February 2023 Village Vibe

The Gift of Good Food exceeds goal

Access to fresh fruit & veggies important as Victoria joins most expensive cities in BC

›› Mila Czemerys

It was a successful year for the Gift of Good Food fundraiser. We aimed to raise $100,000 and exceeded this goal by over $50,000. These funds are currently supporting over 225 families with fresh fruit and vegetables. Thank you!

Every year, funds raised support yearlong access to fresh fruits and vegetables for families facing food insecurity throughout Greater Victoria. We work with the Good Food Box to bulk purchase fresh produce from local farmers and distributors. The Good Food Box volunteers pack and distribute Good Food Boxes to communities across the region. The Gift of Good Food partners community centers, transition houses, grassroots food justice organizations, immigrant and refugee support organizations, and local First Nations to reach their most vulnerable community members.

We want to thank our 624 donors, 28 fundraising teams, and 18 partner organizations! This truly was a group effort.

Thank you to our crew of volunteers who make the Gift of Good Food possible with everything from putting together the Good Food Box newsletter, delivering Good Food Boxes to people’s homes, putting posters up around the town to spread the word, reaching out for silent auction items, and to dropping donations letters on doorsteps in the neighbourhood.

Thank you to all our amazing fundraising teams! You raised 28% of donations for the campaign. Thank you Ballamarama, DockStars!, Fernwood Community Association, Fernwood NRG Board, Fernwood Social Run Club, Foodraising Crew, Fouracres & Jenkins, Grant St. Neighbours, Handley/Good Family and Friends, Klez-

bians Kornukopia, Oaklands Community Association, Orca Book Publishers, Quadra Village Community Centre, Rings of Good Food, Rise Health, Ruffin’ It Family, Saanich Community Health Services, Saanich Peninsula Hamper Party, Santa’s Surveyors, Sooke Santa Puppies, Team Sustainability BC/YT, The Better Bureaucrats, The Drake Eatery, The Joy Pod, The Spirit of Giving, Thurber Engineering, Vic West Food Security Collective, and We Donate Produce All-year. You hosted a fundraiser run, holiday gatherings, made cute fundraising videos and fruit themed photoshoots, a hamper party, and more. Thanks for your creativity and energy.

Thanks to staff for going above and beyond to ensure families has access to fresh produce. Thanks to all our partner organizations for your support.

Thank you to the small businesses who donated items to our online auction and to those who hosted donation boxes. Thanks to Metropol for sponsoring our printing needs, Discovery Coffee and Goo Goo Goggles for donating a portion of your sales on donation days, The Natural Hair Salon for matching donations at your salons, and Hoyne Brewing Co. for collecting donations at your tasting station.

Thanks to anyone we’ve missed!

In a year of rising food costs and inflation, the Gift of Good Food program feels as important as ever. Our city has surpassed Vancouver as one of the most expensive place to live in BC according to a report by Living Wage for Families BC. Though this reality affects everyone who lives here, it especially squeezes vulnerable families and forces hard choices about what they can

afford to put on the table. The funds we raised together ensure that we can continue to support these families by providing consistent access to fresh, high quality food.

For anyone who is personally interested in accessing affordable, healthy, fresh fruit and vegetables, check out thegoodfoodbox.ca. Boxes range in price from $13.50 to $27 each. The Good Food Box is open for everyone to order from and, in fact, the more boxes we are able to pack each week, the more resilient the program is. The more boxes ordered each week, the more produce we are able to put in each box. Boxes are packed weekly and can be picked up at the Fernwood Community Centre or other pick-up locations around the city or can be delivered to your home for a fee of $3 to $5 (sliding scale). Order your box by Saturday and get it on Wednesday.

