Events
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February 23, 2026 1:00 pm
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March 9, 2026
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Thursday,March12,2026
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IntegratedDesignProcess(IDP)isapracticalframeworkfordelivering higher-performing,lower-risknewconstructionprojects.Tunein forafacilitatedpaneldiscussionfeaturinglocalbuildersandenergy advisors,providingbothfoundationalknowledgeandreal-world insights.HostedbytheRegionalDistrictofNanaimoandCEA
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Sea to Sky MP says Canada must ‘speed up’ climate action
LUKE FAULKS Pique Newsmagazine
A winter defined by thin snowpack and delayed openings across Whistler has underscored the growing economic risks climate change poses to the Sea to Sky corridor.
Industry analysts and meteorological reporting tied the slow start to persistent warm conditions across Western Canada, continuing a trend scientists say is shrinking snow seasons at lower elevations and increasing volatility for mountain resorts.
That reality is reflected in a new independent assessment of Canada’s federal climate plan, released Feb. 13 by the Canadian Climate Institute (CCI). The report finds Canada is falling far short of its emissions targets and warns the consequences could extend to economic mainstays like winter tourism.
“The data leave no doubt that Canada’s climate progress is off track,” said Dave Sawyer, principal economist at the CCI “Fortunately, governments have options to put well-designed climate policy in place that can reduce emissions, make life more affordable, and unleash economic growth.”
Canada has committed to reducing emissions by 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 But independent modelling conducted for the CCI projects emissions will fall only 18 to 22 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 far short of the federally mandated target of roughly 440 megatonnes.
CCI analysis concludes plainly that “Canada is not on track to achieve any of its climate goals,” despite some progress reducing emissions the past two decades
National emissions fell roughly nine per cent from 2005 to 2024, but the pace of reductions slowed significantly in recent years. Meanwhile emissions from oil and gas production are rising, partially offsetting
gains in sectors like electricity generation.
The report attributes much of Canada’s slowdown to weakened climate policies across multiple levels of government.
Recent changes include the cancellation of consumer carbon pricing (colloquially known as the carbon tax), the expiration of electric vehicle sales mandate and home retrofit programs, and weakened industrial carbon pricing systems in provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The Institute found these rollbacks have eroded momentum and increased uncertainty for investors, even as emissions reductions need to accelerate sharply to meet Canada’s targets.
Sea to Sky MP Patrick Weiler acknowledged those policy reversals have had real consequences. “I don’t think there’s any other way to look at policy changes last year, other than being a step back in terms of our progress and meeting those targets.”
Still, he said the report highlights where federal efforts must now focus. “It shows me that there’s a lot more work that needs to be done to reach those targets, particularly in areas like the fossil fuel sector and transportation especially,” he said.
One of the report’s central findings is that, after rollbacks last year, Canada’s climate plan now relies heavily on a smaller number of high-impact policies especially industrial carbon pricing, methane regulations and electricity decarbonization.
Still, Weiler suggested Canadian climate policy shouldn’t be judged on the number of emissions-reductions strategies, but rather each policy’s effectiveness.
“There’s a very strong argument to be made that the most effective tool for reducing emissions is effective carbon pricing, especially at the industrial level, and that’s something that we’ve been working on, particularly with the province of Alberta [to] make sure that those measures are going to be effective at driving emission reduction,
and that the effective carbon price is much higher than it is right now,” he said.
Industrial carbon pricing alone is expected to account for a significant share of emissions reductions by 2030, provided provincial systems are strengthened and enforced. Weiler pointed to ongoing negotiations aimed at strengthening provincial carbon pricing systems and raising credit prices to incentivize emissions reductions.
Weiler said federal climate efforts in the coming year will focus heavily on electrification and industrial emissions reductions. He also pointed to work underway on a national electricity strategy to expand Canada’s clean grid and enable broader emissions reductions across the economy.
On Feb. 5, the federal government announced a new auto strategy applying more stringent tailpipe emissions standards and rolling out a $2.3-billion EV rebate program, which the government projects will help incentivize the uptake of EVs to 75 per cent of new car purchases in 2035.
Beyond regulations and public spending, Weiler said mobilizing private capital through sustainable finance reforms will be essential to closing Canada’s emissions gap.
