Run Maria, Run
By Maria Elsser My mother would get up every morning at 5 a.m. to run 10 kilometres along the sleepy streets of Salt Spring Island before the sun rose. It wasn’t enough that she was raising four wild children, or that she single-handedly ran a three-acre farm. It wasn’t like she had endless time at […]
Urban Refugees
By Laurie Jones Top photo: Richard James Milne With the continuing trend of rapidly rising home prices in Canada’s major centres, particularly Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto, many hard-pressed urbanites are looking to smaller towns for affordable properties. To their delight, Vancouver Island has turned out to be a prime place to buy. “Vancouver Island will […]
Weed Etiquette
By Zachery Cooper A plume of pungent smoke puffs out of the person walking down the street ahead of me. It makes my nose twitch, my brow furrow, and my mouth say Maui Wowie. It’s a common enough smell on Vancouver Island, which may be weed central in Canada. But with marijuana use set to […]
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 […]
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 […]
Deadly cocktail
By Benjamin Everett Over 40 fentanyl-related overdoses have been reported in Victoria and Nanaimo since December 20, 2015, 12 of them fatal. The victims have come from all walks of life, but Paul Hasselback, Medical Health Officer for Central Vancouver Island, says that “it’s the younger ones that are the most tragic.” Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate […]
Prettynormal Activity
By Drew McLachlan “I could feel . . . something — like I was being watched.” Willow Friday opened Iron Oxide, an arts supply store in Nanaimo, on January 6th. It wasn’t her first business — she has operated the House of Indigo Boutique since 2002 — but she was nonetheless excited to see a […]
What the hell was I thinking?
Editor’s note: This powerful account of an alcoholic binge contains graphic images and language that may be disturbing to some readers. For some, it may also provide inspiration to change. The author’s name is a pseudonym. By Jack Craig Believing even a little that I’m just like those fun people I‘ve seen drinking in television […]
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, […]