Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine March 2021 issue

Sustainable for all abilities? p · 16.

The gentrification question. p · 24.

Body positive ceramics. p · 30.

Revy fibre supply cooperation. p · 16.

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Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine is a free monthly publication featuring the best of Revelstoke outdoor life, food, style, visitor experiences, lifestyles, entertainment, home style and healthy living.

We are an independent, locally owned publication dedicated to showcasing our amazing mountain town and the great people who create the stoke.

Each issue we distribute over 3,000 free copies to over 200 public venues across Revelstoke, including hotel rooms, shops, restaurants, cafes, community centres — everywhere people meet.

For all inquiries, please contact us at info@revelstokemountaineer.com For Revelstoke daily news online, please see our sister publication www.revelstokemountaineer.com · 250 814 8710 info@revelstokemountaineer.com 606 Railway Avenue. Revelstoke, B.C. P.O. BOX 112 · V0E 2S0

COVER PHOTO: Skier Jakub Vrsan lights it up under a starry skies at an undisclosed spot somewhere north of the Revelstoke Dam. Photo: Soňa Čermáková.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Aaron Orlando aaron@revelstokemountaineer.com

EDITOR Aaron Orlando aaron@revelstokemountaineer.com

STAFF JOURNALIST Melissa Jameson melissa@revelstokemountaineer.com

EDITORIAL DESIGN/ADVERTISING DESIGN Sonia García sonia@revelstokemountaineer.com

WEBSITE Chris Payne chris@revelstokemountaineer.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bryce Borlick, Noelle Bovon, Amaris Bourdeau, Heather Hood, Elouise Paabo, Louise Stanway, Laura Stovel

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS & ILLUSTRATORS Elouise Paabo, Laura Stovel, Laura Szanto

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Benji Lowclass

Big-picture issues I was living down south in the Kootenays in 2005 when I first noticed the trend: Canmore refugees. In my friend group, there were more and more people who'd been forced out of Canmore, because it was too expensive and because it'd been transformed for the worse into an enclave for the wealthy, they said. They'd been gentrified out.

One of the first City of Revelstoke reports I did a story on while editor at the Revelstoke Review, back in 2008, was a city report on housing, which predicted that Revelstoke would follow in the path of other mountain resort communities in North America, where the wealthy play and the poor scrape by on minimum wage with long commutes to neighbouring bedroom communities. And that was before Vancouver prices went insane, driven by growth, capital mobility and increasing use of residential property as an investment tool.

In this issue, several of our stories focus on various facets of the sustainability and gentrification issue, but I will point out the story ideas were pitched independently, telling me that the issues are on people's minds.

If I reflect back on the past decade of Revelstoke growing pains, one big change we could make for the better is working together on our issues. Too often we think of our problems from the mountain-town bubble perspective.

If there's a problem, we seek to place blame on someone else in the bubble as the source of the problem, forgoing a more fulsome look at bigpicture, macroeconomic, real-world challenges that have beset us.

We knew the housing crisis was coming and we were slow to act. Now we're paying the price — most of us know people who've been forced out of town, and there are many more living with serious anxiety about their rental getting sold, forcing them into a market they just cannot afford.

I hope the stories in this issue is a reminder of the need to focus the community's big-picture issues; hopefully, a decade from now we won't look back and regret we didn't act sooner.

—Aaron Orlando, BA, MJ; Creative Director, Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine, revelstokemountaineer.com

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CONTENTS 8

NEWS BRIEFS Our March news briefs focus on affordability for all in the new year.

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CALENDAR: MARCH EVENTS Don't forget to get your event included in our print calendar by adding it online at revelstokemountaineer.com.

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REVELSTOKE FIBRE Revelstoke's unique community forest enables cooperation that helps sustain smaller milling operations.

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GOOD MIGR ATIONS The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the remote-working migration away from cities to desirable small towns like Revelstoke.

We checked in with recent migrants to find out more about the change.

SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED POPULATIONS A community is comprised of all its members. How can we plan for a Revelstoke that is inclusive for all?

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LIVING WITH AN IN VISIBLE INJURY Head injuries and concussions are a too-common experience for Revelstoke residents who adventure in the backcountry. We explore their impacts and new local trends in treatment.

MARTIN DEHOOG: BEESINESS BUZZ Got agricultural side-hustle plans?

We spoke with a seasoned beekeeper who built a business before the Internet for key lessons in the local food business.

A GENTRIFYING COMMUNITY Over the past decade, buying a home and building a sustainable life has fallen out of reach for most working Revelstoke residents. Noelle Bovon addresses the gentrification issue from a personal perspective.

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BODY POSITIVE CER A MICS Sherry Cheriton's ceramic creations are a cheeky ode to the human form.

PROFILE: ARTIST JESSA GILBERT Artist Jessa Gilbert embraces female empowerment in a wide variety of formats, from massive murals to intricate line drawings. Our profile by Elouise Paabo.

REGIONAL HERITAGE GARDENS For your 2021 garden planning inspiration, historian Greg Nesteroff explores the stories behind some of our region's famous historical gardens.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

4 SIGNS YOU SHOULD ALREADY HAVE LIFE INSURANCE

By Laura Wierzbicki.

Living in the mountain community we often find ourselves adventuring and partaking in the adverse mountain activities, but we often forget to plan for unforeseen financial events. When you're young, life insurance probably isn't on your mind. But, if you have a family or people who depend on you, it should be.

Life insurance can help family or dependents replace your income or pay off debts if you die unexpectedly. For anyone who has someone counting on their income to survive — including children, a spouse, or even a parent — having life insurance is a must.

At the end of the day, its income replacement, if someone is tied to or reliant on your income and you don't have enough to provide what they're relying on forever, you need life insurance.

If you don't already have life insurance, there are four sure signs that you should

1) You have a family If you have people depending on your income to make ends meet each month, you should probably already have life insurance.

"You're a father, you're a mother, someone is dependent on you, but you don't have the funds already there. That's what insurance provides" For many families, it's a good idea to get life insurance coverage way before there's a baby on the way. It's cheaper to get coverage while you're still young, and waiting to buy coverage only makes it more expensive.

Whether you buy now or later, parents almost always need life insurance. If it takes two incomes to raise your children the way you'd like to, life insurance is the best way to ensure they'll always have access to the money they need.

2) You've made plans with your spouse or partner that depend on both of your incomes Even without having children, having life insurance could still help protect your spouse. If your spouse or partner depends on having your income each month, you should have life insurance, even if they have their own income.

Couples tend to plan for their financial goals together. Whether it's your retirement plans, a home you own together, or even your day-to-day living expenses that you cover with two incomes, protecting your spouse with life insurance is a must.

3) You earn an income For anyone earning a paycheck, income is still a consideration in how much life

insurance to get. In general, the more income you earn, the more life insurance you should have. For the typical family, life insurance just makes sense. It's a very inexpensive way, generally speaking, to provide potential dollars that aren't there.

It's an affordable way to make sure your family will be supported.

4) You own a home or have large debts If you own a home, you should already have life insurance. The reason is simple: If you die while you own the home, someone will be responsible for it. Although lender’s mortgage insurance is easy protection (a simple add-on while getting your mortgage), there are many reasons that a personally owned life insurance policy could be a better fit for you.

If you were to die and have a $500,000 mortgage, we would need assets to pay that off somehow. If your family's relying on your income to pay it, but if your income stops tomorrow, where are they getting that money from?

While homes can be sold, that could mean a move for your family in an already hard time. Life insurance could help prevent that. Your home’s mortgage should be a consideration when determining how much life insurance you buy, along with your income. If anything happens, life insurance could help to pay off your home and help your family stay there without worry.

Insurance planning doesn’t stop at life insurance, we need to consider any unexpected circumstances and ensure that you protect, preserve, and provide for those you care for. We have a vast insurance offering that looks at all areas that may impact you financially. We offer personally owned life insurance, disability insurance, critical illness insurance, and long term care insurance. For businesses insurance planning goes even further, not only do we offer group insurance plans, we offer disability insurance, key person insurance, and business overhead insurance. If you have questions about any of these products please feel welcome to reach out for unbiased advice.

Laura’s advice comes with 10 years’ experience in financial services.

She offers comprehensive, fully customizable financial strategies and solutions, working one-on-one with business owners, retirees, families, and individuals focused on building their net worth. Don’t hesitate to reach out for a holistic approach to investment solutions, insurance products, and mortgage planning.

Laura Wierzbicki BBA Investment Consultant Email: laura.wierzbicki@ig.ca Phone: 250-878-4174

Investment Planning | Retirement Planning | Tax & Estate Planning | Insurance | Mortgage Planning Trademarks, including IG Wealth Management and IG Private Wealth Management, are owned

by IGM Financial Inc. and licensed to subsidiary corporations.Investors Group Trust Co. Ltd. is a federally regulated trust company and the mortgagee. Mortgages are offered through I.G. Investment Management, Ltd. Inquiries will be referred to a Mortgage Planning (Agent) Specialist.

