Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine July 2022 issue

Revy housing crisis. p · 34.

Carriage home construction. p · 26.

Mamma Mia! p · 39.

School superintendent feature. p · 22.

JULY/���2

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REVELSTOKE VISUAL ARTS CENTRE 2022

THIS SUMMER IN THE GALLERY revelstokeartgallery.ca

JULY 7 - JULY 31

CLAUDIA SIMON, AKA TURBO BAMBI

OPENING NIGHT: JULY 7, 5PM - 8PM

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JANNA YOTTE

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BRETT MALLON

OPENING NIGHT: AUG 11, 5PM - 8PM

OPENING NIGHT: SEP 15, 5PM - 8PM

MEMBERS SHOW: VERY PERI

DARIAN GOLDIN STAHL DELREE DUMONT KEELY HALWARD

WWW.REVELSTOKEARTGALLERY.CA

320 WILSON STREET | 250 814 0261

Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia and Columbia Basin Trust.

Phase 2 of the Olynyk Grove 1/2 Duplexes now available for pre-sale!

• Upscale finishings throughout • Targeted to meet or exceed the BC Step Code 4 for energy efficiency • Tons of storage, huge decks, beautiful exposed posts and beams, generously-sized backyards • Expected completion in January 2023 • $849,00 plus GST

Joe Lammers R E V E L S T O K E.

Royal LePage Revelstoke joelammers@royallepage.ca mobile: (250) 814 8200

Proud to commit 1% of my income to Revelstoke community initiatives

COVER PHOTO: For our July 2022 cover, Revelstoke photographer Olly Hogan shares a dreamy shoreline camping spot on Lake Revelstoke. Photo: Olly Hogan

Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine is a free monthly publication featuring the best of Revelstoke outdoor life, food, style, visitor experiences, entertainment, home style and healthy living.

We are an independent, locally owned publication dedicated to showcasing our amazing mountain town and the great people who create the stoke.

Each issue we distribute over 3,000 free copies to over 200 public venues across Revelstoke, including hotel rooms, shops, restaurants, cafes, community centres — everywhere people meet.

For all inquiries, please contact us at info@revelstokemountaineer.com For Revelstoke daily news online, please see our sister publication www.revelstokemountaineer.com · 250 814 8710 info@revelstokemountaineer.com 606 Railway Avenue. Revelstoke, B.C. P.O. BOX 112 · V0E 2S0

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Aaron Orlando aaron@revelstokemountaineer.com

EDITOR Aaron Orlando aaron@revelstokemountaineer.com

STAFF JOURNALIST Nora Hughes nora@revelstokemountaineer.com

EDITORIAL DESIGN/ADVERTISING DESIGN Emma Graham emma@revelstokemountaineer.com

WEBSITE Chris Payne chris@revelstokemountaineer.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bryce Borlick, Meagan Deuling, Bailey GingrasHamilton, Melissa Jameson, Jill Macdonald

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS & ILLUSTRATORS Louis Bockner, Rob Buchanan, Madelaine Duff, Bailey Gingras-Hamilton, Olly Hogan, Nora Hughes, Christine Love-Hewitt, Andrew Jackson, Jill Macdonald, Alexi Mostert, Aaron Orlando, Blake Richards, Claire Sieber, Jocoah Sorenson, Hywel Williams

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Benji Lowclass

House and home Within the first couple of months of arriving in Revelstoke in 2008, I wrote some stories on the resort town housing models. One focused on a book about the predictable patterns of gentrification that resort towns follow, the other was based on a city-commissioned housing report that forecast issues ahead, many of which are now all too apparent. In fact, the downsides — lack of housing, unaffordable housing, insecure housing — are worse than predicted because affordability has deteriorated almost everywhere in B.C. and Canada.

One of the most noticeable effects this summer has been on the labour market, still reeling from pandemic-related disruptions. A Stats Canada report released in late May noted that job vacancies in Canada had reached over 1 million in March 2022, up from 650,000 a year earlier. B.C. had a record-high 178,000 vacancies.

As you have probably observed, many businesses in town are desperate for staff in anticipation of a busy summer season. Many businesses have been operating on reduced hours for months.

The big issue is there is nowhere for staff to live, particularly nowhere they can afford.

The same report notes that accommodation, food services, retail, health care and construction are the hardest-hit sectors. We need those workers, but so does everywhere else, so we have competition — resort towns across the province and region are reporting

the same issues. It's not just tourism-related jobs either -- the shortage is spilling over into all sectors, and many positions with decent starting wages are going unfulfilled.

Behind the stats are real people who are feeling real pain. Families are being forced out. Rising rents and inflation pressures are causing real pain. Employers are under stress to find a way to make it work. The younger generation feels locked out. We all hear these deeply personal stories and know people experiencing the struggle that is straining our social fabric.