“By the end of this year, we’re going to be implementing what’s called a green tax-
onomy, so that investors know what is an environmentally sustainable investment,” he said. “We’re working on requiring mandatory climate disclosure for large, federally incorporated companies.”
Weiler added public funding alone cannot finance the fight against climate change.
“That’s what we need more than anything else in Canada right now, because so much of the investment in climate actions come from the federal government, and it’s come from the public sector. We really need to see that investment from the private sector, and that is going to be a critical component of it.”
For communities like Whistler, where winter tourism underpins much of the local economy, the report’s findings highlight the growing economic stakes of climate change.
Weiler said he remains confident Canada can meet its long-term goals but only if governments act decisively.
“We’ve already bent the curve. We’re going in the right direction. We just need to speed up our policies in this space.”
Weiler is expected to discuss the findings further at an upcoming Canadian Climate Institute panel later this month in Ottawa, where researchers and policymakers will explore next steps to close Canada’s emissions gap and strengthen climate policy.
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A new improv class has already proved quite popular with actors of all levels during its short time on Bowen. Check Page 7 to learn more about the people behind it, what goes on & how you can take part. / Marcus Hondro photo
VIEWPOINTS
EDITORIAL
Hello folks, we are back with another Island Wide paper next week That means it’s time for the content callout, as we are always seeking photos and writing on island topics which you find fascinating Often these pieces bring to light issues, activities, people and groups which many of us wouldn’t otherwise know about. It’s a great opportunity for us all to learn more about Bowen thanks to the robust submissions and their delivery to every mailbox. And as that paper is being delivered on Friday morning, our Team Canada men’s hockey team will be in action against Finland in the semifinals. Wednesday morning saw us stay alive with a late tying goal against Czechia capped by a thrilling winner by Mitch Marner to complete the comeback in overtime. On the women’s side our team is already in the final, and hopefully by the time you read this have brought home the Gold themselves! They play the United States on Thursday morning as we look to avenge a loss earlier in the tournament to our neighbours to the south Regardless of whether it’s Gold or Silver our women’s team has played some dominant games and convincingly earned their place on the podium
On a solemn note, we’re likely all aware of the tragedy which took place in Tumbler Ridge last week The BC Government has a webpage dedicated to support resources, which includes donation links to reputable organizations working in the Tumbler Ridge community such as the Northeast BC Community Foundation, United Way BC & Canadian Red Cross. There are also mental health services, trauma advice, ways to share condolences, and more A jarring event like this can have wide-reaching effects, and it’s important to know where to find help or offer suport in the aftermath.
- Alex Kurial, Editor
THE WRITE STUFF. The Undercurrent encourages reader participation in your community newspaper You must include your full name and a daytime phone number (for verification only). The editor reserves the right to edit for clarity, legality, brevity and taste. Please limit to under 500 words. HERE’S HOW: To submit a letter to the editor, fax 604-947-0148 or mail it to PO Box 130, Bowen Island, BC, V0N 1G0 or email editor@bowenislandundercurrent.com
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VIEWPOINTS
Letter: One Thread: Chasing a Question into the Trust
ANDREW LEONARD
Bowen Island Municipality Mayor
Last month, I heard that Bowen’s annual contribution to the Islands Trust was set to jump 32 per cent. I did what most people would do: I asked what it goes toward.
That question – simple, reasonable – pulled me into one of the most absorbing research projects I’ve undertaken as Mayor. What started as a tug on a single thread became a 45-page analysis spanning two decades of financial history, multiple layers of statute and policy, and the bedrock assumptions that underpin our economic relationship with a federation we’ve belonged to since before incorporation.
Almost nobody knows how our requisition to the Trust is actually calculated. I certainly didn’t – not at this level And I suspect that’s true even for many of the 79 per cent of
Bowen voters who, in 2022, told us they wanted the formula renegotiated. The mandate was clear. The mechanism was opaque.
Here’s what surprised me most: the question I started with turned out to be the wrong one.
‘What does it go toward?’ is a value-for-money question. And the thing is, the Trust does valuable things. The Trust Conservancy protects ecologically significant land on Bowen and across the islands. The preserve-and-protect mandate has shaped the character of this place in ways that benefit everyone who lives here and, frankly, the province. I’m not interested in arguing that the Trust has no value. It does.
