Powell River Living March 2019

Made 100% LOCALLY OWNED 100% INDEPENDENT

in Powell River

MARCH 2019 FREE

DECLUTTERING • GARDENING • TEXADA SCHOOLHOUSE • QUILTS • JAZZ

April 6

One City Councilor seat is still open following the October 2018 City of Powell River election.

By-Election

! e t o V Voter Information Who can vote?

Voting rights are granted to citizens based on residency or property ownership. A person cannot vote on behalf of a corporation, or as a non-resident property elector, when the property is owned wholly or in part by a corporation.

To be eligible to vote, you must be either a Resident Elector, or Non-Resident Property Elector.

Resident Electors: • 18 years of age or older on general voting day,

• Canadian citizen, • Have lived in B. C. for at least six months before they register to vote, • Have lived in the City for at least 30 days before they register to vote, and • Not be disqualified under the Local Government Act, or any other enactment, from voting.

Non-Resident Property Electors: In addition to all the requirements for resident electors, if you have owned property in the City for at least 30 days but live elsewhere, you may be eligible to vote as a non-resident property elector.

On April 6, eligible voters will decide who will fill this seat.

Only one person is eligible to vote as the non-resident property elector for that property. The designated non-resident voter must have the written consent of the majority of the other property owners and provide that documentation when attending a voting place.

Mail Ballots If you are unable to attend any of the voting days, you still can vote through the Mail In Ballot Method. Please give us a call or send an email and we will be able to assist you further.

Chief Election Officer Chris Jackson, 604-485-8603 cjackson@powellriver.ca Deputy Chief Election Officer Malonie Shaffer, 604-485-8601 mshaffer@powellriver.ca General Enquiries: 604-485-6291 info@powellriver.ca

www.powellriver.ca/content/election-2019

City of Powell River, City Hall, 6910 Duncan Street Powell River, BC, V8A 1V4

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• march 2019 • prliving.ca

VOTING DATES AND LOCATIONS There are several dates and ways for qualified electors of the City of Powell River to vote.

Advance Voting Day 1: Wednesday, March 27, 2019 between the hours of 8:00 am and 8:00 pm in the Lower Floor of City Hall (the old library space), 6910 Duncan Street Advance Voting Day 2: Wednesday, April 3, 2019 between the hours of 8:00 am and 8:00 pm in the Lower Floor of City Hall (the old library space), 6910 Duncan Street General Voting Day: Saturday, April 6, 2019 between the hours of 8:00 am and 8:00 pm at the following locations: Lower Floor of City Hall (the old library space), 6910 Duncan Street Brooks School, 5400 Marine Avenue Cranberry Seniors Centre, 6792 Cranberry Street James Thompson School, 6388 Sutherland Avenue Mail Ballot Opportunity: If you are unable to attend any of the voting days (March 27, April 3 or April 6) in person, you can request to vote using the Mail Ballot method. Mail Ballot requests can be submitted to the Chief Election Officer by mail (6910 Duncan Street, Powell River, BC V8A 1V4), telephone (604-485-8603), fax (604-485-8628) or email (elections2019@powellriver.ca).

Please take a look at the City’s Election Website for more information: www. powellriver.ca

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Skate and Sports

Challenger International Soccer

8 classes | March 18 – March 28 | $42.50 Monday - Thursday

New prices for 2019

July – August 2nd at Level Larry2Gouthro Park 9:30 29thSalamander Croc/Whale Tiny Tykes.

Sea Otter 310:00 - 4 year olds Sunfish • 11 am - 12 pm Level 1 $90 A fun introduction to the very basic elements of the game.

10:30

Level 3

Level 4

Tiny Tykes Lions

Salamander

4 - 5year olds • 9 am - 10:30 am $120 11:00 Level 5 / 6 Sea Otter Level 3 / 4 Fundamental practices, fun activities and small sided games.

Go Kayaking in the Pool! $175

HALF DAY CAMPS

6 - 16 year olds • 3 hours per day Bringofyour the Choice sessionown 9 am -kayak 12pm or 1to - 4pm

May 21-Jun 11

$28/4 sessions

Active Li

Active Living Guide

Sprin

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For serious players focusing on techniques Active Living Guide SPRING/SUMMER tactical development.

Did&you get your copy of2019 the Spring/Summer Active Living Guide?

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Wednesday

Thursday March 28

March 29

Everyone Welcome Skate Noon - 1:30pm

Shinny Hockey 13-17 Years 11:45am - 1:15pm

Shinny Hockey 50 years & over 10:00 - 11:30am

-

Shinny Hockey 50 & Over 10:00 - 11:30am

Family Skate 11:00am - 12:30pm

-

Everyone Welcome Skate 1:30 - 3:00pm

Shinny Hockey 18 Years & over 11:45 – 1:15pm

Shinny Hockey 13-17 Years 11:45 – 1:15pm

Shinny Hockey 18 Years & over 11:45 – 1:15pm

Shinny Hockey 13-17 Years 11:45 – 1:15pm

-

Shinny Hockey Under 12 Years 1:30 – 3:00pm

PLEASE NOTE:

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Toonie Skate 3:45 - 5:45pm (Skate rentals extra)

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Toonie Skate 3:30 - 5:00pm (Skate rentals extra)

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Helping you honour your loved one.

Player Development (PM), 6-16yrs, 1:00pm–4:00pm, $175 Full Day 7–16yrs, 9:00am–4:00pm, $250

Planning a funeral can be a daunting task.

We can help you make it easier.

For more information contact Scott Francis sfrancis@challengersports.com 1-800-309-0212 Ext 322

Tuesday

NEW

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TO REGISTER VISIT http://powellriverprc.ca/

Registe r: Online : www.p Phone: owellri 604-48 verprc.

In person 5-2891 ca : at 5001 Joyce Ave.

Monday

Everyone Welcome Skate 5:00 - 7:00pm

LTER

TinyTykes 3–4yrs, 10:00am–11:00am, 11:00am–12:00pm, $90 TinyTykes Lions 4-5yrs, 9:00am–10:30am, $120 Player Development (AM) 6–16yrs, 9:00am–12:00pm, $175

Guide

Sunday

Public access to ice time will be limited the first week of Spring - Break, as we host the Peewee provincials!

• WA

JULY 29TH - AUGUST 2ND @ Larry Gouthro Park, Manson Ave, Powell River, BC.

2019

SPRING BREAK Skating Schedule March 24 – 29, 2019

Go Skating!

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*

Call us to book your party: 604-485-8909 (special rules apply to children under the age of 7).

Shinny Hockey Under 12 Years 1:30 – 3:30pm

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City of Powell River Recreation Soccer

Session #3. Ages: 2 years to 3 years

March 27

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ExtraDAY people pay additional drop-in fees. Includes general liability insurance. Food service is not provided FULL CAMPS $250 sharing additional paddlers a kayak. Sunday March 31 • 9:30 am – 11 am • $15

March 26

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Celebrate your child’s next birthday at the Recreation Complex with Active Party Fun!

March 25

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$20 each • Available at Rockit Music, Townsite Brewing & online at TOWNSITEJAZZ.COM

APRIL 5 TREET FIFTH S

vironment.

Please register least 48andhours in advance to avoid cancellation. Fee Emphasis is placed upon individual skill at development technique. $75 includes use of party for 1.5 hours admission regular for 10 children plus 2 supervising adults into the pool. includes 1 Kayak androom 1 Paddler for 1&session; admission rates would apply for

Mar 24

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APRIL 4 IELS N DEE DA

am – 8:30 pm Location: Arena or Gouthro Park (weather 8:00 pending)

Stop by the Recreation Complex for a free copy.

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Aquatic Centre

Instructor(s): TBA Birthday Swim Parties pool to practice your skills in a safe and warm enLocation: Arena or Gouthro Park (weather pending)

8 - 16 year olds • 9 - 4 pm

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APRIL 4-6 • TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

SATURDAY, APRIL 20 & SUNDAY, APRIL 21 (Regular Schedule)

Aquatic This program is theCentre tinyor totsimply version ofstop the bigby fieldfor Take lessons, an pm 8:00 amgame.

– 1:00 10:00 am – 1:00 pm The perfect introduction to the basic skills of Soccer. The Lanes & Leisure Everyone Welcome each Lanes & Leisure emphasis is on fun!

Recommendedswim for ages 2-5 yrs. afpm – 4:00 2-4 pm111:00 (7 $28/4 days a pm Tueternoon 1:30-2:15pm May 21-Jun sessions 1:00 –between 4:00 pm Everyone Welcome Instructor(s): TBAWelcome Everyone week) where the diving board, zunga 4:00 – 7:00 pm Location: or Gouthro Park (weather pending) rope Arena swing, and floating boats are out Multi-Use Fitness Gym Session #2. pool.

Ages: 4 years to 5 years in the These 7:00about – 8:30 pm 10:00 am – 4:00 pm swims are all Tuethe kids 2:30-3:15pm May 21-Jun 11Everyone $28/4 Welcome sessions having fun!

Instructor(s): TBA Fitness Gym

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Multi-use 4:00-7:00

GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 19 & EASTER MONDAY, APRIL 22 First Kicks Soccer (Holiday Session #1.

Ages: 2Hours) Years To 3 Years

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Everyone Welcome 2:00-4:00

Week 1: Mar 18 – 22 • Week 2: Mar 25 – 29 Multi-use 8:30-9:30 9 am – 3 pm • $175 / week

Spring Break Swim Lessons

Everyone Welcome 1:00-4:00

1:15-2:00

camps! There will be games, crafts, swimMulti-use 4:00-7:00 ming, skating, bowling, and much more!

Daily drop in rates available. Sibling disEveryone Welcome 7:00-8:30 counts available.

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Age: Welcome 6 to 12 yearsEveryone 1:00-4:00

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Lanes & Leisure 8:00-1:00

6:00-1:15

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Day Camps Everyone

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Lanes & Leisure 11:30-1:00

Lanes & Leisure 11:30-1:15

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Lanes & Leisure 11:30-1:00

Sat & Sun OPEN AT 8AM

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March 16-31 & Easter Weekend 2019

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Plan your Spring Break!

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That’s why so many families choose us to help them in their time of need. They know that our burial and cremation services honour people of all beliefs, traditions and cultures.

And we are here to help you every step of the way.

Public Ice Skating: may be cancelled due to special events.

Schedules: subject to change.

Helmets: are required to be worn during all hockey activities.

Helmets- Public Skating: The Complex recommends helmets to be worn during all public skating. Please bring your own or the Complex will provide them free of charge.

Shinny Hockey: (Non contact) full gear is required, all players must sign in and pay at reception. First 2 goalies free. *Indicates a registered program, drop in will be accepted as well

Parks • Recreation • Culture

Active Living Guide SPRING/SUMMER 2019

www.powellriverPRC.ca Find us on Facebook at PowellRiverRec.Complex

Active Living Guide SPRING/SUMMER 2019

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Providing dignified service to the region since 1969 7221 Duncan Street • 604 485-4112 •stubberfieldfh.com

POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

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European Starlings

CONTRIBUTORS

S

KIRSTEN CLARKSON is a mama who lives with a man she loves, on a farm, in Lund. She’s a feminist with a room of her own and enough dough to speak her mind (Virginia Woolf ). She loves coaching actors and women “of a certain age” with her childhood best friend, Robyn Grebliunas.

tarlings were brought here from England in 1890 by the American Acclimation Society. Sixty European Starlings were put in Central Park, New York, to achieve their goal to establish all of the birds in Shakespeare’s plays into North America. Another forty of the birds were brought over in 1891. Now, they have spread far and wide.

Starlings will nest just about anywhere there is an opening to go into. If there is an opening in a soffit or if they can get into your attic, they will squeeze in through quite a small opening.

These birds eat countless gypsy moths and their caterpillars, as well as flies and their larvae and many more obnoxious insects. They are monogamous and are dedicated parents. One can only admire their skill at mimicry, the grace of their murmuration flight, as well as the iridescent beauty of their feathers.

ELLEN DE CASMAKER is a computer nerd turned plant nerd. She grows plants, veggies and seed with her husband Gary on their Eternal Seed acreage. She is passionate about seed biodiversity and sustainability and the concept that everyone can be a food grower..

~ Rod Innes Powell River Living is a member of:

BC

CONTENTS MARCH 2019 Declutter like a champ

Local organizer walks you through it This magazine is supported entirely by our advertisers. We encourage you to choose the businesses that you see in these pages. We do.

Publisher & Managing Editor

Fabulous in your 50s

Transformation at middle age

School House on the Rock New museum exhibit on Texada

Isabelle Southcott isabelle@prliving.ca

Pastries coming to Townsite

Associate Publisher & Sales Manager

A Growing Concern

Sean Percy sean@prliving.ca

I Made the Move

The minimalist garden

Made in Powell River Pollen Sweaters

Editor & Graphics

Pieta Woolley pieta@prliving.ca

What’s Up

Volunteer here

Business Affairs

Sales & Marketing

Suzi Wiebe suzi@prliving.ca Accounts Receivable

Skylar Friesen office@prliving.ca

Denturist, hobbyist, and more

Events

March is so very musical

Jazz fest

Dress for it

Business Awards See who won

ON THE COVER Carla, Ray and Leo Brosseau inside the Pollen Inc. store in Lund. Carla and her mom Evelyn Pollen sell 6,000 locally-knitted sweaters a year, making this one of the region’s most robust small manufacturers. Ray makes paper at Catalyst. And Leo was, of course, made in Powell River.

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Photo by Pieta Woolley

• march 2019 • prliving.ca

Take a Break

Equinox and Crossword

Last Word

Write your own Obit

6 9 13 15 16 17 19 20 21 28 30 32 34

LENI GOGGINS is an entrepreneur and professional writer. She is the managing editor of the 3-Day Novel Contest and Project Manager for the social enterprise K-Lumet. She lives in Powell River with her two daughters Bileaux and Nan. PETER LOCK has taught school on Texada Island since 1977. As a director of Texada’s Heritage Society he writes about the island’s colourful history. Now retired, Peter and wife, Mary, tend their gardens in Gillies Bay, take part in Rock Island Players community theatre productions and enjoy trips to faraway lands.

