April 2017 Village Vibe

April 2017

villagevibe News and views from the heart of Fernwood

Inn reinvests in community Fernwood Inn turns ten; plans to open a new restaurant

›› Kathryn Juricic

T

he Fernwood Inn is having a big year. First of all, on April 2 nd, they turned ten—ten! That’s a lot of beer poured, burgers assembled, and hair lost. But let’s be honest, they’re definitely a pillar of our community.

Prominently a happy shade of yellow in Fernwood corners, The Fernwood Inn has got our backs and they keep our bellies filled.

The award winning pub and restaurant has many owners but I sat down with the one who (like it or not) is always around, Michael Colwill. Mike didn’t hesitate to roll off what he loves most about Fernwood: everything. The quirkiness, the melting pot of eccentrics. He would know, there are many regulars and friends that come through the Inn on the daily, all of who are very diverse, “so many characters,” Colwill smiled and shook his head. Ah—the stories we’ve shared.

“The Fernwood Inn is a lot of different things for a lot of different people. Over time we’ve developed a group of regulars, friends of the house, and friends of the Inn. It’s a place where young families can go, Belfry customers, Fernwood locals, the Bubble Man, the ball teams, students…

Everyone appreciates and respects each other,” shared Colwill. “These people have had an impact.”

When I asked Colwill how their business changed over the years, he explained that it has, “evolved and morphed into what the community wants. From day one it’s been a community gathering place.” He is proud of this fact and this is truly what they’ve become.

The happenings there range from paint nights to open-mics to hosting Benji’s Pub Quiz. They give back too, The Fernwood Inn hosts annual events for the neighbourhood, including a Carolling Party

A rendering of the exterior of 2009 Fernwood Road where the Fernwood Pizza Company will be located. Photo courtesy of Michael Colwill.

every Christmas Eve and “Neighbours for Change,” a block party held on Gladstone Avenue. Funds raised go towards the Roger Colwill Fund. They have supported Fernwood NRG’s community orchard, and Kevin Oneschuk’s family, to name a few.

This idea of giving back to the community is at the forefront of their plan for next door.

If you frequent Fernwood Village, you might be curious who is behind the “SOLD” signs next to the Inn on Fernwood Road. Well, The Fernwood Inn owners have purchased the 45,000 square foot office space and will be transfoming it: the new building will include a small office space, two residential units and, wait for it—the “Fernwood Pizza Company.”

They’ll be slangin’ za and gelato for our little neighbourhood for years to come. “We know and understand the food industry and we do a shocking amount of to-go

food in The Fernwood Inn, which made us think that there is an opportunity here.”

There is no such thing as a quick service or to-go delivery option out of Fernwood.

Fernwood Pizza Company will focus on quick service, pick-up and delivery—and using an electric assist cargo bike at that.

The other additions at the 2009 Fernwood Road development will be two one-bedroom rental units and the office space will ideally house a start-up or something.

This is all just a continuation of investment in our neighbourhood that The Fernwood Inn has been a part of over the past ten years.

Thinking of what the neighbourhood looked like when the Inn opened, Colwill described that it has, “become safer and more community oriented while still maintaining its funkiness. Fernwood has grown up,” Mike reflected, “and

Mark Your Calendar

Garden Gleanings

Oaklands

Neighbour Day, May 7 page 4

Immune Boost Your Garden page 6

Community Needs Assessment page 7

The Fernwood Inn has grown up with Fernwood.” When the annual carolling festivities first started at the Fernwood Inn, it was a big party. Now there are more children than adults that attend.

Now, after ten years of business and friendships, they are continuing to build community and grow with the neighbourhood that has supported them for a decade. “People care about our neighbourhood,” Colwill described, “The Fernwood Inn is building on that momentum.”

Mike’s final thoughts on the anniversary and were simply, “Fernwood is such an awesome place and we’re just continuing to invest into the future of the neighbourhood.”

I asked one last question for Mike, “If you could tell our Executive Director one thing, what would it be?”

“That’s a great haircut.”

