosqoy also run a Field School to educate tourists on how to lessen their impact visiting sacred places like Peru, and a Youth Program to help promising youth find employment and providing post-secondary scholarships. Visit www.mosqoy.org to learn more.

The Community Farm Store is proud to support the 7th Annual Fiesta World Craft Bazaar on Sunday, November 10th from 10-4! The Duncan Fiesta Bazaar showcases unique products & crafts made by over 30 producers and artisans from around the world. The vendors are a mix of educational organizations, non-profits, small businesses and local groups. Each has a direct relationship with the producers and crafts people whose goods they sell. Commerce with a conscience. At the November event at Queen Margaret’s School, you will find textiles from Uganda, jewelry made by street youth from Ethiopia, scarves from Guatemala, games, crafts, books, cards, pottery from Nicaragua, tasty treats & refreshments, and so much more.

Fiesta Vendors Sneak Peek… Mondo Trading Company Scarves for Stoves EcoMamas Global The Gathering Place Batique Aldea Maya African Fair Trade Society Cowichan Intercultural Society Resilient Generations Mosqoy Aldea Maya African Aids Angels Nica Ceramics The Widow’s Garden Project For the Love of Africa The Community Farm Store 73

The Neuro Feedback Experience

Nourish Your Roots with Healthy Boundaries

he falling leaves are gracefully released from the trees with such effortless ease at the precise moment when it’s time to let go. They provide rich nutrition for the roots during the restorative hibernating dreams of winter. Nature continues to teach us. What leaves are prepared to be released in your life so that your roots can be nourished? What are you feeling called to leave behind? What are you ready to say no to so that you can say yes to your centre?

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Kundalini Yoga

The Yoga of Awareness with

Hayley Salmons A dynamic blend of physical postures, breathing, movement, stretching, meditation, mantra and relaxation 250-715-0973 • cowichankundalini@hotmail.com

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Letting go is a moment by moment practise that can be cultivated and fed by our presence and ability to filter what is nutrient-dense or harmful. Exhaling or sighing with intention can be a simple tool to help. Setting boundaries is a part of the letting go process. When we practice saying no to what is not serving our ability to thrive we let go of old patterns of sabotage that leak energy and weaken us. This may mean letting go of the current shape of a relationship to make room for more healthy spaciousness and relational functioning. We have physical, emotional, spiritual and social immune systems that function to keep us healthy and safe in the various realms we inhabit as humans. Setting healthy boundaries with ourselves and others so we can rest and integrate supports all aspects of immune function. Maybe this means saying

no to the inner critic while you lean towards growing compassionate encouragement for the human that you are. It has been said that the first 50 years of childhood are the hardest! Anyone who has worked and lived with others knows what an ongoing balancing act boundary setting can be. Action is needed at times beyond what we feel we are capable of in order to attend to our families, work and community. Healthy boundaries are needed so that energy and focus are consolidated and our inner resources aren’t spread too thin. Our choices impact the front lines of how our immune system protects us from illness, unhealthy relationships, stress and the inevitable initiations of loss that life brings. Our boundaries provide a consolidated container of life force so our energetic and physical immunity can regenerate and function optimally. The gift of hibernation is saying yes to what is most nourishing for your roots.

Christy Greenwood is a Healing Artist & Rewilding Dance Facilitator offering Bodytalk, massage therapy, intuitive bodywork and more at the Healing Hut in the Cowichan Valley. www.christygreenwood.ca // www. rewildingfromwithin.com

euroHarmony practitioner Lesley Young has been busy helping people fine tune their brains. Her simple aim is to help others function with more clarity, higher efficiency and to allow more joy into their lives. “I have been on a healing journey for most of my adult life due to sexual abuse I experienced as a young child.” Lesley shares. Her experiences led her to studying psychology in university and her creativity inspired her to combine what she learned with her second passion - horses. “After many years, I realized I was attracted to the more difficult horses. I could relate to their suffering and wanted to help them to find more peace”. As the symptoms of her childhood trauma became more prevalent, Lesley looked into meditation, therapy, spiritual retreats, self-help books, journaling and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). After much research, she concluded that neurofeedback was one of the most promising options for people like her suffering from PTSD, anxiety, depression, and EMF sensitivity. Intrigued that it might be able to help - she looked into it further. In a nutshell - neurofeedback is a reading of your brainwaves to see how balanced and harmonious they are working in relation and regulation to each other. When

