TAKE 5 May 2021 by Take 5 Print & Digital Media

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MAY 2021

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Letters As a fairly new resident of Nanaimo, I have been reading with interest the Nanaimo News Bulletin (NNB) and TAKE 5, trying to be informed with what is happening around me and looking for places to explore. This last TAKE 5 issue was of particular interest for the various articles and bits of information you had in it. A couple of NNB issues ago, I saw a full-page ad from TourismNanaimo.com, regarding Nanaimo’s best hikes, which included Cable Bay Nature Trail in Cedar. I have been to other trails and places but not to a few of the others mentioned nor to this one. I had heard about it from a couple of other hikers and neighbours but had never been to it until recently.

Logged Cable bay Trail area. Photo: Keith Edwards

I am glad I did and have now been there three times in eight days due to the recent good weather and the wanting to try diﬀerent areas. I read with interest of the TAKE 5 article of “Cable Bay Trail Forest Loss,” written eloquently by “concerned residents of the Cable Bay Trail Area.” After my first trip there and seeing that there were fallen trees and signs saying, “Active Logging” and “Private Property,” I was interested in finding out more about it and of the area. Each trip, I have gone all the way to Joan Point Park to

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visit Dodds Narrows, as it is ever changing and a beautiful area to experience. The first time was at fairly low tide, so I was able to see the many sea stars, sea anemone, clams, one seal, an eagle and sea lions that were going back and forth through the narrow channel of water. The second and third time I visited was at high tide and I also “explored” some oﬀ shoot trails and walked along the shoreline, taking pictures as I went. After the second visit and learning more about the activities and situation in the area, I have since written to my

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MLA, Nanaimo mayor and councillors, and the RDN planners, expressing my concern of the logging proposals and interest of the owner. As most unfortunately in so many cases, a secure pocket of natural beauty, like Joan Point Park and Cable Bay Nature Trail (CBNT), is tentatively connected by a small trail leading from CBNT, ending at the bridge overlooking Cable Bay and joining the Joan Point Park Trail a little while later. Nice to have the CBNT; however, on both sides of the CBNT is the proposed logging development that the article refers to. I am writing to you to express my thanks for publishing this article and of your magazine. I am sending you some of my recent pictures … just in case you have not been there! Two logging access roads and another for the communication lines. — Keith Edwards Letters to the editor on community topics and concerns are always welcome. Letters may be edited for length. Opinions represented here are not necessarily those of TAKE 5 or its agents. Email editor@take5.ca

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Awareness for Murdered & Missing Indigenous people Stz’uminus First Nation along with Nuxalk Nation came together on April 18 to hang red dresses in memory of Indigenous women and children who have gone missing or been murdered. Part of the ceremony involved singing and the hanging of two dresses and a shirt in honour of relatives. George Harris, Sr., remembered his niece Levina Moody, who lost her life in 1969 on what is now known as the Highway of Tears. The red dresses are powerful reminders of the lives that have been lost. The use of the red dress was originally inspired by the REDress Project but has continued to grow. They will remain hanging leading up to May 5, National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. A 2019 national inquiry reported that Indigenous women are 16 times more likely to be murdered or go missing than white women.

Remembering murdered Indigenous people. Photo: Quentin Goodbody

COCO Café Celebrates 10 Years in Business

GSAR Callouts Surge During COVID-19, Precautions Urged

On Thursday, June 3, 2021, Cedar’s COCO Café celebrates the 10th anniversary of first opening its doors. Started by four families in Cedar with adult children with diverse abilities (developmental disabilities), COCO Café’s mission from the outset has been to provide meaningful employment and socialization opportunities for persons with diverse abilities within their community. Since opening, COCO Café has expanded twice: first in 2013, when it expanded its kitchen to build its emerging catering business; and again in 2019, when it opened a new commercial

British Columbia’s Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) groups have just wrapped up the busiest year in BC GSAR history. As COVID-19 restrictions pushed people to explore outdoors, it also drew GSAR groups out to a record number of requests to assist the public. “Our search and rescue volunteers in BC are world class, and they’ve continued to prove that through the challenge of a global pandemic,” says Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor-General. It is critical not only to be prepared before venturing into BC’s mountains and trails, but also to call for help immediately if needed. BC AdventureSmart advises people follow the “Three Ts”: trip plan, train and take the essentials. In addition, Avalanche Canada has extensive resources online.

COCO Cafe employee. Photo submitted.

kitchen dedicated to catering and building a new retail business that would see COCO meals sold both online and in retail grocery stores. Prior to the onset of the COVID pandemic, COCO’s business was thriving. It employed 42 people (including 22 with diverse abilities), was providing employees with diverse abilities with over 11,000 hours of supported employment a year, had become one of Nanaimo’s most sought-after caterers, and was routinely listed as one of Nanaimo’s top five restaurants by Trip Advisor. Through the years, COCO’s success in delivering on its mission has been recognized through a number of local, provincial and international awards. While in-café dining at COCO Café remains closed, as it has been for much of the pandemic, COCO is open for takeout, with some limited outdoor dining space available, and has developed an online store (www.cococafe.ca/store) that sells a number of fresh and frozen meals that are delivered locally. It has also partnered with a number of local organizations, such as the Nanaimo Foundation and the Nanaimo and Ladysmith School District Foundation, to deliver meals to students and families facing food security issues as a result of the COVID pandemic. COCO Café attributes much of its success to the great community support it has received through the years. Melanie Atwell, General Manager of the café, says, “We want to extend a huge heartfelt thank you to the entire community for supporting us in this endeavor. It has

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made an incredible diﬀerence to the lives of so many people with diverse abilities and to the family and friends who support them. The community should be proud of its role in COCO’s success.” COCO Café will be celebrating its 10th anniversary by oﬀering a 10 per cent discount on takeout orders on June 3 and offering free cake pops throughout the day (while supplies last).