This column, written and published by Investors Group Financial Services Inc. (in Québec – a Financial Services Firm), and Investors Group Securities Inc. (in Québec, a firm in Financial Planning) presents general information only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell any investments.

Contact your own advisor for specific advice about your circumstances. For more information on this topic please contact Laura Wierzbicki | Consultant | IG Wealth Management

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NEWS BRIEFS

A new MicroHome project in the planning stages proposes building several micro-homes on a smaller property. Photo: Contributed by MicroHome project

Newly-elected Revelstoke city councillor Tim Palmer was formerly the CAO of the city and now returns to the council table as a local politician. Photo: handout

Housing society partners on MicroHome initiative

Former CAO Tim Palmer winner in Revelstoke city council by-election

HOUSING SOCIETY PARTNERS WITH NON-PROFIT MICROHOME PROPONENT TO WORK ON DEVELOPMENT OF A SMALL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT

FORMER CITY OF REVELSTOKE CAO TIM PALMER TAKES A SEAT AT REVELSTOKE CITY COUNCIL

By Aaron Orlando.

The Revelstoke Community Housing Society (RCHS) has announced it is partnering with resident Adrian Giacca to work on developing on his MicroHome project.

The concept, to build a microhome community, has been featured in several stories in revelstokemountaineer.com and Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine.

The concept is to co-locate several homes ranging between 300 and 700 square feet on the property in a strata development that would cap the investment potential to guard against rising prices.

Now, the independent non-profit housing society is working with Giacca to help take the project to the next level, serving as the lead agency on the project.

He told the Mountaineer the current plan is to build the microhome project on a small residential property, but that research and a business plan will come first.

The number of potential tiny homes is site dependent, but the target is to build three to five of them.

Giacca said city zoning would need to change to allow the project, pointed to ‘pocket community' zoning that is gaining popularity in some communities.

Once a property is secured, he thinks it would take about six months to complete the business plan.

As a non-profit initiative, the project could be eligible for housing funding, and in-kind donations of labour, material and resources are also possible.

According to research compiled by Giacca, property values have increased by 53% since 2017 and the average price of a single-family home is now $567,000, meaning 60% of residents can no longer able to qualify for a mortgage.

The project previously received support through the North Columbia Environmental Society and a grant from RBC’s Future Launch Initiative.

By Aaron Orlando.

Former Revelstoke Chief Administrative Officer Tim Palmer took the Feb. 13 Revelstoke City Council by-election, getting 463 votes out of 837 cast, and topping nearest rival Matt Cherry’s 287 votes. Voter turnout was a lacklustre 15%.

Palmer was the Chief Administrative Officer of the City of Revelstoke until 2015, when he departed after a city council changeover, announcing his retirement. Palmer had worked at a series of progressive roles in municipal government across B.C., including public works leadership.

Since leaving the city, Palmer has resided with his wife in Revelstoke, working as a local government consultant, often for neighbouring communities including Nakusp and Sicamous. He also served as CAO in Sechelt.

Late in his time as Revelstoke CAO, Palmer had a public run-in with the city’s economic development director at the time. The story, including a public apology from Palmer, generated local headlines.

Palmer has mainly used his Facebook page, Tim Palmer City of Revelstoke Council Candidate, as his main campaign communication tool, so you can follow his council work there.

Palmer was by far the most experienced of the three candidates and his messaging sounded the most tuned into municipal government.

Matt Cherry, who finished second, manages and is an owner in a company that owns and rents out several Revelstoke homes. Cherry focused on housing during his campaign, but his relative inexperience in the Revelstoke municipal scene was a factor.

Alistair Taylor’s campaign, while often well-meaning, lacked focus and messaging that resonated with voters.

The campaign was relatively low-key, with several media organizations and community groups hosting live video chats and publishing stories. There was no identifiable main issue; most candidates focused on perrenial issues like housing, affordability and the changing nature of the community.

APRES WITH US! OPEN | THURSDAY - SUNDAY 3:00pm - 9:00pm | TASTING ROOM & GROWLER FILLS

CR A F

T B R E WE D I N

REVELSTOKE,BC SINCE 1996

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WEEKLY EVENTS TUESDAY REVELSTOKE READS - FAMILY STORY TIME

@ Online · 10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Join Vanessa, Sasha and Stacy on Zoom for super fun stories, songs and rhymes. Register once to get Zoom invitation for all sessions. Visit the events page at orl.bc.ca/revelstoke for more information.

WEDNESDAY FREE MEDITATION

@ Balu Yoga · 7:30 a.m. - 8 a.m.

Free meditation every Wednesday morning at Balu Yoga. No experience needed. To view the in-studio COVID protocol visit baluyoga.com.

FRIDAY WOMEN’S DROP IN

@ Community Connections · 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Enjoy coffee, light snacks and conversation about everything woman. Call 250-837-2920 for more information.

SATURDAY REVELSTOKE WINTER MARKET

@ Revelstoke Community Centre · 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The Winter Market brings together farm and craft vendors from Revelstoke and beyond. Takes place every second Saturday from November until April.

TAKE OUT FAMILY CRAFT DAY

@ Okanagan Library Revelstoke Branch · 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Drop by the library the first Saturday of every month to pick up everything you need for a family crafting afternoon.

(F)REE (ART) (S)ESSIONS

@ Okanagan Library Revelstoke Branch · 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

On the first and third Saturday of the month drop by the library for some inspirational, imaginative, zero waste, creative fun.

TAKE AND MAKE SUPER STEAM SATURDAY

@ Okanagan Library Revelstoke Branch · 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Drop by the library on the second Saturday of every month to pick up everything you need for a fun afternoon of family STEAM exploration.

MARCH EVENTS THURSDAY, MARCH 4 CROSS EYE PHOTOGRAPHER SHOWDOWN

@ Revelstoke various locations · 4 p.m. - Sunday, March 7 Nick Khattar and WASTED YOTH present the first annual Cross Eye Photographer Showdown.

Photographers with teams of 3-4 snowboarders will be randomly assigned a topic and will have three days to shoot a photo essay. Winning photo essay will be published on SeeRevelstoke. com. Participants must follow current BC provincial health guidelines. More information at supportwastedyouth.com.

FRIDAY, MARCH 5 KYM GOUCHIE TRIO

@REVY.Live ONLINE · 8 p.m.

Kym’s heartfelt performances combine Traditional First Nations, folk and country tones alongside poignant and inspirational lyrics. Part of the Revelstoke Arts Council’s free Revy.Live online performance series. Visit revelstokeartscouncil.com

Movies in the Mountains presents Honeyland, streaming online Wednesday, March 24. Photo: Ljubo Stefanov.

CALENDAR MARCH 2021

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VISIT REVELSTOKEMOUNTAINEER.COM/CALENDAR TO SUBMIT YOUR EVENT FOR FREE. WE INCLUDE A SELECTION OF THOSE EVENTS HERE IN OUR MONTHLY PRINT CALENDAR.

for details and a link to the performance.

FRIDAY, MARCH 26

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24

HAKO BY OURO COLLECTIVE

HONEYLAND

@ Live-stream · 8 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke is excited to bring back Movies in the Mountains. In Honeyland, the last female beehunter in Europe must save the bees and return the natural balance. Visit revelstokeartscouncil.com to receive a unique code and watch the movie for free.

REVY.Live Online presents HAKO by Ouro Collective on Friday, March 26.

Photo: Jeff Hamada.

Catch the Kym Gouchie Trio online March 5. Part of the REVY.Live Online Series. Photo: Red Works Photography.

*Due to ongoing restrictions on gatherings due to COVID-19 some events may have changed or are cancelled.

Please check with event organizers for up to date information.

@REVY.Live ONLINE · 5 p.m.

OURO Collective teams up with experiential design studio Tangible for HAKO, a multidisciplinary dance experience with striking visual effects and exhilarating movement. Part of the Revelstoke Arts Council’s free Revy.Live online performance series.

Visit revelstokeartscouncil.com for details and a link to the performance.

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FEATURE NEWS

FOR REVELSTOKE’S WOOD INDUSTRIES, DIVERSITY IS KEY REVELSTOKE’S UNIQUE INDUSTRY CONDITIONS PROVIDE SPACE FOR SMALLER MILLING OPERATIONS

By Laura Stovel.

Keith Starling of Take To Heart Specialty Wood Products with a tiny home project under construction.