your brainwaves are out of balance it can affect many areas of your life beginning with your mind and then trickling down into other emotional and physical areas as well. Operating in a less joyful state, your abilities to be successful, efficient and effective in daily life are impeded. From as far back as the 1950’s, scientists used neurofeedback alongside conventional therapy. They recognized that illness, trauma, anxiety or depression all affected how the brain operates. Still used today, traditional neurofeedback methods are very costly and rely heavily on evaluation and diagnosis by a single practitioner who would manually fine tune their patient’s brain. Subjective opinions, human error and bias contribute to the limitations of traditional practice. However, recognizing the benefits and foundation of neurofeedback, visionary clinical pyschologists Drs. Valdeane and Susan Brown looked at different ways of incorporating it for healing. Viewing the brain as an intellectual, self organizing, dynamical system (ever changing) - observations in their own clinic revealed that if given the right information, the brain can train itself back to balance, actively utilizing information for its own benefit. Their system called NeuroOptimal™ has no diagnosis and no subjective technician tuning in to what your brain needs. Your brain effectively communicates with itself and trains itself towards greater flexibility and resilience. When Lesley discovered the NeuroOptimal™ method she was in awe. She immersed herself and shared early sessions with her horse clients to try. “Within a very short time I noticed that through NeurOptimal I was able to help my horse clients and myself in a way I never could before. I personally felt that I was breaking free from the prison of my mind. I felt more peace, contentment, joy and freedom.” Lesley smiles guided by her own positive experiences Lesley went on to pursue training and is now a certified advanced NeurOptimal trainer. She launched her company Neuroharmony Neurofeedback Services in the spring. And to accommodate the demand for regular sessions in her studio and for at-home sessions (where clients can rent a machine and do sessions in the comfort of their own home) Lesley has already

expanded her business to four NeuroOptimal™ systems to fulfil the requests.

friend Diana eager to relay my NeuroOptimal™ experience with a new calm and clarity.

The Experience

For the next few days I experienced extreme fatigue. Puzzled, I asked a friend who regularly engages in NeuroOptimization as part of her wellness regime. She explained that it was normal for some people and illustrated it like this. “If you go for a big workout session with a body that has not exercised regularly for a long time - the next day you will be sore. Neurofeedback works the same way - except on your brain. Your brain just had one of the biggest workouts of its life and for the next days it may be sore just as if you had run a marathon.” Makes sense.

I enter a bright sunlit studio and am greeted warmly by Lesley all dressed in cream. We sit together as she gives a thorough introduction about the session today and some effects I may experience afterwards. I lie back in her luxurious zero gravity chair. My view is of an orchard, and sometimes a horse walks into view. Lesley smiles and offers and offers to place tuning crystals along my chakras. She affixes some wires with sensors attached to my head and ears and hands me earbuds and a blanket. The session lasts 33 minutes and I can choose to experience it alone or with her beside me. She explains that the music allows my mind to relax and enables the method to work on the subconscious mind. As the session takes place I hear clicks and pops - areas of brainwave imbalance - identified on a screen as waves extending beyond normal thresholds. “Don’t get distracted by the clicks” she cautioned “Just relax and enjoy your session.” Enjoyable it was. At the end of the soundscape, Lesley left me some time to collect my thoughts and come back into the space. With a warm farewell and some parting instructions I crossed the road for lunch at Alderlea Farm with my

In the coming days I found myself to be more decisive, confident and optimistic with a renewed focused on completing tasks. In the next few weeks the clarity of my mind continued. Now a few months later I still feel the effects. My home is more organized, my schedule simplified with more time for myself. I feel happier, brighter and calmer with a different ability to process stress. Looking forward to my next session already. For more information, connect with Lesley at www.neuroharmony.ca

Dance Temple Cowichan

Cube shaped crystals are associated with the root chakra and can help reconnect one with the energetic power of Mother Earth. Placing cubic formations in the four corners of a room, can help seal, protect and ground the energy of the space.

Submitted by Ali Genevieve

“If you can talk, you can sing If you can walk, you can dance I believe that rhythm and movement is natural in our bodies Dance is a primal form of communication and is very deeply rooted in us Singing and dancing together is what binds a community together It is a way of expressing joy, sorrow and passion” - African proverb

ave you ever gone out dancing and felt so alive that you wonder why you don’t do it more often? Dance has been my favourite therapy and practice for over 18 years. The day I discovered ecstatic dance my life changed. It was a safe, inclusive environment where I could dance my heart out

Heart shaped crystals help you remember that you are always surrounded by love. They are powerful allies to help attract love from others, as well as develop love for ourselves. They can help heal the heart and emotional wounds, and balance relationships. with full permission and no fear. Often in our culture, going out dancing means going to a night club and having a few drinks to loosen up so you can get down and boogie. Certainly there is a time and place for that, though in those environments I feel self conscious with a need to protect or shield myself. The way dance temple differs is that we place an emphasis on

enthusiasm for a return visit prompted another date this fall on October 20. Anyone who saw it last year will want to return and bring their friends. It is the only way to truly appreciate a group whose style is hard to put into put Ukrainian Folk Punk Band into words. Dakhabrakha Returns To Valley DakhaBrakha is a mesmerizing “The music has its own distinct musical performance of energetic perspective with edgy, eerie grooves, serpentine melodies harmony vocals and spiraling and beguiling beats. It’s a instrumentals that shift between combination that has gained them indie-pop, rap and Ukrainian an international reputation and folk.” NY Times put them in demand world-wide. Tickets: $36 / eyeGO: $5.00 It’s only been a year since their last concert at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre, but the

substance free, family friendly, community based dance spaces where we invite you to put down your phone, leave your stories at the door and drop out of the mind and into the body. We provide the music and let you feel the rhythm, feel the beat and discover the freedom in your feet. No experience necessary. There are no steps to learn, no right or wrong way to move, just allow the music to guide you while surrounded by community.

