CV Collective Summer
The Comox Valley is known for its abundance of fresh seafood and farm produce. At the right time of year, shoppers can fill their totes with salmon, tuna, and prawns straight off the boat, and farm stands overflow with shiitake mushrooms, fiddleheads, and crisp asparagus. Despite this bounty, it used to be hard to find […]
Words by Nicole BergotPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Spring
The merry month of May is highly anticipated in the Village of Cumberland. Since 1888, Villagers have gathered on Victoria Day (Queen Victoria’s birthday) for a civic celebration unparalleled on Vancouver Island. When I arrived in Cumberland 28 years ago, I spent my first Victoria Day on the roof of the old Nakanishi building, drinking […]
Words by Meaghan CursonsPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Spring
Many people might be surprised to learn that one of the most successful astronomy news sites on the Internet is published from right here in the Comox Valley. Depending on what’s going on in the cosmos, between two and four million people land on Fraser Cain’s Universe Today website every month. Some of his YouTube […]
Words by Ryan StuartFeatured photo by Sara Kempner
CV Collective Winter
No vegetable family is as diverse and versatile as the brassicas. While you may not know the word, you’re certainly familiar with them. From your everyday broccoli to the peculiar daikon (and even mustard), brassicas’ role in cuisines around the world is significant and delectable. In the Comox Valley, we’re fortunate to have a growing […]
Words by James McKerricherPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Little Valley Winter
The dictionary says rest is “to cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.” Most people would think of activities like sleeping, taking a warm bath, watching television, reading a good book, or doing a hobby. But not everyone thinks the same way. My family and I enjoy outdoor activities […]
Words by Cade HalePhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
Except for Indigenous people, Canadians are settlers—immigrants themselves, or the descendants of immigrants. After my parents and I arrived in Canada from England and Ireland when I was four, we were helped with settling in by family and friends who had come before us. Being English-language speakers eased our family’s transition to the new country. […]
Words by Mac NewtonPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
In the early morning hours of the winter solstice, December 21, 2021, my life and health changed forever. I was given the gift of life: I received a liver transplant. My health journey had spanned many years and two previous liver surgeries. In 2001, I fell off my mountain bike and landed on my right […]
Words by Sara CherewatyPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
I first became drawn to mead because of my Scandinavian heritage: mead plays an important role in many of the Norse myths, piquing my interest. Legends even spoke of the Mead of Poetry that would inspire anyone who drank it to become a skald (poet) or scholar. What was this golden beverage coveted by the […]
Words by Derek AdamsPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Opening Introduction Winter
When I was a kid growing up in the ’70s and ’80s in Montreal, stores were closed on Sundays. Every single store. Every single Sunday. Sure, at the dépanneurs (corner stores) you could get milk, candy, smokes, and maybe some Wonder Bread, but there wasn’t much other opportunity to buy stuff. The Lord’s Day Act […]
Words by Jen GroundwaterPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
When I was a kid growing up in the northern boreal forest, my mother took me and my siblings out foraging for edible mushrooms in the spring. I loved these expeditions filled with the wonder of the forest and all its gifts. Mom taught us what to look for and what to avoid, and we […]
Words by Marie MaccagnoPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
I’ve occasionally yearned to wear a Davy Crockett-inspired coonskin hat. The reason I don’t isn’t that I fear I’d end up looking more like some molly-soaked fool who had just washed in on the king tides of a Coachella Festival. It’s because I fear I’d end up dead in some last-stand-at-the-Alamo situation, backed into the […]
Words by Neil BoreckyPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Summer
On Friday, May 13, 2022, a group of paddlers from many backgrounds made their way, in two interconnected voyageur canoes, across the east end of Comox Lake. The sky to the west was filled with threatening rain clouds, but the wind was minimal and the water calm. Quiet conversations could be heard between the splashes […]
Words by Jim WhytePhotos by Jenn Dykstra
Strathcona Collective
The gritty exfoliation of sand between toes, the softness of dewy grass underfoot, the wet flecks of mud that spatter my partner’s feet while running the trails in open sandals: these sensations and images are etched in my memory—all reflective of favourite days spent outside with feet directly knowing the earth. That first barefoot moment […]