But value wasn’t the problem I was finding.
The problem was fairness. As the picture formed – line by line, budget by budget, year over year – I stopped asking what does our money go toward and started asking is what we’re paying equitable? Not whether the Trust is worth
Letter: Community Members in need
TED SPEAR Contributor
Jack and Julie Headley – the founders and force behind the Tir-na-nOg Theatre School – have simultaneously received serious health diagnoses: Jack and Julie are both battling aggressive illnesses and are no longer able to continue teaching at the school. They could use our help.
For those who don’t know, the Tir-na-nOg Theatre School is a remarkable place where, for almost 40 years, young people have been experiencing the delight of participating in imaginary worlds and the secret thrill of becoming someone else on stage. In the beginning, Tir-na-nOg was a travelling circus where Julie and Jack would use any place they could to hold classes and produce plays. Their dream, though, was to have a permanent, affordable, purpose-built theatre that would still be there long after they were gone
That dream took a major step forward in 2004 when they collaborated with Wolfgang Duntz at Bowen Island Properties to build the beautiful Tir-na-nOg theatre building on Rivendell Drive. Wolfgang offered them a unique 99-year lease which stipulated that once the construction mortgage was repaid, the lease payments would drop to just $1/month for the remainder of its term.
Over the past 22 years, Jack and Julie have worked furiously to pay down that mortgage. By forgoing their salaries – and by providing a significant personal loan to the Theatre School Society – they managed to take it down from $600,000 to $112,500.
Their recent health diagnoses, however, have put at risk their dream of enabling Tir-na-nOg to continue without the burden of the construction mortgage. They have also put at risk their capacity to address the medical challenges they will face in the years ahead.
The Tir-na-nOg Society is therefore reaching out to the community for help to not only “take care of the future” by repaying the building mortgage, but also to “take care of the founders” by repaying as much as possible of Jack and Julie’s personal loan to help ease the burden of their upcoming medical challenges.
Scarlett Duntz and Daron Jennings at Bowen Island Properties have stepped up in a big way by committing $65,000 toward the repayment of the construction mortgage. They see this as a fitting extension of Wolfgang Duntz’s lifelong practice of quietly helping underwrite cherished community institutions like the Bowen Island Golf Course, Island Pacific School, the Children’s Centre, Cates Hill Chapel, and Rivendell Retreat, as well as Tir-na-nOg.
With this incredible support in place, the Tir-na-nOg Society is mounting a GoFund Me campaign to raise an additional $150,000 to help Jack and Julie finish what they started, and to enable them to focus on their health and happiness in this next chapter of their lives
Jack and Julie are idealists: they had a dream to create a theatre experience for young people that would introduce them to the craft, but would also cultivate their imagination, their confidence, and ultimately their humanity. They delivered on this. Whole generations of young students – including my daughters – have taken those lessons and experiences into their adult lives.
Our communities – indeed our world – needs idealists. And it needs people like the rest of us to support and honour their work, particularly in their time of need. Thanks for helping them in whatever way you can. You can find more details on the GoFune Me later in this paper.
- Ted Spear Founding Head (ret’d) - Island Pacific School
it. Whether the formula that calculates our share is doing what it’s supposed to do, by its own rules.
The answer, based on the Trust’s own data, is that there are serious questions to address. Our contribution has grown 70 per cent in four years – from $324,000 to $551,000. The analysis I’ve prepared traces where the methodology appears to diverge from the policy framework both parties agreed to, and what that divergence means in dollars.
This matters whether you love the Trust or want to see it disappear. If you believe in the federation, you should want its fiscal architecture to be sound. If you’re skeptical, you should want evidence rather than grievance. Either way, the question of equity doesn’t require you to pick a side. It just requires you to look.
Islands Trust staff will present to Council on Monday, February 23. My analysis – all 45 pages – is available now on our website, in next week’s agenda package. It’s detailed – it had to be – but it’s written to be read, and it follows the data wherever it leads.
Bowen is not the place that incorporated in 1999. We’ve grown into a municipality with real capacity, real expertise, and a community dense with knowledge keepers, wise witches, and quiet sages who know this place in their bones. We sit at a threshold between the urbanity of Metro Vancouver and the deep ancestry of the Salish Sea – and no other island in the Trust federation occupies that bridge. It’s time we walked further out onto it.
