When Trees Tell Stories
By Sheena Robinson Photo top: seawolfadventures.ca Walking through the forests of Vancouver Island, it’s easy to become entranced by the density and beauty of the tall trees towering above you. Douglas Fir, Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, and Western Red Cedar are the most common coniferous giants here. They are a big part of what makes […]
Searching for Staqeya
By Shanon Fenske The 25-foot Amanda Anne plows through the frigid February waters of the Juan De Fuca Strait. Somewhere in the darkness ahead of us are islands inhabited by a wolf many in the Songhees First Nation believe is sacred. Campers were the first to report a lone wolf on Discovery Island, five km. east […]
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. […]
Home Again
By Alexandria Stuart Nanaimo was in the middle of a heat wave as my boyfriend Sean and I set out on our “nearcation” to northern Vancouver Island, A/C on high. The familiar landscape of coastal British Columbia flew by: Moss-draped forests alternated with scabs of clear-cut, blanketed in pink fireweed as the land tried to heal […]
Home Again (Part Two)
The village of Sointula, Malcolm Island’s main port, looked like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. Brightly coloured sea shacks dotted the waterfront and the homes lining the main street, sitting on small, tidy fenced lots, were gaily painted. Sointula, meaning “place of harmony,” was settled in the early 1900s by Finnish immigrants fleeing […]