Photo: Laura Stovel

Kozek Sawmill in Arrow Heights is one of several small operators that exist in part to a collaborative approach to fibre supply. Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

Revelstoke’s long history of forestry still shows in the many log yards and mills, large and small, that dot the landscape. Less visible is a thriving network of trade and cooperation between these operations. In a province where the forest industry is being increasingly dominated by a handful of very large players that are buying up smaller, community-based companies, Revelstoke’s wood industry has remained relatively local.

Revelstoke’s logging companies and mills have deep roots in the community. Joe Kozek, owner of Kozek Sawmill has managed the family business for 45 years. Stella-Jones's pole yard, formerly Bell Pole, has existed for almost 60 years. Downie Sawmills was founded in the 1950s and was bought by the Gorman Brothers, based in the Okanagan, in 1990. Woodlots, including those held by the Graham family, Phil Des Mazes, and Mike Cummings and Dell Williams, have been around for decades. There are also several small mills, including the Greenslide Cattle Company mill owned by Jim Graham, the High Arrow Log Builders mill owned by Mike Cummings, Take to Heart Specialty Wood Products owned by Keith Starling and the Revelstoke Wood Company mill owned by Tom Scott.

Although Stella-Jones and the Gorman Group are large companies – Stella-Jones is North America’s largest producer of “industrial pressure-treated wood products,” according to the company website – their operations in Revelstoke maintain, for the most part, a small-town feel.

According to Pat McMechan, yard supervisor at Stella-Jones pole yard, the continuity and diversity in Revelstoke’s wood industry “has led to us having a very stable forest industry, which is not the case in much of the province. It’s done this community very well.”

Revelstoke’s mayor, Gary Sulz, agrees. “Forestry is still a big todo” in Revelstoke,” he said. “It’s one of our major employers in the community. Even though we’ve transitioned to more of a tourismbased community, the higher paying jobs, the stability in the community has always been in our resources, whether it’s mining or forestry. Forestry has been what’s kept us alive over the long term.”

Cooperation between the city and local logging companies led to the creation of the Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation (RCFC) in 1992, Sulz pointed out. During a downturn in the world wood market, the City, led by then-mayor Geoff Battersby, got together with Joe Kozek of Kozek Sawmills, Jack Heavenor of Downie Street Sawmills, and Dick Jones of Cascade Cedar to buy the RCFC tree farm license north of Revelstoke. “That kept the mills open. It kept the jobs viable, and the community viable. If it wasn’t for RCFC we wouldn’t have Downie Street because it was one of the partners. And so it’s absolutely imperative that we make sure we have forestry,” he said.

“Getting the right log to the right mill” The existence of diverse and well-established log yards and mills makes it easier to cooperate and serve different markets. Companies

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“It’s a respect thing. I do feel in awe at times when I’m cutting this wood. I’m so blessed to actually have the ability to do this. It’s taken hundreds of years for this tree to grow and I’m the last point. And I make this decision on how people are going to see this for generations.”

can trade logs with each other according to their specialization – in the words of RCFC manager Mike Copperthwaite, “getting the right log to the right mill.”

Joe Kozek, whose company no longer holds logging tenures but still sells logs, explained this trade with a hypothetical example. “Let’s say, you’re cleaning a building lot. You send me all your logs.

You have fir, hemlock, cedar, spruce, one quarter of each. We may go through your cedar and see if we can find a power pole which we’ll sell to StellaJones. If there’s a saw log we’d send that possibly to Downie. Something like a fir, because it’s our main thing, we’d probably saw all that ourselves.

The hemlock, it could be sold or sawn here. And the spruce could be sawn or sold but also some of it we use for trade for additional wood. So we send a load of spruce to Downie and a truck comes back with a load of fir.” Through this trade, each company gets what it values most.

The variety of log yards serves the needs of smaller producers who mill and make specialty wood products. RCFC, Kozek and, to some degree, Louisiana Pacific will allow small mills and wood manufacturers to choose and buy single logs. For Keith Starling, owner of Take to Heart Specialty Wood Products, this is key to his business model. While the bigger logging companies may sell individual logs in weaker markets, “when booming markets are happening and they’re selling everything that they actually can produce, I can’t access the wood. They won’t sell to me,” he said.

That makes his relationship with RCFC extremely important.

“If there was never a community forest company where small guys could have access to wood all the time then I would be concerned that there might be a day when I wouldn’t be able to get anything. Right now, I’m pretty dependent on RCFC because the markets are very strong,” Starling said.

Extracting the best value for the log When Starling looks at a big cedar log that might be rotten in the middle or a grand old hemlock, a less popular wood, often destined for pulp mills, he does not see a low-value log; he sees potential. Starling is looking for wood that can be made into something beautiful: a table, flooring, veneer, trim or timber

frame packages or a custom-built sauna. Although he loves to work with a log with a perfect grain, he can also work with one that is unsuited to mass production if he sees something in it.

“If somebody’s thinking it’s a low-grade log and there’s not much value to it for the big operations, it doesn’t make sense for them to cut it,” he said. “If I can get the log for the right price, it makes sense for me to buy it and then I’ll see things in it that maybe other people won’t. I’m looking for uniqueness in the log and value,” not opportunities for mass production.

Working with wood in this way is an artistic process. The log “tells me what I should do with it,” he said. “I don’t force a log into a product that it shouldn’t be. Like if the log is really special and it’s got big curves in it, really big knots, I’ll know what the best use is for that product. It’s not so much what that log should be doing for me. It’s actually how can I best expose this log for its beauty.”

“When I talk about extracting the value, it’s more

than just dollars; it’s beauty, he said. “It’s a respect thing. I do feel in awe at times when I’m cutting this wood. I’m so blessed to actually have the ability to do this. It’s taken hundreds of years for this tree to grow and I’m the last point. And I make this decision on how people are going to see this for generations.”

For Starling, as for the many fine woodworkers in town, creating treasures from wood not only honours the wood, it often rescues wood from the waste stream. The beautiful saunas that Starling produces with Tomi Supinen, owner of TnT Sauna House, use wood that would otherwise go to waste.

There is a lot of potential for high-value wood production in Revelstoke, Starling said. “We have tremendous resources here. It’s untapped.”

Nurturing a thriving high-value wood manufacturing industry, including by providing continued access to single logs, would add another strong layer to Revelstoke’s cooperative wood economy.

The Downie Timber operation is Revelstoke's main sawmill employer. Photo: Aaron Orlando.

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LIFE

GOOD MIGRATIONS i got the finger. standing in the lift line i recognized a friend amongst the masked crowd and made my way over. i got the nod of acknowledgment but then the finger followed — the index finger, that is, raised in silence to say 'i’m on a call,' i wasn’t surprised. Bernard is a remote worker, realizing his dream of living in Revelstoke, and the conference calls and Zoom meetings are the critical links to head office that enable him to be sitting on the Stoke chair instead of sitting in an office. Remote workers like him have been trickling into Revelstoke for years but now, with COVID making remote work a possibility for many more urban professionals, a whole new wave may be coming our way.

Remote workers live locally but are employed by businesses that are located elsewhere. For example, Shopify is a major online retailer that’s based in eastern Canada, but their web developers, software engineers, and customer service staff are scattered around the globe.

Attracting these professionals has long been a part of Revelstoke’s Tech Strategy, and town amenities like fibre optic Internet and shared co-working offices have aimed to provide the necessary infrastructure. But the traditional work structure that shackled people to urban settings was slow to evolve.

The emergence of COVID 19 changed everything.

Offices were shuttered — some voluntarily, some by provincial order — and companies struggled to stay afloat and retain their workforce. The light bulb solution was to ask employees to work from home. It eliminated long commutes and let people watch their kids when schools were closed and, as the months of pandemic wore on, some companies even closed physical offices entirely. It was a hail Mary pass that resulted in a touchdown. But would these staffers, working in pyjamas on their back deck, actually be productive?

“Interestingly, we have been evaluating our general metrics and working from home has had no material impact on productivity,” explains Travis Hammond, a software engineer who has been working remotely and who is in the process of relocating to Revelstoke.

“Personally, I've loved being able to be around my kids and wife through the day.”

Travis grew up in the Slocan Valley and has always wanted to come back to the West Kootenays. Vancouver’s

faster pace of life, its throngs of people, and its small ski hills fell a little short of the ideal life that he wanted to provide to his family, but giving up a good job with good pay didn’t make sense. When the opportunity for him to work remotely arose, the family researched their living options — from the Sunshine Coast to the Kootenays — and ultimately chose to make Revelstoke their new home.

“I was pretty keen on Revelstoke having a co-work space, which will help balance with working at home.

Fibre optics in town is also a really good amenity,” explains Travis. But he quickly adds that “the lifestyle is hard to beat. Plenty of restaurants, coffee shops, art events, stable schools, plus of course the awesome ski hill.”