A community organizer by nature, when MALERIE MEEKER retired from Vancouver Island University five years ago, she stepped up her volunteer activities. She has fun blending creativity and technology, designing event posters, flyers, handling media, doing research, and writing articles for the groups she is affiliated with. Malerie has lived in Powell River 48 years; she loves her community and its extraordinary citizens.

DANIEL RAJALA is a long-time poet and artist, who attended the Vancouver School of Art in the 1970s. This month his paintings are showing at the Malaspina Exhibition Space at VIU, and he is celebrating 20 years of publishing books of poems.

ANDY RICE’S lifelong passion for music led him toward a Bachelor of Music degree from Capilano University in 2012. After several years gathering ‘street smarts’ as an educator, journalist and touring musician, he has become in demand as an arts administrator, juggling his time between Vancouver, Powell River and various Canadian cities through his work with PRISMA, the British Columbia Choral Federation, Canadian Chamber Choir, Townsite Jazz Festival and more.

JONATHAN VAN WILTENBURG has a degree in horticulture. He worked at Butchart Gardens before moving to Powell River, where he and his wife Jenna have been raising their two children. He works as a professional gardener and groundskeeper.

SHERRI WIEBE owns Blue Steel Imaging, a local screen printing business that prints apparel for many Powell River businesses, including Westcoast Thick, this year’s Customer Service Retail winner at the Chamber of Commerce business awards. Along with doing photography, Sherri volunteers with some great people to bring Powell River Logger Sports to town.

We welcome feedback from our readers. Email your comments to isabelle@prliving.ca, or mail to Powell River Living, 7053E Glacier Street, Powell River, BC V8A 5J7 Tel 604-485-0003 No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions that may occur. © 2019 Southcott Communications. We reserve the right to refuse any submission or advertisement.

Volume 14, Number 3

ISSN 1718-8601

Powell River Living is 100% locally owned and operated by:

Complete issues are available online at:

www.prliving.ca

PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE

Hope, change and the art of spring cleaning

M

arch 20 is the first day of spring but before the season of hope and change arrives, women here and the world over will celebrate International Women’s Day with stories about changes they’ve made and those they’re working on.

The arrival of snowdrops and crocuses and the show of delicate pink cherry blossoms later this month remind us that warmer days are just around the corner. Was it hope that fuelled early Women’s Day gatherings as they strived for equality and marched for better pay, shorter hours and voting rights in 1908? Would they be happy with what’s been achieved?

Although improvements have been made there is still much work to be done as women are still not present in equal numbers in business or politics or health. Violence against women outweighs violence against men.

Our stories about change and International Women’s Day begin on Page 7. Staffer Pieta Woolley’s story about decluttering with professional organizer Ranka Burzan

TO

TREAKS E

comes to us just in time for spring cleaning. But decluttering is not just about “putting your stuff in a pretty baskets,” says Ranka. “You can help someone clean up but unless you help them work through their attachment to clutter their house will be full again next week.”

Sometimes, people need help when it comes to change and reinventing themselves. Acting coach Kristen Clarkson has spent years studying human behaviour so when she moved to Powell River it seemed natural to focus on coaching actors and life coaching women who want to make changes in their own lives. In her story, Great Expectations, begining on Page 9, Kristen says some of her clients have overcome incredible life challenges – something she can related to – and have altered the course of their lives.

Others, just need to be coached so they can achieve what they’ve been dreaming of becoming.

Powell River Living is also changing. This month, your community magazine is proud to launch a brand new column featuring products that are made right here in Powell

River. Called “Made in Powell River”, the column’s debut appears on Page 17 with Powell River’s most recognizable product, the Pollen Sweater. Last month, my son Alex and I were skiing at Mount Washington and the guy in front of us turned to Alex and said: “You must be from Powell River.” I must have looked bewildered because neither one of us knew him. Pointing to Alex’s Pollen sweater he said: “You’re wearing Powell River’s official uniform!” It was a dead giveaway.

We’re also gearing up for a brand new writing contest on March 9 at the library and we need you to enter! “The Quickie” is for teens and adults and it features two categories, 200 and 1,000 words. For more info on how to enter email Mark Merlino at mmerlino@prpl.ca. We have prizes for the winners and our top four winners will be published in the June issue of the magazine.

ISABELLE SOUTHCOTT | isabelle@prliving.ca

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POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

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Live Longer!

Tennis players outlive almost everyone, including swimmers, soccer players and cyclists

I

n a newly-released study, it has been shown that playing tennis can add years to your life-span. In fact, it seems that tennis is the sport that adds the most years, of any physical activity.

Medical researchers followed 9,000 people from 1991 to 2017. They tracked which activities they participated in regularly, and calculated which ones were associated with increasing life expectancy.

Compared with sedentary people, tennis players enjoy 9.7 extra years of life; badminton players, 6.2 years; soccer players, 4.7 years; cyclists, 3.7 years; swimmers, 3.4 years and joggers, 3.2 years.

The study was published in December 2018 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a US-based peerreviewed medical journal.

Here in Powell River, this will come

Dr. Jeff Lynskey

“Tennis is a great sport for fitness, balance and coordination. It is an activity that I can share with my wife and children now and for the rest of our lives!”

604-223-8704

Anthony van Samang

Cindy Stahl

“Since I’ve started “I was so happy when playing tennis regularly at the Centre, I found out we have I have noticed gains an indoor tennis in my endurance, my facility in Powell reaction/reflex time, River. Tennis in the as well as in my handwinter! Woo hoo!” eye coordination. It’s a sweet little break from everyday life blending athletic skill with mental tactics.”

prtennis.ca

Powell River Tennis Centre www.prtennis.ca

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as no surprise to the hundreds of tennis players who already know the physical, mental and social benefits of the game. Tennis is great fun – a game the whole family can play!

“I’ve seen the positive effects from tennis on many people’s lives,” said Gary Winter, the Head Coach and Director of Tennis for the Powell River Tennis Centre - where locals can play and learn yearround. “Tennis is a great game that can be started at any age and enjoyed throughout your life. And it’s very social. Come join us soon at the Tennis Centre.”

• march 2019 • prliving.ca

Declut

BY PIETA WOOLLEY | pieta@rliving.ca

Marie Kondo is amazing.

But the Japanese tidying magnate doesn’t understand North Americans.

So says Ranka Burzan, who moved to Powell River late in 2018, and brought her thriving home organization business, Solutions Organizing Simple, or S.O.S., with her from Vancouver.

In the 16 years Ranka has entered other people’s homes to help them sort their stuff, she has seen it all. Middle-aged people drowning in their deceased parents’ antiques. Otherwise well-raised children incapable of cleaning their own rooms.

Highly-educated and successful adults who simply cannot make decisions about their stuff. And families so attached to the chaos of mess, that the Province threatens to remove their children.

These are not extreme examples, Ranka says. Rather, they’re everyday manifestations of the psychological challenges of North American life.

“Keeping clutter can be about a fear of being poor,” says Ranka, who fled the former Yugoslavia as a teen, and deeply understands the anxiety behind many immigration stories. “It can come from difficult relationships with the relatives who died and left you their things.

Or trauma from wars you’ve escaped in other countries. Or just a simple fear of change. Plus, here in North America, we just have so much space in our homes, much more than in other countries. And we are so emotionally attached to our stuff – it represents status.

“You can help someone clean up, but unless you help them work through their attachment to clutter, their house will be full again the next week.”

Now, Ranka’s business is right on

CHILDREN NEED CHORES

Ranka has noticed that many families spend their afternoons and evenings driving children around to activities, rather than mentoring them in managing the household.

The intention is good, but she is concerned that essential skills and relationships are being lost. “True confidence comes from children being able to make a contribution to the household,” she says. “Order pizza, hold a family meeting and assign chores.”

trend. Marie Kondo has a popular new reality series on Netflix helping American families and has authored several internationally-bestselling books over the last four years. Powell River’s chief librarian, Rebecca Burbank, says tidying and cleaning books are flying off the shelves in Crossroads Village (see sidebar) – including the provocatively-titled 2018 tome, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter.

And, of course, as the local population ages and passes on, younger families are absorbing the accumulated clutter of the War Generation and Baby Boomers.

Every mess has its own unique story, says Ranka. In a coffee shop interview, she is decked out in the tidiest of outfits: black and white checked jacket, orange blouse, bold silver necklace, and trendy eyeglasses. Decluttering is fundamentally about mental and emotional transformation, she says, and about reclaiming power.

She uses herself as an example. Raised in poverty – surrounded by war-related dysfunction and profoundly vision-impaired – Ranka left the former Yugoslavia for Austria, and finally Canada. Hanging over her head was the social expectation that she would never amount to much, that she would be a “nuisance to society.”

While she was never that – in Surrey, she

ttering sparks so much more than just joy

Transformation: that’s what PRL is celebrating this International Women’s Day. Here, we introduce two women who changed their lives in middle age – and are helping others do the same: Ranka Burzan and Kirsten Clarkson (see Page 9). See Page 22 for IWD events.

Spring Cleaning At the Powell River Public Library, tidying books are flying off the shelves. Here, Assistant Chief Librarian Natalie Porter recommends five top titles available on her shelves.

1. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family From a Lifetime of Clutter (2018) by Margareta Magnusson 2. Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter and organize to make room for happiness (2019) by Gretchen Rubin 3. Never Too Busy to Cure Clutter: Simplify your life one minute at a time (2016)

by Erin Rooney Doland 4. Squeaky Green: The method guide to detoxing your home (2008) by Eric Ryan 5. Greening Your Cleaning (2007) by Deirdre Imus

SPARK THIS: Marie Kondo’s 2014 book is also available at PRPL.

NO JUDGEMENT: Many feel shame about their messy homes. But organizer Ranka Burzan says nearly everyone needs help learning to clear physical and emotional clutter. became a successful early childhood educator – the chaos of her own childhood infected every part of her adulthood. It wasn’t until her 50s that she gathered the strength to say, “enough.” That’s when she left her marriage, and started S.O.S. “Everything I see is because I experienced it. I had a fear of change. So I wanted the chaos. I became an expert at dealing with my chaos,” she says. “Decluttering is not just about putting your stuff in pretty baskets or containers. I go deeper. As soon as we find the reason for all this clutter, we can find the solution to it. But I can’t work with people who are not ready to go there.”

Why part with your stuff? The benefits, says Ranka. Less stress, more leisure time with your family and friends, a healthier relationship with your family, a better social life and improved financial security. It’s not about attaining a Better

KICK THE CLUTTER, GET ORGANIZED! What: Professional Organizer Ranka Burzan, author of Don’t Agonize… Organize!, will provide a free interactive workshop on learning how to deal with different types of clutter.

When: March 23, 2 til 4 pm Where: Library Homes and Gardens-worthy home. Rather, Ranka says, she’s passionate about her work because evolving out of her own chaos was so powerful for her, she wants to share that with the world.

“I made a decision to study the roots of disorganization, procrastination and how to improve my quality of life,” she says. “It became my passion and purpose to help others to live an inspired and productive life.”

POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

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Woodstove exchange Program

Receive up to $550 when replacing your old woodstove

$550 to replace your old woodstove with a heatpump or pellet stove

$550 to replace your old woodstove with a gas, propane or electric stove

$350 to replace your old woodstove with a new certified woodstove

Pre-aPProval required The qathet Regional District is working to replace old smoky woodstoves that contribute particulate matter into the air with cleaner burning, more efficient models.

Please contact Let’s Talk Trash to find out more information about program requirements.

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Additional rebates can be applied for through Efficiency BC.

8

• march 2019 • prliving.ca

Great Expectations

for middle-aged women, & even greater realities

BY KIRSTEN CLARKSON

“Sometimes we were those bastards – talking to ourselves in the nasty way women sometimes do. We helped one another silence the inner voice that says, ‘you’re too fat, too thin, too weird…’”

When we were growing up together, Robyn Grebliunas and I were the girls voted most likely not to be voted for anything.

We weren’t even on the radar.

We spent our young teens in small town BC, on the wrong side of the tracks, with very low expectations.

One day we were in a terrible car accident that killed our friends. The crash broke my neck (and nearly every other bone in my body) and nearly drowned Robyn.

That accident created an understanding in us that because we had survived, we must live. But we still struggled with the social expectation that we would not succeed. Low expectations really hit our egos.

Luckily, we’ve been each other’s lifeline for more than 35 years and we just keep on keeping on. Long before The Handmaid’s Tale became the #metoo movement, we relentlessly pushed each other to “never let the bastards get us down.” Sometimes we were those bastards – talking to ourselves in the nasty way women sometimes do.

We helped one another silence the inner voice that says, “you’re too fat, too thin, to weird…” We remind each other of our self-worth.

Actually, we don’t “remind” each other of our selfworth. We relentlessly push each other to live up to the very high expectations we have of each other.

Robyn overcame many obstacles to become a force in the Merritt Mountain Music Festival and then a Marketing and Communications expert. She recently earned a Master’s Degree in Communications.

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SURVIVORS: After living through a car accident that killed their friends, then-teens Kirsten Clarkson (top) and Robyn Grebliunas pledged to squeeze as much out of life as they could. Friendship helped them do it.

In Vancouver, I became a talent agent, worked in casting, directing and producing and eventually became an acting coach to well-known actors and stars, while founding and running a successful acting school in Gastown.

Anyone who has really lived knows, though, transformation stories don’t wrap up in tidy packages like this. By the time we hit our late 40s, life had us on the rocks again.

I was living in Vancouver and completely overwhelmed by the cost of city life. Though to the outside world my life might have looked glamorous and successful – it was anything but. I was working like a dog to get by. The actors I coached were famous and rich but I was most definitely not. I was staggering under the weight of an enormous overhead.

Robyn lived through a not-so-fabulous divorce.

Thanks to our friendship and our drive to make the most of the life we’ve been gifted, we slowly picked ourselves and each other up again.

Robyn sold her house and moved to a condo near a lake where she could live an outdoorsy life.

I dreamt of a little house in the country where I could live and coach and Robyn and I could write a couple of books we’ve had in mind for years. My husband and I bought our place near Lund five years ago and worked until we could afford to move here. Now our boy runs wild with all the beautiful children in Powell River. Ten

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One of my favorite clients is a wonderful woman named Sharon who went through a difficult marriage and a horrible divorce. It left her barely standing. Like most of us, she kept herself upright because of her kids.