Words by Camilla SampsonPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
Strathcona Collective
The Strathcona Food Hub, put simply, is a group of collaborators working on contemporary food issues in the Strathcona region. The Hub works with communities to establish more well-rounded, accessible, and sustainable food programming across the entire Strathcona region. Defining food security is less simple. At the Hub, we think of it this way. Food […]
Words by Madison StewartPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Elder Valley Summer
Every day, we hear and say, “I love this.” And this. And this. And this. And oh, that over there, too. We toss the word at anything we see, hear, taste, or feel that generates a positive feeling. The ancient Greek classicists divided love into several types, including eros (passionate love), ludus (playful, flirtatious love), […]
Words by Bette KosmolakPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Summer
Two “very pregnant” cats. That was the delivery at the door of the Kitty Cat P.A.L. (Prevent-A-Litter) Society at 8 a.m. the day I spoke with the society’s executive director, Lee-Ann Dixon-Phillips, and it’s a common occurrence. Dixon-Phillips tells me about Cherry, a kitten dropped off two years ago at a Woofy’s Pet Foods location […]
Words by Mac NewtonPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Spring
We meet in the shadows and plan our route for the late afternoon, prowling the alleys, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, looking for hints about what lies behind the hedges, fences, and doors. Sometimes we’re caught—mistaken for real estate agents or eager home buyers—and we quickly reveal our purpose: we’re with the Cumberland Community Forest Society and […]
Words by Meaghan CursonsPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Spring
A lone modular office building with blue vinyl siding rests at the end of a gravel driveway on the edge of Homalco First Nation near Campbell River. From a wide, meshed antenna protruding from its shingled roof, a signal from within radiates south to Mount Washington. From there, a mountainside tower boosts the signal, broadcasting […]
Words by Dave FlawsePhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Spring
When Kermit the Frog said, “It’s not easy being green,” he wasn’t talking about investing, but he might as well have been. It’s a complicated topic to cover on just one page, especially when our readership runs the gamut from financial experts to people who don’t invest for the future because they need all their […]
Words by Jen GroundwaterPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
Most people are shocked when they learn our family of five lives in a tiny home. “How many square feet?” they ask for clarification. “Three hundred and eighty,” we repeat, and smile. I’ll be honest: at the start, it was hard for me to wrap my head around, too. I’d never have dreamed in a thousand […]
Words by Amy WoodsPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
Strathcona Collective
Oh no! What? Wait for another traffic light? Simultaneous laughter, as our eyes connect, and we realize we have become Islanders. No longer are our lives at the mercy of overcrowded roads, freeway crawl, and urban sprawl. Time is no longer a lottery, a gamble to be wagered according to traffic jams. Newlywed seniors no […]
Words by Tacey KeighleyPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Spring
Hornby Island local Jake Berman first encountered onigiri while visiting his sister in Japan in 2006. This traditional Japanese food consists of a triangle-shaped bundle of rice and seafood, meat, or vegetables, wrapped in nori (seaweed). Much like sandwiches in the West, onigiri are readily available in convenience stores across Japan as a handy, nutritious […]
Words by Britt HansonPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
Every poem tells a kind of story, but poems are not short stories. They are a unique medium which is concerned with universal truths revealed by personal experience. When I came to the Comox Valley 22 years ago, I had spent my whole adult life in the Vancouver poetry/publishing/art business. I knew lots of poets, […]
Words by Ed VarneyPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
The late autumn sun lazily streams through dwindling golden leaves. Live music drifts across the smiling, murmuring crowd. Laughing children roam freely, getting their faces painted and collecting treasures. A large metal tray full of cooked salmon rests on a table while hungry racers and revellers hover nearby to catch the smell. There is a […]
Words by Lisa LevesquePhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
Does the thought of walking in the forest at night make you feel uneasy? Does it sound strange? And if you were to walk in the forest after dark, what do you think you would encounter? Screeching from the trees… growling in the bushes… bats flying into your hair? Did you know there are people […]
Words by Wendy MayersPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