Endowment Fund for Ladysmith Established A group of volunteers in Ladysmith has formed the Ladysmith Community Fund Society, with the goal of establishing a permanent endowment fund to support eligible charities working in the community. The fund will operate in the same way a community foundation operates, receiving bequests and donations, and issuing grants from the income earned by the fund’s holdings. LCFS President Bruce Whittington says the new endowment fund is in place and people can contribute by donating to the Nanaimo Foundation, with “Ladysmith Community Fund” in the subject line. “We also welcome people who would like to become involved in building the fund — we can use lots of different skills,” he says. For more information, contact Bruce Whittington at 250245-5325, or by email at brucewhittington@shaw.ca.

Yard Waste Pilot Project The Town of Ladysmith is launching a new yard waste pilot project this spring to make it easier for you to dispose of unwanted debris.

Door-to-door pick up dates are tentatively planned for May 25–31, 2021 (the last collection day of the month). In addition to solid waste, Waste Connections is collecting yard waste as part of the regularly scheduled pick-up day. The following items and quantities can be placed curbside for collection: Yard Waste: Up to ten compost bags or reusable bins of yard waste no larger than 77 L and weighing no more than 44 lbs (20 kg). Sticks: Up to two bundles of sticks no longer than three feet and no larger than two inches in diameter. Bundles of sticks must be tied with cotton string and not exceed 44 lbs (20 kg) in weight. The Town is planning to evaluate public participation in the yard waste pilot project and bring forward a recommendation to Council regarding the potential for additional pick-up days in the fall.

Budget Proposes Infrastructure Renewal Projects, Facility Upgrades Ladysmith Council will consider final adoption of the 2021 Budget in early May, and the projects scheduled for this year include ongoing work to renew aging infrastructure, upgrades to public facilities and improvements to overall service delivery. The bylaws to set the property tax rates will be included on the May 4, 2021, Council Agenda. All of the budget presentations are available on the Town’s website for review. The 2021 Budget makes progress on Council’s Strategic Plan priorities: infrastructure, waterfront, community and economy.

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Ladysmith Council Notes Ladysmith Council met on April 6, 2021, for two virtual public hearings and a Regular Meeting of Council. The first public hearing was for Oﬃcial Community Plan (OCP) and zoning bylaw amendments at 670 and 674 Farrell Road and Lot 20 Trans-Canada Highway. Council proceeded with third reading of these proposed changes, which included: allowing multi-family residential, single-family residential and parks and open space, amending the zoning to low density residential, single dwelling residential and park and recreation; and amending the R-1 zone on the properties to included duplexes on parcels 780-square metres or larger. The proposed development also requires Ministry of Transportation approval due to its proximity to the highway.

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The second Public Hearing was for OCP and zoning bylaw amendments at 201 and 203 Dogwood Drive, the site of the former Dalby’s Automotive business. Council proceeded with third reading of the proposed changes, which included amending the OCP designation of the properties from local commercial to multi-family residential, adding Development Permit Area 4 – Multi-Unit Residential, amending policies in the multi-family residential designation, and changing the zone from local commercial (C-1) to a new zone, Multi-Family Mixed – Use (R-4), for a proposed 25-unit, five-story multifamily residential building with potential for small-scale commercial uses on the ground floor. Mayor Stone recognized Taylor (Mackenzie) Walters, who was awarded the prestigious Terry Fox Humanitarian Award

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in recognition of her work promoting equality in the sciences. The award, valued at up to $28,000, supports young humanitarians who have demonstrated courage and determination through academics, athletics and civic life.

LDHS Presents Wildlife Safety

Amanda Crowston, Cowichan Valley WildSafeBC coordinator will give a free talk in May on Wildlife Safety. Photo submitted.

Learn about bears, cougars, wolves, deer and elk on Vancouver Island. The concept of human-wildlife conflict is also taught and people are encouraged to take an active role in reducing wildlife attractants around their home, work and recreational activities. The program fosters a respectful relationship with all wildlife that emphasizes keeping wildlife wild and communities safe. Presented by Amanda Crowston, Cowichan Valley WildSafeBC coordinator, this is part of the Ladysmith & District Historical Society’s “Historically Speaking” series presented on Zoom. To register and get your link, email museum@ladysmithhistoricalsociety.ca or phone 250-245-0423. For more information on local wildlife, visit the Prime Predators exhibit on now at the Ladysmith Museum, open Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (free admission, donate if you can).

CVRD Receives a Second Boost The Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) recently received a second contribution from the COVID-19 Safe Restart Grant for Local Governments, providing a total of $1,543,000 to ensure the regional district can continue to deliver services during the COVID-19 pandemic recovery. The funding can be applied towards a range of costs.

The annual spring clean up sponsored by the Ladysmith Sportsmen Club amounted to a staggering 25 tons of trash that volunteers removed from the forest. In the previous seven years the club had removed a total of 63 tons, said Dave Judson noting that about 10 tons a year is dumped illegally in the bush. Judson thanked the businesses and individuals that supported the Clean Up. Photo: Dave Judson

The Ladysmith Lions held a bottle drive last month that raised over $200, which will go back into Ladysmith community programs that the Lions support. Photo: Allen McDermid.

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Heritage boat relaunched BY MARINA SACHT For the past four and a half years a group of about 15 Ladysmith Maritime Society volunteers have been meeting three times a week to work on the heritage vessel C.A. Kirkegaard. Their hard work paid oﬀ on Tuesday April 20, 2021 when the C.A. Kirkegaard was relaunched. The 30’ boat was built in 1947 by Clark

Ladysmith Maritime Society boat restoration crew in front of the heritage vessel C.A.Kirkegaard. (left) The "Kirk' after the launch. Photos: Bob Burgess.

Brothers Boat Works in Brentwood Bay. It started its working life as a passenger boat for Canadian Industries Ltd. (C.I.L.). It was used to transport workers from Sidney to their factory on James Island. For safety reasons workers were

not allowed to live near the plant. Later, the “Kirk” was used as a small ferry, for whale watching in Johnstone Straits and finally abandoned on Hanson Island oﬀ Johnson Straits, according to LMS Director Jeﬀ Reichert.