But while Travis’ move has been fairly straightforward, others have found their path to Revelstoke to be more of a leap of faith. When Kim Coupland’s Calgary acupuncture clinic faced a mandatory closure in the Spring of 2020 — the start of her busy season — she decided to use the downtime to create a new life for herself in Revelstoke, her dream town. With two school-age sons remaining in Calgary, she originally planned on co-parenting and living in both cities. As luck would have it, the father of her boys was offered remote work which facilitated a permanent move to Revy for the whole gang, with no commutes back to Calgary.

“That sounds exhausting now!” Kim admits.

Like Travis, Kim cites exceptional skiing and the plethora of outdoor adventures as two of Revelstoke’s biggest draws and she also points out the steady demand and excellent earning potential for medical practitioners like herself. But it’s when she mentions her two teenage boys that her true motivation becomes clear.

“I’m going to give my teenage boys a dream life that I had only hoped to provide,” Kim effuses. “Talk about a great place to grow up! The quality of life that Revelstoke provides is hard to compare to anywhere.”

Hearing that makes you feel pretty good about living here, doesn’t it? But undoubtedly there are questions about how remote work may affect our shortage of housing and its rising cost. People coming from cities often bring along relatively high salaries, and some are exiting a housing market that makes Revy real estate seem like a pretty good deal. That could be some stiff competition for what little is on the market.

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Enabled by distanced working, software engineer Travis Hammond is part of the latest wave of new migrants to Revelstoke.

REMOTE WORK HAS SPURRED AN EXODUS FROM URBAN CENTERS TO SMALL TOWNS LIKE OURS. WHAT WILL IT MEAN FOR REVELSTOKE?

By Bryce Borlick.

“I noticed not a lot of options out there,” agrees Travis, when comparing Revelstoke realty to that of Vancouver.

“We happened to find a good property to buy, so we ended up jumping on that.”

In fact, people are jumping on properties in mountain towns all over North America. Just a few hundred kilometres to our south, in Bozeman, Montana, real estate sales have been brisk, with some properties being purchased sight unseen. And with development slow to respond to demand, prices have risen by an average of twenty five percent since January 2020. Other mountain towns like Park City, Lake Tahoe, Durango, and Missoula have seen a similar trend.

A common thread seems to be excellent skiing and limited land base for residential expansion. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

We’ve already seen these kinds of jumps in Revelstoke real estate prices over the last few years and 2020 was no exception. It’s been great news for homeowners, but bad news for everyone as it forces out long-time residents with lower incomes and fundamentally changes the cultural fabric of Revelstoke. But when we look around the province, at towns with shuttered sawmills and failing Main Streets, we’re reminded that there are worse fates than the growing pains we’re going through. Remote workers will bring external wages into our local economy and drive development that will eventually support community amenities like new schools or a new arena for the Grizzlies. Most importantly, these people are here by choice rather than by chance, and with their enthusiasm for Revelstoke, I have no doubt that they will be assets to our community.

Welcome to Revelstoke, Kim and Travis.

May you soon be giving me the finger.

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OUTDOORS FEATURE Blocked by mud, a signpost and located several feet from the pathway, the crosswalk button at the new Revelstoke roundabout is an example of important details for those with physical disabilities that still can get missed. Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine.

SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING OFTEN OVERLOOKS UNDERPRIVILEGED POPULATIONS. HERE’S WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT:

By Melissa Jameson.

Choosing to live sustainably shouldn’t be a privilege, and yet, too often, it is exactly that. In our desire to create communities that embrace all facets of sustainability (environmental, social, cultural and economic), we often overlook the barriers doing so has on underprivileged populations including seniors, persons with disabilities and those who are economically disadvantaged. Barriers to inclusive sustainability can include things such as walkable communities that are inaccessible for those with mobility issues, inadequate or non-existent affordable and accessible housing options, and increased costs of living related to the commercialization and rising popularity of sustainable living practices which were once more affordable, such as purchasing clothing and other items second-hand.

The gaps and inequalities sustainability can create for disadvantaged populations are well-documented, although not always at the forefront of public discourse. I spoke with experts about how sustainability planning and practices can negatively impact those from underprivileged populations, and how we can work towards finding solutions.

COVID-19 reveals an emerging underprivileged demographic in Revelstoke There is no globally agreed upon definition of sustainability, but the most often quoted definition comes from the Bruntland Commission Report, published by the United Nations in 1987. The report defines sustainability as “development which fulfills the needs of the current generation without diminishing the chances of future generations.”

In many ways COVID-19 has exposed, underscored and elevated inequality, says Jill Zacharias, former city of Revelstoke social development coordinator and current BC Manager of Growth and Impact of the Cities Reducing Poverty Vibrant Communities at the Tamarack Institute.

“Working in social development for so long there are certain

buzzwords, ‘social inclusion, ‘community participation’ all these things. The pandemic has shown what it means to be socially included and what constitutes that. What are the structural inefficiencies and inequalities both in the big picture and at a community level.”

Perhaps one of the most prevalent examples of this is the many businesses that began allowing employees to work remotely when government health officials shut down numerous businesses at the onset of the global pandemic.

Prior to COVID, many disabled people capable of working, but unable to physically be in an office each day, sought accommodations that would allow them to work from home — a concession often denied by employers not already offering a remote work option.

Jill Zacharias works with a poverty reduction program for the Tamarack Institute.

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While the move to online working is helpful in ensuring economic sustainability, Zacharias points out it isn’t without problems, especially for those living in poverty.

“Everything has pivoted online out of necessity and we’re incredibly fortunate we live in a time in history where that option even exists. But that option doesn’t exist for everybody.

It’s complicated, it’s not a quick fix. You can give someone a laptop, but they might not have the money to pay for Internet access. You can give them a cellphone but they might not be able to afford the cost of data. You can give a family a laptop, but they might need three to function,” she says. “You need to be able to not only pay, but once you’re dependent on them you need to be able to replace them. Yes, there are lots of services and programs that can help you, but you need the relationship and the trust to be able to access those.”

Coupled with the need for a trusting relationship is knowing where and how to access services in the first place. A community well-being survey, conducted by the Revelstoke Recovery Task Force in the fall of 2020, found that 25.4 per cent of respondents reported they did not know where to access local support resources. The survey, which sought to capture information on the well-being of residents by assessing current and anticipated impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic over a nine-week time period from October 5 to December 10, 2020, focused on four key indicators: housing, employment, economics and mental health. While the report had yet to be officially released at the time of writing this story, a section of the executive summary shared with me notes “[T]he initial immediate recommendation is a collaborative and coordinated effort to enhance community mental health and well-being.”

The survey data corroborates this recommendation with respondents ranking mental health and well-being, the highest community social priority.

The survey also unveiled an emerging vulnerable demographic: young adults working low-paying front-line jobs.

Zacharias points out while we most often think of front-line workers as nurses, doctors, home care and other health professionals, it also includes grocery store clerks, restaurant servers and people in the hospitality industry. “The lowest paid, highest risk [jobs] in our entire community. Many of those jobs are being given to youth,” she says. The community well-being survey found youth working low-paying front-line jobs were most impacted in terms of mental health and high risk housing situations.

“We can blame youth for having high infection rates, but youth are at highest risk of infection rates because of overcrowded housing and working at the highest risk positions,” says Zacharias.

To create inclusive sustainability we need to include a diverse cross-section of voices To ensure sustainability planning and practices are truly inclusive there is a need to include a diverse cross-section of voices from across all demographics — people with disabilities, seniors, First Nations community members and those living in poverty — from the start. As Jewelles Smith, communications and government relations coordinator with Council of Canadians with Disabilities points out, “what will impact a blind woman is different than what will impact a person with [Multiple Sclerosis] who is a mother.”

To begin building relationships with vulnerable populations, Smith, a disabled woman who lived in Revelstoke for many years, says there is a need to look at who is already sitting at the table, identifying who is not there, and then looking for someone from that demographic to fill that spot.

“Be honest. Say, ‘We have totally ignored your population.’

Clearly tell someone, ‘We have realized we are missing voices

at the table,’ and then listen to them. When you open the space up take the time to listen and be prepared to have your mind changed about things,” she says.

Taha Attiah, who recently replaced Zacharias as the city’s social development coordinator, says funding agencies are beginning to implement requirements for projects to include the voices of people with lived experience.

“I think that’s going to be a focus going forward,” says Attiah, who points out the work of Vibrant Revelstoke’s Collective Impact Initiative has helped in finding and bringing together diverse voices. Taking root during a 2019 community event that saw people with lived experience sharing their stories and brainstorming solutions with individuals from the business, government and non-profit sectors, Collective Impact continues to work on social and economic issues in the community through its various working groups and listening team. In addition to this work, Attiah says the work is currently being done to update the city’s Poverty Reduction Plan.