She’d spent her life living for her kids and her career had been as a homemaker. She didn’t see many options for work.

She loved to paint and had harbored a secret hope that she might one day make a living as an artist. After the divorce, she lost her home and relied on help from family and friends. She thought she had no option to live her dream. If she was going to keep things afloat she needed a job and needed it fast.

I had known Sharon through her daughter, a brilliant

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years to the month after I dreamt of another life, here I am.

Together, Robyn and I own Creme Brulee Coaching, a business that helps women in mid-life reinvent themselves. Our own struggles have helped us help the women we coach. Robyn’s communication skills and my understanding of human behavior (through acting) give us an insight into change that we’ve parlayed to create success for ourselves and others. We decided to focus on women in their 40s (and better) who want to make changes in their lives. We chose these women because we believe older women will be a force for good in the future and we want to be a part of that.

When I moved to Powell River, I split my focus into coaching actors and life coaching women with Robyn. I had also been working online for about five years. This enabled us to coach people all over the world – we’ve had clients in Abu Dhabi, England, Prince Rupert, Vancouver, and NY. Being in early menopause made the time zones pretty easy – we’re up at 3 am anyway!

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• march 2019 • prliving.ca

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“We believe older women will be a force for good in the future and we want to be a part of that. “ little girl who I had coached when Sharon’s financial situation was better. I knew what an excellent person she was and I knew that she just needed to use the skills she already had to have both the job to pay her bills and to live her dream as an artist.

To start we traded. I got her to do a painting for my husband as half the payment. The rest she would pay when she got work. To me, it was a low risk. Sharon is an incredible woman and I could see she would be a great success but, at the time, she could not. She was in survival mode.

I worked with Sharon using her existing art skills to prompt her creativity. I also used the skills actors use to understand emotion to build physical and emotional confidence. It wasn’t a quick fix but she was diligent and courageous and... it worked.

One day Sharon was walking down the street, full of newfound confidence, and she bumped into a friend.

With the courage to believe in herself, she told her friend about her dream to use her art for work. She would not have done that before. She’d have felt silly or out of her league. That friend referred her to another friend and now, Sharon is currently working in film production design! She didn’t start at the top but she didn’t care and she worked her butt off to get better gigs.

I thought my clients would continue to be people

who live in major cities like Sharon. I didn’t expect to work with people in Powell River – I just didn’t think people would need me here. To my surprise, I have two Powell River clients who have been great successes in film and television!

I’m mentoring Paige Anderson in her new talent agency and have introduced her to casting directors and actors. It turns out she really has great instincts and one of her local clients has already booked a series.

Carma Sacree told me she was harboring a secret dream she didn’t really think she could do. She wanted to be a professional actor. Well, after a lot of hard work and a lot of guts, she’s not only a good actor, but she’s also with an agent and has booked two of the first four auditions she went out for. This is just unheard of. Usually, actors audition 50 times before they book a role.

Carma’s on fire!

I love coaching women of a certain age. It’s such a pleasure to live a life where we have exceeded our own expectations and to help others do the same.

I have high expectations for the women we coach. I expect them to be their own damn selves and I expect them to make the world a better place just by being their own damn selves. When you’re truthful about who you are you’re a powerful force and who knows where that can lead. Anywhere you like, I’d expect.

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Doubt F OR C ITY C OU NC IL in the April 6 by-election

G EOR G EDOU B T.C A Current councillors will be voting for George Doubt because...

Councillor Cindy Elliott

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Councillor Maggie Hathaway “During George’s short time on Council, I was very impressed with his skills, expertise and ability to get a quick grasp of the issues. I am confident he will make an excellent Councillor. ”

Councillor CaroleAnn Leishman “I can say from experience that George is ready to jump in with both feet and he has been fully engaged in Council matters and offers a calm, wise perspective. I have no Doubt: vote George.”

Councillor Jim Palm “George has been regularly attending council meetings for over a year. During that time and in the short time he was on council I have I found him to be dedicated, experienced and hard-working. I am supporting George on April 6.”

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POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

11

J

ust one decade ago, students received paper report cards and took them home. When students didn’t show up at school, a secretary phoned home. In addition to parent/teacher meetings, parents would schedule face to face meetings or phone calls with teachers if they were worried about their child’s progress.

Platforms such as MyEdBC and Scholantis are now the norm. There’s Yapp, EdModo, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs, remind.com, email and text. And yes, still face to face and phone calls. These are just some of the ways educators communicate with families in 2019.

Sean Percy is the parent of a Brooks Secondary School student and he’s impressed with how technology helps him know what’s going on. “Graham Cocksedge is blowing my mind with how well-connected he keeps me with my kid’s Science 10 class with Edmodo. Best [communication] I’ve ever had!”

Technology has changed rapidly and dramatically in recent years and schools are beginning to modernize how they communicate student learning to keep up with all these changes.

“Brooks is an open school. Parents can check in electronically,” says Bill Rounis, Principal of Brooks Secondary School. “In addition to parent/teacher meetings, parents would schedule face to face meetings or phone calls with teachers if they were worried about their child’s progress. These happen a lot less now because they have been replaced with emailing, texting, and communicating through online platforms. No more waiting for your appointment or driving to a meeting, as parents can have instant access to information and answers.“ The HINTS website lets students and families share concerns anonymously. For example, if someone hears there’s a fight planned for a certain time but they don’t want to be seen as reporting it, they can share that information on HINTS and remain anonymous.

Parents can now look at attendance period by period online, says Bill.

“They can track and see if there is a pattern to absences and they can look at these absences through a short term or a long-term window to see how their children are doing. This attendance information is now just one click away for our parents and we plan on expanding our portal to include access for other features such as report card marks, and credit details towards graduation.”

School District 47 first introduced Eportfolios (dig-

12

• march 2019 • prliving.ca

SD47 improves communications Apps, social media, emails all pieces of the puzzle

ital portfolios) four years ago to better communicate student learning experiences in the elementary classroom. We are now looking at how to bring that to high school as well. For those concerned about privacy, they’re all housed in our local data centre.

Eportfolios contain three categories of posts: Assessment, Learning Growth and Celebrations of Learning. They take the place of traditional paper report cards and provide ongoing communication of student achievement. When Brooks Secondary School sent out paper student report cards in February, it was the last time all report cards were printed on paper. Report cards are available online along with other information including attendance history, credit history for graduation, and course selection.

Paper copies of report cards are still available on request, said Bill.

Many parents will remember the automatic dialler “Syner Voice,” calling their home. “This is Brooks Secondary School calling. A child in your household in Grade 11 was absent from…”

Student attendance (for Brooks) is now available electronically at MyEdBC, says Matthew Hull, School District 47’s Director of Technology.

“The Board is looking at improving communications and connections with all stakeholders.

They would like to increase the ability for staff and parents to bridge that gap and technology can assist us.”

The District has been using MyEdBc for five years. MyEdBC’s data is warehoused in Victoria and Kelowna.

“We are very cognizant of where student data is stored,” said Matthew. “We can only store our data in Canada. We are cautious to implement Google Drive as we are aware of the privacy implications.”

Some teachers use apps such as EdModo to communicate with their students and parents but parental permission has to be in place.

Want to learn more?

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School House on the Rock

EARNEST EDUCATION: Scott Malin hams it up as a strict post-WWI teacher at the new school house exhibit at the Texada Museum.

BY PETER LOCK

“May I please go in there?”

The elderly lady walked directly between the rows of empty wooden desks to the teacher’s desk at the front of the class and sat down. Her smile told all. She had travelled back in her mind to the scene of her first teaching position in a remote one-room school.

“It was a precious moment,” said Doug Paton, Texada Museum curator, who was showing the retired teacher the museum’s latest exhibit – a replica of a historic school classroom with attached teacherage.

Creator and designer Brenda Rairie had hoped to evoke the feeling of going to school on Texada Island around 100 years ago.

She succeeded.

“I was excited to do this project as I have five generations of teachers in my family,” she said.

Brenda’s craftsman husband, Dave, went right to work. Two museum storage areas were emptied, stripped down and renovated using local cedar to reproduce the traditional wainscotting along the lower walls.

The prominent Union Jack now hangs above the blackboard, the woodstove warms the corner and rows

“It’s hard to believe that at one time I used to fit into one of those desks!”

– Pete Styles, Museum Director of wooden flip-seat desks occupy the centre.

“I had the floor plan worked out on graph paper but the teacher’s desk was just too big,” said Brenda. Her problem was solved when museum director Pete Stiles

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POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

13

5 Union Jack moments to make you go “hmm” on Commonwealth Day, March 14

BY PIETA WOOLLEY | pieta@prliving.ca

T

he Union Flag is the official symbol of the United Kingdom, adopted in 1801. The design is the Cross of Saint Andrew (England) with the Cross of Saint Patrick (Ireland), over the Cross of Saint George (Scotland). Given its long history and powerful symbolism, no wonder it has been controversial at times. But it still flies across the world each March 14.

What do you think about the Union Jack?

Here are five things to think about:

1. It hangs over the school room at the Texada Museum

BC didn’t join Confederation until 1871; until then, this was still a British Colony. Canada didn’t adopt a flag separate from the UK’s until 1965. Thus, the Union Jack hangs in Texada’s museum school room of the early 20th century.

2. It’s on the BC Flag and remains Canada’s Royal Union Flag

British Columbia of course contains the word, “British,” so it only makes sense that the province’s flag is topped with the Union Jack.... and that the rest of it symbolizes that “The sun never sets on the British Empire.” In 1964 when Canada adopted the Maple Leaf, it retained

the Union Jack officially to symbolize its membership in the Commonwealth.

3. Commonwealth Day, March 14

Fly your own Union Jack this month, along with the 52 other countries in the Commonwealth – nearly all former British territories. They include South Africa, Australia, India, Pakistan, Bahamas, Rwanda, etcetera.

4. A racist provocation?

Like the Confederate Flag, some farright groups have used it as a symbol of their own racist nationalism. But that may be changing. In a 2012 article in The Atlantic, editor Dominic Tierney argues that in multicultural, sophisticated, postOlympics London, the time was ripe to “tear the Union Jack from the hands of stiff-necked officials and racist thugs. For a new take on [John] Lennon’s dream, imagine proudly waving the Union Jack.

It’s easy if you try.”

5. The Who • Queen • Iron Maiden • Spice Girls.

Both pop patriots and provocateurs wrap themselves in the symbol of their country on stage. Visiting England?

Don’t forget to buy yourself some Union Jack socks, an iPhone case, a duvet cover, or car decal. These things are everywhere.

arrived with his late wife, Monica’s, smaller writing desk.

“It was just perfect. It was the final piece of the puzzle.”

Next to the classroom is the teacherage exhibit, a tribute to Miss Emily Raper who taught the first classes in Van Anda in 1898.

Simon, the cat, almost seems to purr as he naps on the crocheted bedspread.

Many find it hard to believe that he isn’t real.

The apple pie on the wood cookstove and pot of tea on the small table are an invitation to visit. On the other hand the wash basin, jug and below-bed chamber pot remind us of the lack of modern conveniences in those days.

The students of Texada Elementary were the first to see the new exhibit. “I’m surprised they could make it so realistic,” remarked 12-year-old Ocean.

Photographer Lorrie Pirart arranged the children in the vintage desks. Dressed in period costumes, they were excited to help bring the scene to life.

“It was pretty inspiring,” said Jeremy, 11.

Senior museum director Pete Stiles laughingly commented, “It’s hard to believe that at one time I used to fit into one

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of those desks!”

The Texada Heritage Museum has welcomed visitors since 2001 and has attracted praise from all quarters. Its location in the former Elementary School building in Van Anda enables current Texada students to become well-versed in the island’s colourful history.

Displays of early mining town life include a replicated blacksmith shop, livery stable and assay office.

The old-fashioned boardwalk leads to a fantastic underground mine tunnel experience that is the highlight of any museum tour.

Thanks to Brenda and Dave Rairie for their imagination, enthusiasm and hard work in helping to bring the past to life.

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• march 2019 • prliving.ca

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I MADE THE MOVE

Beware: top pastry chef

C

olleen McClean opens her bakery, Hearth & Grain, in the Townsite Market this month.

From 2010-2018 Colleen inspired culinary students, teaching everything from basic cooking skills to pastry classes including Chocolate and Sugar work, Advanced Pastry techniques, and Artisan Breads at Vancouver’s LaSalle College.

A graduate of the Dubrulle French Culinary School, Colleen worked her way up through Seasons in the Park, Chocolate Arts, Harvest Golf Club in Kelowna, Lumière (where she worked with Rob Feenie, Frank Pabst and MarcAndré Choquette,) and Coco Pazzo. She became Executive Chef at Café de Paris and Chef de Cuisine at Feenie’s. At Rare restaurant, she developed her own sourdough, fermented many other foods, and used her chocolate knowledge to create mignardise.

Colleen moved to Powell River to explore the next chapter of her career. Find her on Instagram and Facebook.

Why did you choose to move here?

Colleen • A friend invited me to come and visit. I was convinced that Powell River held nothing for me, but I visited and ended up at the under-construction Townsite Market. After seeing the charm of the Market, I asked to be put in touch with the owner. Because asking questions never hurts, right? Next thing I knew I was hatching a business plan and spent a year trying to figure out whether I had the guts to move and open a business in a town where I knew only four people. I also liked the community that I saw when I visited.

When? Where from?

Colleen • I moved at the end of June 2018 from Vancouver (Richmond).

What surprised you about Powell River once you moved here?

Colleen • The amount of support and encouragement that I have received from the community, the downright friendly people, and the fact that it felt like home to me right away – profoundly like home.

What made you decide to move?

Colleen • I asked a Powell River friend what type of business Powell River needed more than anything. He said a quality bakery. I looked at him and replied “you know I can do that, right?” All I received in response was a Cheshire cat grin.

Where is your favourite place here?

Colleen • Townsite. There is so much history here. I can walk to my business in seven minutes and generally it is just peaceful here. The houses are also adorable.

How did you first hear about us?