At dance temple you are encouraged to honour yourself, whether you are dancing, doing yoga, contact dance or lying in stillness on the floor, it is all welcome. Often the hardest part is just showing up! Dance Temple Cowichan Friday, October 11, 7:30pm. The Hub in Cowichan Station 2375 Koksilah Rd, Duncan www.dancetemplecowichan.ca

Lindsay Elzinga With Special Guest Jaimey Hamilton Lindsay Elzinga is a young singer songwriter born and raised in the Cowichan Valley. Her music includes influences from country to pop and indie rock. She started her career playing our local venues then went on to playing at the country music festival Sunfest. Lindsay’s song “Colours” was chosen as the official song of last year’s BC Summer Games. This spring she completed the Contemporary Music and Technology Program at Selkirk College majoring in songwriting. Lindsay and her band will be performing a live set of covers and originals. She will be accompanied by special country/pop artist, Jaimey Hamilton. Music and song craft fuel Jaimey’s passion in life, and

have also been a major source of healing for her. By the age of twelve, Jaimey had been diagnosed with Leukemia three times, surviving a bone marrow transplant. With her debut album ‘Parachute’ out, Jaimey is excited to be working on new material and fulfilling her dream of a life and career in music. Friday, October 25th, 8pm - $10 cove, Osborne Bay Pub, 1534 Joan Avenue, Crofton. Shuttle service available. 250 324 2245

Crystal Shapes

he shape of a Crystal is much more than aesthetically pleasing. While the shape does not change the energy of the crystal, it can enable us to work with crystals in more ways. It’s like listening to music; the experience of listening with headphones or high definition speakers is very different. Knowing which shape does what, can help amplify and improve our experience of a crystal’s power. Precious tumbled stones are a perfect starting point for your journey into the world of crystals. You can affordably build a wonderful collection of special stones, from which you can choose one (or a few!) to keep with you each day- they can easily be stashed in your pocket, on your desk, in your car, or in a special pouch and are also ideal for making crystal grids. Pyramid shaped crystals are one of the most powerful tools for manifesting and amplifying energy. Pyramids are believed to harness high vibrational energy and were revered by many ancient civilizations. They work to both anchor and direct energies, by stabilizing the energies of the earth while enhancing and projecting energies out of the point.

Crystal spheres radiate energy smoothly and evenly in all directions. The perfect symmetry of a sphere attracts balance, peace and relaxing energy into the surrounding environment. Meditating with a sphere provides a deep sense of wholeness, helping unite all parts of our being. Crystal points are the most commonly used shape and offer the greatest benefit. This form; is very powerful for the manifestation of desires, dreams and intentions with greater efficiency by directing your intentions into the universe. Cluster crystals occur when several pointed crystals come together in a matrix. Due to this convergence, cluster crystals have high energy vibration, directing it in multiple directions. Venita Chow and Carolina Brand are Crystal keepers at CFS for the SOUL. CFS for the Soullocated in the SOL-Centre, next to the big Community Farm Store in Duncan- Open 7 days a week from 11- 3pm.

Zak Stolk Violin Maker

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Wildlife Safety Starts with You As autumn continues and wildlife is preparing for winter, reducing conflict with wildlife starts with you. Easy sources of food from human activity can draw wildlife to communities. Almost half of the calls to the Conservation Officer Service annually are about bears and a majority of bear calls are regarding bears accessing unnatural food sources. This can lead to food-conditioning. A foodconditioned bear has learned to associate people with sources of food. This can lead to dangerous behaviour as bears become increasingly food motivated in the fall. As they lose their fear of people, they may even enter into unsecured buildings or cars. These bears cannot “unlearn”

Winter Hive Preparation Now that October is here it is time to prepare the hive for winter. The first thing that we need to do is quit feeding the bees a sugar syrup solution so that they have time to expel the excess moisture so that they can cap the honey. To much moisture in the hive can lead to problems. In our wet west coast climate it is important to keep the hives about

this behaviour and relocation is not a viable option as they often return. In the fall, bears increase their caloric intake to gain the fat they need for winter denning. Bears have a tremendous sense of smell and they can be drawn into communities seeking food. The best way to make sure wildlife does not access human sources of food is to store garbage in a secure structure like a garage or shed until garbage day. If a secure enclosed space is not possible, freezing smelly items until garbage day would also work. Garbage put out the night before garbage day is an attractant to bears as well as illegal under the Wildlife Act.

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Pets can also create conflict with wildlife. A review of black bear attacks in North America found that over 50% of them involved dogs. Many types of wildlife are active at night so bring pets inside at night to keep them safe. Make sure to feed pets and store pet food inside as well. When we all minimize our wildlife attractants, wildlife stays wild and communities stay safe.

the program receives from its funders including the CVRD, the municipalities of North Cowichan, Ladysmith and Lake Cowichan, the British Columbia Conservation Foundation, and the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.