Getting the relationship right is how we earn the voice to lead.
- Andrew Leonard Mayor of Bowen Island Municipality
BowenIsland’sVocal Consort
Join us foranhourofquiet musicin candlelight,interspersedwithoccasional readings.Entry is by donation and proceeds go to theFood Bank.
Visit Gently: TheWild Coast NatureRefuge
BOWEN ISLAND CONSERVANCY
The first thing you notice at theWildCoast Nature Refuge is thewind. It comes straight off the water andmoves throughthe shore pines like it hassomewhere important tobe. On the bluffs, you seelichen-crusted rockdropping towarddeep water, seabirds cutting throughthe updrafts, and acoastline that looks— at first glance—likeit could takeanything.
Then your eyesadjust. The“rock” is notjust rock. Between stoneand sky there’s aliving skin: mosses andlichens,tiny plantsholding on in shallow soiloverbedrock. It’s thekind oflife youcan walk past ahundred timeswithout reallyseeing, until one day you realize it’s doing the quiet workthat makes this place possible —anchoring soil, holding moisture, making room for other things to grow. And yourealize howquickly it couldbechanged by somethingasordinary as afootstep in the wrong place.
The Wild Coast Nature Refuge existsbecausepeople decided that this coastline shouldn’t be treated as “leftover land” or afuture building site, but as arare andvaluable ecosystemworth protecting for itsown sake —and forthe generationswho will come after us. The refuge is a32-acre conservation area protected by covenant “in perpetuity” to safeguard rare coastal bluff plants, forests, andshoreline ecosystems. These landsform agrowing corridorofprotectedland and water on acoastline that was once slated for extensive development.
There’s adeeper story under that one, too.The Refuge lieswithin Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) territory, part of Nexwlélexwm(Bowen Island),usedand cared forbySquamish people for thousands of years. If you letthat settle in, the visit changes shape. You’re notjust out for acoastalwalk. You’re entering alonghumanand ecological relationship with this place —one that asks for
attention, notownership. We too must protect this land for futuregenerations.
The Wild Coast looks tough— rocky, windswept, exposed —but the ecosystems that cling to it areeasily damaged. Someofthe plantshere are specialists. They can toleratesalt spray, wind, and drought —conditionsthat wouldflatten a garden.Whatthey don’t tolerateisrepeatedtrampling.
Once damaged, these plant communitiescan be veryslow to recover.And because the landscape issteep, impacts don’t always stay wherethey start: when soils aredisturbed on slopes, rain can wash sediment down intoseeps, small creeks, and the nearshoreocean, affecting water qualityand intertidal life.
This is oneofthe quietertruths of theRefuge: it’sa water storydisguised as arock story. Forested slopes, small streams, seeps,Huszar Creek, and the nearshoreocean are connected, and the refuge’spriorities include protecting water qualityand stream flow regimes alongside plants and animals. When you notice adamphollow,a trickle crossing the trail,apatch of mud that never seemstodry,you’re seeing the place’s circulatorysystem.Those littlewet placesare notinconveniences;they’re life-support.
It’s also awildlife story— often heard before it’sseen Wildlife here andinneighbouring lands includes birds, small mammals, intertidal life, bats,and occasional visits from marine mammalsoffshore.Ifyou’ve ever stood still long enough on aviewpoint to watch abirdreturntofeeding,ortonotice the rhythm of waves on the rocks below, youknowhow quickly the coastrewards patience. It is nota place that asksyou to do more. Itasksyou to do less, and to notice what’s already happening.
