Explore The CV Collective Magazines

The CV Collective is our inaugural magazine and is created and published by ROAM Media Inc. Launched in the winter of 2014, the CV Collective is focused on the Comox Valley region and is a quarterly publication that releases on every solstice and equinox (mid March, June, September, and December).

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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/andrew-findlay/

Gallery photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/ellian-bell/

Photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/james-mckerricher/

Photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/keith-parry/

Photos by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/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 ...

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 ...

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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/?post_type=contributors&p=3636083

Photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/mac-newton/

Photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/andrew-findlay/

Opening photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/carrera-teal/

Photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/john-bonner/

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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/chelsea-mccannel-keene/

Photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/sara-cherewaty/

Photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/laura-busheikin/

Photos courtesy of

https://thecollectivemags.ca/?post_type=contributors&p=3635720

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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/simone-gingras-fox/

Photo courtesy of

https://thecollectivemags.ca/?post_type=contributors&p=3635697

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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/derek-adams/

Photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/vivian-dean/

Photos courtesy of

https://thecollectivemags.ca/?post_type=contributors&p=3635426

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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/ryan-stuart/

Photos by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/jodi-kozicki/

Photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/taylor-dawning/

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

CV Collective, Winter, Comox Valley, Courtenay, 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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/susan-barratt/

Photos by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/meredith-rose/

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 ...

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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/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

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/dawn-copeman/

DINNER IS SERVED

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

Eating local is a popular concept in the Comox Valley, with its long growing season and wealth of farms producing ...

Words by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/james-mckerricher/

Photos by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/alison-peill/

MAGIC IN THE DYE POT

CV Collective, Fall, Comox Valley, Culture & Art, Environment & Nature, Makers & Innovators, People & Places, Volume 31

When I was a kid growing up in the northern boreal forest, my mother took me and my siblings out foraging for ...

Words by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/marie-maccagno/

Photos by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/jenn-dykstra/

EVERYTHING WE KNOW IS WRONG

CV Collective, Fall, Opening Introduction, Comox Valley, Volume 31

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. – Søren Kierkegaard, 1843 I don’t ...

Words by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/jen-groundwater/

Photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/ron-pogue/

WERE IT NOT FOR THE BIKE

CV Collective, Fall, Comox Valley, Adventure & Sport, People & Places, Volume 31

This past January, I received an email from the organizer of the BC Epic thanking me for my registration. Which ...

Words & Featured Photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/dave-nowak/

Gallery Photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/gary-egli/

ELDER VALLEY: RETIREMENT REDEFINED

CV Collective, Elder Valley, Fall, Comox Valley, Volume 31

I spent most of my career trying to demystify things. Working as a civil servant in both Ottawa and Victoria, my ...

Words by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/stewart-goodings/

Photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/john-bonner/

LITTLE VALLEY: DAKOTA BLOMGREN

CV Collective, Fall, Little Valley, Comox Valley, People & Places, Volume 31

Hi, my name is Dakota Blomgren. I was born in the Comox Valley and I am nine years old. I am a proud member of the ...

Photos by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/shannon-koroll/

THE DAY THE PRINCE CAME TO TOWN

CV Collective, Fall, Comox Valley, Learning New Things, People & Places, Volume 31

Over a century ago, on a Monday in late September, crowds of young and old thronged Vancouver’s sidewalks. Mothers ...

Words by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/dave-flawse/

ALTERED LANDSCAPE

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

My first home in Cumberland was on Camp Road, in a row of rough cabins that were built in 1888 when the coal mine ...

Words by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/meaghan-cursons/

Photos by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/scott-bell/

FEEL LIKE A KID AGAIN

CV Collective, Fall, Comox Valley, Adventure & Sport, Culture & Art, People & Places, Volume 31

What an ugly night. It’s dark, pouring rain, and there are still remnants of slushy snow melting in the driveway, ...

Words & photos by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/kyle-hansen/

WHALE BREATH AND ANGEL WINGS

CV Collective, Fall, Comox Valley, Environment & Nature, Learning New Things, Volume 31

You don’t need to be an oyster farmer or sport fisherman for the daily ebb and flow of the ocean to impact your ...

Words by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/ryan-stuart/

Photos by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/luke-phillips/

JUMP SCARES AHEAD

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

Decades ago, I was sitting in a cinema seat in Toronto, gripping the armrests as the tension heightened, and ...

Words by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/mac-newton/

Illustration by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/ian-adams/

A DOORWAY TO HOPE

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

When David and Angela Mackenzie open the door to their new home, they will bring with them an unwavering ...

Words & Photos by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/karen-mckinnon/

SUNSET AT SMITH LAKE FARM

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

As I pull through the gates of Smith Lake Farm, I’m greeted by the sounds of chickens clucking and disc golfers ...

Words by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/sara-kempner/

Featured photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/meredith-rose/

MISADVENTURES IN BAKING

CV Collective, Fall, Comox Valley, Food & Drink, Health & Wellness, Makers & Innovators, People & Places, Volume 31

Back in 2013, I started shopping around for healthy nutrition options to supplement my gym goals. I’d never given ...

Words by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/bevin-clempson/

Photos by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/jennifer-brazil/

THE SCIENCE OF SASQUATCH

CV Collective, Fall, Comox Valley, Environment & Nature, Learning New Things, Volume 31

Do you laugh when you hear the word sasquatch? Do you believe that sasquatches exist? Do you think that a ...

Words by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/terrance-james/

Featured Photo by

https://thecollectivemags.ca/contributors/jo-anne-johnson/