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LMS took on the task of restoring the boat in 1992 and a year later the “Kirk” was relaunched following a major restoration. The “Kirk” was a familiar sight in Ladysmith Harbour until she was hauled out and brought to the boat works located in the Car Shop of the former Comox Logging & Rail Co. buildings for some maintenance. The work that went into the rebuild was astounding. John Beames, one of the lead volunteers who worked on the vessel calculates that over 7,500 hours of volunteer labour went into the “Kirk”. Parts of the timbers “was so rotten it came out in handfuls,” says Beames. Ribs and plants were replaced, the horn timber, and the stern was completely rebuilt. The interior was refinished and partitions were removed. “We also attempted to bring it back to some semblance of what it looked like originally before it had been revamped as a cruising boat. We took it back to its original purpose as a passenger boat,” said Beames. The decision was made to return the “Kirk” to its original configuration as close as Transport Canada requirements

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allowed. The engine was relocated aft to make room for a head. Raised combings were added around the cockpit and one additional bay of the aft cabin was opened for passenger viewing. The bat was transported by Ladysmith Marine Services and launched at the Ladysmith Fisherman's dock. Beames had the honour of skippering the boat back to the Ladysmith Community Marina where she joins the rest of LMS fleet. The extensive rebuild will ensure the heritage boat will continue to delight passengers and visitors alike, said LMS President Dan Lutz. “We hope to have tours to outlying islands for residents and visitors as well.” The work LMS volunteers do by promoting Ladysmith’s maritime heritage means a piece of history has been preserved for visitors and residents alike. “It's been a labour of love,’ said Beames. More boats await restoration. Work parties are every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning to noon. Drop by if you can help or would like to watch the fading craft of traditional shipbuilding

Interior plate. Photo: Nick Longo

at work. The Ladysmith Maritime Society operates the Ladymith Community Marina and is well known for its Harbour Boat Tours, Welcome Centre, Kids’ Pirate Day (this year virtual, May 31-June 6), Heritage Boat Festival along with numerous events and programming. “We are open for business as far as possible and the “Kirk” will be enjoyed by many once it is Transport Canada approved, it will be available to the public,” said LMS Executive Director Richard Wiefelspuett. For more information on the phone 250-245-1146 or visit lmsmarina.ca

Native Plants Belong in Our Gardens BY JOANNE BARWISE, MASTER GARDENER INTERN Native plants are all around us, so why would we even consider planting any in our gardens? You may have the impression that native plants are too common, shaggy and unattractive … au contraire, our native plants are beautiful. A spark of inspiration was all I needed to set me on a path that would change how I garden. It was the mason bee that helped me turn the corner on native plants. Native bees and native plants have co-evolved over thousands of years; the bees gave me the perfect opportunity to see if I could make some garden connections. Gardening with native plants goes hand in hand with gardening for wildlife. If you are the least bit ecologically conscious, then consider the benefits of native plants and decide for yourself. You will save water. Native plants have grown in our region for thousands of

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years. They are adapted to our regional climate: wet winters and dry summers. Once the plants have established, they stand up to the rigours of our environment — tough enough to survive dry spells when the water bans are in eﬀect. You will have close encounters. If you plant them they will come. Native plants provide the food and shelter that pollinators are evolutionarily adapted to. Our native wildlife, especially birds, butterflies, pollinators, and other organisms, evolved with the plants here; many can only feed on plants they co-evolved with. Most bees and butterflies are generalists and that means they feed on nectar and pollen from a variety of plants. Other plants serve as hosts (food sources) for the caterpillar stages of native butterflies and as nectar sources for adult butterflies or other insects. Some butterfly species are completely dependent on specific native plants to survive. For examples, stinging nettle is host for red admiral, West Coast lady, satyr anglewing and Milbert’s tortoiseshell butterflies; oceanspray is a host plant for Lorquin’s admiral and western spring azure butterflies; and the Garry oak hosts the Propertius duskywing. You will provide ecosystem value. Natives provide the most value and are much more likely to be used by our native pollinators. The plants establish a sense of place and supply a visual

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connection between your personal surroundings and your community ’s natural areas. Native plants are already established in balanced, local ecosystems, so they have little or no potential to become invasive pests in our wild and natural areas. You will have a beautiful garden without pesticides. Native plants are also easier to establish and will not require the use of pesticides. A diversity of native plants will help establish a native ecosystem that will balance itself out naturally with good bugs to control the bad. You are preserving diversity. By planting natives, you are preserving the natural world in your own backyard. Gardening with native plants is one way to help promote and protect biodiversity. Choose flowers with many flower heads and numerous small florets, such as yarrow and woolly sunflower. Many pollinators, including butterflies, can perch on these flowers and drink the sweet nectar. Include late season bloomers, such as aster and goldenrod, to ensure something is in bloom throughout the season. In a sunny mixed border, mix brightly flowering shrubs, such as blue-blossom, red flowering currant, oceanspray and mock orange, and add more colour with native iris, blue-eyed grass, camas bulbs, and Oregon sunshine. Use a groundcover of wild strawberry or kinnikinnick. Native plants will give your garden a sense of authenticity. Understanding how they live in the wild can inform how you use them. There are native plants suited to every planting site from dry shade, sun-drenched rock gardens, boggy wetlands, shady woodlands, to refined perennial borders. There are native plant nurseries on the Island, and you can easily find one through Google. As you can see, there’s more to native plants than meets the eye. Small patches of native plants may seem insignificant, but if each yard devotes a small area to pollinators, our neighbourhoods will be a season-long buﬀet of nectar and pollen that supports a diversity of native pollinators. Opposite Page: Farewell-to-Spring (Clarkia amoena), Fool’s Onion (Triteleia hyacinthina) and Woolly Sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum) Photo: Saanich Native Plants Nursery