Other potential anthropogenic food sources include: fruit trees, bird seed, barbeques, freezers stored outdoors, gardens, and livestock. Pick fruit before and as it ripens as well as fallen fruit on the ground. Birds have plenty of natural sources of food, so feeding

Please report all wildife conflicts or sightings of bears, wolves, cougars to the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-9527277. WildSafeBC Cowichan Valley is grateful for the generous support

Amanda Crowston, BSc. Cowichan Valley WildSafeBC Community Coordinator

a foot off the ground. It is also important that the solid bottom board is on so that there is no draft. Moisture is a bigger concern here than cold. When the bees get damp they get chilled and you can lose a hive very quickly. Many beekeepers also put a moisture wicking box over the bees. This box is usually filled with wood shavings that collect the moisture that drips

down from the top cover. The shavings are changed several times over the winter months and can be reused when dried.

Many beekeepers will do an oxalic treatment in the fall to clean up the remaining mites and another one in the spring. Oxalic acid is not as hard on the bees as formic acid and with formic there is the possibility that you could lose the queen.

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is not necessary, even through the winter. Clean barbecues after use as bears are attracted by the smell. Fence gardens to eliminate deer access. Secure livestock at night and use electric fencing where appropriate.

If you have any concerns about whether your bees have enough food for the winter you can put some granulated white sugar on a board or piece of cardboard on top of the upper frames. When the weather is warm enough the bees will be able to source this emergency source of food. The sugar collects moisture from the air and becomes soft so that the bees are able to use it. There are different opinions about whether or not to cover the hives with a warm and water proof material. Covering them keeps the water out but it also slows the penetration of heat on warm days. When the weather gets warm in the early spring bees will come out to defecate. Hopefully you checked and treated for mites earlier in the year. If not you will most likely lose your bees around January.

The Cowichan Beekeepers hold their meetings in the Somenos Room at the Island Savings Centre on the third Wednesday of the month at 7 PM. Our meetings start with a guest speaker. To find out who is speaking and what they are speaking on please go to our club website: www. cowichanbeekeepers.ca. On the website you will also find honey vendors and bee suppliers under contacts. Our club welcomes visitors so please take this as your invitation to come and check us out. John Magdanz President of the Cowichan Beekeepers www.cowichanbeekeepers.ca

Lucky Dog Dogs need jobs… Dogs, like people, need a reason to get out of bed every day. Some dogs get to herd sheep and some dogs get to guide their person around and keep them safe from harm. But most of our dogs are companions. That job might be enough for some dogs, although I find those dogs to be a bit needy and always underfoot because they have decided that their job is to demand attention at every waking moment. A dog job can either be designed by you, (bring me my slippers) or designed by the dog (bark at the letter carrier until she leaves). Either way, your dog needs a job to feel fulfilled and be a valuable member of your household. Being doted on hand and foot sounds like an ideal life, but it isn’t challenging and creates a sense of entitlement.

Working with your dog’s natural abilities will help you find a perfect job for your dog. Terriers love to catch rats, herding breeds love to, well, herd. My childhood sheltie spent all day herding our pet chickens; she was satisfied with a job well done, even though the birds were probably the most challenging job she could have chosen. Retrievers can be trained to bring you anything she can fit in her mouth. Dogs see jobs as games and they should be fun games. Search and rescue dogs love their jobs because they get such praise when they save a life. Drug sniffing dogs get to play with their favourite toy after finding contraband. Some jobs can be just sitting patiently when guests come to the house. (Remember to praise her when she’s done her job.) But NOT doing something isn’t really a job, it’s a reasonable expectation from a housemate. A job is a positive thing that even the dog sees has value. We may just see these things as “party tricks” but your dog will see it as a meaningful job. You can train your dog to put her toys away, or bring you something you need

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(remote control, dust mop, double martini). Dogs can close doors, turn off lights, patrol the yard, or bring you a pillow for your feet. Think about including your dog as a house member and giving her a meaningful job. She wants to be useful. She wants to please you. Help her help you.

Debbie Wood is a certified Small Animal Naturopath and can be reached at 250-597-7DOG.

Considerations When Choosing A Sea Kayak

hen buying a kayak there are many things to consider. In this article I will be focusing on sea kayaks & hope to simplify the process of choosing for you. Firstly let us remind ourselves that we live in one of the world’s top destinations for sea kayaking. Vancouver Island offers unspoilt, wild beauty along the coastline & surrounding islands. You may appreciate this beauty by kayak within minutes of launching. Depending on your plans you may be planning a short day paddle or a multi-day trip which involves camping. There is not one kayak that fits all sizes, every day, in all water. When choosing a new kayak we can simplify your considerations into three easy steps.