Colleen • A friend moved here nine or 10 years back. He has made it a mission to entice other people he knows and likes to come here. It doesn’t hurt that he works for Tourism Sunshine Coast.

What aspect of your previous community do you think would benefit Powell River?

Colleen • More ethnic diversity. This would provide a base for more interesting community events and businesses.

What challenges did you face in trying to make a life for yourself here?

Colleen • The biggest challenge has been trying to get my business open. It’s been seven months and I keep trying to push things forward, but it keeps stalling.

It will happen. I will make it happen because I am determined, but it has been frustrating in the meantime, to say the least. Many setbacks with contractors, code and lack of competition for contracts. In the mean time I am still trying to spread the name of my business (Hearth & Grain) and the fact that the Townsite Market is open!

What would make Powell River a nicer community?

Colleen • It needs to be nicer than it already is? I would only say that PR is lacking in some services/people that are somewhat essential – doctors, bookkeepers, accountants and health practitioners in general. My business will definitely make it sweeter around here.

If you were mayor of Powell River what would you do?

Colleen • I don’t feel qualified to answer this question, as I don’t think that I know enough of the issues and needs of Powell River. However, I would think that transparency in the municipal government would be a high priority for me. Avoid conflict of interest. Make sure that there are fair processes involved in awarding city contracts. Prioritize equality and inclusivity. Find a way to help the less fortunate so that they can get back on their feet, or at least get the support that they need. Whether that is housing, shelters, food, mental health support, addictions treatment…

What are Powell River’s best assets?

Colleen • The incomparable outdoor life and activities, the community spirit and events, the supportiveness of the community and the daily view. And I tell you, my daily commute has shortened by about two hours. Six stoplights that I barely use? That is gold right there.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Colleen • Too many pairs of Fluevogs. But wait until you taste my pain au chocolat.

CHEF DE TOWNSITE: Colleen McClean is bringing her Vancouver-earned expertise to Hearth & Grain, opening this month at Townsite Market.

Which talent or superpower would you most like to have?

Colleen • The ability to speak many languages. I have it on my “to do” list to learn French, Spanish and Japanese. I should be studying right now.

If you know someone we should feature in I Made the Move, please email isabelle@prliving.ca with your idea.

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POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

15

The minimalist

Top priorities in the garden for March

garden

If you have not already done so sort through your seed storage box and purge the packets that are not viable and that are not worth growing again.

Construct a seed-sowing schedule, or find one online. Sketch out your garden plot and plan your rotations.

Weed the garden. Get out there before they get away on you.

Sow seed. Indoors in a bright location, sow your heat lovers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, bulb fennel, onions, shallots, etc. The sooner the better! Outdoors… if the soil is not frigid consider sowing some early greens, peas, spinach, summer cabbages, parsnips, carrots, beets, and chard etc.

If you plan to plant roses or fruit trees consider buying bare root plants. The bare root specimens are only available in the spring and are usually considerably less expensive.

Tune-up all your hand tools, and machines. This includes sharpening, cleaning, oiling.

Purge the useless gardening tools that we seem to collect. Remember if you buy quality tools they should last a lifetime.

Prune your shrub roses. Remember they do well with a hard pruning rather than soft.

Also try to prune to an outward facing bud to ensure an airy open structure.

Split up some of your early flowering plants and spring bulbs that have finished blooming. Spread them around the garden. These would be plants like primulas, snowdrops, and crocuses, just to name a few.

Secure and apply mulch. You will not regret it one bit. A 3”-4” topdressing will be plenty to smother the weeds and provide moisture retention. My rule of thumb is that 1 yard (9 wheelbarrows) of material will cover just over 100 square feet if you spread it 3 inches thick.

A

gardener new to growing food asked me a few weeks ago if it was possible to have a vegetable garden but with absolute minimal effort.

My answer was of course “Yes, you just have to plan for it.”

One of the issues with growing a food garden – especially when new at it – is that it can feel like a big commitment. It is easy to begin the season with eagerness and zeal, but weeks of weeding, watering, tying and staking, the good feelings can wither into drudgery and neglect. Having a garden can definitely tether you down but it does not have to be that way.

Also a fabulous crop can be easily traded, meagre crops cannot.

Second, plan to buy your starts or seedlings. Forget about the seeds, seeding trays, and the windowsill. Leave the finicky components of growing food to the professional nurserymen, who have it down to a fine art.

Furthermore, it is also good to stick to growing crops that require less fiddling with training, repeat harvesting, or issues with pest and diseases. Instead grow crops that once planted they are left to their own devices until it is time to enjoy them.

A growing concern

16

Watering

You can either water by hand or have an automated system in place. A onezone timer will set you back about $40.

They are easy to install in combination with a sprinkler or drip line and they will last for years.

Weeding

BY JONATHAN VAN WILTENBURG | jonathan_vw@yahoo.com So how do I grow a minimalist garden?

The first step is to start small and simple. You’re so much better off growing one vegetable really well, rather than trying to grow 20 different vegetables with poor results. Just think, if you become such a pro at growing that one crop it will be so much easier to add an additional vegetable into the plot the following year.

leeks, bulb fennel, kale, or beets.

Higher maintenance crops include tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, peppers, lettuce, cilantro, dill, or beans.

Lastly, plan the mechanics of the operation: watering, weeding, and feeding.

One of the lowest maintenance crops to grow is the potato. Pop it in, feed it, water regularly and voila, you will have a good-sized crop at the end of the season.

Nothing beats a potato fresh out of the garden cooked and smothered in butter.

Other low-maintenance crops include corn, summer squash, pumpkin, asparagus, winter squash, shallots, onions,

You can either hoe religiously on a two-week schedule, or you can put down a physical barrier or “mulch” to prevent the weeds from coming up altogether.

Organic mulches made of bark, wood chips, water soaked cardboard, are all great options as they break down over time, adding to the soil.

Inorganic mulches include mill felt, landscape fabric, old tarps, and plastic sheeting. Most of the plastic products tend to degrade rapidly in sunlight and all that degradation will end up in your

Garden

Pets

Home

Seeds Lighting Soils Hydroponics Fertilizer Plants & Pots

Raw Food Toys Beds Treats Fish & Reptile Bird & Small Animal

Indoor Décor Wall Art Tropical Plants Plant Pots Wind Chimes Terrariums

• march 2019 • prliving.ca

soil and turn into garbage quite quickly.

Regardless of which mulch is chosen, it is important that you design both the watering and weed prevention systems to work in conjunction with each other.

The water must get down to the roots, so take the time to make sure your system will get the water where it needs to go.

Feeding

There are many ways to feed plants, but the easiest option would be to use time-release fertilizer. As the name suggests, the nutrients in time-release fertilizer are released over a period of time. As a plant grows throughout the season the product slowly breaks down in the soil and become available to the plant. It is a nice way to just feed once early on in the season. This type of product is most often marketed in a chemical form, however many of the components found in organic fertilizer (things like bone meal, rock phosphate, alfalfa meal, and other seed meals) inherently offer a time-release effect.

Ask you nursery staff to point you in the direction of a good time-release feeding option that works for you.

Who knows better

than Mother Nature?

7050 Duncan Street

604.485.9878 mother-nature.ca

MADE IN POWELL RIVER

Pollen & Co.’s 6,000 sweaters a year nothing to sneeze at

C

arla Brosseau and Evelyn Pollen are the faces behind one of qathet’s best-known products: the Pollen Sweater. From their storefront in Lund, the duo oversees the production and sale of thousands of sweaters each year, destined for chilly torsos as far away as Coober Pedy, Australia.

Pollen Sweaters consistently wins Powell River Living’s “Best Local Souvenir” award, and can be seen on board fishing boats and in place of suit jackets and cocktail dresses at local galas. In fact, a Pollen placket sweater over jeans is affectionately known as the “Lund Tuxedo.”

“I’m so grateful to be part-owner and manager of this business,” says Carla.

“The lovely team and the well-designed product make my job easy (most of the time.)”

What’s your product?

Carla • Machine washable and dryable itch-free wool sweaters, toques and ponchos as well as silky cool bamboo ponchos.

Where did your idea come from?

When?

Carla • David and Evelyn Pollen, my entrepreneurial parents, started Pollen Sweaters in 1986 shortly after our move from Sidney, BC. Ev, always a skilled

seamstress, and Dave, a paramedic and boat builder, saw a niche market for a durable, low-maintenance wool sweater for the prevailing climate and work force of Lund and Powell River.

What kind of support did you receive?

Carla • This community! Early on, locals embraced the product and would come directly to my parents home to purchase.

These days, it seems every out of town guest is brought to our Lund store. Despite application, Pollen Sweaters has never been given financial support – slow yet steady growth was the mantra!

THE SWEATER THAT TAKES YOU FROM FISHING TO FLIRTING: Left, Evelyn Pollen and daughter Carla Brosseau run the company. Carla’s husband Ray (above, with Carla and son Leo) also makes stuff (paper, at Catalyst).

Was it successful immediately or did it take some time?

Carla • At the beginning, Pollen had a staff of about four and we all worked happily in the factory space contained within my parents home. There are too many lovely details about staff and conditions to write about here but friendship, dogs

and laughter have always been present!

What surprised you when you brought it to market? Did you make changes?

Carla • Over the years we have experimented with adding to the product lineup. Some items have stuck, but others have been discontinued because they either slowed our production or failed

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17

to please. The flagship sweater is still the most popular – the two button placket style. The “Franken” sweater – named for Dr. Frankenstein’s patch work monster, are incredibly popular and get people talking! This half price item commands a line up on the first day of the sale – always the second Saturday of April.

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How has your business changed since it launched?

Carla • Dave and Ev put loads of up-front research into machinery and sourcing the right materials. We make pretty much the same product today – 33 years later.

I became involved in 2004 when Dave became ill with fatal brain cancer. In 2005, Nancy, of Nancy’s Bakery and former knitter of Pollen Sweaters, offered an amazing retail location and business really picked up!

Who are your customers?

Carla • From humble beginnings at craft fairs, Pollen is now selling well from our own little retail shop in Lund, and to about 25 wholesale customers, including Jim and the gang at Marine Traders and a little shop on PEI. Website sales send the product around the world and corporate bulk orders and fishing lodges keep us busy year round.

POWELL RIVER DENTURE CLINIC LTD.

How do you market?

Carla • I’m pleased to report that advertising in Powell River Living, as well as word of mouth drawing people to our website and store are our main marketing resources! Happy customers spread the word. We are also pleased to donate to worthy causes both outside of and within the community which creates goodwill!

102-7075 Alberni St • 604.485.7654 Mon-Thurs 8:30-4:30 closed for lunch 12-1pm • Fri 8:30-noon

Tell us the story of your biggest oops moment.

Carla • One that stands out is the time mom accidently added a ham sandwich to a batch of sweater pieces in the wash! Don’t try this at home.

Brian Mansell R.D.

Why do you choose Powell River as your base?

Carla • Because we live here and love it here. We repeatedly turn down offers from overseas facilities wanting to take over production. It might be cheaper but it might also cheapen the product. We may not be big but we are small! The store front in Lund and all the boat traffic makes even August a busy time of year for wool sweaters.

Who’s on your team?

Carla • We are now an incredible working staff of 15, (including my now free-range mother), in our rustic factory in the woods producing about 6,000 sweaters a year! Melise McKee, knitter and machine maintainer extraordinaire; Dagmar Hansen, seamstress and sewing production guru; Sara Wiltse, retail manager and customer relations darling; Barb Langmaid; Roni Budgell; Emily Jenkins; Emily Walz; Maree Lennox; Davina Bailey; Kortlynn Gesic; Shelby Behan; and Erin Lurkins – what a team! We are also very grateful to Charles Barton-Bridges, who developed software and touch screen controls and pattern storage for our “antique” knitting machines, as well as the ongoing improvement of said controls. Also grateful to Keith Neri who has fabricated parts, repaired systems and continues to offer incredible support.

Website design and maintenance, and photo kudos to Allen Wallace and Anji Smith Fotos! Support from our valued bookkeeper Lisa Beeching as well as the patient advice and services from Lamont and Co. have been invaluable.

What advice do you have for others who want to make & sell stuff from Powell River?

Carla • Find people you trust and treat them well!

Timberlane Quilters’ Guild presents

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Saturday March 16 10 am to 5 pm

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• march 2019 • prliving.ca

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♦ Award-Winning desktop printers & MFP’s from Canon and Xerox

18

Sunday March 17

timberlanequiltersguild.ca POWELL RIVER COUNCIL FOR ARTS, CULTURE & HERITAGE 604 485-6506 artscouncilpr@gmail.com powellriverartscouncil.com

WHAT’S UP Chef John D. Walls of the House of Culinary Magic tempts you with a French Brasserie. The focus is on comfortable, delicious food for good value. Enjoy slow-cooked peasant dishes with a modern twist.

• Scotch tastings • Dishes perfect for sharing • Different menus for lunch & dinner • Ask about cooking classes!

GOLDEN: Three Powell River athletes helped the Comox Valley floor hockey team – The Vipers – bring home the gold medal at the BC Special Olympic Winter Games February 21 to 23. Tarra Tipton coaches the team; the athletes are Robert Lang, Tanya Norman and Andrew Swindlehurst. “We started with a visualization technique. This is something we always do to mentally prepare our athletes,” said Tarra about the moments before the final game. The Vipers got a slow start, allowing an early goal. Abbotsford had clearly tightened up in a few areas after playing the Vipers earlier that day. The Vipers got that goal back by the end of the first period, and never looked back. “In the second and third period you could really see our athletes’ hard work paying off,” said Tarra.

Abbotsford was clearly getting tired, and the Vipers went on a rip, scoring six more times to win the gold medal game 7-1.

Meet your Farmers

Who grows the food you eat? What’s his or her name?

Want to meet some local farmers? Now you can when you attend the Powell River Farmers’ Agricultural Institute’s “Meet your Farmer, Raise the Roof Dinner,” on Wednesday, March 6 in the Great Hall at Brooks Secondary School.

“This event is an opportunity for the community to meet local farmers and the Farmers’ Market Vendors,” says Farmers Institute member Kathy Hodgins. Food for the event will be donated by local farmers. Aaron Mazurek, owner of Terra Nostra Farm, will be the guest speaker. This event is also a fundraiser to kick off the institute’s efforts to replace one of the aging Quonset huts at the Exhibition Grounds. Tickets are $10 for members of the Farmers’ Agricultural Institute and $25 for non members and are available at Top Shelf Feed on Manson Avenue.