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RDN Area A Cedar It is diﬃcult to stay focused in another meeting when the sun is shining and the temperature is in the mid to high teens! I often wonder what the rest of the world is doing while I am in the third of four meetings in a day and, because of the pandemic, have been in front of my computer on Zoom for four hours or more. This is not to complain, but to give you a glimpse into the life of one local government elected oﬃcial. That is one of the details of this job that the public may not be aware of. There also is the frustration of not being able to help a community member because legislation, regulation or policy stands in the way of getting things done. It is common, in my role as an electoral area director, to bump up against the fact that the issue I am dealing with is not in the jurisdiction of local government. It is especially frustrating when I find out that other levels of government are responsible but, for whatever reason, choose to not respond to the issue at hand. The issue of homelessness comes to mind. It is a provincial government responsibility in terms of housing, health and addictions and a federal responsibility in terms of policing. When I get a complaint about homeless people moving into an area, there is nothing I can do to help the residents of that area outside of continuing to advocate for something to be done but knowing that it is unlikely to

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have any eﬀect. Another interesting thing that I ponder is the fact that for every phone call or email I get telling me the writer or caller is against some bylaw, regulation or policy, there are inevitably people who tell me the restrictions don’t go far enough! I have learned that I should never trust in the obvious — if an issue seems simple, you can be assured that it is not. The subtleties and meaning are in the very fine print, the nuanced discussion points and the emotional state of the people affected. Finally, I often recall the advice given to me by a seasoned federal politician in my early days of local government. He said never to forget the people you haven’t heard from, the people not complaining and the people who never stop you on the street. Those people are mostly satisfied, he said. So, to those satisfied ones: you are the folks that I remember most when I am in that third meeting of the day. And to everyone in the community, thanks for your patience and understanding. I’ll get back to you as soon as the next meeting is finished!

CVRD Area H North Oyster/ Diamond Did you know there is federal excise tax on gasoline (ten cents per litre) and diesel (four cents per litre) that provides funding to local government in the form of a Gas Tax Agreement? Yes, we

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pay more at the pump to have the federal government send the funds to local government and then tell us how it can be spent. Whether you agree with this approach or not, the reality is there are funds available for Area H. Here, I want to explain how the Gas Tax works and how it can be used for projects in our community. I also want to get community input on possible projects, but before your creative juices start to flow, please read the whole article. Since this is taxpayer money, there is a strict approval process and a number of eligibility criteria. I encourage you to send me your ideas. I plan to share these ideas at a virtual Townhall on May 13, 2021, at 7 p.m. See www.AreaH.ca for meeting details. According to a CVRD staﬀ report in 2019, the Federal Gas Tax Agreement provides predictable, long-term and stable funding to local governments in British Columbia for investment in infrastructure and capacity-building projects. The fund is guided by three national program objectives, which include productivity and economic growth, a clean environment, and strong cities and communities. The Community Works Fund is one stream of Gas Tax funding available to all local governments, based on a per capita formula, with payments made to local governments twice a year. This allows local governments to make local choices about which eligible proj-

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ects to fund. The CVRD Board approved a funding formula that first allocates the funds to Electoral Areas (60 per cent), CVRD Asset Management Infrastructure Investments (30 per cent) and CVRD Asset Management Capacity Building (10 per cent). I expect this formula will be reviewed in 2024. The amount each Electoral Area gets is based on population. For example, Area H received $443,841 in 2020. What kind of projects have been done in the past? To provide some historical perspective, here are some of the approved projects for Area H over the last number of years: Shellwood Water ($360,000) North Oyster Fire Department upgrades ($426,000) North Oyster Community Centre ($30,820) Woodley Range Water ($260,000) Shellbeach Water ($230,000) These are similar to projects in other electoral areas. While not all of these projects have been completed, it is my principle to honour prior commitments. When projects actually begin construc-

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tion depends on a variety of factors. Once funds are allocated and the project is approved, it is prioritized and waits its turn for completion. As I mentioned above, I would like to get community input on how to allocate the remaining 2020 funds ($412,021), as well as upcoming funds. I don’t have the amount for 2021, but there has been a recent announcement by the federal government of additional funds for 2021. This should result in a larger portion for Area H. To receive annual Gas Tax allocations, all local governments enter into an agreement with the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), which sets out the terms and conditions of the program, including outlining eligible project categories, eligible costs and reporting requirements. The agreement also lays out provisions for providing funding to a third party for eligible projects. Project proposals must include specific information that is required to be reported to UBCM. As well, the CVRD has some added eligibility criteria including the requirement that a project should be spread out over five years to

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accommodate payment schedule and staﬀ capacity. As you might expect, there is a lot of detail to consider, and I’ll post the documents on www.AreaH.ca. For now, here are some of the eligible categories: Active Transportation, Community Energy Systems, Wastewater, Drinking Water, Solid Waste, Sport Infrastructure, Recreation, Cultural, Tourism, Disaster Mitigation, Public Transit, Brownfield redevelopment (contaminated sites), Asset Management, Integrated Community Sustainability Plans, and Long-term Infrastructure Plan. Now I need your help — please send me your thoughts! Email is best (ben.maartman@cvrd.bc.ca), but I can also be reached at 250-510-5930. And remember to mark our next TownHall on your calendar for Thursday, May 13, at 7 p.m. I look forward to hearing from the community and sharing your ideas. Lastly, there are open positions on both the Parks Advisory Commission and the Advisory Planning Commission. Contact me if you are interested. Stay safe and be patient.

CVRD Area G Saltair/Thetis Island How exciting to hear daily that Area G Saltair/Gulf Islands residents are receiving their “jab.” A large percentage of Area G residents are over 65. A year ago, I was concerned about this demographic. Now, I feel like dancing in the street as our communities become safer. Island Health has arranged to have all Thetis Island residents wanting vaccinations vaccinated by the end of April. May is an amazing month. Residents are getting ready to plant their gardens. Local gardeners have their own idea about when is the best time to plant. I know some look at Mount Brenton and Mount Hall and wait for the snow to disappear. Some wait for the New Moon in May. Others wait until the long weekend in May. Last year, many residents started planting vegetable gardens for the first time. Welcome to “locally grown.” CVRD Office (175 Ingram Steet, Duncan) On March 28, there was a flood in the CVRD office building that caused extensive damage. The CVRD reception area has been moved to the Cowichan Community Centre. With most staff working from home under COVID regulations, there has been minimal impact. As more information becomes available, there will be update, 1-800-665-3955 or 250-746-2500 and https://www.cvrd.ca/civicalerts.aspx?AID=2269. Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) The Province of BC has required a Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) to be completed by the CVRD. Area G is a little more complex than other CVRD areas because it includes 11 Gulf Islands. The original HNA documents for Area G have been amended to more accurately describe Saltair and the Gulf Islands (https://www.cvrd.ca/3348/Sub-regional-HousingNeeds-Assessment-Re). Personally, I feel there is a disconnect in timing. The HNA uses 2016 Stats Canada information and projects forward from these statistics. The next Canada Census of Population will take place in May 2021. It might have been prudent to wait for the HNA.