kayaking will be taking you so you can choose the correct kayak to enhance your skill set. For example if you plan to paddle to Alaska, a high volume touring kayak with minimal maneuverability should be your choice. On the other hand if your goal is park & play or instruction, a shorter more manoeuvrable and playful kayak would be better. Kayak Fit Comfort & performance is important. Kayaks come in an enormous range of shapes and sizes, as do humans. Finding a well-fitting kayak is more than just a factor of your height and weight, it needs to fit you like a shoe or glove. Kayaks are moved by body weight and paddle stroke. An enhanced performance is aided by the kayak fitting you properly, as if you’re wearing the boat, to have more control. The right boat for you is one that will invite you to expand your skill set while not being too far above your present level; ideally, a boat that is durable and lasting, and one that is saleable if the time comes to move on. Paddling various models of kayaks can give you a more realistic idea of how different designs can feel on the water and how they will perform. As well as performance, it is important to check your comfort level. No matter the type or types of paddling you prefer, you will spend a decent amount of time sitting in your boat. A professional instructor/coach with a wide experience in body

shape and kayak design can be invaluable for interpreting how a particular model will work with your body and abilities. We are the North American west coast dealer and expedition center for NDK Kayaks so have knowledge, experience and a good range of models available for you to try. When finding a kayak that you feel comfortable in, it is then important to paddle the kayak. Taking the kayak for a paddle to feel the stability & responsiveness will also aid in determining if it fits you properly which is sometimes difficult to know if you are new to paddling. It is common for new paddlers, without the correct advice to buy a kayak that is too big for them. We want to prevent that happening to you. From our dock in Mill bay we can provide you with the opportunity to demo various models of kayak appropriate for your size and paddling style. Our expert advice will help you feel the differences in fit and hull performance on the water.

Gifts with Giggles at Two Hoots

T affordable. If your budget is less, you may consider a new or used plastic kayak, which are more durable along with a lower price point. An ideal choice for rock hopping and surfing as well. The NDK range offers the Sport & Sportive which are molded out of a high quality stiff linear single skin plastic. The plastic is tough and up to 5mm thick in places, and a very popular choice with our customers. Blue Dog Kayaking offers individualised, expert advice to those interested in purchasing a new kayak. Over the next few months we will be taking orders for new NDK kayaks designed by customers for delivery in Spring 2020. We strive to offer an individualized service to you, our customer. Our goal is to ensure that you will feel comfortable, confident and safe on the water. The Blue Dog team are all experienced paddlers and coaches, we want to understand your needs and commit to getting it right. www.bluedogkayaking.com

Just 15 km south of Duncan, Two Hoots Gift Galley has the holiday gifts you really want to give: original, whimsical, affordable, local, and lovely. In what environmentShop will your with us and let them know: you give TWO HOOTS! Determining The Purpose What are going to do with it and where are you going to paddle? paddling adventures in your new kayak be taking you? Of course, all types of kayaks will float on any water surface. However, specific kayak models are designed for optimal use in specific environments. The design and performance should work well for your intended and secondary uses You need to be clear where your

Setting A Budget How much do you want to spend?

Composites, which cover kayaks made of fibreglass, Kevlar and/ or carbon fibre, are usually lighter and a little smoother & cleaner through the water. A new fibreglass kayak retails for more, but if they are taken care of, a second hand model will be more

he exterior paint colour—a vibrant sunsetorange—and the business name—Two Hoots Gift Gallery—hint strongly that the owners of this Cobble Hill shop have a playful side. Advertising “original and whimsical art and gifts,” the locally owned and operated gift store is a bright and friendly space with a curated collection of truly unusual and delightful items in every price range. Inside, customer laughter bubbles up from the greeting card section and the rows of irreverent socks for men and women. Your eyes jump from display to display. A tea towel by Sunshine Coast artist Sa Boothroyd comically illustrates the “Reasons to Have a Glass of Wine” (4. The bottle won’t fit in the

fridge.) There’s a variety of Giles Pottery mugs, bowls, and plates, handmade on site. A wooden multi-tool shaped like a sea crab. A framed print of a pink-nosed parachuting mouse titled “Geronimo!” Handmade West Coast whale and seahorse mobiles. Allnatural grooming products created by a well-tattooed Canadian barber. Caps and shoulder bags with vintage Canadiana logos. Artful wood turning from a Mill Bay artist. Sterling silver chains with delicate hummingbird cameos, handmade in Shawnigan. And so much more. Online, reviews of this charming country gift shop are studded with exclamation marks.

• “Love love love this shop! Every adjective can be used to describe it and what they carry! Beautiful. Fun. Quirky. Gorgeous. Chic. Lovely. Unique. Delighted that we found this place.” —Sara C. • Beautiful fine art and pottery creations and quirky unique gift ideas with the warmest welcoming staff! Not just shopping, but rather an excellent experience!”— Scarlett S.

• “Fabulous merchandise and wonderful proprietors!”— Tracey L. Discover Two Hoots Gift Gallery and Giles Pottery in the heart of Cobble Hill at 1490 Fisher Road.

• “Great store full of beautiful handcrafted pieces and endless gift ideas for all budgets.”—Ann P. • Awesome store that captures the talented creators and artists locally, on the island and beyond.”—Carolin A.