Etched into the fabric of Comox life, the Northeast Woods are considered by many locals, especially newcomers, to be an iconic parcel of serene wilderness. The woods, almost like a custodian watching over the township, are home to second-growth forests, meadows, sand dunes, and marsh wetlands. A wealth of wildlife thrives in these ecosystems, including […]
Words by Kerry HalePhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
For over 5,000 years, the written word has carried knowledge and information to readers, supporting the development of humanity and the history of civilization. The penning of facts and ideas demands sublime concentration, which is achieved in a solitary state. Yet the gathering of material requires stimulation from others. This is the conundrum of the […]
Words by Joline MartinPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
After the year that was 2020, we’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel—a return to the way life was before COVID-19 struck—but we are left with the scars of surviving a global pandemic. Although we weren’t immune to the virus’ effects, those of us on the Island were somewhat sheltered from […]
Words by Dave NowakPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Summer
You pretty much can’t have a conversation anywhere in the world today without one of our global crises popping up and confounding us with its complexity. On the surface, housing people appears to be a relatively basic and solvable problem. We know how to clear land and build buildings, and here in Canada, as in […]
Words by RJ HerronPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Summer
Urban agriculture can mean a number of things depending on who you ask and where in the world it’s occurring. To me, it’s simply the practice of growing food in a densely populated city, town, or municipality, whether for education, profit, or food security. In the Comox Valley, urban agriculture takes multiple forms, from the […]
Words by James McKerricherFeatured photo by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Summer
What separates SOS Gear from other outdoor stores is not what it carries, but what it doesn’t. Like most gear shops, the store, located in a cul-de-sac across Cliffe Avenue from the Courtenay Air Park, is stuffed with covetable products. Sleeping bags, climbing gear, and face masks hang off the walls like kids at the […]
Words by Ryan StuartPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Summer
There’s no real place to start this story of sailing. I never would have predicted that I would be writing this version. When I moved to the Comox Valley with my young daughters 20 years ago, I had chosen it as our home. Here, I thought, we could ski and sail in the same day—the […]
Words by Judith WrightFeatured photo by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Opening Introduction Summer
After so many months of navigating an ever-changing pandemic landscape of worries, warnings, restrictions, and rules, I think it’s safe to say most of us are feeling pretty damn depleted. The low-battery warnings that lit up in our minds and bodies months ago can’t be easily solved with a charger cord and outlet. So we’ve […]
Words by Jen GroundwaterPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Spring
Often in an instant, an acquired head injury can change everything. How do you make sense of so much loss? Where does purpose come from if you lose your ability to function as you once did? Where can a family turn when they don’t understand what their loved one is experiencing? What if it was […]
Photo by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Spring
“Hi, I’m Sam. I’m trans.” I start quite a number of conversations this way, and although it’s an unfortunate reality to have to disclose something so personal so frequently, it’s a great privilege to be able to do so safely, and freely, if I want to. I was born and raised in the Comox Valley, […]
Words by Sam PetersonPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
My adventures used to involve adrenaline. Like the time I hitchhiked from Kamloops to climb Mt Forbes in Banff National Park, or when I took a job flight nursing in the Yukon wilderness. In my mind, adventure was supposed to scare you a little—or a lot—and how you dealt with the challenge showed your true […]
Words by Andrea TownsendPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
Devin Burton grew up in the Comox Valley but only recently discovered the Bevan trails, a network of paths winding through lush forest next to the Puntledge River and near the old Bevan townsite. If a forest has the ability to nourish the soul, then this is her sanctuary—a favoured place to walk her dogs […]
Words by Andrew FindlayPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Little Valley Winter
My name is Zoë, and I am nine years old. I have lived in Cumberland my whole life and I really love winter in the Comox Valley. There is lots of snow and fun winter activities, but this year might be a lot different because of COVID-19. Winter is great because I like going sledding […]
Words by Zoë HendersonPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