“It’s key because poverty reduction does cut across so many of the groups that could be left out of sustainability planning.”

Ensuring all voices are identified, heard and included is incredibly important, but so is offering people confidential and safe options to share their stories and insight.

“People need to feel safe. The other thing about community engagement that’s critical is we have to show people their input is valued. There’s a difference between token engagement and meaningful engagement. We need the stories of what people are living to augment the cold data that might not describe the subtleties and nuances that are important,” says Zacharias. “If our ultimate goal over here is a sustainable community and we’ve got someone who has to use a wheelchair, what’s the path between this person and the end goal? How can we help people navigate that path on their terms?”

We can’t forgo inclusive sustainability just because the cost is higher Disability and poverty are often inextricably woven together, and yet, when people from these communities vocalize the ways sustainability practices negatively impact their lives by Resident Jewelles Smith is a communications coordinator with the Council of Canadians with Disabilities.

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OUTDOORS

creating economic or physical barriers they are constantly ignored.

The movement to ban single-use plastic straws is a prime example of this, says Smith. “[The ban] created was so exclusionary for persons with disabilities who need to use these. It was a moment of persons with disabilities clearly telling you this is a thing they need, and clearly they are just being ignored,” she says. “People with disabilities, we know we use some resources a lot to live. We know we are contributing to plastic use with things like colostomy bags and straws. People with disabilities think of these things and are aware of them.”

“Many persons with disabilities live in poverty and many sustainable movements make things more expensive. We need consideration of alternatives that are more affordable, or where the community bears the weight of the expense instead of the individual.”

Where inclusive sustainability planning typically falls apart is when those in charge of implementing the plan begin looking at the bottom line, says Smith.

“Don’t go through the whole process of finding ways to create accessible and sustainable communities and then decide not to because of cost savings,” she says. “When it’s more expensive to do it that way, it gets vetoed to save money and instead they create something inaccessible. When sustainability is a clear goal of an entire community, if there’s going to be a cost that shouldn’t be on the people in the furthest margins to come up with the money to participate.”

And yet, sometimes it isn’t money at all, but another barrier that can kill a project. A number of years ago Zacharias and a person who uses a wheelchair worked together to identify every business in Revelstoke with accessibility barriers. “It was probably close to 30 [businesses] at the time. That’s a lot,” says Zacharias. An attempt to get a community ramp project off the ground that would have seen businesses provided with portable ramps was stalled when it was determined a potential tripping hazard for able-bodied people outweighed the accessibility needs of disabled individuals.

“The project just died. There was no political buy-in. If a community ramp project is too much of a liability then what’s going to work?

What would work?” Zacharias asks.

Here’s how we can leverage our own privilege to advocate for inclusive sustainability: There’s an important distinction to be made between choice and necessity when it comes to understanding the privilege that exists in being able to fully practice sustainable living. There’s a markedly huge difference, for example, between someone living in a van as a lifestyle choice and a family living in an RV because they are unable to afford the cost of renting a house, apartment or basement suite. Beyond housing, being able to buy locally made products, grow your own food, purchase sustainably made household items and clothing all contain an element of privilege. It’s also important to acknowledge that someone can hold privilege in one area while being underprivileged in another area. And, as Zacharias notes, it’s important to realize privilege exists on the backs of the underprivileged: “there can’t be privileged unless the underprivileged exist.”

To be able to advocate for underprivileged populations, it’s important for people to have a relationship with someone who is different from them to functionally understand barriers, says Smith.

How we present ideas and information to people is also crucial.

“I use socioeconomic status and difference instead of privilege.

I frame things in a human rights way. We’re all citizens and we all have a human right to participate fully.”

For Attiah, when groups with privilege are aware of the influence they can hold, there is a responsibility to ensure communities are both inclusive and sustainable.

“I think we can do that by ensuring the voices of those with lived experience are brought forward and are supported to be brought forward.”

In Revelstoke, wheelchair accessibility remains an issue at many locations.

Sustainability projects and initiatives that are getting inclusion right: North Vancouver supportive housing for women: In January 2021, the BC government announced it would fully fund a new five-storey, 60-unit housing project for single women and women-led families who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness with rents set at current shelter rates for those living on assistance through the Ministry of Social Development. A one-bedroom unit will cost $375, a two-bedroom unit $570, a threebedroom unit $660 and a four-bedroom unit $700. The low-barrier housing will include staff onsite 24/7 to provide a variety of supports from meal programs to employment skills training. Project funder BC Housing is currently engaged in community talks, while District of Vancouver staff are spearheading a necessary rezoning process. More information on the project can be found at letstalkhousingbc.ca.

BC Emergency Health Services video remote interpretation services BC Paramedics now have on-demand access to certified American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters. A first for Canada, paramedics are able to use an app to access certified ASL interpreters to allow real-time communication with Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing patients. The video remote interpreting services is a partnership of BC Emergency Health Services, the Provincial Language Service and the Office of Virtual Health.

City of Williams Lake Accessibility Award: While not a sustainability project itself, the City of Williams Lake Accessibility Award provides an incentive to create a more accessible community. Open to individuals, businesses and organizations, the award acknowledges projects that help to improve quality of life for all disabled people by providing them the opportunity to fully participate in community life. An example of a winning project is an elevator St. Andrews Church built in order to increase accessibility at its two-storey location.

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DINING DEALS There’s nothing better than wrapping up a ski day with a delicious meal and a cold beer. Enjoy the moment even more with smokin’ deals to be found across Revelstoke Mountain Resort.

Reservations are recommended but not required. If you don’t feel like dining in, please note you can order take out for all of our Food & Beverage outlets online.

BOOK A TABLE & ORDER TAKE OUT AT revelstokemtn.com/dining

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NEWS HEALTH Concussions and head injuries are a common experience for Revelstoke's active outdoor community. New approaches to recovery are helping, but new understanding of the complexities of head injuries are also a warning. Photo: Laura Szanto.

CONCUSSION SUFFERERS ARE FACED WITH AN UNUSUAL ROAD TO RECOVERY; ONE THAT INVOLVES INTROSPECTION, SELF-CARE, AND A RE-EVALUATION OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL LIMITATIONS

By Louise Stanway.

LIVING WITH AN INVISIBLE INJURY

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“I am not okay. I don’t know what is going on, but I’m not getting better. I need help.”

These were the initial thoughts of Revelstoke RMT, Karen Schneider, in the months following her second life-altering concussion.

There is a common misconception around what it means to be concussed. It used to be popular belief that the injury was sustained only from a “hit” to the head. In reality, it can be whiplash too; a concussion occurs when the brain experiences G force of 70 to 120 G's—an acceleration of dangerous magnitude.

So, if you are sitting still while reading this, you can expect you are in a “1G” environment (a standard force of gravity is applied).

Now, visualize yourself hitting your head against the nearest wall at speeds of 20/mph; that is the force needed to induce a concussion.

Knowing this, one would think that any type of traumatic brain injury would make its victims easily identifiable; but concussions can be quite imposturous. For many, this ambiguity plays a part in the lengthy process of diagnoses and recovery.

To say “diagnosis and recovery” leaves little room for imagination of the journey in between. In fact, for Karen, it has been more of a marathon; from her initial injury, to the three more that followed (statistics show that once you have sustained one concussion, you are 1-2 times more likely to suffer another), to the lingering symptoms that have altered the way she lives her life. I would be lying to say that she, and the other recoverees I spoke with, have come full circle in their recovery; but they are hoping that their experiences may assist in shortening the timeline for others.

regarding cause and the length of timeline. The reality for many concussion recoverees, is that life does not return to normal. This has been a hard truth to swallow for Karen, Mindy, Emmanuelle, and for many other residents of this mountain community.

Revelstoke, with its slippery sheet of ice that blankets its winter streets, and its lure of inherently risky mountain adventure sports, is a challenging place to grapple with the lingering symptoms and neurological disorders that present in the aftermath of a concussion.

For Mindy and Emmanuelle, both suffering from ongoing vision and balance issues, it has meant taking time off the sports they love – namely mountain biking. Emmanuelle is more cautious on the downs and sports a full-face helmet most days now. Mindy misses pushing herself and is now taking more calculated risks.

Karen, also a licensed yoga teacher, still practices yoga but was forced to stop teaching due to balance issues. She’s hit pause on other sports she loves, too – such as backcountry skiing and climbing. Prior to her injuries, she was a “voracious reader,” yet now she is also faced with memory deficits and finds it “challenging to read, focus, remember, and ultimately learn.”

The limitations go beyond the physical, too. Karen views the mental health aspect as a common part of the process. “You may be way more emotional, depressed or anxious because you’re not out doing the things you love. You start to lose a piece of your identity and that all feeds back into that vial of emotional and mental changes,” she said. This is something that she feels of the community may better relate to now, with the widespread uncertainty and social isolation that are a byproduct of the current pandemic.