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guest editorial:

villagevibe

Common flourishes thanks to youth

Published by Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group Editorial Committee

Lee Herrin Kathryn Juricic

Matt Takach Mila Czemerys Founding Editor Lisa Helps

Volunteers mobilize to

Contributors

build new tool shed

Kathryn Juricic Marika Smith Jennifer Chown Alysha Punnett Ruby Bandechha Laura Burki

Alex Harned Ross Currie Mila Czemerys Hazel Lyder Elizabeth Bergen

and irrigation system at Spring Ridge Common

›› Alex Harned

Art

Tina Price Anne Lomas Laura Burki

Pamela Bethel Alysha Punnett Axel

Production Mila Czemerys Contact us

1310 Gladstone Avenue Victoria, BC V8R 1S1 T 250.381.1552 F 250.381.1509 info@fernwoodnrg.ca www.villagevibe.ca To enquire about advertising in the Village Vibe, please contact ads@fernwoodnrg.ca The views expressed in the Village Vibe do not necessarily reflect the views of Fernwood NRG.

declaration of principles & values ››

We are committed to creating a socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable neighbourhood;

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We are committed to ensuring

For the Love of Soil Fundraiser

institutions and assets;

of composting and

We are committed to using

conservation with

our resources prudently

music, food, and beer

and to becoming financially self-reliant;

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We are committed to the creation and support of neighbourhood employment;

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We are committed to engaging the dreams, resources, and talents of our neighbours and to fostering new links between them;

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We are committed to taking action in response to neighbourhood issues, ideas, and initiatives;

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We are committed to governing our organization and serving our

Bay and one from Esquimalt—in addition, 12 of the 16 volunteers had never been to Spring Ridge Common before! Thanks to the team, a main irrigation line now connects the water to 4 “quadrants” with spray nozzles which will help distribute hydration to each corner of Spring Ridge in the very dry summer months!

In thanks to the seven stellar student champs of the Victoria High School Carpentry Class who helped design and construct the 10 x 10 tool shed, the garden now has a place for volunteers to use and store tools! The project is still underway to finalize the finishing touches.

Thank you to the City of Victoria’s ‘My Great Neighbourhood Grant,’ for funding the irrigation system and tool shed at Spring Ridge Common.

Interested in becoming a volunteer?

Do you have gently used garden tools that you would like to donate to Spring Ridge Common? Email foodforestry@ fernwoodnrg.ca and look out for more monthly work parties with The Greater Victoria Green Team.

mark your calendar: Celebrate 25 years

neighbourhood control or ownership of neighbourhood

››

Spring activities are all a buzz at the corner of Chambers and Gladstone in Fernwood—and it’s not all about the cherry blossom bustle. It is in large part due to the talented, dedicated, next generation of youth who are putting their heads together to flex their green thumbs and revive the common!

Over the month of March, Spring Ridge Common has seen some significant improvements. Amongst the upgrades, the food forest has been given a brand new tool shed and new irrigation system, both of which were installed almost entirely by volunteer efforts! Over the course of the month, there were 45 different volunteers—from the Greater Victoria

Green Team, Vic High School and/or residents—who are helping revitalize their community food forest.

The Greater Victoria Green Team, in collaboration with Spring Ridge Common’s Garden Volunteer Coordinator, organized a line-digging for irrigation party in the Common. On March 15th, students and teachers from Oak and Orca Bioregional School participated and helped to dig a big irrigation ditch. In total, 21 volunteers participated including 15 students and contributed 58 volunteer hours. The students managed to help with an assortment of tasks in the common including: digging an irrigation ditch, planting snowdrop flowers, planting native plant seeds and digging up berry bushes that are to be planted elsewhere in the garden. Another 16 volunteers joined in on March 18th to finish the irrigation project. There were 16 volunteers who participated and contributed 42 volunteer hours in total. Of those volunteers, six came from Victoria, four from Saanich, three from Central Saanich, two from Oak

›› Marika Smith The Compost Education Centre is celebrating 25 years of composting and conservation this year! Help us celebrate many happy years of compost and soil conservation education by attending or Spring Fundraiser on Wednesday, April 12th from 6:00 to 10:00pm at the Fernwood Inn. Give back to the earth while listening to uplifting live music, eating delicious food,

chatting with friendly folks and bidding on fantastic silent auction items like yoga passes, spa packages and gift certificates from local eateries.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will directly fund our school workshops and projects such as the Healing City Soils Project, an initiative offering free soil tests to analyze Victoria’s soils and create a virtual “soil health” map of Victoria combined with free workshops on best practices for urban food production.