The Wild CoastNatureRefuge is managed with ecological processes and biodiversityasthe priority,and public accessisoffered in ways that keep humanimpactaslight as possible. Those choices aren’t about making the placefeel restricted; they’re aboutprotectingthe partsofthe coast that
PlacesofWorship WelcomeYou
BOWEN ISLANDUNITED CHURCH
Sunday Worship 10:30 am Rev.LorraineAshdown
Contact AngelaPowell604-947-2515
CATES HILL CHAPEL
www.biuc.ca |1122 Miller Road 778-688-2061 OFFICE HOURS WEDNESDAY10-4ORBYAPPOINTMENT Contact aryana.rayne@gmail.com •www.shirathayam.ca FOOD BANK DROP-OFF SundayMassat10:00
Sunday Worship10:00 www.cateshillchapel.com 604-947-4260 (661 Carter Rd.) office@cateshillchapel.com
SHIRAT HAYAM(Songofthe Sea)
BOWEN’S JEWISHCOMMUNITY
Shabbat Gatherings ~Holidays
can’tbounce back on ahuman timeline. If there’s amoraltoall of this, it’s something like this: the Wild Coast doesn’t stay wild by accident. It stays wild because the people who love it learn how to love it in ways that don’twearitdown
Visiting gently isn’tabout being perfect, or anxious, or “doing it right.” It’s simplyaligning your visit with the reality of what you’re standing on:thinsoils, slow-growinglichens, steepslopesthatcarrysediment,a watershedthatlinks forest to sea, and wildlifethatisconstantlydeciding whether it feels safe
QUEEN OF CAPILANOFERRY
SCHEDULEUNTIL MARCH232026
DEPART BOWENISLAND
5:15 am except Sundays 6:15 am except 7:30 am except 8:45 am 10:00am 11:15am 12:35 pm 1:55 pm 3:15 pm 4:40 pm -exceptWednesdays 6:00 pm 7:15 pm 8:25 pm -exceptSaturdays 9:30 pm 10:30pm 11:30pm
DEPARTHORSESHOE BAY 5:45 am except 6:50 am except 8:05 am 9:20 am -exceptWednesdays 10:35 am 11:55 am 1:10 pm 2:35 pm 3:55 pm 5:20 pm 6:35 pm 7:50 pm 8:55 pm -exceptSaturdays 10:00pm 11:00pm
Where’sthe ferry rightnow?- live updatesatwww.bowenferry.ca Schedule changesonstatutory holidays. Stay up to date at www.bcferries.com
Acting group having fun making it up as they go
MARCUS HONDRO
Contributor / Improviser
The art of improv is a joyful one and those who teach it will tell you it promotes the ability to play. That ability is in the possession of us humans as children but, as readers may agree, it can be lost once the adult world of responsibilities and self-consciousness rears its judgemental head.
Canadian improv teacher Keith Johnstone maintained that we can re-learn the creativity that came so naturally to us as children through improv. That may sound like work but there is loads of fun to be had on an improv journey, and that fun is happening now for a group right on Bowen.
An improv class, for experienced and non-experienced, for actors and non-actors – though of course: “All the world’s a stage… and all the men and women merely players” – is up and running at Collins Hall on Monday nights, for a month.
The weekly class is full, some applicants had to be turned away, but the group putting it on hopes to offer classes again If the interest is there, they may eventually offer scene-study classes.
The stage was set for the class when long-time Islander Caitlin Frost approached local theatre impresarios Martin Clarke and Calder Stewart. Clarke and Stewart have been active in island theatre for decades and both liked the idea of working with Frost to launch an improv class here.
Frost, who along with partner Chris Corrigan runs Harvest Moon Consultants, a company that coaches individuals, teams and organizations, has long had an interest in improv. Way back in 2010 she helped to host an improv class with Jackie Minns of Bowen’s Kingbaby Theatre.
“I really enjoy watching community theatre and having that as a thriving part of our culture and community on Bowen,” Frost told the Undercurrent recently. “And I find improv to be both fun and good learning... I’m excited to help it happen on Bowen.”
The three did not want the class to be intimidating or to accent performance. They believe improv can help us to become more creative and confident, more engaged and connected to the moment and wanted to offer those benefits to everyone. Hence the class’s title: Bowen Island Improv for Everyone Frost said they designed it for “a wider group of people than might think of taking a theatre class.”
“We wanted it to be interesting and engaging for people who are a part of community theater on Bowen, or interested in getting involved,” she said. “But we also wanted to flag that it’s also for people who would not see themselves as an actor, but can still enjoy and benefit from the learning and practice of improv.”