Thank you to our awesome team of volunteers who pack the Good Food Box each week. Photos: Don Craig Photography

Editorial Committee

Chantille Viaud Mila Czemerys

Shonna Bell

Founding Editor Lisa Helps

Contributors

Mila Czemerys Chantille Viaud

Kay Martin City of Victoria

John Hillian Jen Strohschein

Kelsey Singbeil Jesse Wallis

Lauren Gaultier Laurel Collins

Kayla Seifried

Art

Don Craig Aly Sibley

Leanne Gummersbach Axel

Jen Strohschein Chantille Viaud

Webmeister Bud Lauren Gaultier

Production Mila Czemerys

Contact us

1240 Gladstone Ave, Victoria, BC V8T 1G6

T 250.381.1552 F 250.381.1509

info@fernwoodnrg.ca | villagevibe.ca

To advertise, contact ads@fernwoodnrg.ca

The views expressed in the Village Vibe do not necessarily reflect the views of Fernwood NRG.

We gratefully acknowledge that Fernwood, our community where we live, work and play resides on the territory of the Lekwungen peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.

declaration of principles & values

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

›› We are committed to ensuring neighbourhood control or ownership of neighbourhood institutions and assets;

›› We are committed to using our resources prudently and to becoming financially self-reliant;

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

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

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

›› We are committed to governing our organization and serving our neighbourhood democratically with a maximum of openness, inclusivity and kindness;

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

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

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

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

Sharing opportunities and challenges

›› Chantille Viaud

Last week Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) report confirmed what many of us have known for a while from friends or personal experience: that rent prices have grown at a record pace while the vacancy rates are the lowest since 2001.

Also last month, Victoria’s city council adopted the missing middle program, aimed at encouraging a greater number of housing options and allowing families to stay in the city.

Housing availability and affordability is top of mind for so many people and it is one of the things we were able to talk about recently, when 8 MLAs came to see the work we do at Fernwood NRG.

As a neighbourhood house, we know that providing housing is critical to the well-being and stability for families. This is why we are so excited for the new affordable housing complex coming into our neighbourhood across the street. The Caledonia Housing project will bring 158 new spaces for people who need it to Fernwood, and many new families will join our community.

To welcome these new neighbours into our community, through programs and services, and special celebrations, Fernwood NRG needs to have stable funding and adequate space. As it is right now, we have

staff squished in offices, and not enough space for the programs that we and people in Fernwood want to do.

It was good to have the opportunity talk about this challenge with the visiting MLAs, and also to tell them stories about the positive impacts of the work our staff do: how they change lives and support people in our community every day.

You can help us! Share your stories with us so we can demonstrate the impact of the work we do to help us get the support and resources we need to better support you and the Fernwood community. Email

mark your calendar:

chantille@fernwoodnrg.ca to share your story.

MLAs in attendance for the tour: MLA Grace Lore - Minister of State for Child Care, MLA Lisa Beare - Minister of Citizens’ Services, MLA Shelia Malcolmson

- Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, MLA Megan Dykeman

- Parliamentary Secretary for Non-Profits, MLA Aman Singh - Parliamentary Secretary for Environment, MLA Kelli Paddon

- Parliamentary Secretary for Gender

Equality, MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert, and MLA Michele Babchuk.

Face 2 Face with Stigma workshop

›› Kay Martin

Face 2 Face with Stigma is an anti-stigma workshop inspired, led, developed, and delivered entirely by a team of folks with lived and living expertise. We cover many topics including homelessness, substance use, and mental health disorders. Together we use our powerful stories to bring people out of the fringe and shadows of society due to stigma. Our aim is to put a human face to those of the street and marginalized community, as well as change perceptions, inspire empathy and end the “us and them” mentalities. We are all a part of

this community together and aim to live harmoniously as neighbors with everyone.

Face 2 Face has been delivering workshops since 2019. What started as a 1-day event, blossomed into well over 50 workshops, 3 conferences, and 2 community events over the last 3 years. Our audiences have included VicPD, Police Victims Services, classes of UVic and Camosun College students, service providers, hospitals, high schools, community groups, and many others. While we generally have delivered our talks in person, technological innovation has opened some of these workshops to online participants via webinar. And we are still going strong!

Our presenters are survivors. Face 2 Face features powerful personal stories, delivered by people with lived and living experience. Follow along as we link the effects of trauma and disconnection with a life of stigma and unlikely triumph. Education is provided on several key topics, such as healthy language, the effects of the opioid crisis, as well as participant activities and educational videos.