Fundraising allows us to continue to offer these valuable projects and to educate children and adults about the importance of soil conservation, composting and creating and sustaining local food systems. Donations and revenues raised from fundraising also help us equip our outdoor classroom with

science equipment for budding biologists, children’s gardening tools and gloves, and art supplies to allow young naturalists to document their learning. Our goal is to keep our educational programming accessible for compost enthusiasts and soil stewards of all ages and community support through fundraising helps us to achieve this.

What: For the Love of Soil Fundraiser and Silent Auction When: Wednesday, April 12th 2016, 6:00 to 10:00pm Where: The Fernwood Inn, 1302 Gladstone Avenue Tickets: $25 includes a pint of Hoyne beer and appetizer buffet, available at eventbrite.ca

neighbourhood democratically with a maximum of openness, inclusivity and kindness;

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We are committed to developing the skills, capacity, self-worth, and excellence of our neighbours and ourselves;

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We are committed to focusing on the future while preserving our neighbourhood’s heritage and diversity;

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We are committed to creating neighbourhood places that are vibrant, beautiful, healthy, and alive;

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and, most of all, We are committed to having fun!

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villagevibe

April 2017

News and views from the heart of Fernwood

buzz:

Garth Homer teams support Fernwood ›› Kathryn Juricic Teams of Garth Homer Society clients are helping Fernwood Community Centre programs run smoothly nearly every day of the week. Volunteer teams come to clean all the toys for our Daycares and Family Resource Programming. Other teams help us take out the recycling and set-up the tables for our Family Dinner.

We’ve had two other teams come through our front doors with proud smiles, handing over cheques with donations towards The Gift of Good Food Holiday Fundraiser, which supports families in need with fresh produce.

The teams that volunteer at the Centre are amazing and a backbone for running of the Fernwood Community Centre. After all the support Fernwood NRG has been receiving from Garth Homer Society, we became very intrigued and wanted to learn

more about the work they do.

Amber Woodworth, Discovery Team Coordinator—one of the teams who donated over $600 to The Gift of Good Food—explained how there are nine programs within their organization, that each do a little bit of everything. The Garth Homer Society provides day services for adults with developmental disabilities that fit the needs and desires of clients, from geriatrics, volunteer work, recreation, to music and arts programs; with the idea that not everyone will fit into a mold.

The Discovery Team is collecting recycling from different places all over town. They have built relationships with different local businesses, which is a part of the motive and intention behind many of the projects they do, ensuring to connect with the community. For the Discovery Team, social and communication skills are a key focus. Woodworth explained

how, “staff work with clients on a variety of structured activities to support social interactions and personal relationships.”

The other Garth Homer team who donated to The Gift of Good Food, the STARR Team, did so through growing produce and selling it! A full circle program, these folks understand that their hard work is benefitting families in the communities that they work in.

Woodworth expressed how the clients just really love doing what they do: “It provides them with a sense of purpose. It’s a job that someone really wants them to do and it benefits them. They have a sense of pride to be able to do that.” Just like you and I, these relationships lay the groundwork for wellbeing in our community and our lives.

Amber and the staff at Garth Homer focus on community inclusion for their clients to have a genuine place in the world. For more information about Garth

Neil, Kyle, Kaleb and Chris giving Carina their most recent Gift of Good Food donation from Garth Homer Society's Discovery Team. Photo: Tina Price

Homer Society and their Programs, please visit garthhomersociety.org/services/ programs-glance.

buzz:

SKAM: Community focused theatre

SKAM staff Kate, Matthew, Andrew and Kathleen. Photo: Pamela Bethel

›› Ross Currie SKAM’s origins can be traced back to short one acts in a Chinatown café in 1995. The name is an acronym for its founders: Sarah Donald, Karen Turner, Amiel Gladstone and Matthew Payne. Still going strong to this day, SKAM is under the guidance of founding member Matthew Payne as Artistic Producer, alongside SKAM’s Operation Manager Kate Wallace.