Alison Moorwood Paddle Canada SUP instructor Co-owner, Blue Dog Kayaking

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VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE A wonderfully absurd comedy about three eccentric middleaged siblings. Vanya and Sonia are bickering and watching wild turkeys in the cherry orchard at their rural family home when Masha, their movie-star sister, comes to visit with her latest boy-toy Spike. Add a psychic cleaning lady and a star-struck neighbour and hilarity ensues. Vanya And Sonia And Masha And Spike by Christopher Durang, directed by Gregg Perry ahilarious and very popular, Tony award-winning comedy. October 17-19, 7:30pm, October 20 2:30pm October 24-26 7:30pm and October 27 2:30pm Tickets: Adult $22, Senior/Student $17 available from: Ten Old Books in the Duncan Garage, First Chiropractic Clinic on the highway Eventbrite.ca and Facebook.

A Day Retreat on the Faith, Practice, Study and Meditation of the Buddha-Way Footprints On the Pathway to Health, Wisdom and Enlightenment. What makes the Buddhist philosophy a lifestyle for today? After all the original Buddha’s teachings reach back nearly three thousand years. His teachings on equality, environmental concerns, and freedom certainly ring a bell in our world of disinformation and false news in today’s world. One great karmic reason that makes these teachings

a practice, a method and a pathway to peace in One’s life today is we are able to find the revelation of spiritual sustainability and peaceful means in our busy, everyday, life. Like all things worthwhile the Buddha Dharma requires us to find discipline through faith, practice, study and meditation. Faith in ourselves, faith in our like minded Community; a daily practice of prayer and meditation for oneself that brings strength and courage to face the daily challenges of our times. You are invited to come for this Day Retreat and discover your Buddha Nature. A Day Retreat For You, A Day on Faith, Practice, Study, Meditation on LifeStyle Saturday, October 19 250710-7594 www.VIRetreats. com/2019Retreats Txt/PH:

PARENT & CHILD PROGRAM BEGINS THIS FALL The Parent and Child program is a wonderful introduction to the Waldorf ways. Parents with children 3.5 years of age and under are welcome to join this program. Children who are 3 years of age by December 3 1st of the entrance year are welcome to apply for the Preschool program which runs from September - June. Parent and Child meets once a week offering parents, grandparents, or guardians and opportunity to learn and experience the gentle rhythms, and seasonal activities that Early Childhood Education in the Waldorf setting offers. Saturdays from 9:30am - 12:00pm. The program runs to December 14th (11 sessions total) For more information 250.743.7253 or visit www.sunrisewaldorfschool.org.

Inspired by Nature Seasoned by Life The performance Inspired by Nature - Seasoned by Life a writer’s journey in poetry , story and song was created to support the ongoing work of Dying With Dignity Canada, the national not- for-profit human rights charity committed to improving quality of life, protecting end-of-life rights and helping Canadians avoid unwanted suffering. Jule’s latest book The Hot Chocolate and Decadent Cake Society - Alzheimer’s and a Choice for MAID (medical assistance in dying) is a memoir in poetry and prose that captures snapshots of Jule and her husband’s first year following his Alzheimer’s diagnosis. This memoir advocates for an amendment to Bill C-14 (the bill which legalized MAID in 2016) to legalize Advance Requests for MAID for those diagnosed with dementia who want that right. It also advocates for the importance and access to spiritual and emotional support for those who will or have made this choice and for their carepartners. It is also Jule’s hope that her memoir will lessen the stigma that exists around dementia. Sunday, October 27 2-4pm McMillan Art Centre, Parksville.

ANNUAL pottery sale The clay hub collective This November the Clay Hub Collective will be hosting our 4th Annual Pottery Sale at the Cowichan HUB. There will be a range of pottery from both beginners to advanced potters and a large selection of items from our talented Teachers. The annual sale evolved from a few Hub members looking to showcase the range of creations produced by the members. The Clay Hub looks to invite the public to this event to see what we teach and meet the range of individuals engaging in clay play at the Hub. It also gives members of all levels, an opportunity to showcase and sell their work. For the last 3 years we have involved the kids in the Show from the ‘kid’s classes. The vision is that the show will inspire and provide a fun event for friends and families. We hope to see you there. November 2-3, Hub at Cowichan Station.

Relaxing with Reflexology Reflexology, a non-invasive technique, applies moderate pressure to specific reflex points on your feet (hands or ears) to stimulate nerve endings to communicate feelings of well-being. What if your back pain or a nasty headache could be relieved with the push of button? Well, it can, but instead of a button, it is a spot on your foot. These spots, known as reflex points, correspond to specific organs, glands or muscles, which can be relaxed by light pressure of a finger. So how does reflexology actually work? It’s all to do with your nerve endings, and since you have more than 7,000 in each foot it’s no wonder stepping on a plug hurts so much! Through applying pressure to the feet (hands or ears), the brain receives a calming message and

