Explore By Region

Browse our growing collection of articles from current and previous issues of both the CV Collective and Strathcona Collective magazines by region.

STOCKING THE WORLD

CV Collective, Summer, Comox Valley, Food & Drink, People & Places, Volume 33

The Comox Valley is known for its abundance of fresh seafood and farm produce. At the right time of year, shoppers ...

Words by

Nicole Bergot

Photos by

Jenn Dykstra

INSPIRING RECOVERY

CV Collective, Spring, Mainland & Beyond, Adventure & Sport, Volume 33

In 2017, I attended a Soldier On ski camp at Mount Washington that changed (and maybe even saved) my life. It ...

Words by

Nick Holyome

Photos courtesy of

Soldier On

LITTLE VALLEY: MAX WARD

CV Collective, Little Valley, Summer, Comox Valley, People & Places, Volume 11

Hi there, I’m Max and I was not born in St Joseph's Hospital. I was, however, born in Addenbrooke's Hospital, ...

Words by

Max Ward, age 13

IN SEARCH OF OUR INDIGENEITY

CV Collective, Spring, Comox Valley, Culture & Art, People & Places, Volume 33

We live by stories. By stories we understand the world, and ourselves. Each culture has its cosmology: an ...

Words by

Kester Reid

Photo by

Amy Shaw

FERMENTATION 101

CV Collective, Fall, Comox Valley, Gulf Islands, Mainland & Beyond, Mid Island, North Island, South Island, Strathcona, Sunshine Coast, West Coast, Food & Drink, Learning New Things, Volume 12

I am willing to hazard that you enjoy the results of fermentation in some way, shape, or form. What I'm not going ...

Words by

Jake Galbraith

Photo by

Julie Sabey

PUTTING YOUR VEGETABLE GARDEN TO BED

Collective Efforts, Fall, Comox Valley, Learning New Things, Volume 12

After our vegetable gardens has pumped out all of the food and flavour it can, one very important job remains: ...

Words by

Mike MacDonald

Photos by

Trevor Moore

BLACK AND RURAL

CV Collective, Spring, Comox Valley, Culture & Art, People & Places, Volume 33

As a Canadian living in Hong Kong in the late 1970s, I was regarded as a gweilo, a “white devil.” Even though I ...

Words by

Joline Martin

Illustration by

Keely O’Brien

ALL HAIL THE MAY QUEEN

CV Collective, Spring, Comox Valley, History, Volume 33

The merry month of May is highly anticipated in the Village of Cumberland. Since 1888, Villagers have gathered on ...

Words by

Meaghan Cursons

Photo by

Jenn Dykstra

FRASER CAIN’S UNIVERSE

CV Collective, Spring, Comox Valley, Environment & Nature, People & Places, Volume 33

Many people might be surprised to learn that one of the most successful astronomy news sites on the Internet is ...

Words by

Ryan Stuart

Featured photo by

Sara Kempner

THE NIGHT RIDE

CV Collective, Fall, Comox Valley, Adventure & Sport, Volume 16

Night riding can be eerie, there’s no question about that. Casting shadows as I pedal through the forest ...

Words by

Mical Dyck

Photo by

Lorenz Jimenez

THE SURROUNDING BLUE

CV Collective, Intro, Spring, Comox Valley, Volume 18

I first sensed how landscape affects us while studying writing at the University of Saskatchewan. The ...

Words by

Allie Jenkinson

Photo by

Paige Owen

ADVENTURES IN PADDLING

CV Collective, Spring, Comox Valley, Mid Island, North Island, South Island, Strathcona, West Coast, Adventure & Sport, Volume 33

As we rounded the northern tip of Nootka Island, we were struck with sizable swell, wind, and refracting waves ...

Words & Photos by

Erica Keen

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

CV Collective, Spring, Comox Valley, Environment & Nature, People & Places, Volume 33

Strolling through Macdonald Wood Park, with its giant trees and verdant flora within town boundaries, is one of ...

Words by

Susan Barratt

Photos by

Deanne Matell

GLOOM AND BEAUTY

CV Collective, Intro, Comox Valley, Culture & Art, Volume 33

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIVING A LIFE: PAY ATTENTION. BE ASTONISHED. TELL ABOUT IT. – MARY OLIVER In the ...

Words by

Jen Groundwater

Photo by

Ron Pogue

THE ELEVENTH HOUR FOR OLD GROWTH

CV Collective, Spring, Comox Valley, Environment & Nature, Volume 25

The Beaufort Range sits temptingly in our backyard. If you’re a backcountry skier, then you’ve probably gazed at ...

Words & Featured Photo by

Andrew Findlay

Gallery photo by

Chris Istace

BUSINESS IS BLOOMING

CV Collective, Spring, Comox Valley, Environment & Nature, People & Places, Volume 25

Have you ever noticed that the flowers you see in local gardens—maybe even in your own yard—are rarely available ...

Words & photos by

Lydia Jackson

TUNING IN TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES

CV Collective, Spring, Comox Valley, Culture & Art, Makers & Innovators, Volume 25

I first heard of silent disco headphones while working in Toronto’s music industry several years ago. When the ...

Words by

Ellian Bell

Photo by

Eugene Chung

ALWAYS HERE FOR US

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, Volume 32

No vegetable family is as diverse and versatile as the brassicas. While you may not know the word, you’re ...

Words by

James McKerricher

Photo by

Jenn Dykstra

THE COOL OF CURLING

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, Adventure & Sport, People & Places, Volume 32

Curling saved my life. Sounds like an outrageous statement to make, but in 1999, the year I first threw a curling ...