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The reports do not take into account water sustainability, the capacities of wastewater systems, traﬃc, or soil types, etc. It would also be nice to have a Saltair Potential Development Map like the one that exists for Thetis Island. For example, there are about 200 parcels in Saltair that can add secondary suites, and there are also parcels that could be subdivided. Which strategy or combinations of strategies should be supported? As the Saltair community moves into the modernization phase of the Regional Oﬃcial Community Plan and Local Area Plans, these are considerations that need to be brought into the conversation. Community Works Funds (CWF) 3.0 This year there will be a doubled allocation of funds to the CVRD. In the near future, the Electoral Area directors will discuss allocations of additional funds. In Saltair, we continue to search for water distribution system upgrades funding. Is this the funding project that will provide the greatest benefit to the whole community? Saltair Coastal Slope Stability LTR Assessment Saltair property owners who have parcels on the coast have been notified that CVRD contractors will be performing planned fieldwork in the area from May 26 to 28, 2021. This fieldwork will help develop an understanding of natural hazards in the coastal zone, local drivers of slope instability, and potential impacts of sea level rise. The aim is to ultimately guide safe development practices in Saltair.

Cannabis — Designated Producer The CVRD Board has authorized a letter to the Government of Canada requesting that designated producer licences be phased out. With the Cannabis regulations that have come into aﬀect over the last few years, these licences may no longer be necessary. Many medical marijuana patients who grow their own marijuana received approval to do so under programs established long before recreational marijuana was legalized. Now such licenses appear to be unnecessary and a possible underground source of unregulated marijuauna. Saltair Water Restrictions Please take the time to familiarize yourself with the CVRD water restrictions: http://cvrdnewnormalcowichan.ca/wateruse-restrictions/. Emergency Program Act The Province of BC is reviewing its Emergency Program Act. The CVRD is looking at our gaps. What are our hazard risks and vulnerabilities? Over the coming months, CVRD directors will be involved in additional workshops. The seasonal displays on my front lawn have become popular. Thank you for taking the time to notice and comment. I hope to continue the tradition for Mother’s Day, Victoria Day, Father’s Day and Canada Day. Who knew we had so much to celebrate? If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at lynne.smith@cvrd.bc.ca or 250-701-1407. Additional articles and information may be found at SaltairNews.ca.

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Chemainus Art Group Mosaic Mural Project Chemainus Art Group participants put their happy spring inspirations to “canvas” to share with you this summer! Each of 33 artists were given a prepared one-foot-by-one-foot square on which to turn their creative thoughts into a masterpiece. They had only the theme for inspiration. But for fun, each square had to follow certain guidelines, which, with all squares mounted together in the right order, resulted in one overall design on a four-foot-by-eight-foot mural. But this design was kept a secret to the working artists till after their art piece was complete and submitted. The group thanks the world-renowned Alberta team of Mural Mosaics for their whale mural on Galiano Island, which

Chemainus Art Group mural mosaic celebrates a joyful spring. Photo submitted.

birthed the inspiration to share their skills and talents to create this project. When the mural backing and display stands are completed, and when COVID-safe, watch for the original mural mosaic to visit local communities over the summer. To view the full mural mosaic and the artists’ individual art pieces visit our website at https://www.chemainusartgroup.com/mural-project.

Radio Plays Keep Playing Due to the success of the first four radio plays, Ladysmith Little Theatre is planning to release a second series of new plays written by local playwright, Greg Finnegan. The first play, Happy As The Larks, will be released on May 3. Three more plays — Visitors from Planet Z, Catered Crime and It’s Isabel — will be launched June 1, July 5 and August 2, 2021. To listen to these four new plays, check the theatre website at www.ladysmiththeatre.com and join the hundreds of listeners around the world who are tuning in to enjoy some “live” theatre.

Island; Mary Ann Croft, the first female lighthouse keeper in all of Canada; and Victoria Chung, the first Asian-Canadian person to earn a medical degree. Empowering and entertaining, this concise collection of true stories about 14 women will appeal to anyone interested in learning more about the unsung heroines of the West Coast. The virtual book launch for Flourishing and Free: More True Stories of Trailblazing Women of Vancouver Island will be on Sunday, May 2, at 1 p.m. on Facebook Live. To join, go to On Their Own Term’s Facebook page on that date and time. For more information, contact 250713-4184 or visit www.haleyhealey. com. Copies of her book are also available at the Ladysmith Museum for $10.

More Remarkable Women Writer and historian Haley Healey has released a second book showcasing remarkable women on Vancouver Island. In the follow-up to On Their Own Terms, author Healey chronicles the lives of a new crop of resilient, hardworking, rule-breaking, diverse women who lived on and around Vancouver Island. Flourishing and Free introduces readers to Sylvia Stark, who was born into slavery in Missouri and went on to become a homesteader on Salt Spring