On January 1, 2019, a large group of adventurous Cumberland residents gathered on the shores of Comox Lake. Celebrating the New Year, we were there to jump into the frigid water. The first-ever recorded “Polar Bear Dip” took place in Boston in 1904, and the tradition has since spread throughout Canada, the United States, and […]
Words by Joanne McElroyPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
I’ve been intimately involved in the ground-source heat pump (GSHP) industry for 20 years. I began with mud up to my armpits, testing the thermal conductivity of geological formations all around Western Canada. In my next position, I was the Western Region Manager for a GSHP manufacturer who specialized in unique GSHP systems that reclaim […]
Words by Daniel BooyPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
The third in our series imagining how the Comox Valley’s communities could look 20 years from now. How quickly we can adapt. That’s the underlying message inside historian Kristen Cohen’s new book, 2020: The Year That Changed Courtenay and the World. The anthropology professor at North Island University traces everything from ubiquitous public […]
Words by Ryan StuartPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
True story: my first-ever sauna experience included pitchers of gin Caesars and a waterslide—a really steep one. Thinking back, I can feel the heat sinking into my bones, the sweat beading on my skin, and the coolness of the night air as I slipped into the refreshing embrace of Lake of the Woods. At the […]
Words by Bevin ClempsonPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
Strathcona Collective
At 18 years old, Matt is fully submerged in wild island living. A ski instructor and fishing guide, Matt also has experience hunting, surfing, and mountain biking. “I just love the bush,” he says. Matt started working in the shop at Mount Cain, waxing skis and tampering with bindings, before he progressed to ski instructor. […]
Words By Nicole BertramArticle Photo By Jenn Dykstra
Strathcona Collective
Please be advised that the following story contains a graphic description of a grizzly bear attack from the summer of 2019. This story is Colin’s, and he has chosen to share many, but not all, details here for Strathcona Collective readers. Geographically, the story takes place close to Mount Doogie Dowler, which you’ll notice is […]
Words By Colin DowlerPhoto By Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Spring
The second in our series imagining how the Comox Valley’s communities could look 20 years from now. MAY 2, 2040 At exactly 10:24 p.m. on May 1, Mother Earth breathed a small sigh of relief. Economists at the provincial Ministry of Climate Change Prevention say that was the minute the village of Cumberland […]
Words by Ryan StuartPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Spring
When my kids were younger, I logged long hours at the Rotary Skypark, going half-dizzy as they performed endless laps on the merry-go-round and other playground apparatus. Cessnas, Pipers, and all manner of small aircraft taking off and landing just over the fence nearby were an added entertainment bonus that I took for granted, or […]
Words by Andrew FindlayPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
You have been stuck on the glacier for three days and whatever has been stalking you is closing in. Night is falling, the sky promises another rough night, your phones are getting no signal, and Derek, your hiking partner, has just twisted his ankle severely. You must decide: do you leave Derek with what meagre […]
Words by Curt Carbonelland Sam Larente
CV Collective Who Winter
The first thing you need to know about Glen Alwin Farm is that nobody involved is named Glen. Or Alwin. The people who run the show are Joanna (Jo) Smith and her daughter, Helen Nixon—the third and fourth generations of the Smith family. With the same bright, blue-eyed gaze and can-do, no-guff attitude, Jo and […]
Words by Jen GroundwaterPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
Our heritage house was built in 1895 with the proceeds of a hip-length gold chain carried over the Chilkoot Pass. It was raised with a twin next door, and the two shotgun houses stood side by side through love, birth, death, and change, for 122 years. Their floorboards darkened and hardened, generations of roofs and […]
Words by Jenn LaingPhotos by Joanne McElroy
CV Collective Fall
PETER GEE: CONNECTOR If you recently arrived in the Comox Valley and found a family doctor with little trouble, you can thank Dr. Peter Gee. As Site Director of the Strathcona Family Medicine residency site for UBC Vancouver Island, this genial UK-born family physician has had an enormous influence on the area’s patient-care situation. The […]
Words by Jen GroundwaterPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Summer
Desperately pinching limestone tufas and underclinging stalactites, I tried hard, like full-body core-strength hard, to keep my feet on tiny features while nearly upside down. Overhanging climbs are the only option on a wet, wintery day. The rain pitter-pattered on the arbutus leaves and trickled down to the tenacious salal undergrowth behind me. I live […]
Words by David BentonPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Summer