The Injury: The moment everything changes

The Recovery: Learning to love yourself

Karen’s first incident came in 2008 when she was injured in a car accident. At that point, her resulting whiplash wasn’t medically linked to a concussion, yet her persistent symptoms of constant migraine, nausea, chronic neck pain, and strange autonomic reactions lead her to believe something bigger was at play.

Nearly a decade later, in 2017, she was caught in a head-on collision with a skier at the resort, and this time, she was formally diagnosed with a concussion. The puzzle of symptoms she had been experiencing for years prior, finally began to fit together.

For avid mountain-biker and Revelstoke Cycling Association Director, Mindy Skinner, her incident came as she was trying to tighten her helmet while pedalling on a mellow section on Frisby Ridge. After noticing it had come loose, she took one hand off the bars to adjust the mechanism at the back, and as she did so her pedal hit a rock and she was thrown forward, causing whiplash.

It was a similar story for keen Revelstoke mountain-biker, Emmanuelle Belanger. She was thrown off her bike in a crash and her “body slammed the ground hard” causing whiplash—note, she did not hit her head. It took months of suffering from insomnia and chronic body aches before she realized something was wrong and sought out medical advice.

The Aftermath: Living with symptoms Almost five months after the skier-collision concussion, Karen still wasn’t feeling like herself and was looking for answers. “At that point, my doctor didn’t have anything to offer,” she said. “He didn’t know where to send me or what to do with me – the best he could offer was to send me to the Vancouver Hospital Early Dementia program, to see if they could give me an assessment or more information.”

Back then, the resources that we have available today were simply not there. Instead, there was common misconception

Things have come a long way since 2008. Today, there are numerous resources available for those recovering. “With concussions, you don’t need just one person to help you; you need a team of people. It’s so multi-faceted,” commented Mindy, as she reflected on what resources were available to her. “Knowing someone who has been through it has helped me. Now, I try to be that resource for people.”

Just as we can lean on each other's experiences to gain a better understanding of the process, there are specialists in town who have dedicated their careers to helping those on this path.

Athletic Therapist Didié Hamel-Jolette from Keystone Health Clinic, as well as owner, Fraser Sprigings, can provide SCAT test diagnoses as well as concussion rehabilitation through retraining the brain. Didié believes, negative self-talk and concentration and focus “can be retrained with mindfulness activities.” Contrary to traditional thought, Didié states that excessive rest can be “counterintuitive” following a concussion. He advocates for the continuation of light physical activity as well as short bursts of cognitive exercises.

As Karen reflects on her journey so far, she can’t help but view the process as, “a really amazing opportunity to know yourself on a deeper level.” Her recovery has taught her to practice self-care and has led her to learn so much about herself.

“I can’t look back to who I was before the injury”, she said, “and I don’t yet know what my full recovery will look like; but what I can do, is accept who I am and where I am now and apply that drive to where I want to be.”

Resources Available · Keystone Health Clinic, Revelstoke · revelstokeconcussionsupport.com, created

by Dr. Lauren Goss · Erin Collins, Red Cedar Physio · parachutecanada.org · loveyourbrain.com

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NEWS HERE MADE

MARTIN DEHOOG CREATED AN AGRICULTURAL MICRO-BUSINESS FROM SCRATCH BEFORE THE INTERNET HE SHARES HIS REAL-WORLD TIPS FOR TURNING YOUR SIDE-HUSTLE INTO A CAREER TOO

By Elouise Paabo.

Beekeeper and small businessperson Martin DeHoog shares his advice to those interested in agricultural small business. Photo: Elouise Paabo.

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Martin DeHoog became one of the most successful beekeepers in the region through determination, hard work, and by teaching himself everything there is to know. DeHoog, a regular vendor at Revelstoke farmers markets, has been in the beekeeping industry since 1979 and at 81 years of age, with no email address or online presence, he has some real-world tips for young people who are trying to turn their passion project into a successful business.

1. Start with a hobby When Martin began beekeeping in 1979, it was just a hobby. “I started with only two hives. It was a hobby that went out of control and I ended up with 300 hives.” DeHoog believes the age-old principle that being passionate about what you do is a fundamental key to success. He says that when you’re passionate about something, it won’t feel like work and you’ll soon find your hobby accelerating into a career.

Unlike most young entrepreneurs, you won’t be able to find Martin DeHoog online. He calls himself a beekeeper, not a computer guy. So next time you want to buy some local honey from someone who taught themselves everything from the ground up, go to the Revelstoke Farmers Market and have a chat with Martin about his years of experience as a beekeeper and maybe he’ll share some more secrets for success offline, in the real world.

2. Find a mentor Martin says the best way to start is to find someone willing to take you out and show you the ropes, “that’s the best way to learn.”

As with learning any new skill, putting knowledge into practice is the best way to improve. If you know someone successful in the field you’re interested in or has a skill you’d like to learn, show self-confidence and reach out to them. They’ll likely be flattered you asked for their help and will be willing to show you a few things.

3. Read books about it DeHoog says there’s a lot of books out there on beekeeping and it’s a great way to learn. Similar to being careful of what you read online, DeHoog says to be mindful of where the book was written as every area is different. For example, beekeeping in Salmon Arm is different from beekeeping in Prince George because it takes more honey to keep the bees alive during their long winters. It’s best to find books about your location to get the most effective guidance. The library is a great place to start, such as the Okanagan Regional Library here in Revelstoke which has a whole section dedicated to the Okanagan Valley.

4. Do it yourself to save money Martin is a self-taught beekeeper. “I just went ahead and did it!” he exclaims. He started with two colonies, and after eight years of dedication, he had over 100 colonies. He raised all of his bees and even made his own equipment and suggests anyone wanting to get into beekeeping to do the same, "Otherwise, it can become very costly."

As with any industry, the more you can do yourself, the cheaper it will be. DeHoog says that having personal initiative and doing what needs to be done yourself will save you both time and money.

5. Be willing to put in the hard work After 42 years in the beekeeping industry, teaching himself everything from the ground up, Martin says there are no shortcuts for hard work, “no matter how you look at it, it’s all work.” He says there’s not a great amount of money in the industry, and it’s tough for a young person to start out, but once you learn and put it in the hard work, it will all be paid off.

6. Go to local markets Martin has been selling his honey at the Revelstoke Farmers Market for nine years now and believes the importance of a good market is simple: “It’s a good market and people know me there. I sell honey and people like it.” He says it’s a great way to build connections. The market is his way of building a following for himself and making a presence within the community.

Photo by Anete Lusina.

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LIFE WELLNESS

IS REVELSTOKE ON THE WAY TO BEING COMPLETELY GENTRIFIED?

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ARE WE WILLING TO SAY WE WANT MORE FOR OUR COMMUNITY?

By Noelle Bovon.

We’re at a tipping point in Revelstoke. A lot has changed since I first moved here in 2006, and more continues to change at a more dramatic rate. With the rise of housing prices now at unattainable rates for the demographic who were part of making Revelstoke what it is, it’s a mountain town version of gentrification.

It’s easy to get upset about the rising real estate market or the shift in a community that’s become more of have and have-nots. Yet, the only way to make a prolific and sustainable community plan is to ask the question, “Who do we want to be?”

What is the culture we want to build? Let’s look at what it is that made Revelstoke the glorious little mountain town that originally attracted developers and citizens before it hit the global map in 2008. It wasn’t the fancy houses or the highpriced stickers associated with them. For some it was job opportunities with Downie, CPR and BC Hydro, while others were moved by the mountains and the recreation lifestyle. We moved here for the lifestyle and for a quieter pace of life; living here we became part of a community that knows, supports and regularly connects with one another.

The thing is, we can’t all sit in the nirvana of this beautiful town and focus on our own recreation time and selves solely. We must engage and put effort into the community and the culture we want to continue to build. The more we focus on ourselves and our own needs, the more we create separation and a community whose inhabitants are based in trying to be the best athlete or have the most amount of recreating time. If we do this, we lose the essence of why we moved here. We can become consumers of ourselves, popularity and money, or we can choose differently. What builds a beautiful home (the inside, not the outside)? It’s kindness, compassion, patience and hard work; it’s helping each other out, listening to each other, showing up when it’s hard and making difficult decisions with our families’ well-being at the center of those choices. I’m not suggesting we have to give up the things we love, but I’m acknowledging that we have to be part of the world we want to create.

Over the years I’ve lamented over the way we tend to hide from the world here. We intentionally disconnect from the outside world, living in our own agendas and bubble of a valley that by its very design disconnects us from other communities.

People frequently boast to me how they don’t

Image created by Daniel Barreto. Unsplash.

listen to the news or educate themselves on the outside world. If we’re not paying attention to what’s happening globally, how are we paying attention locally? You can’t halfway disconnect.

