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.

Exploring the gardens and grounds of Filberg Park

Nestled on the waterfront in the heart of Comox, Filberg Park is one of Vancouver Island’s most cherished green ...

Island Oasis

Words by

Photos by

Local teacher shares his appreciation for hospital care after BMX accident

At 55, Chris Lamont unexpectedly discovered a new passion—BMX racing. An elementary-school teacher, father of two, ...

Back on track

How Denman Islanders took connection into their own hands

The payphone outside the Denman Island General Store had been there for decades—a receptacle for gossip, pleas for ...

Hold the Line

Words by

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Photos by

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Seeking answers in seaweed

At a time when the ocean truly needs us, seaweed has found its place in the hearts and minds of many. A strange ...

A strange and intriguing organism calls for research

Words by

Opening Photo

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A Pentlatch place

Stand at the viewpoint at the top of the Goose Spit stairs for long enough, and inevitably somebody will come ...

Profound history in the centre of Comox, written by the Valley’s first inhabitants

Words by

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Photo courtesey of

Deep leadership at Croteau Lake

At Gathering Place Trading, a women-led organic spice and tea company based in Campbell River, we’re passionate ...

A wilderness retreat allows an entire company to connect as equals

Words by

Photos by

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Three bags full

On a late October day, a small crew of volunteers from Vancouver Island Fibreshed (VIF) converged on Willow Row ...

Friends don’t let friends’ fleeces go to waste.

Words by

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Levels of history

Welcome to our winter 2025 issue. Our theme is Dig, and as always, when I was assigning stories, I invited the ...

An Introduction to Vol. 44

Words by

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Photo by

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Quinny’s Quest and the Campbellton Loop

It’s easy to judge from the sidelines, to point out what’s not working or why something is taking so long. But ...

A journey of connection

words by

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Illustration by

Nimbus Paddles

Tucked away in the misty rainforest on Quadra Island, in a small, unassuming cedar shack, is Nimbus Paddles. This ...

Made on the West Coast, coveted worldwide

Words by

Photo by

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FROM PLASTIC IN THE SEA TO ART INGENUITY

Lost buoys

Words by

Tiare Boyes

Photo by

Andrew McCurdy

FEATURED ARTIST: BRITTANY WEST

TALES FROM WITHIN AN OLD SAUNA’S WALLS

Hot in here

Words by

Neil Borecky

Photos by

Jenn Dykstra

GOLD RIVER AND ELK RIVER COFFEE CO.

A tale of two rivers

Words by

Jesse Hanas

Photos by

Tylan Tough

Hornby Island fossils

One man’s decades-long hunt

Words by

Dave Flawse

Photos by

Mel McLachlan

SHELTER POINT’S LOCALE-INFUSED WHISKIES

Salt, sun, and soil

Words by

Camilla Sampson

Photos by

Allison Kuhl

CRAFTING A ONE-NIGHT DINING EXPERIENCE

The pressures—and pleasures

Words by

Photos by

Nick Hutton-Jay

CLEANING OUR COASTLINES

The life cycle of our marine debris: from flotsam to recycled and beyond

Words by

Dave Flawse

Photos by

Kianna Zivny

PEER OUTREACH WORKERS

Part of a family bound by shared experience, suffering, and heartache

Words & photos by

Andrew Findlay

FUNKANOMETRY’S JACKSUN FRYER

Popping and locking happiness

Words by

Anne Farrer

Photos courtesy of

Funkanometry

FUNGI’S POTENTIAL ON OUR REMOTE COASTLINE

A mysterious world of wonders

Words by

Andrew Findlay

Illustration by

Lindsay Ness

WILD CORTES

The origins of a special exhibit

Words by

Laurel Bohart

Photo by

Melanie Boyle

THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND MYSTICAL TAILS

Bridging souls

Words & photos by

Ingrid van Ree

CUMBERLAND’S WOODSTOVE FESTIVAL

Fall in love, I dare you…

Words by

Erica Keen

Photos by

Joslyn Kilborn

GARRET T. WILLIE

Having a hell of a good time on stage

Words by

Mélanie Ritchot

Photo by

Matt Leaf

CUMBERLAND’S REVAMPED JUMP PARK

The merchants of dirt

Words by

Mike B

Photo by

Jenn Dykstra

RESTORING CRITICAL EELGRASS HABITAT

Collaboration and conservation in the Campbell River estuary

Words by

Jeff Groat

Photos by

Nycky-Jay Vanjecek

THE TIMELESS APPEAL OF TINTYPE PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

A memory set in metal

Words & photos by

Shantina Rae

THE SANDWICK CAIRN

Comox Valley remembers

Words by & photo courtesy of

Jim Whyte

WINTER AT THE THELWOOD-MYRA DIVIDE

Recalling a wild adventure that gave Whiteout Dome its name

Words & photos by

Philip Stone

HAPPIER, MORE PURPOSEFUL HUMANS

Editor's introduction to Vol. 10

Words by

Camilla Sampson

Photo by

Matt Newfield

GROWING APPLES AND MAKING CIDER

A 120-year old tradition

Words by

Ryan Stuart

Photos by

Jenn Dykstra

A LOVE LETTER TO THE VALLEY

An introduction to Vol. 39

Words by

Courtney Brown

Photo by

Jenn Dykstra

Featured Artist: Bryn Ball

A creative journey in France

Une grande aventure

Words & photos by

HELEN UTSAL

The Ocean Waves Square Dance Club celebrates 70 years

Get on the floor!

Words by

Ellen Granberg

Photo courtesy of

Evergreen Camera Club

A 160-KM SOLO SUP ADVENTURE

Exploring Vancouver Island’s rugged northwestern coast

Words by

Mary Wakefield

Photos by

Meredith Rose

ART AS AN INCUBATOR FOR RESILIENCE, EMPATHY, AND COMMUNITY

Why do we love pencils?

Words by

Christina Jones

Photos by

Joslyn Kilborn

THIRTY YEARS OF TIN TOWN

The Comox Valley’s distinctive live/work enclave is also a tightly bonded community

Words by

Mac Newton

Photo by

Paige Owen

THE VIETNAM WAR

War resisters: Stories of courage and compassion

Words by

Joline Martin

HOOKED ON THE SONORA LIFE

How one summer job became a lifelong vocation

Words by

Kaitlin Ross

Photos by

Marc Bächtold

PICKLEBALL: MORE THAN A GAME

For its many enthusiasts, plckleball is a way of life

Words by

Glenna Hazeldine

Photo by

Karley Bracey

Featured Photographer: Tom Powell

COLLABORATIVE MICRO-FARMING

Growing food and community, one yard at a time

Words by

Claire Gilmore

Photos by

Jenn Dykstra

CUMBERLAND ADULT SOCIAL CLUB

Cumberland seniors make new connections—and some even find love

Words by

Ryan Parton

Photos by

Jenn Dykstra

AN UPDATE ON STORIES FROM VOLUME 3

See them again

Words by

Zoë Cooper

Illustrations by

Alex Maertz

AN ISLAND-TO-ISLAND SWIM BECOMES A TRADITION

Taking the plunge

Words by

Laura Busheikin

Illustration by

Roz MacLean

COMOX VALLEY HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION

Working together in support of local seniors

Photo by

Karen McKinnon

CELEBRATING DIVERSITY IN THE COMOX VALLEY

Alive with pride

Words by

Jen Groundwater

Photos by

Sara Kempner

SUSTAINING A 60-YEAR COMMERCIAL FISHING TRADITION

A fishy family affair

Words by

Ryan Stuart

Illustrations by

Lauren Spinner

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