It is amazing to stand on the shores of Comox Lake and consider the vast amount of water it contains. With a surface area of 21 square kilometres and a mean depth of 61m, the lake holds millions upon millions of cubic metres of crystal-clear fresh water. With an average precipitation of 1,100mm per year […]
Words by Tim EnnisPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Summer
The world of photography is broad and has no boundaries. Perhaps this is why so many people are drawn to it. But in this ever-changing, doggish industry, how do you make a sustainable career out of it? I sat down with local photographer Boomer Jerritt to discuss the trials and tribulations of over 30 years in the industry. As a fellow photographer I was curious […]
Words by Jenn DykstraPhotos by Boomer Jerritt
CV Collective Summer
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, thriving mining, logging, and fishing industries in the Comox Valley led to a remarkably imbalanced male-to-female ratio. With it came the development of spin-off industries such as the back-door world of sex, alcohol, and gambling. Local history books, police reports, and interviews with elders whisper stories that shed […]
Words by Christa PetchPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Spring
ERIC RUSH: EXPLORER To put it mildly, Eric Rush is pretty fond of road biking. A member of Courtenay’s Riverway Dental Racing team, he regularly puts in weekly 100-kilometre rides. But in June 2018, he took his habit up a notch by riding across Canada—in three weeks. Leaving home with little fanfare, Rush pedalled more […]
Words by Jen GroundwaterFeatured photo by April Bencze
CV Collective Spring
Under the steady gaze of the Comox Glacier, looking east to the Strait of Georgia, the airfield at Canadian Forces Base Comox stands prominently in the landscape. Pitched along the ocean in the strait that separates Vancouver Island from the southwestern mainland, the location was selected by the Royal Air Force in 1942 to guard […]
Words by Camille DouglasPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
Walk into any garage in Canada and you’re likely to find a hockey stick or two, tucked in a corner or shoved upside down in a barrel alongside brooms, rakes, and other long-handled implements. Even if you never set foot on the ice as a kid, as part of your Canadian heritage it’s required that […]
Words by Dave NowakPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
On a late October day, a pale sun shines through sparse golden leaves, making sparkles on the Orford River. I know there are four grizzly bears just across the water from where I stand, because I saw them seconds ago. They are less than a hundred metres away. Now the bears—one solitary male, plus a […]
Words by Jen GroundwaterPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
Around 11am on a sunny Monday, Dan Espeseth, Sean Manara, and Chris Hancock show up for work. Instead of riding to their usual job at Dodge City Cycles (DCC), they drive the logging roads above Cumberland to the end of spur, park their trucks, load up their tools, walk into the clear cut, and start shoveling. […]
Words by Ryan StuartPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
We are made of the place we came from. If you eat locally and don’t drink bottled water, your body becomes a product of the very land around you. For me, that land was Merville. And that water was the Tsolum River. We lived in the Tsolum. My father wouldn’t let us swim in the […]
Words by Mike B.Photo by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
I enjoy a good local holiday, and one of the best things about living on Vancouver Island is the abundance of adventures to be had within a five-hour drive from almost anywhere. Like many others, I moved to Vancouver Island from elsewhere, and my list of places to explore grows weekly. Many destinations stay on […]
Words by Laurel SliskovicPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
I came across a photo box recently containing pictures of a summer my family spent in a rented cottage at Penn Lake in Ontario’s Muskoka region. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and these sepia-toned images sparked memories so vivid that I could hear the sound of our 15-horse outboard motor, our […]
Words by Dave NowakPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
On a sunny afternoon six years ago while riding my motorcycle home from Campbell River on the Old Island Highway, I noticed a pick-up truck waiting to turn from a driveway onto the road in front of me. I prepared to slow down. The pick-up rocked forward and I applied the brakes. Then the pick-up […]
Words by Mac NewtonPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall Intro
I am a true introvert, my husband a true extrovert. Which means we spend a lot of time telling each other how weird we think the other one is. He gets anxious if he doesn’t socialize or get out of the house enough. I need time to recover from a string of family gatherings and […]
Words by Allie JenkinsonPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Summer