Come join us for this transformative experience on February 28 from 5:30 to 8:00pm at the Fernwood Community Centre (1240 Gladstone Ave). Light refreshments will be provided. Check out more at victoriahomelessness.ca/f2f.

In January, 8 MLAs visited Fernwood NRG for a tour. Photo: Don Craig Photography

City increases grant funding for neighbourhood projects

Fernwood Art Stroll 2023

City of Victoria

Up to 36 community projects will come to life thanks to more than $106,000 in matching funding from the 2022 City of Victoria’s My Great Neighbourhood Grants. To support residents with the current cost of project supplies, Council voted to increase the maximum amount available for future applicants.

“The My Great Neighbourhood Grant program is incredibly important during these times when community is coming together again,” said Mayor Marianne Alto. “It is exciting to see residents start to reconnect with the goal of adding vibrancy and resiliency to their neighbourhoods.”

Starting in 2023, the City will provide up to $7,500 for placemaking and resiliency projects and up to $1,500 for activities, matching equivalent contributions ( including volunteer time and in-kind donations) from applicants. There will also be additional support available to cover

traffic control costs when needed.

My Great Neighbourhood Grants are designed to create inviting, vibrant places for people to gather, increase resiliency in neighbourhoods, and support community development activities. This past year the City funded 13 community activities, 12 placemaking projects and 11 community resiliency projects. Many projects focused on enhancing public green space and food systems, hosting community gatherings, and community art or murals.

Intake for the 2023 program will open in April. My Great Neighbourhood Grants are available to residents and community groups in the City of Victoria. Any notfor-profit organization, school or informal group of residents can apply, although a sponsor is required for those without notfor-profit status. City staff are available to help residents through the application process.

For more info, visit victoria.ca/neighbourhoodgrants

Culture, creativity, community

›› John Hillian

The Fernwood Art Stroll annual studio tour is happening again this summer on the weekend of June 10th and 11th, from 11am to 4pm each day. The Stroll, in its 15th year, gives the opportunity for Fernwood and Oaklands residents, and visitors from outside our area to experience the studios, homes, and gardens of the participants in an intimate way, to meet and talk to the artists, and to view a variety of great artistic creations. Make sure you start early because, from past reports, it’s actually hard to fit in seeing all the exhibitors on both days.

If you are an interested artisan, there is still time to join the Stroll. The deadline to have the $100 entry fee in to our bookkeeper is February 15th and after that, all other info

should be in by March 1st. These dates and everything else you need to know, including the membership form, can be found by visiting fernwoodartstroll.ca

The Fernwood Art Stroll annual studio tour is on the weekend of June 10th and 11th, from 11am to 4pm

We’ve found that in early June, the weather is usually good, so plan to take a leisurely walk along the tree lined streets of Fernwood and Oaklands, and see what the neighbourhood artists have to off er this year. You won’t be disappointed. Thanks so much if you have come to the Stroll in past years. We look forward to seeing you again!

Mural painted on the Cornerstone Building in 2020 by artist Collin Elder made possible by funding from the My Great Neighbourhood Grant program.

Photo: Aly Sibley Photography ››

Take a walk around the neighbourhood this June and visit the studios of local artists and creators.

Photo: Leanne Gummersbach

The Queens’ Chambers Project

Creating habitat & community in Fernwood

›› Jen Strohschein

At the corner of Queens Avenue and Chambers Street in Fernwood were, until recently, two uninteresting patches of weedy grass flanking each side of the north/ south bike lane. As passionate gardeners, we felt it was an invitation to create a ‘place’ for humans and pollinators to congregate. We are calling it The Queens’ Chambers and hope that many pollinators will come and make it part of their home.

With the financial assistance of the City of Victoria’s My Great Neighbourhood Grant program, Fernwood NRG, the City’s Fernwood liaison Michael Hill, and Food Systems Coordinator Alex Harned, we are pursuing our vision to transform this derelict area into a haven for native plants

and insects and a place of inspiration and beauty for the neighbourhood.