Stewart is teaching the class and also teaches children in North Vancouver and at local children’s theatre, Tirna-nOg, a theatre he’s been connected to since a child. His involvement in the arts is a family affair: brother Davin Killy also acts while parents Karai Killy and Paul Stewart are noted jugglers and juggling teachers. Paul has taught islanders to juggle while crossing Howe Sound on the Queen of Capilano
So, what then is teacher Calder’s philosophy for improv?
“Fun is absolutely key,” he says. “I’ve found people are often nervous about doing improv and embarrassing themselves, so my goal is to dispel that pressure to perform or to be funny. Each of us starts practicing improv as children by playing pretend and making up stories, so I try to provide a space and energy that helps us get back to that
imaginative playfulness.”
There are 21 improvisers in the class, most newly-minted ones, with a range of ages and backgrounds. Three of the improvisers, Clarke, Claudia Schaefer and Jonathan Bell, were in that original 2010 class. There have been two classes thus far and Frost said the response has been enthusiastic and classes have been “engaging and fun.” Stewart adds that he has “deeply enjoyed meeting and working with so many fabulous folks.”
None of that is a surprise to this reporter as, full disclosure, he is/I am, one of the participants. Classes have indeed been engaging and fun, along with being thoroughly enjoyable social evenings out.
Readers who might be considering trying it out should further classes be offered may want to learn more With that in mind, and in the best tradition of improv, I give you the first idea that popped into my head: to wit listing a dozen quotes on the art of improvisation from experienced travellers on the improv road:
1. No one looks stupid when they’re having fun. – Amy Poehler, actor, improviser.
2. Just say yes and you’ll figure it out afterwards. – Tina Fey, actor, improviser.
3. Put your whole self in - just like the hokey pokey – Deb Rabbai, improv teacher, American Comedy Institute.
4. Follow your instincts… that’s where we’re all at our best. – Calder Stewart, actor, improv teacher.
5. You can’t make a mistake when you improvise. It’s like drumming, if you miss a beat, create another one. – Sam Shepard (1943-2017), playwright, actor, drummer, spoken circa 1970 to Patti Smith, musician, artist.
6. Improvisation is the art of being completely okay with not knowing what the f___ you’re doing. – Mick Napier, founder Annoyance Theatre.
7. Bring a brick to the scene instead of a whole cathedral. Build together! – Del Close (1934-1999), actor, improv teacher, founder of the ImprovOlympics.
8. In improv, rather like in life, you must plunge in without any guarantees that things will work out in the end. Fun, no? Yes! – Marcus Hondro, actor, writer, landscaper, minor island irritant.
9. The rules of improvisation apply beautifully to life: never say no, you have to be interested to be interesting and your job is to support your partners. – Scott Adsit, actor (30 Rock) and improviser (Second City).
10. You’re only given one little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it. – Robin Williams (1951-2014), actor, comedian, improvising icon.
11. a) Enjoy things, even when you’re screwing up. b) Striving after originality takes you away from your true self and makes your work mediocre. c) Don’t come on to be funny, come on to solve problems. d) None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn to behave in public. e) It might lead to better… teaching if we thought of adults as atrophied children. – improv guru Keith Johnstone (1933-2023).
12. Those who have learned to collaborate and improvise have prevailed. – Charles Darwin, 19th century evolutionary biologist (1809-1882).
Finally, in improv there do exist… let’s call them gentle, rules. One gentle improv rule is to listen and to say yes, another is to take care of your scene partner; there’s also what has become an improv slogan: ‘no blocking, no wimping.’ And then there is this: end a scene when you feel it’s done.
Done.
Rotary speaker shares sustainability stories - and role play - at community talk
JUDITH HEEZEN
Bowen Island Rotary Club
Problems were simmering for Edif Karwi’s spicy soup business. Her customers were buying on credit and failing to pay their tabs, and she needed advice and help from other members of her village trust group, her living collateral for the small loan that started her soup stand.
Such were the problems that 25 attendees at Bowen Island Rotary Club grappled with on Monday, February 9 in a microfinance role play led by children’s book author Katie Smith Milway of Cates Hill. Her new book, ‘One Hen and Then…’ adapts her 2008 best seller One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference, for Pre-K to Grade 3 audiences.
It invites them to put the story into practice at One Hen’s free curriculum site www.onehen.org - used by educators from more than 100 countries.