Let’s face it, cycling is less of a chore when you have a growler of local craft beer, fresh herbs, and a few pieces of fresh-picked produce in your basket. The mere sight of a cruiser bike rolling by can make anyone smile, whether it’s an old beater coming up main street, a colourful stand […]
Words by Paula WorthingtonPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Summer
Fresh water flows through the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort and Spa’s new Serenity Garden. The soothing sound of water travelling over stone provides the foundation for this striking landscape. From the vantage of one of seven patio nooks nestled amongst the foliage, visitors can rest in Adirondack chairs that face panoramic views of the ocean and […]
Words by Ashley Hamilton-MacquarriePhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Spring
Though the Comox Valley leaves little to be desired for the Island’s mountain biking community, our excitement often fuels the desire for new terrain. When I lived in North Vancouver I visited the Sunshine Coast often, and even did the Rat Race (now called Sunshine Coaster). The people, trails, restaurants, and local hostel kept me […]
Words by Nicole RippelPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Spring
High on the verdant slope of Forbidden Plateau rests a craftsman lodge overlooking the Salish Sea. Though the area is at the mercy of deep snow in the winter and cooling rains in the spring, warmth is the defining characteristic of Wood Mountain Lodge: a honey-toned Douglas fir interior, a wood-burning fireplace framed by stonework […]
Words by Allie JenkinsonPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
In the late seventies, Sandra Dykstra skied into Skoki Lodge, an historical backcountry destination in the Canadian Rockies. An east-coaster for the majority of her life, she was not an avid mountain woman. My father was passionate for the outdoors and continuously encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone to embark on adventure. […]
Words & Photos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
Shinrin-yoku, sometimes known as “forest bathing,” is simply the act of being mindful and present in the forest while repeatedly walking and stopping. Using the spiritual geography of the Comox Valley in our practice may take the form of “Walk and Talk Therapy,” Shinrin-yoku, or meditating by ocean or river. The way we facilitate Shinrin-yoku […]
Words by Terry Folks& Wendy Turner
CV Collective Fall
My husband Kyle and I grew up in the Comox Valley, both of us lovingly raised on the family farms started by our grandparents in the 1960s—Knopp’s Dairy Farm and Sieffert’s Farm. And we now have a dairy farm of our own—Happy Cow Dairy in Qualicum Beach. Purchased with the help of Kyle’s family in […]
Words by Jennifer SieffertPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
Summer lays down to sleep in the cool woods. The crisp fall air wakens. Trails of dark wet earth wind through the forest. The prints of thirsty animals in the dry creek bed dissolve with the rain. The stream rises from its summer slumber. Wetlands and floodplain forests fill. Dust is washed away revealing the […]
Words by Meaghan CursonsPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
I’m standing at the sink, doing the dishes, washing out the plastic yoghurt pot before tossing it into the recycling. As the dirty hot water washes down the drain I wonder how much of a difference I’m really making. And my engineering training wonders how I could measure that. Because what gets measured, gets managed, […]
Words by Nick WardPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Summer
It’s 5:30 a.m., April 15, 1942. The full dark of night is just lifting. Suitcases are packed and weighed and packed again. A last board is hammered into a window frame, securing the building against the ravages of weather and potential abandonment. Diesel engine noises disturb the sudden quiet, and the dream that this is […]
Words by Dawn CopemanPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Summer
Picture a small boy sitting on a tall drafting stool, drawing rocket ships, submarines, and houses – sculptural, impossible, fantastical houses. That was me almost 50 years ago, enjoying the drafting board that my architect father kept at home. In the cozy living room below, my parents entertained friends from all walks of life. Among […]
Words by John GowerPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Summer What
The setting of The Fanny Bay Candle Company is pastoral. Donalda Lauzon and her husband Randy greet me while attempting to wrangle their wildly friendly 7 month-old puppy, Belle. I catch a glimpse of their black horse, Mouse, across the property. The scenery is mostly sky. Lauzon is warm and instantly talkative, and ushers me […]
Words by Allie JenkinsonPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective
So often we think of hypnosis as a magic trick or simply good for a laugh. My first experience with hypnosis was during my G.P. Vanier graduation talent show in the winter of 2005. Some kooky looking man, dressed as a magician, pulled the bravest students on stage for some slight embarrassment for the purpose […]
Words by Britt Hanson& Carly Panzenboeck