Volunteers needed!

• The Powell River branch of the BC Schizophrenia Society is looking for board members. Meetings are held once every three months in Westview. Make your voice heard for the mentally ill in Powell River and have some fun while you are at it. If you are interested in helping please call 604-344-0309.

• “The nook” coffee kiosk at the Powell River Public Library is looking for part-time volunteer baristas. “The nook” is a social enterprise initiative launched by PREP Society to support community programs. Proceeds from the coffee kiosk go to the Community Resource Centre, Family Place, BOND, food programs, immigrant services, literacy programs, and more.

• Powell River Early Years Planning Table is looking

for a volunteer media content designer to create posters and pamphlets to convey important messages for families. The Early Years Planning Table is a group of passionate professionals who work collaboratively to improve services and programs for families with children 0-5 years in the Powell River region.

New Sports Hall of Fame inductees

Eight athletes and one team have been named to the Powell River Sports Hall of Fame, which will have its inaugural induction in June.

Inductees include: • 1969-70 Powell River Regals, team – hockey • Les Adams, athlete – soccer and boxing • Gino Bortolussi, pioneer – track and field • Bob Crawford, athlete/builder – hockey • Drew Ferguson, athlete – soccer • Roy Gerela, athlete – football • Ted Gerela, athlete – football • Gary Lupul, athlete – hockey • Connie Polman Tuin, athlete – Olympian 1984, track and field An anonymous committee made the selections from the 25 nominations from the community. The remaining applications are still on the list for future consideration.

Only athletes that are retired from active competition are considered for the Hall of Fame.

Lisanne English, vice-chair of the Sports Hall of Fame Committee said the inductee dinner and ceremony will be held at the Powell River Recreation Complex on Saturday, June 15.

“All the inductees have been contacted and are very excited about the Sports Hall of Fame event,” English said.

Thursday - Monday 11-2 & 5-9 Friday & Saturday tapas 9-late

4463 Marine Ave (beside the Zoo) 604-489-1221

Roofing you can trust.

As Powell River’s leading roofing contractor since 1980, we provide high-quality installations of all types of roofing systems, and all of our workers are trained and ticketed in each specific roofing application.

• Commercial and residential • Torch on membrane systems • Single ply roof systems • Hidden fastener metal roofing • Cladding and corrugated metal • Fiberglass asphalt shingles FREE s • Composite shingle roofs ate • Green roofing certified Estim • Repairs and maintenance • Roof consulting and planning • Custom sheet metal and flashing sales • Mechanical and HVAC sales and service • Red Seal Certified Tradesmen

Better Business Bureau & Roofing Contractors Association of BC

www.nelsonroofing.com

(604) 485-0100

POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

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i w o t e

rit

W

! n

BUSINESS AFFAIRS WITH SEAN PERCY sean@prliving.ca

Something to smile about

Marine Denture Clinic is now open in Gibson’s Crossing. Part clinic, part lab, Marine Denture Clinic uses only high standard acrylic based materials in the fabrication of dental devices. Registered Denturist Fiona Butula specializes in providing partial and full conventional and precision dentures as well as repairs and relines. For more information visit Fiona at 4670 Unit E Marine Avenue, email info@marinedentureclinic.com or call 604-485-2212.

Toy story

In just three hours What • Powell River’s first annual Quick

Writing Contest. AKA ‘The Quickie.’

When • March 9, 1 til 4pm.

Where • At the Library - or anywhere your laptop goes.

Who • Categories for teens and adults.

What’s being written • 200- and 1,000-word fiction and non-fiction stories. The theme will be announced at 1pm, March 9.

Hosted by • The Powell River Public Library and Powell River Living magazine.

Exercise your brain!

Win prizes!

Enjoy fame!

For more information, email Mark at mmerlino@prpl.ca.

Winning entries will be published in the June 2019 issue of PRL.

POWELL R IVER PUBLIC LIBR ARY

20

• march 2019 • prliving.ca

Wes Turnbull and his wife Vanessa opened Paradise Valley RC Hobbies last month at 3286 Padgett Road. Wes brings years of experience to his new business.

He owned a large radio control model hobby store in the Lower Mainland for 29 years. His new store specializes in radio controlled models, plastic models, paint, collectibles, Science Fiction Models, and drones. They also service what they sell.

You can contact Paradise Valley RC Hobbies at 604-489-3104, find them on Facebook or visit prvc.ca

Terri back in her Element

After closing T-Fit and Nourish, at the end of February, Terri Cramb wasted no time in announcing her next health and wellness adventure. Terri, who has more than 20 years as a fitness and yoga trainer, will be teaching at My Element Health and Fitness starting March 3.

Classes include strength, yoga, barre and more. Terri also became certified as a health coach last month.

New real estate company

Sunny Dawn Kostelnik has opened 2% Realty Sunshine Coast Inc. in Powell River. 2% Realty says it is the fastest growing real estate company in Canada.

Sunny Dawn is originally from Whitehorse and moved here five years ago. She has 25 years of real estate experience and worked with Re/Max Powell River before starting this “Revolution in Realty.” Real estate has changed greatly over the past 25 years, she says. “I am very proud to be part of the ‘Keep Your Money in Your Pocket’ concept.” Reach Sunny Dawn at 604-487-9992, 604-414-7372 or email sc@2percentrealty.ca. Her office is at #200-4400 Marine Avenue above Rockit Fuel Coffee.

Powell River’s got talent

Paige Anderson launched Anderson Talent in January. It is a professional agency that helps actors find a career in the commercial and film industry. Paige Anderson has been involved in the entertainment business since she was a child.

She enjoys helping others reach their goals. As the owner of Laszlo Tamasik Dance Studio, Paige is passionate about music, dance, film and stage. Paige has been working with acting coach and mentor Kirsten Clarkson who works with clients all over the world from here in Powell River. Visit andersontalentagency.ca, email info@andersontalentagency.ca or call 604-414-8650.

Chinese doc to Marine

Ginette Cloutier, Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, has moved her practice to a new location. The new space, across from Costa Del Sol, provides two rooms, one that serves as a herbal dispensary and the other as a treatment room. The new space is wheelchair accessible, with a stunning ocean view. Ginette’s new address is 4585 Marine and she can be reached at 604-223-7100 or ginettechinesemedicine@gmail.com.

School to buy property

Sino Bright Investments Ltd. has signed a deal to purchase land across from Brooks for the development of an international school campus. The $300,000 deal is to close Aug. 1 and is contingent on the property being rezoned and subdivided out of the remaining 80 acres of Lot 2 DL 450. The remaining approximately 70-acre parcel of the old golf course land, which is currently zoned “industrial use,” is still up for sale.

More fibre, less waste

The provincial government is changing the rules to try to get more fibre for coastal mills, and to export fewer raw logs. New penalties will apply to logging companies that leave waste in excess of new lower limits in certain areas where it’s economical. The soon-to-be owner of Powell River’s paper mill welcomed the changes. Brian Baarda, chief executive officer of Paper Excellence, said, “Coastal pulp and paper mills are in urgent need of additional pulp fibre supply. We support changes to improve the availability of fibre supply and ways to reduce the costs of scaling and handling pulp logs.” Prior to 2003, avoidable waste fibre on the coast was less than 5% of the harvest volume. By 2017, the waste increased to more than 16%. In some cutblocks, wasted fibre volumes are greater than the timber volume harvested. The new rules also change the way stumpage is calculated, using post-harvest information to capture the true cost of development and stumpage on actual timber harvested, instead of pre-harvest calculations.

MARCH 1 TO 3 WEEKEND

MARCH 8 TO 10 WEEKEND

Bloom and Glow Speak Up World Day of Prayer Bullying the Inside Story Festival 75th Concert

International Women’s Day Festival Grand Concert Daylight Savings The Quickie Maple Sugar Shack

Much more is happening in March. See Pages 28 to 31.

5

MARCH 15 TO 17 WEEKEND

MARCH 22 TO 24 WEEKEND

MARCH 29 TO 31 WEEKEND

March St. Patrick’s Day Spring Break Begins Equinox Celebrations Celebration of Quilts Seedy Saturday

Disc Golf Gone Wild Bollywood BC Writers Series Launch Kick the Clutter

Winsome Kind End of Spring Break Influential Women

So much music in

seeds to grow your garden vision

1. Seedy Saturday

On March 16, bustle over to the Rec Complex to start your garden. Seed packs are just $1, but there’s so much more.

2. Blessing of the Seeds

Head to Sycamore Commons March 20 to celebrate the Spring Equinox... and get your seeds blessed. Plus, potluck!

3. Pumpkin Contest

Once again, PRL columnist Jonathan van Wiltenburg will be hosting a pumpkin growing contest. Last year’s champion was a bulbous 226 pounds. Keep your eyes open for more.

4. Starting seeds indoors On March 17, the Urban Homesteading School hosts a workshop to help you nurture your tiny seeds into thriving plants.

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POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

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Infl

l a i t en

March Plan your

u

International Women’s Day Because YOU are awesome Nomination deadline: March 30, midnight

9th Annual Women of the Year Awards Dinner: May 15, Town Centre Hotel

Nominate an outstanding woman

For the 2019 Awards, there are four categories: •Outstanding Business Owner of the Year •Outstanding Employee of the Year •Outstanding Home-Based Business of the Year •Outstanding Volunteer of the Year

Note: Nominators do not have to be a member of Powell River Women in Business, nor do nominees.

To nominate someone and download a form, visit our website at prwomeninbusiness.com. Completed nomination forms can be emailed to info@prwomeninbusiness.com. Nomination forms can also be picked up at: The Nutcracker Market at 201-4741 Marine Avenue; Powell River Living magazine at 7053E Glacier Street.

Awards Dinner

We had a record number of nominees last year! We look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of the amazing and awesome women in our community again this year. Tickets for the awards dinner available April 15 at the Nutcracker Market.

Saturday, March 2

Friday, March 8

Bloom n Glow: A Femme-sational celebration

International Women’s Day fundraising dinner

The ARC, 4 pm to 8:30. A family friendly affair. An evening of music, spoken word, poetry, local food, tea, beverages, and art!! 8:30 pm to Midnight, 19+. $15 to $25, sliding scale.

Sunday, March 3

6 pm, Little Hut Curry. Four course vegan meal raising funds for Treesisters, a global network of women who donate and fundraise to plant trees in tropical forests to best combat global warming on a collective scale. $30 per person. tickets at The Curry Hut or at 604-483-6454.

Sing Women’s Movement Songs

Qigong for women workshop

Noon til 2pm, Cran Hall. Wellspring Choir hosts this IWD event, which invites women to sing about social justice, divine feminine and power. Annabelle Tulley-Barr 604-223-3265

Wednesday, March 13

Festival of Performing Arts 75th anniversary Celebration Concert

Qristina and Quinn Bachand

Doors open at 7, music at 7:30. Cran Hall

7 pm, Evergreen. With emcee Stewart Alsgard and selected performers from past festivals. Free.

Thursday, March 14

Bloom n Glow: A Femme-sational celebration

7 pm, The Arc. All ages. Eventbrite. $25 in advance, $30 at the door.

Five Alarm Funk with thechad

The ARC, 4 pm to 8:30. A family friendly affair. An evening of music, spoken word, poetry, local food, tea, beverages, and art $15 to $25, sliding scale.

Saturday, March 16

Friday, March 8

Sunday, March 17

Festival of Performing Arts Grand Concert

Organ Recital by Edward Norman

Buckman Coe & Tonye McKinney’s Pub, 9 pm

2 pm, United Church.

7 pm, Evergreen Selected performers from the 2019 festival. Ticketed event.

Saturday, March 23

Saturday, March 9

8 pm, Carlson Community Club

David James & Big River Johnny Cash Tribute

Tsk Tsk Revue & Beatfarmer

Wednesday, March 27

7 pm Rockit Music. Along with Rambling Man, a Waylon Jennings tribute. Doors open at 6:30 pm, show starts at 7 pm.

Tickets are $25 and are available at Rockit Music and Rockit Fuel Coffee.

The LynneS

Scout Mountain Bluegrass Show

Doors open at 7, music at 7:30. Cran Hall

New Lady on the Prairie – Lizzy Hoyt Trio

• march 2019 • prliving.ca

8:30 pm, McKinneys

Saturday, March 2

Tuesday, March 12

22

IWD Poetry and Dance

Live Music

7:30 pm, Legion

prwomeninbusiness.com

2 pm Cran Hall

7:30 Max Cameron. Celtic—folk artist and a master of the fiddle, guitar and harp. Adults $24 • Students $12

Doors open at 7, music at 7:30. Cran Hall

Saturday, March 30 Winsome Kind

Auntie Kate and the Uncles of Funk from Victoria, BC.

Doors open at 6:30 pm, show starts at 7 pm. Tickets are $18 and are available at Rockit Music and Rockit Fuel Coffee.

April 4 to 6 Townsite Jazz festival See Page 28.

Spring Break March 16 to 31

Big March Dates Friday, March 1

Thursday, March 14

World Day of Prayer

Commonwealth Day

Shrove Tuesday / Mardi gras

5 pm Pancake dinner at the United Church 5:30 pancake dinner at St. David St. Paul

Wednesday, March 6 Ash Wednesday, beginning of Lent

6 pm soup at Faith Lutheran, followed by 7 pm communion and imposition of ashes 6:30 pm service at United Church

Friday, March 8 International Women’s Day

Sunday, March 10

March 16 to 31 Spring Break

Sunday, March 17 St. Patrick’s Day

Wednesday, March 20 Purim Equinox – first day of Spring

See next page for Equinox celebrations.

Wednesday, March 27 By-Election: Advance Voting Day 1 See ad on Page 2. General voting day is April 6.

Daylight Savings Time starts

Learn Something New Friday, March 1

Tuesday, March 12

Bullying: the inside story

Nuno Felting Introduction

7 pm, the library. With counselor and author Carol Battaglio.

Saturday, March 2 Speak Up

11-3 pm, Library. Learn to write and perform your poetry, short stories and nonfiction. Registration required. Age 13 – 18.