the central nervous system reacts by reducing tension in the body. This allows organs to operate more efficiently and promotes that overall relaxed, healthy feeling. Seeing the foot as a road map to the body may seem strange, but think how sore hip can adjust your gait, how a bad back can affect your walking, and how your poor feet take the full brunt of your daily struggles. Reflexology isn’t just about giving the foot a quick rub to soothe those tired toes, but a treatment that sees various points on the foot connected to places on the body through the nervous system. By applying pressure to those areas, a Reflexologist can target where you’re having issues, and look to alleviate them. Many people book reflexology sessions to help reduce stress, improve relaxation, reduce specific pain in the body, and enhance their overall wellbeing. Each session is tailored to your specific needs by having a thorough discussion with your Reflexologist before your session, so they can address that pain in your shoulder by working the area outside your little toe or help with your stomach troubles by focusing on the arch of the feet. From stress reduction to relaxation, this holistic therapy can do wonders for the mind,

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body and sole. Do yourself a favour and see for yourself about the wonderful benefits of reflexology! Gift Certificates are always available. Call Helga to book your session at 250-732-7988 or visit her website at www.natural-

heelingreflexology.com

Helga Feichtinger is a Registered, Certified Reflexologist and Indian head Massage Practitioner in the Cowichan Valley.

don’t see politicians as relevant. How can politicians earn back our trust and act on issues that matter? With climate disruption, Simon Fraser University resource professor Mark Jaccard says we must distinguish between climate-sincere and -insincere politicians.

Tackling Climate Change Means Purging Privilege From Politics

ur national political arena often seems dominated by unproductive partisan potshots and misplaced accountability, with corporate interests prioritized over people’s. Behind the noisy partisan sniping, a quiet majority — 70 to 75 per cent of Canadians — is largely disengaged from politics, according to McAllister Opinion Research. It’s not that people don’t care about climate change, affordability, equity and creating a healthier, more just and secure future for their children and grandchildren. Polls show they do — as do this month’s climate strikes and actions. They just

Three-quarters of Canadians say they’re worried about climate change. With floods, wildfires, heat waves and health threats like Lyme disease increasing, anxiety among Canadians is also rising. Polls show that fairness matters to Canadians. We want to support action that takes that into account. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that climate change will disproportionately affect the poor and most vulnerable, who have contributed least to the problem. Technical and policy solutions to climate change are known. All that’s lacking is political will — not only to implement solutions but to address the power imbalances in our political system that obstruct them. One of the most glaring examples of the privileged few wielding disproportionate influence comes from the

U.S. With funding from the Koch brothers and their allies, Americans for Prosperity has worked to hobble progressive groups and ensure the corporate agenda is prioritized. This, according to the Guardian, has curtailed Medicaid expansion to poor, uninsured adults, rolled back state efforts to address climate change and given massive tax cuts to wealthy people and companies. Kochrelated foundations have invested millions in Canadian think tanks and organizations that sow doubt about climate science and the most effective climate solutions. In his upcoming book Regime of Obstruction: How Corporate Power Blocks Energy Democracy, University of Victoria professor William Carroll explains that fossil fuel corporations and their allies have a long reach into civil and political society that allows them to undertake organized, well-funded campaigns to block necessary climate action. Our democratic systems need strengthening. Justice, equity and inclusion matter. Stifling these important values impedes our ability to act on societal challenges like climate disruption. Unequal privilege keeps the door open to those with influence who continue to manufacture distrust of climate science and meaningful solutions. Everyone must benefit from the jobs and economic diversification that are part of a transition to renewable energy and better use of that energy through development of green buildings, active and cleaner transportation, and better planning for livable, resilient communities. We need to change our systems, but how do we go further and change ourselves? Perhaps by listening to people who understand the importance of justice, equity and inclusion, and

the perils of letting these values slip away. At SevenGen, a 2019 Indigenous youth–led conference on renewable energy, co-chair Cory Beaver said his generation is the first to escape the immediate impacts of residential schools. Despite years of colonization, many in his cohort have retained or rediscovered their cultural ways and deep relationships with the land. With more than 200 young people attending from regions throughout Canada, they showed that Indigenous youth are rising with purpose, guided by their values — something denied to generations before them. I’m also encouraged by Greta Thunberg and Canadian youth who have built their climate strikes into an accelerating series of moments that older people can no longer ignore. If we care about the climate, we must care about justice. That means heeding Indigenous youth and the elders who inspire them. It means listening to the climate strike and social justice youth leaders, helping them raise awareness and shifting the power structures that have advantaged the few over the many for far too long. It means reminding politicians who they are supposed to serve. It’s time to expose the structures that hold disproportionate privilege in place, listen to rising new voices and act in solidarity with courage and humility. Then we’ll be better able to care for one another and the planet, and chart a better course. Learn more at davidsuzuki.org.

David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and cofounder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Renewable Energy Transition Manager Sherry Yano.