Once you disconnect, you disconnect from it all.

We’re also living in a world that advocates superficiality. Do we want that vision for Revelstoke or do we want something different?

What about co-creating community relationships that are about listening to each other, not about being right. What about this: we play an active role in our communities – prioritizing our culture and how we want to feel collectively overlooking pretty on the outside.

When you choose to have a family or a relationship, you begin to design your home, home being the fundamental place of support and love. You decide on the artifacts to the food you’re buying to (consciously or unconsciously) how you’ll speak to each other, how much time you’ll create for recreation and friends, what level of respect you’ll offer to yourself, partner and possibly children. In a healthy home you recognize everything isn’t always balanced; there will be times when one person has to hold the lion’s share of the work. Point being, in a lifelong commitment there are goals for the future, and hopefully the person we’re with wants to support us and we want to support them.

We can develop a community whose philosophy can sustain a positive future for our planet, ourselves and the generations to come. We have to think outside the box, have to dramatically change the way the ‘city’ relates to our community members and how we as a community relate to the city. In order to heal struggles we have to admit our wrongs and get uncomfortable as we seek for resolution, solutions and problem solving.

What if we started with the business owners – people who know what it takes to put sweat equity into building a vision – instead of focusing on the city, which is bound by bureaucracy and red tape?

What if we constructed our businesses with an intention of serving this community? What if we cared about how we impact the community more than the bottom line? (Which most businesses already demonstrate). We absolutely need to make money in order to have a business, but most businesses weren’t started to make millions — there was a deeper purpose. If businesses made it their mission to create a positive environment for

their employees, how would that change the way they affect our community?

What’s our purpose? Apple’s original purpose was to get a computer in every household. But is that really building relationships, or rather dependency?

Do we want to think of our community in terms of dollar signs or as something different? Do we want to value those who can only afford high housing prices, the patriarchal values of ‘power over’ versus connecting and building together? What if we looked at what’s going astray in our community planning (or lack thereof) and take action to stop being in responder mode of ‘putting out fires’ and move to creation mode?

We’ve got to be willing to let go of the things that aren’t working and move on to new things. What makes a company’s culture, what’s worth keeping and what’s worth re-evaluating and changing? What are we holding on to that is blocking the way for new ideas and evolution, which may actually help grow our community?

Culture change is hard. Apparently only fifteen percent of companies that go through some kind of radical restructuring and culture change are successful. So how do we keep what is working and consciously make positive change for the future?

We need to decide what the goals of our community are so that leaders can demonstrate the ideals of the desired community ethos. If they’re not willing, we will have something to measure and make the appropriate changes.

If our mission is not worrying about how you get it done but just getting it done, then we’re creating a culture of distrust and disharmony.

If we have any single person or group of people that are destroying trust and being disrespectful and we don’t do something about it, we’re being complacent in creating a community without integrity. This may be a huge call to action, or a big idea to try to pull together conscious culture in our community — conscious culture means a culture that is defined by us versus just following the societal norms, because that’s what we’ve always done in the past. But what if we created a healthy culture (as defined by Brene Brown) which includes diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging?

A community comes together when it’s united. It’s not a matter of having the same perspectives or ideas, it’s about the foundation of the town having a collective mission. What would that look like for Revelstoke?

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Made Here

OUTDOORS

ARTIST CREATES BODY POSITIVE CERAMICS

By Elouise Paabo.

Local girl Sherry Cheriton works at Revelstoke’s Village Idiot, however, her passion and talent lays in working with ceramics from her self-made studio here in Revelstoke. Sherry creates beautiful pieces that push the boundaries of traditional homewares.

She is known for her “Ladies” collection which features women’s bodies in all shapes and sizes as the perfect mug for drinking a morning coffee or beverage of choice. Sherry aims to depict real bodies through her curvy ladies. “I get comments to make the boobs closer together or to make them skinny, but then they wouldn’t feel real.” The message of female empowerment and body positivity is beaming through every creation.

Sherry was born into a family of creatives and when she found two mentors in Canmore who taught her everything about ceramics, her passion for the art sky-rocketed. After moving to Revelstoke in 2017 and finding all the tools and materials she needed to create ceramics herself, she says she is self-taught and is still learning every day. “You have to break a few things, otherwise, you’ll never learn," she says.

Sherry finds inspiration in the wilderness around Revelstoke, as seen in her recent collection of “Mushie Ladies,” which features curvy women covered in colorful mushrooms that can all be foraged in the local area.

She also incorporates her fascination with crystals, space, and the everchanging seasons of B.C into her unique designs. Each piece is truly one of kind and cannot be replicated, capturing the beautiful individuality of a woman’s body.

Sherry has sold her Ladies at festivals such as Shambala and hopes to work with market stalls in the summer and potentially teach a local ceramics class in the fall.

You can find her body-positive ladies on Instagram at @sheramic or online at sheramic.myshopify.cm or email her at sherry.cheriton@gmail.com

Artist Sherry Cheriton's unique body-positive mugs include her Mushie Ladies series, which feature curvy body shapes, some covered in mushrooms.

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TOURISM TALKS THE KICKING HORSE CANYON PROJECT

By now, you’ve hopefully heard about the upcoming closures on Highway One through the Kicking Horse Canyon. This highway widening project will ultimately benefit residents and travelers on the Highway One corridor. The end outcome will be a highway that is safer, more efficient, and more pleasant to travel on. The construction project is slated to last until the winter of 2023/24, with intermittent closures until then.

The first 24/7 closure will begin in April, with detours via Highways 93 and 95. Throughout the summer, full closures may also occur, but only at night. Still, the publicity around the closures and the increased difficulty of travel will have an impact on visitors coming from Alberta.

To tackle this problem and help ensure that visitors have access to accurate and pertinent information, Tourism Revelstoke is spearheading the Kicking Horse Canyon Project. In 2019, we applied for $20,000 in funding from Destination BC in partnership with Tourism Golden and Shuswap Tourism. This spring and summer, the funding will be used to promote accurate information surrounding the closures. We recently launched the microsite GetIntoBC.com, which has information about the project and closures, as well as tourism information pertinent to Golden, Revelstoke, and the Shuswap. Our central goal is to educate visitors about the closures and to promote the value of the region to ensure that visitors are not deterred.

We recognize the hesitation that our residents have with respect to travel reopening, and rest assured that as residents of the community ourselves, we do not intend to promote travel to our region until it is safe to do so. It has been an exceptionally difficult year for the tourism industry worldwide and we want to do what we can to mitigate the impacts of the closure on our local tourism businesses. With that in mind, we intend to spread the message that the highway will be open this summer and to provide pertinent information to help travelers avoid closures. This corridor is key to the recovery of our tourism sector.

WINES TO ACCOMPANY A CHANGE OF SEASON

By Heather Hood

The melt has begun and the excitement for warmer days is becoming more apparent. With the change of season, there is hopefully a change of pace. The wines this month will hopefully be a fun accompaniment to celebrate change.

Beaumont Pinot Noir, 2018 Kelowna, BC

$26.22

Pairs well with avocado and citrus salad, mushrooms or creamy pasta.

Bordertown Cabernet Franc, 2018 Osoyoos, BC

$26.65

Grow Wild A sample of content from the new GetIntoBC.com microsite.

Moving forward, we will share information about Highway One and promote it as a great touring route. Travellers on Highway One are rewarded with an abundance of recreation opportunities and superb views. We are excited about this opportunity to promote road tripping in our region, when it is safe to do so, in concert with our partners in Golden and the Shuswap.

This Pinot Noir is light in colour because it had limited contact with the skins. A simple but elegant wine, with citrus, stone fruit and honey on the nose. On the palate there is a slight viscosity, stewed strawberry, tart apple, hints of honey. The finish is sweet but has a nice balanced acidity.

Rapturous Red, 2019 Okanagan Valley

This Cab Franc has black olive on the nose with leather and flint. On the palate there is fig, cherry, ripe raspberry, hint of spice with a slight herbaceousness. The finish is refined with chewy tannins, spice and tobacco. A well made wine and great value for the quality.

Pairs well with roasted vegetables, bbq beef, tomato sauce.

A fun fruity nose, slightly jammy with ripe red fruit. The nose is carried through on the palate with dark cherry and ripe strawberry, light tannins with leather on the finish.

Pairs well with squash dishes, soft cheeses or charcuterie.

$19.00

To read previous Tourism Talks columns, check out seerevelstoke.com/about-tourism-revelstoke/

All wines available at Cheers!

Downtown Revelstoke Open 9am to 11pm Delivery to your door Call 250-837-4550

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MADE HERE ARTS

EMBRACING FEMALE EMPOWERMENT IN THE OUTDOORS ONE SINGLE LINE DRAWING AT A TIME

By Elouise Paabo.