Milway gave a slide show that took her audience into Kumasi, Ghana and the true life of the book’s protagonist, Kojo, a young boy who got a small loan, bought a chicken and rose not only to become the largest poultry producer in his country, but
also to found the field of microfinance for his nation.
Milway explained how an educator movement formed around the story to teach kids social entrepreneurship, a movement that coalesced in the One Hen Academy program.
Then the audience broke into three “village trust groups” with identity cards based on real Ghanian entrepreneurs with dreams like sending their kids to school, having meat once a week, or bringing a doctor to their village Situation cards relayed how their businesses fared, with some, like Edif’s, needing help.
Fortunately, her trust group had ideas: use their social capital as a group to pressure the customers into paying; start a rainy day fund for emergencies; and recommend their members stop selling on credit!
Katie Smith Milway’s books can be found on-island at The Phoenix, The Hearth and the Bowen Island Public Library, and she can be found Sundays on the worship team at Cates Hill Chapel.
The Bowen Island Rotary Club hosts a monthly community speaker series open to everyone. If you’re interested in being one of our speakers, please reach out to Judith at judith.heezen@me.com
Yourfuture starts here
Island author Katie Smith Milway speaks to the Bowen Rotary Club about her book ‘One Hen and Then...’ / Submitted photo
New speaker joining the talk on Chronic Pain
COLLEEN O’NEIL
Contributor
The article in the paperlast week‘What thoselivingwith pain andtheir Carers needtoknow’was submittedbefore weheard the thrilling news that Dr. Brenda Lau was indeed available to come to Bowen for apresentation on Chronic Pain, takingplace on Friday,Feb.27atthe libraryfrom 11am to 1pm.
Dr. Lau is aPain Specialistand Anesthesiologist with over 20 years experience in both. She hasa Master ofMedicine degreeininterventionalpain management andis acknowledged as one of the founders of the subspecialty of pain medicine inCanada.
Brenda was afounder and board member of the PainBC Society that formed in 2008. She hasalso been involved in several province-wideservicesincluding theProvidence Health Care RACE Pain hotline, co-chaired thePainPractice SupportProgram, helped create the BC Women’s Hospital Chronic Pelvic Pain program and was the medical lead on regional pain initiatives around the Province
In 2013,she co-founded Changepain Medical &Allied Health Clinic, aVancouver basedpain centre thatprovides multi-disciplinary paincare for myofascial,spine,neuropathic, complexregional pain syndrome, headache, pelvic,visceral, post-surgical, post-trauma, chronicdiseases, andpost-cancer.
Dr.BrendaLau -MD, FRCPC, FFPMANZCA,MM, CGIMS, CIPS, Interventional Pain specialist / Submitted photo
She has led numerousnational, provincial and hospitalbased initiatives to improve understanding of pain, improvepain treatments, and improve pain care training.
And she recently delivered aTEDxSurrey 2026 talk joining oneofCanada’s most respected TEDx stages. And we’resolucky to steal herawayfrom herbusypractice in Burnaby to paya visit to Bowen. Spread the word.
Jack and Julie Headleythe founders of TirnanOg TheatreSchoolhave recently been dealt serious health diagnoses. They could use our help.
To support Julie and Jack, and honour their38+ yearsof theatrework on the island, pleasecheck out the Tir-na-nOg page at www gofundme.com
CalderStewart leadsanimprov classatCollinsHall on Monday,Feb.9.Pictured(L-R)are CaitlinFrost,Christine Atkinson, Stewart, Martin Clarke &Molly Horton. Thereare 21 participants,and the group hosting saytheymay offermore classesdownthe road./MarcusHondro photo
It was awinningnight forcharityonJan. 25 as Eli Zysman’s ‘Magic in the Wood’performance at theBowen Cider House raised morethan $250 forBCChildren’s Hospital.The funds will be dedicatedtoward autism— acause close to the artists involved. Zysman returns to the island stage later this month -find out moreinthe Calendar./ Submittedphoto
BEAR
Bear is ourPatient of the Week!Once rejectedasa puppyfor being“too calm,” this sweet boyhas truly come into hisown.Now, he’sbusy keeping up with hisbrothers andshowing everyone that calm can still mean confident and full of life. Bearisalwaysa wonderful patient—gentle, cooperative,and happy to soakupall the love and attention from ourteam. We’resoproudof howfar he’scomeand lucky to have suchagreat guy in ourcare.