Words by

Keith Parry

Photos by

Sara Kempner

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: LUC ANTAYA

CV Collective, Featured Photographer, Winter, Comox Valley, Featured Gallery, Volume 32

Luc is a transplant from the prairies who made his way to the Comox Valley seven years ago in search of the ...

Photo By

Luc Antaya

FEATURED ARTIST: SHANNON FORD

CV Collective, Featured Artist, Winter, Comox Valley, Featured Gallery, Volume 32

Shannon Ford is inspired by the magic of discovering beauty in chaos: “Walking up to a huge, empty canvas is pure ...

Words & Artwork by

Shannon Ford

ELDER VALLEY: REFRAMING REST

CV Collective, Elder Valley, Winter, Comox Valley, People & Places, Volume 32

In the natural world, winter is usually considered a season of rest as many plants and animals become dormant once ...

LITTLE VALLEY: THE QUIETNESS OF THE SEASON

CV Collective, Little Valley, Winter, Comox Valley, People & Places, Volume 32

The dictionary says rest is “to cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.” ...

Words by

Cade Hale, Age 9

Photo by

Jenn Dykstra

A BENEFIT FOR ALL

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, People & Places, Volume 32

Except for Indigenous people, Canadians are settlers—immigrants themselves, or the descendants of immigrants. ...

Words by

Mac Newton

Photo by

Jenn Dykstra

A TALE OF TWO WOODLOTS

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, Environment & Nature, Volume 32

There are two basic ways to look at a forest you manage—as a tree farm or an ecosystem. To see the difference, ...

Words by

Andrew Findlay

Opening photo by

Jarrett Lindal

STEPS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, Learning New Things, Volume 32

Homelessness can happen in many ways: job loss, injuries and accidents, mental health issues, and substance use. ...

Words by

Carrera Teal

Photo by

John Gower

A THEATRICAL FORCE FOR GOOD

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, Culture & Art, Volume 32

Music and theatre provide an environment where, through collaboration, we are encouraged to celebrate diversity, ...

Words by

Chelsea McCannel-Keene

Photo by

Tim Penney

THE GIFT OF LIFE

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, Health & Wellness, Volume 32

In the early morning hours of the winter solstice, December 21, 2021, my life and health changed forever. I was ...

Words by

Sara Cherewaty

Photo by

Jenn Dykstra

FAREWELL TO THE DENTAL BUS

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, People & Places, Volume 32

Things are often done a little differently on the Gulf Islands. Partly by necessity, partly by inclination, these ...

Words by

Laura Busheikin

Photos courtesy of

Peter Walford

THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, History, People & Places, Volume 32

The legend of the Flying Dutchman, a ghost ship doomed to never enter port, has been told and retold since the ...

Words by

Simone Gingras-Fox

Photo courtesy of

Union Bay Historical Society

GOOD AS GOLD

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, Food & Drink, Learning New Things, Volume 32

I first became drawn to mead because of my Scandinavian heritage: mead plays an important role in many of the ...

Words by

Derek Adams

Photo by

Jenn Dykstra

BY DESIGN

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, Makers & Innovators, People & Places, Volume 32

While some of us were out celebrating Valentine’s Day this past February, Eugen Sushko was feverishly drawing at ...

Words by

Vivian Dean

Photos courtesy of

Supermod

BETTER BULLETINS

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, Strathcona, Adventure & Sport, Environment & Nature, Volume 32

Colin Garritty has an enviable job. Four days a week, all winter long, he gets paid to ski and snowmobile the ...

Words by

Ryan Stuart

Photos by

Colin Garritty

FORAGING FOR FLAVOUR

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, Food & Drink, People & Places, Volume 32

When we think about hunting and gathering, the season we usually think of is fall. For many of us, there’s nothing ...

Words by

Jodi Kozicki

Photo by

Taylor Dawning

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, People & Places, Volume 32

My husband and I moved to the Comox Valley four years ago. From the start, we’ve enjoyed navigating our way around ...

Words by

Susan Barratt

Photos by

Meredith Rose

GIVE IT A REST

CV Collective, Opening Introduction, Winter, Volume 32

When I was a kid growing up in the ’70s and ’80s in Montreal, stores were closed on Sundays. Every single store. ...

Words by

Jen Groundwater

Photo by

Jenn Dykstra

FEATURED ARTIST: LAURIE MARTZ

CV Collective, Fall, Featured Artist, Comox Valley, Featured Gallery, People & Places, Volume 31

Laurie is a “late in life” painter who moved to the Comox Valley after retiring in 2015 from a busy career as a ...

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: JIM WHYTE

CV Collective, Fall, Featured Photographer, Comox Valley, Culture & Art, People & Places, Volume 31

Jim is a fifth-generation Comox Valley resident, born and raised here. His interest in photography began in junior ...

Photo By

Jim Whyte

FOLLOW THE MOUNTAIN HOME

CV Collective, Fall, Comox Valley, Strathcona, Adventure & Sport, Volume 31

It is usually late May when I embark on the first mountain trip of the season. In this particular year I was ...

Words & photos by

Claire Gordon

THE COAL BENEATH OUR FEET

CV Collective, Fall, Comox Valley, Environment & Nature, People & Places, Volume 31

Starting in 1888, a vast labyrinth of extraction tunnels was carved beneath the village of Cumberland, the old ...

Words by

Dawn Copeman