Being a professional theatre company, SKAM still focuses on touring their work, but has expanded its scope in recent years.

“With every show that we create, we look to see if there are any other groups that should be involved, or could be part of the dialogue around the creation of the work,” says Payne.

This strong community focus has lead to SKAM’s vested interest in establishing a professional drama community within Victoria, keeping practitioners involving as long as possible. “We’ve been hoping to

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shift things locally, so we see more people stick around and make work here a little longer, because that is going to build our professional community,” adds Payne.

The acquisition of the Kate Rubin Theatre and Drama Studio—in North Park—in January of this year will see an added responsibility for the theatre company, which will oversee 200 casual students from three years up, working in comedy, improv and drama. “We’re looking at ways to expand that operation, and our own artistic practice at the same time,” says Payne. It also doesn’t hurt that the space is close to home for SKAM’s personnel.

“We care about this community and we think there’s a real place for an independent professional arts organization here.”

Coming off the success of Joan in March, SKAM will feature After The Beep at Uno Fest, as well as curating their annual SKAMpede and Pop-Up Live Series in the summer months.

April 2017

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mark your calendar:

Meet your Neighbour Day, May 7 Do you ever get the feeling that people don’t know their neighbours these days?

›› Jennifer Chown If you do get that feeling, you’re right. In a 2012 survey by the Vancouver Foundation, 46% of people said that they never see their neighbours. The survey found that the neighbour-to-neighbour relationships that do exist are polite, but they’re not very deep.

Locally, the Victoria Foundation’s 2016 Vital Signs survey found that Victorians only knew an average of four neighbours well enough to ask a favour of them.

But we all know that we should get to know our neighbours more than we do. We know that it is good for us. When we know our neighbours, our communities are stronger. Our streets are safer. We share more. We help each other. We are less isolated.

In response, a team from Leadership Victoria’s Community Leadership Development Program invites you—and your neighbours—to celebrate together on

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villagevibe

April 2017

Mayor Lisa Helps fully supported this initiative and has proclaimed May 7, 2017 as B.C.’s Inaugural Neighbour Day. (Above) Mayor Helps and everyone attending the Mayor’s Community Drop-In in March 2017. Photo courtesy of Neighbour Day Victoria.

Victoria’s first Neighbour Day on Sunday May 7, 2017.

Neighbour Day started in Melbourne, Australia in March 2003, after the remains of an elderly woman were found inside her suburban home. The woman had been dead

for two years – forgotten by her neighbours, her friends and her family. Appalled, a Melbourne resident suggested a ‘National Check on Your Neighbour Day’ in a letter to the editor of the Melbourne newspaper.

This concept was refined and renamed, and

on Sunday, March 30th, 2003, Australia’s first Neighbour Day was observed.

Today, Neighbour Day is celebrated coast-to-coast in Australia, and has spread to other parts of the world. Neighbour Day has been held in some Canadian cities previously, but never before on Vancouver Island.

On Neighbour Day, we invite you to meet and greet the people with whom you share your fences and walls. Do whatever feels right for you. We invite you to knock on a door for the first time, to wave, to lend a helping hand, to share, to visit, to throw a party—anything goes, as long as it involves you and the people in your building or on your street.

For more suggestions about how you can participate on Neighbour Day, or to download a Neighbour Day Toolkit, please visit neighbourdayvictoria.com or join us at facebook.com/neighbourdayvictoria.

And please proudly let us know if you are making plans for Neighbour Day—stand up and be counted as someone who values neighbour-to-neighbour connections, and show the world that Victoria is full of friendly, neighbourly streets.

News and views from the heart of Fernwood

buzz:

Fernwood gets an urban flower farm Welcome City Fields Flower Farm

›› Mila Czemerys In backyards across Victoria, spring is starting to make its presence felt. This is especially exciting for the four flower farmers who make up City Fields Flower Farm, a new, multi-site—Fernwood included—urban flower farm offering spray-free and compostfed dahlia bouquets at reasonable prices.

Sharing a love for the outdoors, growing, and all things beautiful, the idea came to the four friends last August, when each of their backyards were overflowing with flowers. One of the farmers, Anne, describes how it began: “It all started with a desire to share the flowers we were already growing—once we had the idea, everything just started to fall into place.”