Using permaculture gardening methods, we invited the help of volunteers in the neighbourhood to build fertile garden

beds using a combination of cardboard, leaves, coffee grounds, and city-provided leaf mulch. The idea is for this organic matter to gradually turn into rich, loamy, moisture-retentive soil into which we will

plant mostly indigenous drought tolerant plants. These beds have now been built—the worms and microbes are already doing their good work of soil-building. In March and April, we will plant the wide variety of indigenous perennials we have gathered from diff erent sources. For the next couple of years, these plants will need to be watered regularly until their roots are established. After that, they should be selfsufficient through our dry summers. Some light seasonal maintenance will need to be done throughout the coming years to keep everything from getting too wild!

For information on building soil with sheet mulching and planting for pollinators, check out the Compost Education Center at North Park and Chambers.

Please take a moment to stop and chat if you see us working on the garden. We look forward to a growing season of beauty, blossoms and bees, and building community bonds in this little corner of Fernwood.

buzz: New members on the Fernwood NRG Board

›› Kelsey Singbeil

Fernwood NRG welcomed two new Directors over the last while—here’s a bit more about them in their own words. Welcome to the Fernwood NRG Board of Directors, Justin and Tonny!

Tony Kiptoo – Member at Large

We are a family of six—myself, Ashley, Kibet, Nandi, Kigen, and Makena (two weeks old as of writing this). My wife and I met in London, England and are both from fairly big families, which naturally results in a lot of hosting and entertaining. It also doesn’t hurt that we are both classically trained chefs. She is a culinary instructor at Camosun College and I am a project coordinator at a local development company.

We have been in love with the Fernwood neighbourhood since we moved to Victoria in 2011. We finally had the opportunity to move into the neighbourhood in 2016.

Three of our children have both come home to Fernwood after birth and we also got married here in our front yard.  Fernwood is so unique because of the diversity of the people in the community, the walkability and proximity to services, schools, and parks. The colourful character of the people is complemented by the heritage buildings and the vibrancy of the businesses in the community.

We currently use Fernwood NRG programs like the before and after school care, the Good Food Box, and weekly family dinner. We’ve also attended many workshops and events at the community centre.

I’d love to recognize Yolande, the owner of Who Dyd Your Hair, in the village square. She is a personal beacon of inspiration and a selfless ambassador of people of colour, both new to and living in Victoria. Check out whodydyourhair.com

Justin Best – Secretary

In 2001, my Fernwood journey began in an apartment above the George and Dragon (currently Fernwood Inn). I’ve lived on many streets in Fernwood over the years including Spring, Denman, Bay, Haultain, and now back on Gladstone once again. My twin teenagers and I are tenants of the Cornerstone building, owned and operated by Fernwood NRG, and we love being part of such a vibrant community. By day, the kids go to Vic High and I am based out of

an office on Pembroke where I work on a healthcare team with Island Health. We are true Fernwoodians!

I think Fernwood is different because the people here have such a strong appetite for community connection. Fernwood is a place where there is an endless bounty of quirky characters; whether at one of the cafes or restaurants, or at any one of the many local shops, the streets of Fernwood are a reflection of the neighbourhood and those who live here.

My favorite thing to do in the ‘hood is hang out in the field during the summer, or ride my bike and explore. I also enjoy chasing the sunshine on the Fernwood Inn and Stage patios on a warm summer evening.

I have volunteered with the Fernwood NRG delivering the Good Food Box and was a Gift of Good Food recipient in 2020. Now I donate back to the program every year since and purchase Good Food Boxes directly from the community centre.

Welcome Tonny Kiptoo (left) & Justin Best (right) to the Fernwood NRG board. Photo: Chantille Viaud

Crew of volunteers who’ve been working on The Queens’ Chambers project. Photo: Jen Strohschein

FernFest 2023 performer & artisan applications now open

Be a part of the fun and festivities at FernFest

›› Mila Czemerys

Fernwood’s annual neighbourhood celebration is looking for local musicians, performers, and artisans to take part in FernFest 2023! This year, FernFest will be happening on June 16 & 17, 2023. We can’t wait to gather with you again and celebrate all things Fernwood.