Many artists find inspiration in the natural world, but very few go as deep into nature as Jessa Gilbert. Experiential landscape artist, Jessa Gilbert, finds herself on intense exhibitions into Rogers Pass and the immense backcountry around Revelstoke to truly capture the magnificence of the wilderness. “I love the practice of trying to articulate how it feels to be within these grand landscapes, and hopefully offer art to everyone," she explains.

Jessa grew up in New York state in a hectic household with three brothers. She used art as a creative escape from that wild, noisy place.

She learned how to snowboard from her older brothers who were obsessed with the terrain park and often found herself in some tricky situations. “You find yourself on the surgeon's table enough times, and they say you’ll never snowboard again, let alone run again.” After several surgeries, Jessa didn’t take no for an answer and started splitboarding as part of her physical therapy. One day she packed a pen and paper with her. “I filled my gear with my sketchbook and art supplies as a way to handicap myself back to the ground, I thought maybe I wouldn’t jump off anything if my pack was super heavy.”

After moving to B.C in 2013 and applying for her permanent residency, Jessa realized that art and adventuring didn’t have to exist in two separate worlds. “Time felt fleeting, so I wanted to make sure I was really present. Words and photos never seemed to capture the real awe and magic of spending time outside, so I started these drawings as attempts to capture the sentiments of my adventures within nature, sleeping on the ground, and out of service.”

Artist Jessa Gilbert works in many formats, from large murals to intricate line drawings. Photos: contributed.

Jessa captures her experience in the backcountry through the use of a single, continuous line which helps her practice patience and gratitude in the moment, “I bring those drawings back to the studio and reflect upon what the colors were, how the wind felt, how cold it was on my face and what the sun felt like on my skin. All of these things you don’t necessarily get in a photo. That’s what I like about abstract art, it’s not about documenting the landscape exactly how it looked, it’s about documenting the feeling of being there.”

Breaking down the barriers for women in the backcountry As with many people who call Revelstoke home, Jessa loves everything about being immersed in the mountains. Yet, Gilbert admits it’s been a long journey for women to get involved. “One thing that inspires me to continue with guiding and to progress in the mountains, is to show girls and kids that females belong there. When I was snowboarding as a kid, all my role-models were guys. I was competing in rail-jams that didn’t even have a women’s category, it was like we didn’t exist.”

She found the same issue when she started touring and felt out of place amongst the boys-club, “I found it difficult to feel strong enough or fast enough. I was often embarrassed to ask questions and doubted

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my decision-making. I would have loved female mentorship, especially in the early days.”

Jessa wanted to break down the barriers for women in the backcountry and became a mentor with Ascent Mentorship, a women’s backcountry program here in Revelstoke.

Jessa combines her years of experience splitboarding with her single-line drawings to prove that together, women are more than capable of achieving their wildest dreams amongst the highest of summits. "It’d be awfully lonely to get to the top, look around, and realize you’re all by yourself. Therefore, we must lift others while we rise ourselves.

We are better together," she said.

A subject-matter to inspire conservation Jessa’s aspires for her artwork to start conversations about the fragility of the planet and the importance of protecting it. “Being able to document how the earth looks now is incredibly important to further tell the story of how special it is, and perhaps get people engaged in protecting it," she said.

The purpose behind Jessa’s line-drawings is to inspire people to get outdoors and experience the adventure of the wilderness themselves. “My theory, is that the experience of spending time outside within nature is grand enough to inspire people to protect these places," she said. "I love this land, I love the feeling of spending time in nature and I hope to never see these places disappear. I am optimistic other people are curious about this sentiment. My artwork is for them.”

Starting adventures from anywhere Jessa believes that the wildest of adventures can start from the smallest of actions. “This whole change in my art practice started with just being curious about what would happen if I bought a sketchbook on a hike.

It’s completely changed the way I share my affection for landscape and adventure. It’s completely changed who I am as a human being. This whole experience has allowed me to communicate through the visual form of a rad day in the backcountry.”

Jessa’s artwork was recently displayed at the Modern Bakeshop Café in downtown Revelstoke. Looking ahead, the artist is excited to be holding a solo exhibition at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre in September.

Her artwork can be viewed online at www.jessagilbert.com or on Instagram at @jessagilbert. Alternatively, she can always be found on the lookout for her next adventure, whether it’s in the studio or out in the wild backcountry.

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ARTS & CULTURE HISTORY

HISTORIC GARDENS

Cominco Gardens in Kimberley, seen here on a ca. 1970s postcard, was a showcase for Cominco’s Elephant brand fertilizer. It’s still a lovely spot to visit

Yasaburo (George) Nishikaze, who was interned in New Denver during World War II, turned stones collected from the beach into an impressive, rambling rock garden. Greg Nesteroff collection.

By Greg Nesteroff.

Here’s an historical and horticultural oddity: two noteworthy gardens exist because of the Trail smelter.

In 1927, the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Co. (later known as Cominco) was ordered to pay $350,000 for sulphur dioxide emissions that contaminated land in Washington state downstream of the smelter.

In an effort to curb its pollution, the company realized it could convert SO2 emissions into sulphuric acid that could in

turn be used to make fertilizer. Win-win: it meant cleaner skies and a diversified business.

Production was soon underway on what became known as Elephant brand fertilizer, whose praises were sung by a cartoon elephant named Earnie. In addition to acting as the company’s spokes-pachyderm, Earnie was reproduced in miniature.

Cominco employees received a statuette of his likeness upon completing 15 years of service with the company.

Arts & Culture

To showcase their fertilizer, the company also established Cominco Gardens in Kimberley, home to the Sullivan mine.

The garden was donated to the community in 1987 and it’s now maintained by the Kimberley Community Development Society.

It remains an impressive sight, with more than 45,000 flowers blooming on its five hectares, including a variety of annuals and perennials, as well as mature trees, and a memorial rose garden.

Elephant brand fertilizer was doubtless also used at the Kootenay Lake summer home of longtime Cominco general manager Selwyn Blaylock. Lakewood, as the mansion was originally known, was built in 1935 four miles north of Nelson.

A full-time gardener lived on site to tend to the extensive tiered gardens.

The mansion is now a bed-and-breakfast and its 1.2-hectare grounds are a highlight of any visit, featuring waterfalls, ponds, and one of the largest arboretums in the Kootenays.

(If the mansion isn’t your style, you can stay in the charming gardener’s cottage instead.)

But the quirkiest feature is a bronze casting of Earnie the elephant that sits in a pond shooting water over its head. Legend has it that Blaylock decided on the Elephant brand name after a trip to India to drum up customers for Cominco’s fertilizer.

Elephants are a cultural symbol in India, emblematic of royalty, divinity, and good fortune. Blaylock predicted it would prove providential for his product as well.

• While Cominco Gardens and Blaylock’s garden keep growing, other historic plots have disappeared.

Chinese market gardens used to be found in many communities including Revelstoke, Nakusp, Nelson, and Rossland.

Charlie Sing had one such garden at Three Valley Lake, but after the sawmill there burned in 1913, he moved to Revelstoke

and began farming on Powerhouse Road. He was a familiar figure around town, selling fresh produce from a horse-drawn wagon. The Revelstoke Museum has a terrific photo of him giving a couple of kids a ride, something he did often. In another image he’s smiling broadly while holding up a gigantic head of cabbage.

During the Japanese-Canadian internment years in New Denver, one of the most striking sights was an elaborate rock garden created by Yasaburo (George) Nishikaze.

“He was not a gardener, nor was he particularly knowledgeable in this area,” recalls Dr. Henry Shimizu, whose family shared a three-room shiplap house with the Nishikazes.

“He began by collecting rocks of all sizes and shapes. He scoured the shoreline of Slocan Lake and the rocky banks of the creeks. He particularly liked those with odd shapes or colours.”

Nishikaze worked the early shift in the kitchen at the local tuberculosis sanatorium. He’d be home by noon each day and off in search of rocks. But as they piled up, some people shook their heads. They thought he was crazy to be amassing them when he could be tending to a vegetable garden instead. He ignored the naysayers. He brought in soil and plants, and with help from some knowledgeable assistants, began to create his garden.

“He built the garden without any preconceptions,” Shimizu says. “The garden grew, spreading out until it reached an old abandoned barn, then he began to build it higher and higher as he added more rocks, plants, and bushes.”

The garden became a popular attraction and Nishikaze continued to work on it almost every day for five years, until the internment ended and the family moved to Montreal in 1947.

Others cared for the garden for a while. But by the 1950s, it was neglected and finally bulldozed to make way for new homes and roads. There is no sign of it today. The world of stone that George Nishikaze created survives only in photographs.

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