March 7 to 10 PRFF Adventures in Film Camp

Ages 15 to 24. caitlin@prfilmfestival.ca

6:30, Eunoia, Townsite Market.

Wednesday, March 19

March 25-29 Ages 8 to teens, free

March 18-21 and 25-28 Preschool to Swim Kids 5/6, $48.50

With graphic novelist Sean Karemaker, at the library. A Kids Camp (ages 8-11) will run from 10 am-noon. A Tween and Teen Camp (ages 12+) will run from 1-4 pm. Registration is required and space is limited.

Rec Complex Day Camp March 18-22 and March 25-29 Ages 6 to 12, $175 / week

9 am to 3 pm each day. Swimming, skating, games, field trips and much more. See ad on Page 3. Register at powellriverprc.com.

Gymnastics Camp March 18-22 and March 25-29 Ages 3-15

5 day Half Day Camp $120/week or $25/ day; 5 day Full Day Camp: 9 am - 4 pm $225/week or $50/day

6:30, Eunoia, Townsite Market.

Rec Complex. See ad on Page 3. Register at powellriverprc.com.

Day Camp at Evangel Pentecostal March 18-22 For all kids ages 3 - Grade 6, $15

9 til noon. Register at myevangel.church

Art Camp March 18-22 9 til 3 pm, $195 / child

At The Art Centre, above the Library. $195/child. Early drop off/ late pick up available for an additional $10/hr. theartcentrepr@gmail.com

Bollywood Dance Workshop Friday, March 22 All ages, free

At 1 pm Karima Essa will lead a fun and interactive Bollywood dance workshop at the Library. No registration required

Friday, March 22 Bollywood Dance Workshop for children of all ages

Sports & Games

See listing at right.

BC Writers Series Launch

7 pm, Library. Dina Del Bucchia. See page 35.

Parenting Digital Natives

Saturday, March 23

Saturday, March 9

Kick the Clutter, Get Organized!

Workshop

“Quickie” Writing Contest

Spring Break Swim Lessons

Nuno Felting continued

Thursday, March 7 7 pm, Evangel Church

Comic Camp

2 to 4 pm, Library. See page 6.

Kings Playoffs Start this month. Schedule to be decided.

Tier 3 PeeWee Provincial Championships

Get ready for the good weather with Native Shoes from Armitage

Tug-Guhm GALLERY & STUDIO

Closed Tuesdays Open 10 am - 4:30 pm in the Historic Lund Hotel

604 414-0474 debrabevaartcreations.com

604 485-9493 In the Town Centre Mall

New Native Styles!

The Jefferson Bling

Closed Tuesdays

Disc Golf Gone Wild

A full-on weekend of disc golf in Pow Town. On March 23, there’s a $5 glow throw at Larry Gouthro Park at 8:30 pm. $5 winner takes all. See Powell River Disc Golf Club on Facebook for more.

March 17 to 21 Hap Parker Arena

1 til 4 pm at the Library. See Page 20.

March 23 & 24

The Charlie

Tuesday, March 5

The Audrey

1:30 pm, Powell River Reformed Church.

4Pillar Early Learning Centre Ages 3-8 $6/hour Monday to Friday 8 am – 5:30 pm

FIRST TIME in Powell River

See a doctor within a few minutes 106-7075 Alberni Street 604-485-4400

Roxanne Penner • 5110 Manson Ave • 604-414-5757 4PillarLearning.ca • roxannepenner@shaw.ca

POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

23

Twenty years of poetry

Arts & Film

BY DANIEL RAJALA

I

t was just over 20 years ago that I had my dream of becoming a famous poet.

I had a book called “Poetry of the Modern Times” by Louis Dudek in the outhouse below the cabin where I first squatted on Grouse Mountain. I wanted to be one of those poets in a book like that and had the perfect life of a poet at the time.

When the one cabin was burned down I found another cabin up on Grouse and started writing chapbooks of poetry which I sold in the city of Vancouver.

I also lived in cheap hotels in downtown Vancouver where use of cocaine and heroin was rampant and something that came close to killing me. It was no coincidence that the first book I wrote was called ‘Death came dancing.’ I was doing a radio show at Vancouver Co-op radio and met Hillel Wright who published my poem ‘Last Dance with Cocaine’ in Minus Tides.

I first moved to Powell River in 2002 and came here as a poet going from door to door in the Townsite selling my books of poetry. It was while taking courses at VIU in Nanaimo in 2010 that I started Match Stick Publishing. I had my book ‘Marigolds’ professionally printed in Michigan. Since I moved back to Powell River in 2011, I have read my poetry at

Through March

March 13 & 14

Windows to the World

If Beale Street Could Talk

March 1 – 4

Friday, March 15

Exhibition of Paintings by Daniel Rajala at the Malaspina Exhibition Centre, VIU.

A Dog’s Way Home

eCouture Wearable Art Fashion Show 2018 call for entries deadline

7 pm nightly at The Patricia

Tuesday, March 5

For information, visit Facebook or go to ecouturefashionshow.com.

The Price of Everything 7 pm The Patricia

OLD HOUSE ON HARVIE: Poet March 6 & 7 and artist Daniel Rajala is showing at VIU Free Solo 7 pm, plus 1:30 Thursday matinee. At through March (see right). the Patricia Theatre. Part of the Cinemavarious venues, including the Jazz Vespers and this last summer when I was at the Arts Alive in the Park.

Just recently it has been a real struggle to stay alive and the whole time still working on a new book of collected poems called, ‘Red Rooms.’

I spent most of November in hospital here and at St. Paul’s in Vancouver with heart failure. One of the biggest challenges in our society is providing enough doctors to people who need them. I hope to be around long enough to give a reading from my new book at the Library this spring.

7 pm nightly & 1:30 pm Thursday matinee, at The Patricia

theque series.

March 15 – 19 Isn’t it Romantic?

7 pm Nightly The Patricia

March 16 & 17 Celebration of Quilts

See ad on Page 18, story on Page 27.

Thursday, March 7

March 20 & 21

Metamorphosis

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

7 pm The Patricia

7 pm nightly & 1:30 pm Thursday matinee, the Patricia Theatre. Part of the Cinematheque series.

March 8 – 12 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World in 2D & 3D

March 23 – 26 Fighting With My Family

7 pm nightly in 3D , 1:30 pm Weekend Matinees in 2D The Patricia

7 pm nightly, The Patricia

Sunday, March 10

March 27 & 28

Youth Film Camp Screenings

Ben is Back

10:30 am, The Patricia

7 pm, plus 1:30 Thursday matinee. Patricia. Cinematheque series.

el with confidence! v a r T

Recipient of the Powell River Chamber of Commerce

Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2019

Marigold

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From Asparagus to Zucchini Pickles • Relish • Jams • Jellies Local products grown here

Get Elaine Steiger’s delicious small-batch preserves and beautiful gift baskets at The Nutcracker Market on Marine.

The Basket Case & Marigold Lane

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Community Shared Agriculture

Disc Golf Weekend

Disc Golf Gone Wild! March 23 & 24. On March 23, there’s a $5 glow throw at Larry Gouthro Park at 8:30 pm. $5 winner takes all.

See Powell River Disc Golf Club on Facebook for more info.

Fresh, healthy, local, organic produce is here!

This space available to non-profit organizations, courtesy City Transfer

Registration is OPEN for CSA 2019 Season For details go to paradisevalleyproduce.ca

Brandy Peterson Reliable answers to your real estate questions.

powellriverrealestate.net brandypeterson@shaw.ca 1-877-485-4231 toll free 604 344-1234 direct 4766 Joyce Ave

24

• march 2019 • prliving.ca

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Become a writer by writing: it’s that simple. Here’s some motivation.

BY LENI GOGGINS

I

am a writer, and like many writers I have no choice in the matter, I am compelled to do it and have always been this way. But having a writing practice, something that one commits to on a regular basis, is a struggle. There are several good reasons why writers don’t write, namely it is largely unpaid work and despite all the gushing you might hear from writers about their passion for the craft, it is hard work. It requires discipline, focus, time and energy and the rewards are often few.

There are many reasons you should give up writing, it can be a bad one-sided relationship where all you do is give and receive little in return, but for a few moments of impassioned connectivity with yourself and your ideas. It can also unleash feelings that you weren’t ready to witness. And if you’re brave, and manage to get these feelings and ideas on paper and send them to a publisher, you will more than likely be rejected because guess what? There are a lot of writers and not a lot of publishers, especially book publishers. If we’re talking about online content, or self-publishing, that’s a whole other ball game.

But on you will go and I think you should! Everyone has a story to tell and everyone should take the time to tell it. If you enjoy writing, or have a gift with words, or have ideas that you want to share with the world, then you really should. I have worked with writers for many years, first in my early 20s leading creative writing workshops for youth and later as an editor and publisher for magazines and independent publishers, or today as

QUICKIE WRITING CONTEST What: The first annual PRL-Library three-hour writing contest. See ad on Page 22.

When: March 9, 1 to 4 pm Where: At the Library, or remotely from your laptop. managing editor of the International 3-Day Novel Contest. Over the years I have met many gifted writers who said to me, “I’m not really a writer, I just like to write,” but in time discovered their talent and blossomed into professional writers. Writing is a vehicle for creativity unlike many others, it requires very little equipment, even skill and the main barrier to this form of expression is time and space.

Creative writing groups are a fabulous way to start expressing yourself through writing and Powell River is blessed with several good ones. The Powell River Public Library has a Seniors Memoir writing group as well as a Young Writers group that meets each Friday from 4 - 5 pm at the library.

If you are already writing, there are groups like Shut Up & Write, which I launched in September 2018 at Tea & Talk Book Store and Cafe in Cranberry. Shut Up & Write is a weekly writing group whereby writers gather to work on their own projects in the company of others.

If you prefer to work in solitude, there are also countless online communities like NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month where writers commit to produce 50,000 words of writing in the month of November or

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One of my favourite ways to motivate myself to write is to enter my work into contests. In Canada alone there are dozens of valid writing contests hosted by publishers, news media and magazines such as Geist magazine’s famous PostCard story contest (geist.com), or subTerrain’s Lush Triumphant Literary Awards (subterrain.ca).

There are more ambitious contests such as the International 3-Day Novel Contest (for which I am the managing editor) where we ask writers to write a novel in three days over Labour Day weekend each year and Anvil Press publishes the winning novel.

My latest discovery in the world of online writing

“Everyone has a story to tell and everyone should take the time to tell it.”

– Leni Goggins communities is Firefly Creative. It’s a paid subscription service where you get sent writing exercises every month, with letters of encouragement and chocolate!

Their slogan is “We’re here. You’re here. Let’s write.”

Which has this intimate quality about it and makes you feel a part of a larger community.

If you are like me, and you want to make writing a part of your life, this is a wonderful community to accomplish your goal to write more. So get to work!

Get Spring Break Ready!

1 Choose from our in-stock dresses 2 Select one from our catalog, an exclusive line of formal dresses 3 Get a dress custom-made 4 Alter or upcycle a dress you own

Tons of new stock. Come to Simply Bronze during March, try on a suit of your choice and be entered to WIN a $100 suit credit!

Simply

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“Your before-your-vacation destination”

6975 Alberni St 604 485-4225 Mon-Thurs 10-9 Fri 10-6 Sat 10-4

POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

25

Food, Gardening, Equinox March 3

March 16

Composting at Home

Seedy Saturday

11:30 to 1 pm or 1:30 to 3 pm at Mother Nature. Cathy Ickringill, nursery manager, will show you the benefits and how-tos of indoor, backyard and worm composting. If you’re looking to turn over a new composting leaf, Cathy will show you how easy it is to compost at home. Call 604-485-9878 or register in person at Mother Nature.

How to make rough puff pastry

2:30 pm, $35. Sycamore Gardens. Hosted

by Urban Homesteading School of Powell River. See Facebook for more.

March 6 Meet Your Farmer: Raise the Roof Dinner

6 pm, Great Hall of Brooks. Fundraiser to replace the Quonset hut at the Exhibition grounds.

March 10 Maple Sugar Shack Brunch

10 til noon, Club Bon Accueil. See Facebook for prices.

March 17

9:30 to 2:30 at the Rec Complex.

See full story, right.

March 20 Cooking class

6 pm to 9 pm, Modern Peasant

Blessing of the Seeds & Potluck

6 pm, Labyrinth at Sycamore Commons. A celebration of balance, renewal and care for all of Creation. Please bring your seeds for a special blessing of seeds and soil for the coming season and a potluck offering for a shared meal after our Equinox ritual.

All are welcome! For more info contact Ron at theurbanfarmer@shaw.ca.

Full moon spring equinox herb gathering

7 pm, 5842 Nass St in Wildwood (near Hatch-A-Bird farm). Discuss opportunities to deepen our knowledge of herbs, health, and healing. If it’s a nice evening, we’ll gather around the fire outside – otherwise, we’ll enjoy each other’s company inside. Healthy snacks and beverages welcome. Sponsored by the Dogwood School of Botanical Medicine.

Starting plants from seed indoors

2:30 pm, $35. Sycamore Gardens. Hosted

by Urban Homesteading School of Powell River. See Facebook for more.

T C E

EL

ALAN

REBANE for

City Council ABOUT ALAN REBANE: I am 61 years old and married for 43 years. I am strongly committed to my family with three kids who have all moved to Powell River. I run a construction company that employs 10 people full time. Having served as an active alternate on the Regional Board, I understand the issues that develop in local government and how important it is to be fiscally responsible with taxpayers’ money. I am the president of the Powell River Farmers’ Agricultural Institute and was very much involved in the merger of the two organizations. I am also the chair of the Paradise Exhibition Park Society.

WHY VOTE FOR ALAN? City Council needs a voice of fiscal responsibility. The existing council well represents the social and environmental concerns of local residents. A person to represent the interests of taxpayers and businesses is also important, and as a businessman and employer who has been involved in local politics, I am that person.

With your vote in the April 6 by-election, I look forward to serving Powell River.

Want to know more?

