
Taking Their Chances
By Shauna Andrews Vancouver Island is a small nook in the world made up primarily of oceanside communities with a distinctly relaxed vibe. Perhaps that’s why more and more people are choosing it as ground-zero to take on the risks of an entrepreneurial adventure. The island’s casual, small-town comforts open the doors to new […]

Now Showing: The Future
By Antony Stevens In the back corner of the projection booth at IMAX Victoria is a rack of 70mm film reels, each weighing between 250 and 500 pounds. The largest is Interstellar which, at eight-feet wide, touches the brim of the platter it rests on. There are nearly 30 of these films, collected over the span of 10 years, sitting […]

Watchguards in the Walbran
By Rob Wilson “RESCIND 4424!” reads a hand-painted banner adorning the plywood wall of the camp’s kitchen and main shelter. It’s a crudely constructed building made of 2x4s, tarps, and ropes, standing a few metres from the Walbran River bridge. Inside are cluttered tables and counters piled with power tools, a 3,000 Watt power inverter, pots and […]

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 […]

Gaming Goes Indie
By Drew McLachlan Thirty years ago, if you wanted to create a video game, you started by clearing space in your garage. You had to make some room — for a couple Apple II’s, a BBC Microcomputer (if you were lucky), or a Tandy TRS-80 (if you weren’t). You also needed a guy who could […]

Serious Business
By Maggie Rich A lot more laughter has been spilling from Vancouver Island restaurants and bars lately, as business owners offer up their establishments to local comedians. It’s proven a win-win: Comedians’ careers are launched, customers love the entertainment, and the bars and restaurants fill. Stand-up comedy on Vancouver Island has its roots in Victoria — namely, […]
The Raven and the Oysters
By Louis Stevenson The controversial Raven Coal Project began its life in the Comox Valley in 2009, when the Compliance Coal Corporation applied to the BC government for an Environment Assessment Certificate. Public meetings were held and lines drawn in the sand; specifically the sand on the beach of Baynes Sound where half of the […]
“They may put the aquaculture industry in Baynes Sound right out of business.”
To the Introduction: The Raven and the Oysters: Mathew Wright is the Marketing and Communications Manager for the BC Shellfish Growers Association. LOUIS: How many or what percentage of the oyster growers in the Baynes Sound area does your organization, the British Columbia Shellfish Growers Association, represent? MATHEW: Sixty per cent. LOUIS: How many full […]
“The water treatment will assure that the quality of this water will protect the shellfish.”
To the Introduction: The Raven and the Oysters: John Tapics is the CEO of Compliance Energy Corporation which has a 60% interest in the Raven Coal Project. The remaining 40% interest is owned by I-Comox Coal Inc. which is a subsidiary of Iotochu Corporation of Japan and by L.G. Investments Canada Limited which is a […]