Haley Healey Author. Photo: Kristin Wenberg

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No Mow May BY NIKKI TOXOPEUS, YELLOW POINT ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY No Mow May is fun and a lazy way to start the summer and is a fantastic way to help the birds and the bees. It is also something we all have the skills to do and it will really help all the wildlife that depends on the creatures and plants in our gardens, meadows and roadside ditches. If we delay mowing until after the end of May, we may be surprised how quickly Nature responds. So, is there a patch you can protect? Spring is the season of breeding and feeding young. Birds need their nests undisturbed, and they need bugs and caterpillars to feed their young for a few weeks. Bird feeders do not cut it for the baby birds. There used to be a lot more food for the birds, but insects are in decline. Remember when there were many more bugs? All over our windshields? The Yellow Point Ecological Society supports the vision of the Canadian Wildlife Federation and Nature Conservancy of Canada to build a network of interconnected wild yards, hedgerows, fields, right of ways, and roadsides that can be left undisturbed during the spring breeding season (and the fall too!). If we can make our backyards more pollinator friendly and chat to our neighbours to get them on board with our “new look,” we can have a big impact. Citizen science done by the British organization Plantlife shows that the simple act of No Mow May can increase the number of bees in your yard tenfold. Doug Tallamy’s book Nature’s Best Hope gives wonderful advice on the native species we should plant to turn our backyards into refuges for wildlife. There is a growing body of knowledge and native plant supplies on Vancouver Island. The Nanaimo Area Land Trust (NALT) has started a Pollinators Paradise project to promote the use of native pollinator-friendly plants and other ways to support pollinators. They are launching their project web page

this month – so watch NALT’s website (https://www.nalt.bc.ca/) for details. The Ministry of Transportation are also part of the solution. They are responsible for keeping the vegetation within 1.8 metres of the road below 25 centimetres high, for traﬃc safety. In May, the Contractors are usually busy cleaning up the gravel and controlling the dust along the roadsides and do not start mowing until June. They delay mowing so they only mow once a season (and save the taxpayers’ money). Often, they cannot mow for most of the summer due to fire hazards, so the vegetation is brushed or mowed in August or September. If right of ways were planted with low resilient shrubs and herbaceous native plants, which do not need mowing, this might also keep invasive species from dominating. The contractor I spoke to said he had worked in areas with healthy ecosystems, where the native vegetation grew in the right of ways and kept the invasive species away. Invasive plant species do not suit native wildlife, but that is a topic for another day. For now, it would be great to grow the support for No Mow May. It is an easy way to help protect wildlife and their habitats during the sensitive breeding season. If we must mow, we should mow as high as possible. It will be better for the lawn and the ground dwelling bees. Perhaps we can create refuges in spaces away from the lawn. In this way, we can mitigate the biodiversity crisis and save our money, time, and energy.

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MAY 2021

La Rosa Gardens BY MARINA SACHT It may be reigning COVID on the outside, but inside La Rosa Gardens, there is a sunny outlook. And while all the residents have been offered and received their first dose of the vaccine, that positive outlook has prevailed through the darkest hours of the pandemic. The contemporary seniors 60-unit housing centre, set along a tranquil garden in Ladysmith, provides independent (supportive and assisted) living accommodations and services for seniors. Jerry and Kathy Huard have owned and operated La Rosa Gardens since 2003. Since then, it has grown to become a fixture in the community, with many residents volunteering and helping the community through fundraisers for a host of worthwhile groups and endeavours. We caught up to the busy management team of Amy Vasvick and Activity Director Jen Gendron to see how La Rosa has been weathering the pandemic. “We make sure we meet all the residents’ [social] needs here on site, as much as we can. Our staff is great with kind of being that extra family right now,” says Vasvick. Keeping busy and engaging their residents is important at any time, but especially so in light of the social isolation brought on by the pandemic. In order to follow COVID health orders, some of the regular activities at La Rosa had to be restructured, but more were added with activities available all week long to help offset the loss of social contact with the community and family members. “We want it to be a fun place, and that’s our main goal, in addition to providing the safety aspect of it too,” says Gendron. Other challenges addressed was the loss of outside shopping and dining trips. When that no longer became possible due to health restrictions, they brought in more takeout. This helped not only the residents, but also the business community. “We’ve really been trying to help our local community as well by supporting them through this,” says Gendron.

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La Rosa Gardens residents Shirley and Bob Patterson enjoy a quiet moment in the garden. Left: Jen Gendron, La Rosa Gardens Activity Director. Photos: Marina Sacht

Keeping residents active and busy has been part of their formula for successfully keeping their residents positive and upbeat. Volunteering and helping in the community have continued, with residents putting together care packages for the homeless, making cookies for the SPCA, and so on. “They do stuﬀ throughout the year to help the community,” says Gendron. After all, busy people are happy people. “Our goal is to reach out into the community. We want to let them know what we are about as much as we are interested to know about them,” says Gendron. She’s always looking for local businesses and groups that host programs that may interest their residents. Despite over a year of uncertainties, the residents have, for the most part, continued to be upbeat, says Vasvick. Part of their success comes from open communication. “We’re really transparent with bringing them any information, whether it be COVID or anything new going on in the community or here at La Rosa,” she says. They are thankful for the support they have received from the community, the inquires, the hearts on the windows, the groups that continued to reach out and the family members that put trust in them. “We’re all doing very well and every-

one here is healthy and happy, and it’s just nice to know that the community support is there, that they’re thinking of us,” says Gendron. “I think COVID actually brought a lot of our staﬀ closer to-

gether, along with the residents. I think that’s been a positive thing for us here.” Meeting adversity has created a stronger bond between staﬀ and residents. “We are like family,” adds Vasvick.

Litter box woes I don’t get it. Our cat Fluffy can be out in the field 200 feet from the house, freshly rototilled vegetable garden on one side, hand-dug flower bed on the other. Yet, when nature calls, he’ll walk all the way back to the litter box inside the house to take the call. Some cat apologists place blame on our soil: “It needs lightening up with sand or organic material,” they say. “Too hard on kitty’s paws.” Totally untrue. Our soil is as light as a soufflé, albeit with a different flavour profile. In addition to sand, leaves and compost, it’s had manure packed in from all four corners of the globe. From trendy llama to flamboyant zebra, it’s manure-of-the-month club out there, and nothing lightens up a soufflé like manure. (“Delbert. This is your grade eleven geometry teacher. Four corners of the globe? Since when do spheres have corners?) But when the same cat whose paws couldn’t scratch the surface outside is placed in a litter box, watch him go. He can slingshot litter right across the

