Explore Collective Magazine Articles By Topic

Browse our growing collection of articles from current and previous issues of both the Comox Valley Collective and Strathcona Collective magazines by topic.

DISCOVERY

An enlightening interview from our last issue led me down a rewarding rabbit trail. The conversation was an ...

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LIVING YOUR ZEST LIFE

Welcome to our ZEST issue, which has nothing to do with citrus fruit and everything to do with gusto, enjoyment, ...

As Bill Nye said, “Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.” So keep an open mind..

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MOUNTAINS AND MOTHERHOOD

All of us who love the alpine have our own reasons for getting out there. A hiker I once passed in the Kweishun ...

Not every new mom’s to-do list includes summiting 53 peaks over 6000 feet.

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LITTLE VALLEY: FARRAH RUSSELL

When your family moves to Spain for a year, there’s a lot to learn My name is Farrah. I am eight years old ...

Our young residents reflect on the home they’re growing up in

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BALANCING NATURE AND NEW ENDEAVOURS

Articles in this issue (my first as editor) feel like a love letter to our region. A testament to the vast melting ...

Opening Introduction

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Respect, Protect, Flourish

Does the phrase “you are a product of your environment” sound familiar? Many cultures have long recognized the ...

HOW TO LIVE WITH THE LAND, NOT JUST ON IT.

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Migration of the Grizzlies

Vancouver Island has remote valleys, salmon streams, and mountainsides that, in summer, are ripe with plump ...

AN EXERCISE IN WILDLIFE ECOLOGY SPECULATION.

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Saying Yes to South East Asia

When I think of innovation, I think of the external: technology and system upgrades that make our lives better. ...

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A PRESSING MATTER

Although Cumberland-based Black Cat Skateboards is a relatively new entity, its founder’s love of skateboarding ...

The story of Black Cat skateboards.

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AN ICONIC TRAIL IN THE MAKING

Terry Lewis sits in his home office, staring at a computer screen displaying a GIS map that’s a spider’s web of ...

It’s time to get The Vancouver Island Trail across the finish line.

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THE BIG ONE

In 1946, Forbidden Plateau was the epicentre of the Island’s last big earthquake. The Comox Valley experiences minuscule tremors all the time—are we due for another big one soon?

Words by

Andrew Findlay

Photo by

Ron Pogue

BRAVO FOR BUCKET OF BLOOD

This is the first of a series where the book-loving Nora Bingham will recommend books by BC-based authors, often with an Island connection.

Words by

Nora Bingham

Illustration by

Claire Guiot

YOU’LL BE GLAD TO HEAR: UNION BAY 2040

A local writer imagines the letter his daughter will write him about her return to Union Bay 20 years from now.

Words by

Ryan Stuart

Photo by

Alexandre Crouzet

LIFE BEGINS AT 40

The resort heads into its fifth decade with plans for many more bluebird days ahead.

Words by

Mike Manara

Photos courtesy of

Mount Washington

A BACKCOUNTRY, MODULAR ROOM OF ONE’S OWN

How one award-winning company is reinventing a classic design for modern adventurers.

Words by

Dave Nowak

PROFILE OF COMMUNITY IN ACTION SPONSORED BY NORTH ISLAND UROLOGY

Think you’ve lived in the Comox Valley a long time? These women run a farm that’s been in the family since John A. Macdonald was prime minister.

Words by

Jen Groundwater

Photo by

Jenn Dykstra

THE SONSHINE LUNCH CLUB: A LOCAL LIFELINE

Turns out there is such a thing as a free lunch. Five days a week, the Sonshine Lunch Club in Courtenay provides a nutritious meal and a gathering place for people who need a little help.

Words by

Mac Newton

Photo by

Sara Kempner

THE ORIGINAL SPIN SESSIONS

Black Creek’s spinning community has nothing to do with stationary bikes, and everything to do with the art and craft of wool.

Words by

Meagan Roberge

Photo by

Meredith Rose

WAIT ’TIL THE SUN SHINES, NELLIE

The hard work of logging Comox Lake—by hand and raft.

Words by

Dawn Copeman

Photo provided by

Cumberland Museum & Archives

THE SEASON OF EARTH

Words by

Jen Groundwater

Photo by

Dave Prothero

NOW OR NEVER

A family of four pursues vast and vivid collective memories on a 10-month road trip.

Words & Photos by

Alice Grasby

COVERING NEW GROUND

The Stratchcona TrailRider Program, and others like it, strive to make the backcountry truly accessible.