Join the ranks of countless incredible performers who have graced the stage under the gazebo in Fernwood Square, sung among the trees on the Field of Dreams, and entertained us on the stage at Little Fernwood. If you or someone you know

buzz: 2023

›› Jesse Wallis

is interested in performing and taking part in this fun and funky community celebration, please apply here: fernwoodnrg.ca/ fernfest/performers

Also, please share your favourite local bands who you’d love to see at the festival this year. Send an email with your ideas to mila@fernwoodnrg.ca

Each year, we gather a group of local makers, artisans, crafters, bakers, sewists, jewellers, and more to be a part of our incredible FernFest Artisan Market! We are currently accepting applications to vend at fernwoodnrg.ca/fernfest/artisan-market. To encourage Indigenous vendors to take part, we offer 50% off vendor fees for all Indigenous folks.

The deadline to apply is March 31, 2023. We look forward to hearing from you!

Good Food Box price increase

It is really important to us at the Good Food Box to provide an abundance of healthy fruit and vegetables at a low cost for our community. With the increase in the price of food across the province, we have been getting less bang for our buck—there is a direct link between food costs going up and the contents of our bags going down.

According to Canada’s Food Price Report 2023, the price of vegetables is predicted to increase by 6 - 8% this year. We have all felt the impact of supply chain disruptions and labour shortages through the Covid-19 pandemic which was accom-

panied by the hit to farmers across BC with extreme weather in the form of flooding, drought, and unpredictable seasons. With all those factors in combination, we have witnessed the highest rate of food inflation since the 1980s—a 40-year high.

To make sure we can keep our bags overflowing with fresh produce, we need to raise our prices this year and with those extra few dollars per bag we hope to keep our customers happy with fullyloaded, aff ordable food bags each week. Rest assured that you’ll be receiving more vegetables in every bag and you’ll be supporting a non-profit food security program that continues to provide the residents of

Victoria with the most accessible prices for fresh food across the city. With food justice at the forefront of our planning, this hasn’t been a decision made lightly. We recognize folks on low income will be hardest hit by infl ation. We appreciate every purchase made and are grateful for the understanding and support of the program in our community.

On Friday, June 24, 2022, Locrian Tones rocked the main stage in Fernwood Square at FernFest.

Photo: Webmeister Bud

Photo: Tyler Cave

community eats: Greek n’ Go

›› Lauren Gaultier

Some of you may have noticed there’s a new truck in town and it is serving up some Greek delights. The Greek n’ Go food truck opened in December 2022 in North Park/ Fernwood on Cook Street and Mason Street. This father-daughter operation is run by Greek Canadians Eirini and her dad Eleftherios. Having spent time in both countries and eventually settling in Victoria four years ago, Eirini had a dream of turning her passion of cooking into a business. Th at opportunity was realized when the Burger Crush food truck came up for sale. Since she was young, Eirini remembered being a part of cooking sessions with her parents and grandparents, calling the kitchen the heart of the house where many memories are made. With the concept that food is a key part of social history and with grandmother’s secret recipes in tow,

it was an easy choice for this self-taught duo to turn this passion into a much loved community business.

They chose this location strategically to be close to the downtown area, somewhere culturally diverse, and a place that was accessible to all patrons. They are reliably open daily from 11:30am – 8:30pm, Monday to Friday and 12pm – 8pm on Sundays.

Weither you are ordering just for yourself, your family, or a big event, they have what you need. We recommend their veggie platter with spanakopita, tzatziki, dolmades, falafel, and pita, their calamari wrap, and their bougatsa dessert which is a Greek custard pie in phyllo with icing sugar and ground cinnamon. You can order takeout directly from their truck at 1580 Cook Street, or get delivery through Uber Eats, Doordash, and Skip the Dishes.

For a full menu and info, give them a follow @greekngo on Instagram.

op ed: Visioning for the future

›› Kayla Siefried

Welcome to your 2023 gardening season! Here at the Compost Education Centre, we are excited to gear up for our workshop season of composting, gardening, waste reduction, and climate resilience workshops. Coming up in mid-February is the start of our 5-part Grow the Best Garden Series, as well as Composting Basics, Zero Waste Living, Fruit Tree Pruning, an Intro to Lichens, and so much more!