Mon-Fri 9-5 ClosedSat &Sun
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Friday, February 20
Stories-on-the-Go at Baby Connections
Library staff are guest speakers at Baby Connections! Drop in to Bowen Island Family Place for a short baby storytime and Q&A during Baby Connections. Chat with a librarian and learn some fun stories & songs! From 11 am to Noon. For expecting & new parents, and their babies 0-12 months
Saturday, February 21
French Connections at the Library
Drop in and join us to practice your conversational French, and get to know other French language learners on Bowen Island! Free, 10:30 to 11:30 am. bipl ca/French Saturday, February 21
Nature Club Community Beach Cleanup
Let’s get together and show our appreciation and care for this beautiful island we call home. There will be complimentary hot chocolate and herbal tea available for volunteers, as well as any equipment needed From Noon to 2:30 pm. Email: bowennatureclub@gmail.com to register.
Saturday, February 21
Hanging Basket Demonstration
Kristina Linder talks to the Bowen Garden Club about hanging baskets At Collins Hall from 1 to 3 pm, doors at 12:30. Members free, public $5.
Saturday, February 21
Night Market at Collins Hall
Shop vintage & pre-loved clothing for kids & adults! Everyone welcome for fun, music & company. Refreshments & food, Food Bank donations welcome 6 to 9:30 pm
Sunday, February 22
Book Donation Morning at the Library
Friends of the Library welcome your donations of clean, good condition used books. They’re especially seeking novels and kids books From 10 am until bins full (Noon latest).
Monday, February 23
Mending Monday at the Community Centre
Bring your mending and we’ll stitch & darn together, all welcome! From 7 to 8:30 pm
Tuesday, February 24
Career Advisor & Integration Specialist at the Library
Drop in to see a WorkBC Career Advisor (helps with resumes, cover letters, interviewing, job searches, job market, education advice) & Community Integration Specialist (helps people access financial, housing, and health supports, government programs, disability assistance, & more). Advisor 10 am to 3 pm, Specialist 11 am to 2 pm Learn more about both at bipl.ca/get-help
Wednesday, February 25
Fibre Arts Guild Meeting
Dress warmly (scheduled outage!) bring show & tell and a hot drink Fibre artists of all levels welcome, annual membership $20. At Collins Hall from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Wednesday, February 25 & Friday, February 27
SKY Walks
Seniors Keeping Young meets at Killarney Lake on Feb. 25 & the Golf Course on Feb. 27. Both walks start at 10:30 am.
Thursday, February 26
Writers Feedback Group at the Library
All ages and types of writer are welcome to share and give constructive feedback on each other’s writing in this positive and supportive environment. Free, from 5 to 6:30 pm. Registration required – register at bipl.ca/write
Saturday, February 28
Film Afternoon at the Library
Register to join us for an afternoon documentary film during Freedom to Read Week: Banned Together The Fight Against Censorship (2025). Film starts at 1 pm. Register and learn more at: bipl.ca/ban
Saturday, February 28
Magic in the Wood at Bowen Theatre
Bowen magician Eli Zysman brings an afternoon of mystical performance to the Community Centre for a larger, immersive community experience featuring live magic, music and visual arts The all-ages show begins at 3 pm, tickets available at Phoenix Books and on Eventbrite
TUESDAYS
Bowen Celtic Music Group
All instruments and levels welcome – we start slow, call out the songs in advance, and can send out a digital songbook as a PDF if you’d prefer sheet music, chords, or guitar tabs. Takes place at Bowen Court on Seniors Road from 7 to 9 pm. Suggested donation of $5 per session.
WEDNESDAYS
Family Storytime at the Library
A free 30-minute drop-in program of stories, rhymes, and songs for children age 0-6 and their caregivers! From 10:30 to 11 am, families are welcome to stay after until 11:30 and socialize in the cozy Annex, read books, and hang out!
THURSDAYS
Thursday Art Group
Join the Thursday Art Group (TAG) at Collins Hall from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm to paint and create together. $30 per month or $10 drop-in. Info at shannonrondeau@shaw.ca