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room. Our north facing wall looks like it’s been shot peened. Well, I say the problem is not with our soil – it’s with our cat. Somewhere along the garden path we enabled him to believe a litter box is a necessity, not a rainy-day convenience. That we allowed this to happen is doubly incomprehensible when you consider the nature of cat litter. As cat owners will confirm, it is one of the heaviest materials known to man. In fact, litter is so heavy World’s Strongest Man competitions are staged around it. These events usually take place in Costco parking lots where tattooed giants named Igor attempt to carry two containers of litter from aisle seven to the check-out counter without their hearts exploding all over the food court. Other events include the Kitty Litter Toss where participants shot put litter containers over a parked car, hopefully not mine, and the Tail Gate Lift, where the object is to load as much litter as possible into the back of an enormous SUV owned by a 98-pound woman named Shirley. Once Shirley gets the litter home and moved into the house with the neighbour’s tractor, she fills the cat box and the fun begins. A quarter cup of Fluﬀy’s urine transforms the sand-like litter into a hardball-sized block of solidified cat urine that weights about the same as a ten-pin bowling ball. Curiously, it has the aroma of a grassy, herbaceous New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. That Bacchus - what a comedian!

MAY 2021

These urine blocks quickly add up, especially if your cat is older and pees a lot. The problem becomes what to do with them. It doesn’t help that they are seagull shit white and glisten radioactively when wet. You can put them in your backyard but the glowing odor quickly dominates the airspace and has the same effect on property values as getting your topsoil from Chernobyl. Placing urine-soaked chunks in your garbage also has disadvantages. First off, the weight requires a forklift, or a next door neighbour named Igor. Second, placing cat litter in the garbage can is regarded as an act of war by sanitation workers, a crowd you never want on the opposing side because they can turn your pristine front yard into a festering garbage dump with just one flick of the lever. Office workers have an advantage here because they can always put urine chunks in their briefcases and take them to work where they can surreptitiously be placed in the suggestion box or under the boss’s desk. So how did we get ourselves into this position? For this, we can blame dogs. Back in the sixties, dogs were spreading the doctrine – or should that be dogma? - that they were smarter than cats. This caused much rolling of eyes in the feline community because, as any cat will tell you, dogs eat cat turds, not the other way around. In the cat world, “Eat shit!” is a put down. In the canine kingdom, it’s an invitation to dinner. As the felines of that era put it, “If eating shit denotes su-

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perior intelligence, what do you have to do to be called stupid?” As usual, when something like this comes up, the media runs with it like Doctor Oz and his weight-loss scheme using green coffee beans. That it might not be true doesn’t stop them. Finally, the cats got fed up and decided to do something about it. “They want smart?” they asked. “We’ll show them smart.” Remember, there were no litter boxes in those days. Cats were expected to go outside. And if they didn’t, if there was an accident, say a little do-do on the floor, we rubbed the cat’s nose in it. To prove their superiority over dogs, cats set about to change this situation. Their plan? To concoct the biggest role reversal since the invention of the pet. Not only would cats be getting inside washroom privileges, they’d rub their owners’ noses in it by tricking them into becoming washroom attendants whose job would be to rake, shovel and stickhandle through Fluffy’s daily waste products. In Fluffy’s words, “Hey, Fido!” Plop, plop. “Munch on this.” Box wine used to be a joke. Those days are over. These days box wines are leaders of the pack for value. I’m speaking about the box we tried tonight. Posada, 3 litres of Tempranillo from Spain. Ample fruit, modest acid. Should work well for new world and old word drinkers alike. For $32 how can you say no. You can follow Delbert at Slightlycorkedandmore.wordpress.com or pick up his book at Mahle House, Co-Co Cafe, TAKE 5 office or throughout the community for just $20.

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HEART LAKE ROOFING for all your roofing repairs 250-668-9195.

FOR SALE RV ACCESSORIES. 5TH-wheel hitch, tires, mirrors, campfire and more. Contact rvhauler2012@shaw.ca FISH FISH FISH. Buy direct from the guy who caught it! High quality salmon, lingcod, rockfish. All fish blast frozen at sea. Satisfaction guaranteed! Contact Jim at oceandancer.wallace@gmail.com or 250-245-5957 / 250-739-1123. WANTED Volunteer hosts, researchers and helpers. Please contact Lesley or Marina at Ladysmith Museum at 250-245-0423 or email museum@ ladysmithhistoricalsociety.ca. Drop by Ladysmith Museum Sat -Sun 10-4pm for more information. BUSINESS EXPERIENCED HOUSESITTER. Now offering senior companionship, respite care and concierge Services. Peaceofmindcare. wordpress.com. Contact Kathleen at kgrcoaching@gmail.com or 250-619-0786. I CAN EDIT. Copy editing, proofreading, structural editing and more. Fiction or nonfiction, web content and eBook prep. For more information, email editican@gmail. com. VIDEO PRODUCTION services, from script to screen, edited and ready to post on YouTube, Facebook or your website. Contact editor@take5.ca. HEALTH & WELLNESS TAI CHI for mental & physical health. Beginner classes start Sept. & Jan., Mondays; ongoing class Wednesdays. Both classes 10am–noon at the Cedar Hall, 2388 Cedar Road. More information: www.taichinanaimo.org or call Sara 250-245-1466.

MAY 2021

PETS HOME & YARD PLUMBER FOR HIRE. Journeyman Red Seal Plumber with over 30 years experience for repairs, leaks, installations or renovations, free estimates, reasonable rates. Call Joe (leave message) or text 250-246-5883. CONCRETE RESULTS. Contracting, fullservice forming and finishing, walls, walks, patios, drives. 35 years experience. Call Gord 250-753-4024. KB HANDYMAN AND YARDWORKS SERVICES. Minor carpentry work, decks, fences, gutter cleaning, power washing, tree pruning, yard clean up, lawn fertilizing, mowing. Seniors discount. Contact Karl kbhandymanandyardworks@gmail.com or 250-714-2738. QUALITY RENOVATIONS. Big or small. 25 yrs. exp/journeyman, affordable. For free estimate, call Lars 250-616-1800. ALL ACRES TREE SERVICE providing all aspects of tree work. Pruning, falling, hedging, dangerous tree removal. Fully insured. Professional work at reasonable rates. Call 250-246-1265. DARRELL ESSAR RENOVATIONS. Over 30 years’ experience, certified journeyman carpenter. No job is too small, from fences, decks, tile work, hardwood flooring, painting, drywall, etc. For free estimate, call Darrell 250-714-3823. ISLAND PRUNING. Professional tree care from large scale orchards to budding new trees. I can meet any pruning need. Shrubs, vines and ornamental. Large and small clean ups. Call Darcy Belcourt 250-323-1260.