Each flower farmer brings something special to the whole. Anne comes from a long line of farmers and gardeners, Sarah works as a professional gardener and is a

www.fernwoodnrg.ca

jack-of-all-trades, Adam likes to do the heavy lifting and comes from a family of dahlia growers, and Carina has worked on organic farms in Quebec and is passionate about strategic planning and logistics.

Subscriptions run through July, August & September, when dahlias are at their peak. Working on a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, clients subscribe for the full three-month growing season and are treated to a weekly or bi-weekly bouquet of a variety of dahlias and other blooms. Bouquet prices range from $12 for a small and $30 for a large.

Clients collect their bouquets at one of three local pickup locations including the Cornerstone Café in Fernwood, Discovery Coffee’s Discovery Street location, and at one of City Fields’ own flower plots in Esquimalt. Carina hopes that “the pick-up locations will help our neighbours get to know one another; that the flowers act as a conversation starter, and a gathering place.” For more info about the farm or to subscribe, visit cityfieldsflowerfarm.com.

A sample dahlia bouquet collected at the Fernwood field in October 2016. Other fields can be found in Quadra Village, Oaklands, and Esquimalt. Photo: Anne Lomas

April 2017

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garden gleanings:

Immune boosting your garden Pest and disease management is a challenge for most of us in our gardening pursuits

›› Alysha Punnett An organic gardener’s best line of defense for fighting pests and diseases in the garden are techniques that contribute to preventing them in the first place. The following are my top prevention picks that I use in the gardens at the Compost Education Centre, try them out for yourself!

Interrupt the lifecycle. Knowing a pest’s lifecycle will dictate how you work to prevent it from damaging your crops.

For example, covering crops with floating row cover prevents flying adults like the cabbage moth from landing on leaves to lay eggs, which become worms, which eat their way through your beautiful cabbages.

Prep your garden soil a few weeks before planting anything in the spring. This means pulling your protective winter mulch layer

The Compost Education Centre’s abundance of plant life in their demonstration gardens. Photo: Alysha Punnett

to the side, removing any weeds and then lightly turning the soil while mixing in a couple inches of compost. The compost is not only a great nutrient source for plantings, it also inoculates your garden soil with microorganisms which are key to healthy plants. Lightly cultivating and then leaving your soil is also related to the above

point on interrupting pest lifecycles—by doing so you expose eggs, pupae and dormant larvae to the effects of the sun and hungry birds.

Water deeply and not as often. Most veggies, once established, like to dry out a bit in between waterings, so make sure you’re not overwatering. On the other

hand, you obviously don’t want to drought stress your plants. We’re shooting for a Goldilocks scenario, here, which means you need to go out and stick your fingers in the soil on a regular basis to test moisture and monitor how effective your irrigation system is.

Mulch and/or plant close together.

Plants that are weakened from lack of water are more susceptible to pests and diseases like aphids and powdery mildew.

Ensuring that your soil surface is covered, either by the growing plant canopy or straw, helps to manage the temperature and moisture content of your soil. This will also give you a bit of a grace period if something should cause you to miss a watering.

Visit the Compost Education Centre at 1216 North Park for factsheets, local seeds and workshops to get you started off right on your gardening journey. And don’t forget about our annual Spring Organic Plant Sale on Satruday, May 13th! For more information, visit compost.bc.ca.

Alysha Punnett is Site Manager & Community Education Coordinator at the Compost Education Centre.

Keeping Fernwood Community Healthy Physiotherapy/IMS Naturopathy Acupuncture Chiropractor Pelvic Floor Health Vestibular Rehab Stress Management Workshops Pilates & Yoga* RMT Massage *Therapeutic one-on-one or small group session available

Ph: 250-381-7473 *referrals not required

www.risehealth.ca

1275 Bay Street

*online booking available

(at Fernwood Rd) *free parking

RISE TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH

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villagevibe

April 2017

News and views from the heart of Fernwood

oaklands:

It’s time we talked about Oaklands Community Needs Assesment coming up

›› Hazel Lyder We a t t h e Oa k l a n d s C o m m u n i t y Association want to deepen our understanding of how we can contribute to making Oaklands a better place to live.

