Thankful for wasps
By Margot Fedoruk Kat Shantikat of Gabriola Island lives with her black cat in a quaint house tucked along a network of forest trails. She enjoys daily hikes through the second-growth forest. On one of her walks, she found her first wasp nest. “I notice stuff and pick it up,” she says. Shantikat once saw another artist use wasp nest paper and it never left her. She […]
Treasures Above the Tide Line
By Rose Willow The spectacular beaches in the Parksville, BC area entice strollers and beachcombers with an array of driftwood, rocks, shells, sand, and seaweed. You’re not supposed to remove any of these items, so that others may enjoy the natural environment of the beaches, undisturbed, as well. However, if you find a small glass […]
The Hidden Waterfalls of Nanaimo
Story and photos by Spenser Smith In 2013, I moved to Nanaimo, British Columbia, a city full of winding streams and rivers. It was a big change from my home province of Saskatchewan, which has its own beauty, but not generally of the wet kind. In fact, all of Vancouver Island was a revelation. One […]
The Man in the Pictures
“Hard to look at these, I miss him still.”
My mother’s sad tone seeps through as I read these words in her e-mail, accompanied by photos of a man who wears the same smile that she often does. The build of his body is similar to that of my Aunt Joan — tall and lanky. The man sits surrounded by friends in the myriad of photos, […]
Pet Project
By Sarah Torgerson If it weren’t for all the signs hanging on the chain-link fence gracing the perimeter, one might mistake the building at 2200 Labieux Road in Nanaimo for just another time-worn house from the ‘70s (albeit one oddly located in a light industrial area). Inside, however, the crowded reception area is a bustling […]
Living Small, Thinking Big
By Jessie Zhang In 1999, Jay Shafer, an American house designer, and owner of a 96 sq. foot home, published his first article on the merits of simple, compact living. Since then, the tiny home movement has spread throughout North America. Kate Beddows and Nico Rhodes are two of its Vancouver Island proponents. Video produced […]
Not Everyone Can Do It
By Molly Barrieau “Bonnie and Clyde?” “Honey and Bunny,” adds the other, laughing. Two women sit across from me in a bustling joint downtown, contemplating pseudonyms for the purpose of this article. I tell them I’ll make something up. Jordyn, 19, sports a new purple lipstick, while Erin, 22, wears burgundy-framed glasses around her kind […]
AbOut Tier 3
by Natalie Gates Walking through the bustling hallways of Nanaimo District Secondary School (NDSS), Brett Hancock offers easy smiles and fist pumps to almost every student he passes. Smirks form on their faces as they greet him back. “I learned a lot traveling, but I sure as hell didn’t learn much in high school,” he says. […]
9/11 in Nanaimo
By Anja Hamerski Screams. Panic. Dust. Shrapnel. That was a Tuesday morning in New York when the two main towers of the World Trade Centre were destroyed. September 11th claimed 2819 lives, of which 23 were police officers and 343 were fire fighters. In memory of those who died, and to honour the brave fire […]
Good times in the Snoezelen room
By Leah Myers Almost everyone has a schedule they need to adhere to, whether for school, work, or otherwise. But during a busy week, who doesn’t want an hour to rock out to AC/DC or fall asleep in a large ball pit? Visitors to Nanaimo’s only Snoezelen room have the opportunity to do just that. […]