Georgia Nicols M.A. is Canada’s most popular astrologer. A Buddhist, this Vancouver-based astrologer is featured in regional papers across Canada, the United States, and New Zealand. www.georgianicols.com

Aries (March 21-April 19) This month the Sun is opposite your sign. Symbolically, this means the Sun is as far away from your sign as it gets all year and since the Sun represents energy, it means your energy will be flagging. (Yes, you will need more sleep.) Meanwhile, this polarized position of the Sun will give you more objectivity to view your closest friendships and partnerships. Therefore, in this next month, you can observe your style of relating and get a better idea of your strengths and weaknesses. You can learn something important about yourself. Taurus (April 20-May 20) Roll up your sleeves because you’re in work mode this month. You will work hard, and set high standards for yourself to be efficient and productive. You will start to examine how you should manage your life in general and what duties, obligations and responsibilities this entails. Ironically, you will probably have to make some adjustments because someone else has plans for you. They want you to do something for them and you will have to accommodate this as well as meet the demands of your own schedule. A piece of cake! Gemini (May 21-June 20) This month, it’s play city! The Sun is in your fellow Air Sign, which gives you the confidence to express yourself and be exactly who you are. You will do what you want. Naturally, you will want to get out and have a good time. Vacations, parties, social get-togethers with others plus a chance to express your creative urges will be gratifying. Romance will flourish because your attitude toward relationships will be more lighthearted and playful. Grab a chance for a fun

getaway. Run away! Run away! Cancer (June 21-July 22) Grab every chance to cocoon at home and relax among familiar surroundings this month. Nevertheless, many of you will tackle redecorating ideas and do home repairs and DIY projects. (You know which end of the hammer to hold.) Fortunately, Mars will give you the energy to swing into action. However, Mars also makes you identify with your ideas and opinions (as others will find out)! Tread carefully because you might come on too strong. Easy does it. Do what you can to create the home you truly want. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) You’re happy this month because the Sun, Mercury and Venus are well-placed for you. The tempo of your life will accelerate with a busier schedule of short trips, increased reading and writing plus appointments and conversations with relatives and neighbours. You will meet new people and be involved in group discussions. This is not the time to settle down and relax. Au contraire – get out and hustle! Your social life will pick up; plus it’s the perfect time to let someone know how much you love them. (Smoochie boochies!) Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) This month, your focus is on earnings, wealth, assets and movable possessions. This is why you will reflect upon your values. Examine what you own. Does it serve your needs or does it hold you hostage? You might want to show something off to someone because you will be shopping more than usual. Fortunately, you have moneymaking ideas; plus Venus will attract money to you while at the same time encouraging you to buy beautiful things for yourself and loved ones. (Is there no mercy?) Quit saving money buying things on sale. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) It’s all about you, dear Libra because the Sun is in your sign. Mercury and Venus are

also in your sign for much of this month soon followed by Mars. This makes you energized, focused and ready for action! This is your chance to recharge your batteries for the rest of year. You have a strong need to express yourself, which is good because your first duty is to yourself right now. Get out and travel. State your POV to others. You’re a people pleaser, which makes you choose your words; however with Venus in your sign – you’ll be charming! Enjoy a vacation or good times with friends. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) This month, you’re getting mixed messages from the universe. Because your birthday looms ahead, a handful of planets are hiding in your chart ready to spring centre stage when it’s your birthday. Until then, they’re hiding in the wings, which means that you too, prefer to hide “in the wings”. But lo! Mars want you to engage with others! You will love athletics and physical activity with groups. You might be competitive with someone. You will best achieve your goals by working with a group, even though three planets want you to be low-key. Can you handle this juggling act? Of course! Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) You’re looking at a popular month ahead! Enjoy the company of friends, groups, clubs and organizations. This is the best time all year to think about your goals and expectations in life. Make sure your goals are your own goals and not someone else’s. Likewise, examine your attitude to groups because you are influenced by friends and associates. They influence your thinking, which in turn influences your choices – and your choices create your life. This is a good time to socialize with others because these interactions will benefit you. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) There’s lots of action at the top of your chart this month. This means others will notice you more than usual; and

fortunately, they will admire you (even if you don’t do anything special). You can use this to your advantage to advance your agenda or go after what you want because bosses, parents, VIPs and teachers will more likely cave to your demands. Timing is everything. Actually, because you make such a fabulous impression on others in the next few weeks, some of you might begin a romance with someone in a position of authority. Hmmm. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) This month, you want to expand your experience of the world. If you can travel – please do so. If you can’t travel, then explore your world through learning. Sign up for a course, read books, watch films and talk to people from other cultures. Because you’re so curious, this is also an excellent time to study and writing papers. Some of you will begin a new romance with someone who is “different.” Meanwhile, because your appreciation of beauty is heightened, this is an excellent time to see an art exhibit or visit galleries to admire the creative talents of others. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Life will take on a more intense quality this month. The word casual will disappear from your vocabulary. Everything will matter. You might have to soften your stance when dealing with partners and close friends because with Mars opposite your sign, you are easily annoyed with others. Fortunately, this is gone by October. The good news is that despite this intense focus, gifts, goodies and favours from others will come your way. In addition, intimate relationships will be affectionate and impossibly romantic. (Just the way you like.) www.georgianicols.com