Yes, we know lots of things are already working really well and we will definitely spend some time acknowledging the ‘good’ but let’s also think forward together. What would your ideal Oaklands look like in 5 years, in 10 years? What could happen in your neighbourhood to improve the quality of your life now or in the near future?

The conversation kicked off on January th 11 when a group of twelve fabulous Oaklands elders gathered for “Tea, Coffee and Conversation” and got the ball rolling. We had a bit of fun with the question: “if you were Mayor of Oaklands for a day with unlimited powers and zero

aggravation, what is the first thing you would do?” Some surprising and clever ideas emerged ranging from creating truly accessible washrooms to campaigning for an Oaklands library.

The process is on-going and involves focus groups, two World Café forums, an on-line survey, as well as quick and easy pop-up comment boards. Please plan to join in! The survey launched on our website on Friday, March 31 st. We are hosting a coffee morning at Hillside Coffee & Tea on Thursday, April 23rd from 10:00 to 11:30am and our comments boards will pop-up here and there with the final one at the Annual Street Party and Garage Sale on Saturday, May 13th. The concluding World Café is on Sunday, April 30th from 1:00 to 5:00pm (followed by a sumptuous Community Dinner).

For more information and to RSVP to the April 30th World Café, email Hazel at community@oaklandsca.com or call 250-370-9101.

To complete the on-line survey visit oaklandscommuitycentre.com.

buzz:

out of school care:

Clean Air for Fernwood Square

Saving the spider webs & digging deep

›› Ruby Bandechha

& Elizabeth Bergen

Fernwood Square is home to an eclectic mix of things: it’s a community-gathering place, there’s the wishing tree, many Belfry patrons, a bike throughway, entrances to local businesses and much, much more.

It’s also home to the Clean Air Bylaw, celebrating its two-year anniversary in the Capital Regional District on April 1st.

The Clean Air Bylaw prohibits smoking in the following areas: parks, beaches that are within a park, playgrounds, playing fields and public squares. In addition, the bylaw has extended the smoke free zone around doors, windows, air intakes and bus shelters to 7 metres. This provides smoke free locations for children and families to walk and play, and prevents non- smokers from being exposed to second-hand smoke.

Throughout Canada in recent decades, smoking rates have decreased as our awareness of the harmful affects of cigarette smoke has increased—and the cost of tobacco has gone up and up! The goal is for future generations to be less likely to get hooked on tobacco and therefore, less likely to be affected by the many diseases smoking can cause.

With the support of local businesses, The Belfry Theatre, and Vic High School, Tobacco Enforcement Officers from Island

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Kids from the Fernwood Community Centre Out of School Care program enjoying a snack and some outside time. Photo: Laura Burki

Stories of Out of School No smoking sign in Fernwood Square which

Care in Fernwood

reminds Fernwoodians of the Clean Air Bylaw.

Photo: Mila Czemerys

Health will be monitoring Fernwood Square over the next few weeks and asking for you cooperation to move outside the square to smoke.

Fernwood Square has always been and will continue to be a welcoming environment for any and all people. Our hope is that all visitors can enjoy the clean air and great vibe of this special place.

For more information regarding this bylaw please visit viha.ca/cleanair.

›› Laura Burki On a damp, wet winter day, the children meet in the garden at Spring Ridge Commons. They’re dressed head to toe in waterproof clothes, rubber boots, wearing layers of insulation to keep them warm.

They clamber up a huge, u-shaped log, yelling as they greet each other. “Hey, climb on my space ship, we’re going to take off!” says one child, throwing her pack on the ground so she can hold on. “I’m going to play hide and seek,” says another child who’s hiding behind a tree. “Start

counting!” Some of the children decide to play, tucking themselves into the forest.

This is a typical start to our day in Out of School Care here at Fernwood NRG and we look forward to listening to these conversations that are happening daily with our kids. What a positive experience to offer children the opportunity to grow and learn in our natural environment even in the heart of the city.

As children grow and as they expand into their authentic selves we have the pleasure of offering them a safe space to explore in Nature and learn how the Earth gives to us each day and in multiple of ways.

Stay tuned for up and coming new programs within the Out of School Care department.

April 2017

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Scene in Fernwood : Finally Spring