Contact me at 604-208-2079 or alanrebane@shaw.ca Approved by Alan Rebane | alanrebane@shaw.ca

Vote for fiscal prudence 26

• march 2019 • prliving.ca

Seedy Saturday

Buck-a-pack local seeds and buckets of inspiration

BY ELLEN DE CASMAKER

I

f our unusual February snows have gotten you down, look forward to March 16th and Seedy Saturday – the annual community event that ushers spring into Powell River.

The focus is on local organic, sustainable gardening and food security. There is a seed swap, keynote speaker and workshops, vendors and exhibitors, book exchange, silent auction, café, children’s area, door prize and much more. It is the number one place to find local seeds, plants, tools and information to make 2019 a great growing season.

What’s new this year? We will have a Master Gardeners area featuring seed saving demonstrations and Powell River’s own Master Gardeners themselves available to answer any questions you may have about your garden!

As well, we are very excited about our keynote speaker – Dirk Becker. Dirk fits right in with another of Seedy Saturday’s aims – to introduce Powell River to local farmers and food sources.

Dirk will speak about Transfarmation – growing food year round. Dirk Becker is a mid-Island farmer, socio-politicalenvironmental activist and local food advocate. He has run for civic and provincial government, is involved in many organizations including as a director of the Farmland Defense League of British Columbia. He is a founder of several organizations including the highly successful Bowen Road Farmers’ Market, Island Roots, and the Lantzville Farmers’ Market. He and his partner, Nicole Shaw, farm for a living, yearly growing over 16,000 pounds of food on one acre, notill, by hand, organically. They are also known for their 3.5 year legal battle in

SEEDY SATURDAY What: Gardening season officially kicks off with this annual gathering of seeds, speakers, plants and much more.

When: March 16, 9:30 to 2:30 Where: Rec Complex upstairs Admission: $3 adults and kids 12 and under free.

Lantzville in their efforts to decriminalize Urban Farming. They now reside in Errington, on 15 acres where they recently planted over 70 fruit and nut trees and have fun herding their 150 ducks, chickens and geese. Dirk is committed to life long learning and continues to shift his energy towards teaching young people self-sufficiency.

Seedy Saturday continues to be a real bargain event. Although costs have skyrocketed we are still able to cover the cost of renting the Complex with the $3 admission fee. This includes a ticket for our surprise vendor basket and admission to all of our workshops. The key note speaker is only a small $2 fee to cover hall costs.

As well, if you don’t have seeds to swap, you can still buy seed packets at the swap table for only $1.

We are still looking for volunteers to help out at this event. Volunteering ensures you entry to the workshops and speaker as well as all of the other aspects of the event. If you are interested please contact Debbie at debbiejoshjoslin@gmail.com If you would like to apply to be a vendor or have an information booth please contact committee chair, Ellen deCasmaker at gmofreeseed@gmail.com or 604-487-1304

Sew dazzling

A Night of

Bowie the DefiNitive Bowie experieNce

Saturday, April 27 Max Cameron Theatre Doors 7:00 pm Show 7:30 pm

T

imberlane Quilters’ Guild’s Celebration of Quilts highlights the artistry of the members and helps raise money to carry on their work of making quilts for the community. Each year the Guild makes and donates 70 to 80 quilts to organizations such as Youth, Family and Community Services, Grace House, Willingdon Creek Village, and the Oncology Department at the Hospital.

The lunch and tea room caterer, Marika Varro, sends a personal invitation to event goers: “Come enjoy the beautiful quilts and have a delicious lunch prepared for you by the Convenient Chef!”

There are currently 60+ members in the Guild, approximately 200 quilts they created will be on display.

Each work of art is the unique reflection of its creator.

Here is a little peak into the lives of three of the Guild quilters:

CELEBRATION OF QUILTS What: A large bi-annual quilt show.

When: March 16 10 am to 5 pm, and March 17 10 am to 4 pm.

Where: Dwight Hall Admission: $6; under 12 is free What’s happening: In addition to viewing and voting on your favourite quilts, there is a Lunch and Tea Room, Sales Boutique, Merchant Mall, Educational Displays, Raffle, and Door prizes.

$39.50 + online fees $42.50 day of show (if they’re available!)

Karen Berry, a retired Public Health Nurse and passionate quilter, has entered her original art quilts into many international quilt competitions over the last 30 years.

Karen says that other than paying attention to colour value, “I don’t follow many rules and tend to be happy with any imperfections that express my creativity.”

Karen likes to play! She is attracted to strong colours and whimsical designs that reflect her inner little girl.

The quilts that will be raffled at “A Celebration of Quilts” are Karen’s creations; they are examples of her skill and imagination.

Several other of Karen’s quilts will be on display, including two that had their photos published the last two years in Australia’s “Down Under Quilts” magazine.

Tickets selling fast!

Tickets at The Peak or at ghostfingerproductions.com

Sober Sports Sober and Recovery Friendly Sports

Indoor sports

Georgann Brewer is a recently retired nurse, originally from Manitoba, who has lived in Powell River for 30 years. Her passions include family and friends, spending time in the forest and in her “happy place” – her sewing studio. Georgann learned to sew as a child and kept it up throughout her life. Wedding dresses and tailored suits made way for quilting after she moved to PR. Over the years, countless babies have received her gift of a special quilt, though her signature style is “wild, colourful, and often three dimensional in appearance.”

Georgann says she is always seeking new techniques; her next quilt will be hand painted.

Sewing, along with gardening, are Jeanette Wiley’s passions; she is another life-long sewer. During her thirty-eight years in PR, Jeanette has sewn clothes for all her family and fancy doll clothes and dresses for church bazaars (she has three sons!) ... that is, until she discovered quilting.

Jeanette says she developed a whole new life that revolves around fabric, and has “a stash to die for!” She loves bright colours; most of her quilts are bright and happy looking. Her favourite methods are applique and paper piecing. She is displaying the quilt she recently completed for her granddaughter, Calm Seas, the first of four –one for each grandchild as they reach adulthood.

Jeanette says one of the wonderful benefits of quilting is fellow quilters. “We all come from different walks of life, but when we’re all sitting together sewing, there is a great feeling of fellowship and friendship.”

TUESDAYS from 6–7:30 pm at Westview Elementary Gym $3/drop-in

All gear provided. No experience necessary.

Try different sports! Just come have fun, be physically active, and connect.

For individuals in recovery or focused on healthy using lifestyles.

For more non-substance info visit www.SoberSports.ca

POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

27

Jumbo jazz choir readies for first performances

Students from four local schools join voices this April

BY ANDY RICE

Paul Cummings isn’t trying to break a Guinness World Record for the largest jazz choir, although it would be forgivable for you to think so.

Why else would he be spearheading a vocal ensemble that involves 120 students from Grades 1 to 12?

“Because it’s often difficult to find the time and the circumstances that pull our School District together musically,” said Paul. “This is a chance for me and the other music teachers to work together on a common project, and also for kids of all ages to sing together and inspire one another.”

Fellow educators Roy Carson and Megan Skidmore have been rehearsing groups at Kelly Creek, Westview and Edgehill Elementary Schools since December and will soon join forces with Paul’s ensembles from Brooks.

“We’re going to have a dry run at the Powell River Festival of Performing Arts at the beginning of March and then really cut everyone loose at the Townsite Jazz Festival next month,” he said.

There, the SD47 Mass Choir will open for Fifth Street, a quintet of rising stars from Victoria, on April 5 at the Max Cameron Theatre. They will also appear the following night at Dwight Hall in support of Tanga, an energetic Latin fusion ensemble based in Vancouver. Past attendees will recall that this was where the Brooks/Max Alumni Jazz Band made its much-much-anticipated debut last year. Paul said he may involve alumni in future iterations of the festival but ultimately wanted to shake

things up for 2019 and create a larger opportunity for current students in the community.

“As both artistic director of the Townsite Jazz Festival and head of the Brooks Music Department I’m so lucky to have my hat in both rings,” said Paul. “Our students can get a whole other level of experience out of this, being able to perform for what I’m sure will be a packed house, twice, and open for some amazing musicians.”

Although their set won’t be a long one, the SD47 Mass Jazz Choir will cover an impressive variety of musical ground – everything from a dixieland-steeped rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In to Hugh Masakela’s famous anti-apartheid anthem, Mandela.

“Harmonically it’s a very simple piece, but there are some really interesting things that happen,” said Paul.

“The hope is that the older students will be like big brothers and sisters to the younger kids as they rehearse and perform this music together.”

Vocal parts will vary in difficulty according to the age level of the students, and plenty of hand signals have been devised in order to ensure that everyone is moving in the right direction. “I’ll be there sort of directing traffic as we improvise between each of the different parts,” said Paul.

Because baritone singers are rather hard to come by at the primary level, members of the Brooks Jazz Choir will be using microphones to keep the balance in check.

And, as if the on-stage numbers aren’t already impressive enough, the SD47 Mass Jazz Choir will be joined by an additional 50 instrumentalists for their Townsite Jazz Festival performances, bringing the total to 170 or more.

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A Thought For The Day

Improve the future of health care.

Donate to the Powell River Hospital Foundation.

604 485-3211 ext 4349 | 5000 Joyce Avenue, Powell River, V8A 5R3

www.prhospitalfoundation.com

28

• march 2019 • prliving.ca

“So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole world.” ~ Bahá’í Writings

Look jazzy •

T

hese Townsite Jazz Festival super-fans will be going the extra mile this April, cruising from concert to concert in their finest vintage garb. Not only have Michelle Zutz, Romeo Styles, Steve and Tanya Brooks bought four of only 20 festival passes available this year, but they’ve also begun putting together a series of outfits that harken back to the golden era of swing.

“I just like to look the part,” said Romeo. “I think it sets the tone for the festival and pays homage to the artists as well. I think they like to

DIG OUT YOUR DANCING SHOES: Top, Based in Vancouver, “fusion mob” Tanga layers East African marimba, Colombian cumbia and Cuban jazz. Right, Dee Daniels’ four-octave powerhouse fronts Ken Lister (bass), Hans Verhoeven (drums) and Walter Martella (piano).

Schedule

Thursday, April 4

6 pm • Tina Jones Quartet (Rainbow Room) 8 pm • Dee Daniels Quartet (Max Cameron Theatre) 10 pm • Tina Jones Quartet (Townsite Brewing) SOLD OUT!

Friday, April 5 6 pm • Oliver Gannon Quartet (Rainbow Room) 8 pm • Fifth Street (Max Cameron Theatre) 10 pm • Tanga (McKinney’s Pub)

Saturday, April 6 12 pm • Ash Avenue Amble (Multiple Venues)

• feel jazzier

see people dressed up, coming to these kind of speakeasy concerts in the Townsite.”

Romeo has put out a challenge to others in the community who might also like to suit up for the occasion, even going as far as suggesting a few of his favourite haberdashers. “Just go online and check out Opposuits or The Bay, or Unique Vintage for the ladies,” he said.

Even if the result has you looking more like Don Cherry than Humphrey Bogart, Romeo insists it’s the effort that counts. As the old saying goes: 80 per cent of life is showing up. …Or maybe it’s dressing up.

Choose your own adventure with an afternoon of 12 simultaneous concerts at Townsite Brewing, the Patricia Theatre, Dwight Hall and the Rodmay Heritage Hotel. This year’s Ash Avenue Amble will be bigger and better than ever with the addition of an outdoor main stage and a who’s who of local vendors. From noon until 5 pm, attendees can sample highlights from the festival’s 2019 lineup for only $20 per person (kids 12 and under come free!) A full schedule will be announced later this month, but organizers promise sets from the Brooks, Wellington and Gleneagle Secondary jazz bands, a special children’s concert featuring Tina Jones (formerly of the Kerplunks) and music from local favourite Walter Martella.

6 pm • Oliver Gannon Quartet with special guest Phil Dwyer (Rainbow Room) 8 pm • Latin Dance featuring Tanga (Dwight Hall) 10 pm • Festival Jam (McKinney’s Pub) Speaking Engagements Residential & Office Organizing Downsizing • Staging For Sale “Ranka Burzan is a godsend to anyone struggling to create order in their home or office. I have personally benefitted from her services and recommend her highly.” ~ Gabor Maté M.D.

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Townsite Jazz Fest I

April 4 to 6

ntimate venues will play host to everything from Latin fusion to straight-ahead swing during the second annual Townsite Jazz Festival.

Legendary vocalist Dee Daniels and a cappella quintet Fifth Street have recently been added to the lineup after Seattle-based ensemble Last Call bowed out of the event for travel reasons.

Tickets ($20/concert) are available at Townsite Brewing, Rockit Music and online at townsitejazz.com. computer issues diagnosed in your home or business

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604.483.3957 POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

29

2018 Powell River Chamber of Commerce Business Awards

PRESENTS

Award-winning pianist

Edwin Kim

with special guest, PRISMA maestro Arthur Arnold on cello

“Magic in atmosphere, individuality and poise” – InternatIonal PIano MagazIne

Business Excellence of the Year

Forestry Sector

Coast Fitness

Friday, April 12

Thichum Forest Products Finalists: Powell River Community Forest Theden Forest Products

Entrepreneur of the Year

7 PM

Elaine Steiger Finalists: Heidi Jackson, Fruits n Roots Mike & Sarah Salome – Point Group Hospitality Paige Anderson – Laszlo Tamasik Dance Academy Sheona Scott – Beyond Bliss Spa & Suites

Max Cameron Theatre Join us early for a silent auction featuring the work of local artisans!

General Admission $27.25

Customer Service-Hospitality The Seasider Bistro Finalists: Coastal Cookery Costa del Sol Fruits n Roots Little Hut Curry

Tickets available online at

prismafestival.com/tickets or at the PRISMA Office (Town Centre Mall, across from Subway)

prismafestival.com 1-855-5PRISMA

On February 2, more than 300 local business owners and employees gathered at Dwight Hall for the annual Chamber of Commerce Business Awards. Sherri Wiebe took the photos. The 2018 winners are:

Presenting Sponsor

NATURALLY

GOOD

HEALTHY FRESH FRUIT. TO TOP THAT GIANT BOWL OF ICE CREAM. AMAZING FOOD. FOR REAL LIFE.