February is a good time to plan the veggie, flower, or fruit garden. Here are some tips for garden planning:

free and abundant and can do wonders for the vegetable garden.

What does your family like to eat? Plan to plant foods you know you love!

Are the veggies you want to grow shoulder season crops? (Kale, lettuce, mustard, broccoli, peas, beet, carrot, parsley, spinach—these can be planted earlier in the season, as they can tolerate some cold)

Or, are the veg you want to grow summer only crops? (Tomato, pepper, squashes, cucumbers, basil, bush and pole beans— these only grow in warm soil and warm air, and some need a big head start)

›› Laurel Collins, Member of Parliament for Victoria

As the MP for Victoria, my role involves both bringing the voices of my constituents to Ottawa, but also working for a vision of Canada where people don’t have to struggle to pay their rent or mortgage, or just to put food on the table; where people can access the health care they need when they need it; where seniors aren’t working hard their entire life only to find they can barely make ends meet—where people get the support and the respect they deserve. This is a vision of Canada where there is justice for Indigenous people, where every community has access to clean drinking water, and where Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit folk no longer face an ongoing genocide. A Canada that builds resilient infrastructure in the face of hurricanes, extreme flooding, forest fires, heat domes, and takes action that matches the scale and urgency of the crises we face.

Unfortunately, that’s not Canada we live in—people in our community and across

the country are struggling and they’re scared about the future. And in the face of these immense challenges, we have a government that chooses to hand out billions of dollars to oil and gas companies, that refuses to address how corporate greed is fueling the cost of living, and that has failed to deliver the health care funding that provinces need to keep our public health system strong.

My New Democrat colleagues and I will keep working for a vision of Canada where people can afford their bills, a good home, and savings for the future. A Canada where people can access universal public health care - including universal pharmacare, dental care, mental health care. A country where billionaires pay their fair share; where we meet our climate targets; invest in clean, sustainable jobs; where there’s justice for Indigenous people; and where everyone has a safe and affordable place to call home.

If you’d like to share your thoughts, please feel free to reach out to my team at laurel.collins@parl.gc.ca. I look forward to hearing from you!

How much time and money do you have? Start small and set yourself up for success!

How much sun does your garden get in different seasons? Most vegetables love at minimum 6 - 8 hours of sun per day in the summer.

How do you plan to amend your soil? Organic matter like compost, food scraps, animal manures, coffee grounds, leaves are

Map it out! Draw a rough sketch of your yard, balcony, or garden to plot about where you will plant your chosen crops. These questions will guide you towards getting going dreaming and scheming your summer garden. Stop by the Compost Ed Centre to purchase local seeds, compost bins, and get your gardening and compost questions answered. Mark your calendar, May 13th is our Spring Organic Plant Sale.

Greek n’ Go food truck is located at 1580 Cook Street, check ‘em out. Photo: Lauren Gaultier

Pay What You Can Tickets

FERNWOOD NRG WINTER PROGRAMS

JANUARY - APRIL 2023

*Register for family programs by emailing Laura at lpalmer@fernwoodnrg.ca

**Register for seniors programs by emailing Manon at seniorsprograms@fernwoodnrg.ca

The Fernwood Community Centre is closed February 20 and April 7, 2023.

For more information & to register contact: Fernwood Community Centre 1240 Gladstone Avenue, Victoria, BC V8T 1G6 250.381.1552 x100 | info@fernwoodnrg.ca

Openyourmindandchallengeyourpreconceptions!Face2Face withStigmaispresentingacommunityeventaimedatcreating awelcomingspaceforall.Weusepowerful,personalstories alongwithactivities,educationalpiecesandopendiscussionsto changeperceptions.Ourteamiscomposedentirelyofpeoples withlivedandlivingexperienceofstigma.Weworktoinspire empathyandreducefearforfolksinourcommunitywhoare heavilystigmatized.

“…a gentle, emotional, immediate morality tale… timely, fascinating, and necessary.”