Words by

Mike B.

Photo by

Scott Bell

LITTLE VALLEY: MIA BEATTIE

Our young residents reflect on the home they’re growing up in.

Words by

Mia Beattie

CREATIVE MOMENTUM

An inventive art show rallies local talent and business for the sake of environmental sea change.

Words by

Ross Bodenmann

Photos by

Gordon Ross

LITTLE VALLEY: ARYO BEHZAD

Our young residents reflect on the home they’re growing up in.

Words by

Aryo Behzad

A NATURAL TEACHER

Ralph Shaw’s passion for the outdoors was paralleled by an enthusiasm for sharing his knowledge with future generations.

Words by

Kerry Hale

WITCHES OF THE WOODS

Folklore tells of female forms that dwell in the forest, personifying the power of this dark, natural world to frighten and mystify.

Words by

Meaghan Cursons

Photo by

Karley Bracey

In the face of climate change, the City of Courtenay is working on an integrated system to handle a resource that knows no boundaries.

Words by

Aly Bird

Photo by

Jenn Pentland

DARK SCIENCE

Biologists and “citizen scientists” in the Comox Valley have banned together to gather data on an elusive creature that has long been a metaphor for the fears of mankind.

Words by

Tim Ennis

Photos by

Neil Borecky

PERSONAL STYLE

By rethinking what we wear, the slow fashion movement provides support for local artistry and a path to sustainability.

Words by

Nicole Bertram

Photos by

Meredith Rose

THE FOREST AS OUR WITNESS

There is a dark thread tangled into the rich and fascinating history of Cumberland. We follow along with those carrying the stories of the deceased into the former.

Words by

Ashley Hamilton-Macquarrie

Photos by

Shawn Pigott

HELLO GHOST

In anticipation of the Halloween season, we offer a formal introduction to the spirits of the Comox Valley.

Words by

Kim Bannerman

Illustration by

Clive Powsey

COOL AND COLLECTED

The upcoming Farmers’ Market differs from the summer season, but provides an equally valuable way to fill your fridge and pantry.

Words by

Meagan Roberge

Photo by

Bill Jorgensen

ABOVE AND BEYOND

Words by

Ryan Stuart

Featured photo by

Ryan Stuart

REBUILDING A HERITAGE HOME

After a Cumberland home catches fire, local professionals help the owners pay homage to history.

Words by

Jenn Laing

Photos by

Joanne McElroy

PROPHETS AND HARBINGERS

While we mostly live in harmony with owls, our fascination with these highly evolved predators is well represented in literature and mythology.

Words by

Neil Borecky

Photo by

Alexandra Stephanson

IN THE FIELD

Words by

Jen Groundwater

Photos by

Jenn Dykstra

STROKE OF MAGIC

Accessing a glacier for a spring paddle board session is leagues above one couple’s regular adventures.

Words by

Alaina Vesper

Photo by

Bastian Fleury

DIFFICULT TERRAIN

Comox Valley Ground Search and Rescue trains for innumerable circumstances in order to return people to civilization. But some challenges are more than physical.

Words by

Brad Kilgour

Photo by

Allan Sawchuck

WHERE YOUR HEART IS

Words by

Allie Jenkinson

Photo by

Sara Kempner

FILM FOR THE FUTURE

Words by

Krista Tupper

Photo by

Dan Peruzzo

FASHION FORWARD

How one small business is making an environmental sea change with thoughtfully crafted swimwear.

Words by

Bevin Clempson

Photos by

Matt Meredith

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

With the Federal Government on the verge of legalizing recreational marijuana use, Comox Valley municipalities drag their heels on implementing non-medicinal dispensaries while consumers find out-of-town alternatives.

Words by

Ryan Stuart

Photo by

Ultimate Grow

THE BRIGHTEST PATH

A serendipitous trip to New Zealand provides soothing reprieve from the west coast winter.

Words by

Nora Bingham

Photos by

Meredith Rose

MARKINGS OF THE MIND

A designer and artist utilizes his craft to break down the barriers of schizophrenia.

Words by

Ryan Stuart

Photos by

Ian Mckenzie

STOLEN MOMENTS

Time slows and memories collect and blur together while climbing amongst the Valley’s age-old terrain.

Words by

David Benton

Photo by

Jenn Dykstra

LITTLE VALLEY: ARLO FLEENOR

Our young residents reflect on the home they’re growing up in.

Words by

Arlo Fleenor