Dogworx Pet Ranch Finalists: Cottage Creek Bake Shop Feather Point Designs Juniper Dragon Handmade Service Vocal Training

Aboriginal Business Tla’amin’s Sunshine Herbals Finalists: Cedar Weaving by Sosan Sli City Grill

Customer Service

Not-For-Profit

Mother Nature Finalists: Chopping Block Hindle’s Camera & Stationery The Nutcracker Market Underwriters Insurance Ltd

Friends of Powell River Finalists: 100+ Women Who care PR Health Care Auxiliary PR Hospice Society PR Therapeutic Riding Association

Employer of the Year

Agricultural Business

Peter Bordigan & Gary Slootweg – Powell River Heating & Air Conditioning Ltd Finalists: Mike & Sarah Salome – Point Group Hospitality Tye Leishman – Tempco Heating & Cooling Specialists

Terra Nostra Farm Finalists: Hatch-a-Bird farm Paradise Valley Produce

Employee of the Year

We offer an abundance of organic choices every day—for produce that’s as natural as nature intended.

Home Based Business

Janice Brehaut – Villani & Company Finalists: Cathy Bartfai – Staples Business Depot Sean Percy – Powell River Living Magazine

New Business Double Odds Fishing Ltd Finalists: Pacific Coast Appliance & Installations Straight Up Greens

Small Business Pollen Sweaters Finalists: Laszlo Tamasik Dance Academy River City Coffee T&R Contracting Ltd Townsite Brewing Inc

Tourism Service Footprint Nature Explorations Finalists: Mitchell’s Canoe, Kayaks & SUP Old Courthouse Inn Terracentric Coastal Adventures Townsite Brewing Inc

604.483.1633 Save-On-Foods Powell River: 7100 Alberni Street

30

• march 2019 • prliving.ca

kathybowes@remax.net

kathybowes.com

Aboriginal Business Tla’amin’s Sunshine Herbals

Customer Service Mother Nature

Customer Service Hospitality Seasider

Agricultural Business Terra Nostra Farm

Hard Work Insight ful pla nni ng

Rewarded SOLID RELATIONSHIPS

Business Excellence of the Year Coast Fitness

Tourism Service Footprint Nature Explorations

Employer of the Year Powell River Heating and Air Conditioning

Entrepreneur of the Year Elaine Steiger

Employee of the year Janice Brehaut – Villani & Co.

Home Based Business Dogworx Pet Ranch

New Business of the Year Double Odds Fishing

POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

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TAKE A BREAK

Balancing with the Equinox Return to Reverence ~ working with elements of the natural world JULIETTE WOODS offers card readings, shamanic sessions, medicine gatherings, and immersion programs online and in-person. Find her at 3FoldBalance.com and shamanicliving.ca

T Find beautiful spring fashions

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he natural world around us really does provide an excellent map to live by, along with offering supports right when we need them the most. If you have been looking to balance your Resting and Doing, or finding the equilibrium between work and play, maybe even integrating both, inspiring creativity and the logical steps to make the best use of it, March brings us a sweet gift!

With day and night in equal measure during the Vernal Equinox on March 20, it marks the halfway point between the longest night on Winter Solstice and the longest day on Summer Solstice. It’s a time naturally ripe with the medicine of balance.

Spending a moment to reflect on how you have been feeling and taking stock of the levels of activity and demands you’ve experienced over the past couple of weeks will give clues on how to make the most of these balancing forces. Take note of your “to-do” lists or calendar, is there more doing or being?

If you have been feeling sluggish, tired, drained, achy, depressed, cold, or fumbling through foggy thinking and stalled decision making, tapping into the awareness of our revitalizing Sun becoming the predominant force this month can help lift your energy.

DRINK IN SPRING: Infuse your water with sunlight.

You might make “sun water” by placing a glass full in direct sunlight and drink this energy right into your body. Give yourself opportunities to sweat such as a sauna, hot bath, or workout to clear toxins and release stuck energy. Dancing will move any heavy emotions we may be working with.

Get creative with your “to-do” list by turning it into sprawling brainstorm bubbles or a bullet journal.

The Boardwalk Restaurant in Lund There's always a reason to come to Lund! Here’s another...

Lingcod, salmon, halibut, or sturgeon Book the restaurant for Special Events

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SPRING BREAK HOURS MARCH 16-31 • noon-8 daily

Up to 50% off all in-stock

Gear Up r foSpring

sticks and skates

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• march 2019 • prliving.ca

Spring Break visitors?

Bring them to Lund!

604 483-2201 • boardwalkrestaurantpowellriverlund.com

SPRING HOURS • Mon-Fri 5-8, Sat-Sun-Holidays noon-8 (Or call us )

Thanks for shopping at home!

Our famous Fish ‘n’ Chips!

A short stint on a tanning bed can have a powerful rejuvenating effect for weeks afterward. Wearing shoes (even in the house) also boosts our motivation!

Those of us feeling over busy, flushed with racing thoughts and many balls juggling in the air would be served well by a crisp night walk for star gazing. Prioritizing opportunities to be still and calm, actually snuggling in with that book or listening to a guided meditation, even for short snippets will help set the motion toward balance.

Dedicate time for art, even doodling while on a business call or colouring on the floor with kids. Make good on that invitation to tea with a comfortable friend. Choose a bath over a shower. Find the little ways to give your nervous system a chance to recalibrate.

The concept of considering our life much like breathing, with the “in-breath” as returning to ourselves and pausing in a restful, restorative way followed by the “outbreath” of doing things or spending energy on extroverted activities, is a helpful way to become mindful of balancing how we move through each day.

Like breathing, there is a natural cycle that flows with ease. Society asks us for a lot of out-breathing. Be sure to also breathe in!

Bike Tune-up March Special! tawsonline.com

99 $ 39. plus parts

4597 Marine Avenue 604-485-2555

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Celebrating One Year in our new location!!

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Thank you Powell River for all your support!

We look forward to many more years in this location.

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fruitsandrootsjuicebar.ca • (604) 485-2346 • Town Centre Mall Mon to Thurs 9:30-5:30 • Fri 9:30-7pm, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 11-5

Across

2) Mag made here (abbr) 4) Mill name, or change maker 6) Mill makes 7) Food maker you can meet March 6 8) To much untidy stuff 9) Mismatched sweater style for Mary 10) April fest makes this music 11) Short writing contest 12) Texada museum’s school cat 15) PR sweater, or what bees collect 17) Business awards org 19) Snake, or BC Games champ 20) Quilters say “__ what?”

21) McClean’s specialty 22) Cedar mill makes what you don’t want to get 23) Jazz Fest’s Daniels 25) Timberlane guild makes these 28) Fisher beat these to win new business 30) Plant product for ponchos 31) He made PR and ‘nucks proud 32) Make yourself a writer by doing this

Down 1) Artist/poet Daniel 3) Toy store’s main product (abbr) 5) Murmuration makers 6) Mill’s future owner (abbr) 7) Mill needs it, so waste less, says gov’t 9) Guadalupe’s made-in-PR dresses sure to __ 10) Employee of the year 13) Gardening style for less work 14) 32 Lakes, River City make this 16) Sweater co’s founder 17) Voters will make a new (one L) 18) New column ___in PR 20) Baby plant 24) Sweater makings from sheep 26) Abbrev of last words 27) Agency’s Anderson 29) Councillor in, then out, wants in

Perimeter Tiles / Drainage Landscape Preparation Certified Onsite Wastewater Systems Excavating & Site Services 604 487 0466 Rock Walls Serving the Sunshine Coast for 27 Years Office: 604-487-0466 • Cell: 604-208-2010

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Solution for last month’s puzzle: Sea Lions & Symphonies

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The Real Estate market is Springing into action – don’t be left behind!

Thinking of selling? Call today.

App of the month

Spotless: A simply cleaner home

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POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

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“Obituary line one,” yelled reception. I lunged for the phone and opened a new file on my computer.

A good obituary can save your life Last Word

BY ISABELLE SOUTHCOTT

It was the early 80s and I was a cub reporter with The Chronicle Herald newspaper in Halifax. Like the other young reporters, I cut my teeth on the obit desk.

“This is Ettinger’s Funeral Home,” said the nasally voice on the other end. “I have an obit for you.”

I began to type.

“Joe Smith, 73, of Middle Musquodoboit, passed away unexpectedly at home on February 11. Born in Middle Musquodoibot, Joe was the son of the late Hattie and Archie Smith. Joe was a loving husband, a good father and grandfather. Joe was retired from the Middle Musquodoboit Co-op– a company he began working for when he was 16 years old.”

I finished typing Joe’s obituary but couldn’t stop thinking about him. His obituary was sooo boring. Had his life been just as boring?

How would my obituary read if I wrote it today? It wouldn’t be the best seller I’d planned.

I wanted to do something with my life! I wanted to travel, to own a business, to write a best-selling novel. I wanted to breed Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers. I wanted to learn to play the guitar!

When I told my best friend all the things I wanted to do she looked at me and said: “So what’s stopping you? You’re not dead yet.”

She was right. I still had time to live an interesting life and have an interesting obituary. The next day I wrote the first draft of my own obituary.

Writing your own obituary lets you reflect on your life and feel good about what you’ve done. It can also be a wakeup call as it can reveal gaping holes in your life and prompt you to change things. Writing your own obituary can help you become the amazing, unique person you were always meant to be.

Think about it. Who really knows you and everything you’ve done better than you? Who knows what matters to you? Who knows how you want to be remembered?

When you die your loved ones will be so numb with grief, they could end up botching your Last Words by getting the dates all wrong. They might call your first husband Charles instead of Sam and say you loved hiking instead of biking, or that you enjoyed pot instead of potted plants. It’s much better just to do the job yourself.

The best time to write your own obituary is while you’re still alive –but how do you go about it? And when?

Start now. Today. Do it by living the best life you can.

Like you it’s a work in progress. Think of it as your longterm life plan and use it as a guide for the rest of your life.

Do things that scare you, that challenge you, that excite you. Love, give, live and when you’re done, don’t leave it up to chance that someone else will write a great

CLEAR IT DIG IT PREP IT ROCK IT

Eve is at a new location!

4680 Willingdon Avenue Reiki & Massage 34

• march 2019 • prliving.ca

open Mon-Fri 7-5 closed weekends & stat holidays ’til Spring

4240 Padgett Rd

(604) 414-5991

604-485-2234

obituary for you, write your own.

In 1888, Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, was reading the newspaper when he discovered his obituary inside. Turns out Alfred’s brother Ludvig had died and the newspaper had published Alfred’s obituary by mistake!

The obituary read: “The Merchant of Death is Dead.”

It went on to say: “Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.”

Dr. Nobel was horrified by the way he was going to be remembered. It’s believed that it was due to this shock that Dr. Nobel set aside the bulk of his estate – $186 million – to establish the Nobel Foundation which annually bestows the Nobel Prizes. Today, Dr. Nobel is remembered as a great humanitarian and the creator of the Nobel Prizes – and not the Merchant of Death.

Reading his own obituary gave Dr. Nobel the opportunity to change his life and legacy.

When I was young I dreamed of being a famous novelist.

In my search for fame and fortune I left Nova Scotia and moved to a small community on the west coast of BC, to a place most of you have heard of, a place called Powell River. I moved to a town I’d never been to, to work for a newspaper I’d never heard of, The Powell River News, and I didn’t know a solitary soul.

I was scared and alone. I wondered if I’d ever meet people and find my tribe.

Twenty-six years later I’m still here. Today, I know many of you and many of you know me. I still haven’t written that best seller or won the Giller prize but I raised two boys on my own, created Powell River Living magazine, co-founded Powell River Women in Business, sit on a handful of boards, have a wonderful partner, great friends and I’m a badge bearing, flag carrying member of the BEST community on earth.

When I die my obituary won’t say Isabelle Southcott was born, died and lived her whole life in the same place that she started out. It will say she lived her life from coast to coast and her search for life led her to Powell River where she met the most wonderful and interesting people in all of Canada who allowed her to live her best possible life.

I still think about Joe Smith and his obituary and I’m grateful to him. You know why? Because Joe Smith helped me live. Really live. You can’t live the life you want when you don’t have a plan. Joe Smith’s obituary was my wake up call – it helped me focus on my own life and plan how I wanted to live it.

Who knows? Without Joe Smith and his obituary, there’s a good chance that I’d still be living back east.

I’d never have made it to Powell River and met all of you. I’m grateful to Joe Smith and all the obituaries I worked on so many years ago for helping me live the life I wanted to live.

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Unit D - 4670 Marine Avenue Powell River, BC, Canada V8A 2L1 T: 604-489-9797 | F: 604-489-9867

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Air duct cleaning Sarah Race Photography

The BC Writers Series Launch

Friday, March 22nd • 7pm to 8:30pm First Credit Union Community Room at the Library Join author and poet, Dina Del Bucchia as she reads from her new book of poetry, It’s a Big Deal. Del Bucchia is the first author to present in the BC Writers Series at PRPL, which will include Sam Wiebe, Susan Juby and Deborah Hodge.

POWELL R IVER PUBLIC LIBR ARY

BioOne keeps drains and septic systems flowing

Canterbury coffee Environmentally-friendly

info@prpl.ca • 604-485-4796 prpl.ca

Garbage bags

Kirkland coffee, honey,

olive oil & maple syrup

Mixes for smoothies,

desserts

First aid supplies

products & equipment

Light bulbs

Delicious party-sized water and cleaning supplies refill station

Dina Del Bucchia’s It’s a Big Deal

Janitorial cleaning

drinks & syrups

Norpro kitchen tools Oil: vegetable & olive Paper cups, bags, plates, napkins & printer paper

Hand sanitizer

Quality customer service

Ice

Restaurant supplies

604 485-5611 4703 Marine Ave

Shrink wrap Tea: Two Leaves, Paisley, Higgins & Burke

Utensils & knives, commercial

Vacuum cleaners & bags Water: ulta-violet & ozone-treated

X-ellent prices Your Public & Commercial Market Zep cleaning supplies

aaronservice.com POWELL RIVER LIVING • march 2019 •

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The fastest growing Real Estate company in Canada is now in Powell River!

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2 PERCENT REALTY Sunshine Coast Inc. #200-4400 Marine Avenue, Powell River, BC

“Keep your money in your pocket, 2% is FAIR.”

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• march 2019 • prliving.ca