PROFESSIONAL PET CARE SERVICE “leash ’em & walk ’em” with Marlena & Babs. I am bonded, have Animal First Aid and CPR. My service for all pet includes dog walking, home care visits, overnight in your home and much more. As my love is yours! Call 250-246-3394. SENIORS HIRED HAND for Independent Elder. Odd jobs, companionship, meal prep, etc! Valid First Aid/CPR, clean driver’s record, Level 2 FOODSAFE, gardener and handywoman. Call Marilyn at 250-606-7069. GRANNY’S ON THE GO COMPANION SERVICES covering Cedar, Ladysmith, Chemainus. Clean drivers abstract, FOODSAFE, First Aid/CPR Gerontology Based Therapeutic Recreation Certificate Kwantlen University, Osteo Fit, Pool Assist & JAVA programs certificates. Working with active seniors that are not quite ready to stop the adventures. COVID-19 guidelines in place when out and about in public. At your service, contact Janet Bowman at janetmb@shaw.ca or 250-924-1515. LEAVE A LEGACY. Memoirs, family cookbooks, personal histories, we can help get your project ready to press. Available in print and eBook format. Professional publishing services for corporate or individuals. editor@take5.ca or call 250-245-7015. SENIORS WANTED - There are many opportunities for seniors to get involved with their community. The Ladysmith & District Historical Society is looking for help on a number of community projects. If you have some free time, and would like to commit to a meaningful project, please call us to discuss volunteer options. Call the Ladysmith Museum at 250-2450423 or the Ladysmith Archives at 250-245-0100 or email museum@ladysmithhistoricalsociety.ca or drop by the Ladysmith Museum Sat-Sun 10 am to 4pm for an application form.

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Mom “You’re just like Junie.” — Uncle Al, Uncle Harry, Aunt Edna (Often said to Jackie Moad) Her name was June. But of course she was always Mom to me. Only once did I call her June, just to test the waters, when I was a daring teenager, young and oh-so foolish. Once! But this piece is not about that particular event. In celebration of Mother’s Day I have a true story about my mom. Dad was a Catholic, through and through; his dad, my grandpa (a very cool dude!) was the only one to marry, be fruitful and multiply. Grampa’s brother was a priest, and his sister was a Carmelite nun. My mom on the other hand was — well I’m not sure — Protestant, Anglican, Presbyterian? It didn’t much matter when aﬀairs of the heart got involved. She and my dad were in love and back in the forties marrying Dad at the altar (and not in the vestibule of the church) meant there would be lessons to learn from a priest, conversion to Catholicism and papers to sign promising that all oﬀspring would be born and raised in the Catholic faith. “Whatever you say, Father, just as long as I can live my life with the man I love!” said she. And that was exactly what she did. I think she knew what she was in for, sort of. A year after the sanctified nuptials, Sharon was born, one year later, Sandy, then the next year, me. Poor Mom: a

June Moad. Photo submitted.

newborn, one in diapers and another refusing to be potty-trained. All Scorpios (if you’re into astrology, this is sheer madness). But wait, there’s more: the Korean War was a’raging and my dad was over there. Just as Mom was catching her breath, diaper duty finally over and Dad back home, my long-awaited brother arrived. And on the seventh day? She always did it up right. The girls in ringlets and decked out in our Sunday best. Even wee Johnny had a vest and bowtie that matched our crinoline dresses, all courtesy of Mom’s talents. Things changed when I was about 16, when our church added a Saturday night service. Perfect for Dad, now having all Sunday to relax. For obvious reasons, Saturday night was NOT an option for me. Mom chose the noon mass on Sunday, and whatever kids were home would go with her. I’m not quite sure when the pattern began, but here was the scenario: St. Andrews was ten minutes away, yet at 11:50, I would still be frantically trying to get Mom out the door. I absolutely hated being late for church. All the back seats were taken. You had to walk down

the aisle to the front, all the while the priest in mid-liturgy. Sometimes, he’d stop talking and watch as you tried to creep into your front row pew. Try as I might, we always left our house late. As Mom drove out of the neighbourhood, she would say, “You don’t really want to go to church late, do you?” Natch! She’d turn left not right, and off we went to Tim Hortons. For almost an hour, we’d sit and talk, drink coffee and she’d treat me to a donut. Then quickly checking her watch, she would announce that mass was almost over and we’d jump into the car and make our way to the church. The congregation would be flowing out, the priest at the door with the weekly pamphlet, handing them out. She’d pull up and I’d jump out to retrieve the literature, then homeward bound. Once there, I’d leave the printed page on the stereo, laying down the evidence, as it were. This went on for years, actually many more than I was aware of. Mom passed away suddenly at age 66. Us kids drove to the church together. After the funeral service, we all piled into the van, and I looked at my sisters and brother, feeling that it was time they knew our secret, and said, “So now do we go to Mom’s real church?” In unison, to my total shock, they said, “The Church of Tim Hortons?” We laughed, we cried and then silently made our way to the donut shop. We never told my dad. He was never the wiser ... or was he? So on May 9, I will do what I have done every Mother’s Day since 1992: I will celebrate the magnificent woman that I was so fortunate to call my mom, and do it with a coffee and a Bavarian cream donut (her fav). Jackie Moad will forever cherish and celebrate the unique, amazing woman that was her mother, June. Happy childhood memories abound, keeping her eager and energized for farming that 20-acre slice of paradise on earth.