This issue, we've got a few stories focusing on the housing issue. Nora Hughes explores the resort housing issue and looks at some big picture solutions. I update on a volunteer community group's effort to bring new rental housing units to market this summer. And we've got an update on companies building the first new carriage homes in town, a small part of a solution that will need to be multi-faceted.

We've regularly produced solutions-based housing stories and hope this issue contributes to part of the larger housing dialogue we will need to keep having for the foreseeable future.

—Aaron Orlando, BA, MJ; Editor, Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine, revelstokemountaineer.com

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CONTENTS 8

EVENTS CALENDAR Find out what's happening around Revelstoke in July and August 2022 events calendar.

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CALENDAR: FEBRUARY EVENTS Don't forget to get your event included in our print calendar by adding it online at revelstokemountaineer.com.

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SPONSORED: DIVERSITY AS OUR STRENGTH Revelstokians hail from across the globe. In this sponsored story by Bailey Gingras-Hamilton, we share stories of our diverse community through profiles of residents who made Revelstoke home.

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CULTURE BUBBLE To some degree, we all exist in our own bubble in a mountain-town bubble. In this profile, Jill Macdonald articulates residents' uneasiness with the changes happening around us.

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ARTS AND CULTURE BRIEFS In this issue, a documentary exploring the Sinixt struggle, a skateboard-themed exhibit at RVAC, a summer-long music series called REVYLive, and a memoir on a life in the avalanche profession.

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BRIEFS In our briefs section: BC Hydro has postponed plans for Unit 6 'indefinitely,' Giant Cedars is closed for the season due to damage, CBT partners with KMC with a new podcast, and glass artist Ariel Kesike Hill — Bneshiinhs' June exhibit.

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FEATURE: FOSTERING SUCCESS Journalist Melissa Jameson profiles retiring Revelstoke schools superintendent Mike Hooker to explore education trends during his time with the district and to survey the horizon.

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CARRIAGE HOMES New zoning rules permit carriage suites in Revelstoke. We explain the changes and profile local companies building them.

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STORIES OF THE FOREST A new local book profiles forest personalities and shares their perspectives on life in the forest.

ESSAY: COMMUNITY R ADIO Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine editor Aaron Orlando shares his insight from his time volunteering on the board of Stoke FM 92.5, Revelstoke's non-profit, volunteer-run community radio station.

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MOUNTAIN WEDDING TRENDS We checked in with three Revy wedding photographers to find out about the latest in mountain wedding trends.

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HOUSING CRISIS Revelstoke is in a full-blown housing availability and affordability crisis that is having deep effects, such as starving the labour market of workers. Nora Hughes looks into the issues and searches for solutions.

Aaron Orlando provides an update on Revelstoke Community Housing Society's new 24-unit project and possible coordination efforts happening in the non-profit housing sector.

MA MMA MIA! The local tradition of the big musical returns with an outdoor production of Mamma Mia!

COMMUNITY BRIEFS Our community news briefs focus on happenings around the community in the past weeks, including a project that connects beekeeping and art, new mountain bike trails at Revelstoke Mountain Resort, and a club's effort to revive cricket in the community.

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NEIGHBOURHOOD KITCHEN Community Connections has paired a new Neighbourhood Kitchen with its newly renovated food bank distribution centre to serve clients and also incubate food businesses in the community. Our brief drops in on the grand opening event.

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CALENDAR SUMMER 2022 WEEKLY EVENTS

JULY EVENTS

MONDAY

FRIDAY, JULY 1

LAKE REVELSTOKE DRAGONBOAT SOCIETY PADDLE

CANADA DAY PARADE

@ Martha Creek Provincial Campground · 6:15 p.m.

Come out and join this amazing team, no paddling experience necessary. Meet in the gravel parking lot beside the Frontier restaurant at 6:15 p.m. to carpool up to Martha Creek. Email revelstokedragonboats@hotmail.com or call 250837-4129. Takes place Mondays and Thursdays.

WEDNESDAY FREE MEDITATION

@ Balu Yoga · 7:30 a.m. – 8 a.m.

Free meditation every Wednesday at Balu Yoga. No experience needed. Baluyoga.com for more info.

REVELSTOKE CRICKET

@ Old School Park (Third Street) · 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Cricket players in Revelstoke are hosting two weekly open sessions to recruit new members, form a club and play competitive matches. Takes place Wednesdays and Saturdays. Search Revelstoke Cricket Club on Facebook for more info.

WEDNESDAY KARAOKE

@ River City Pub & Patio · 9 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

Bring your friends and family to watch you rock out to your favourite hits. Hosted by Ben Jammin.

FRIDAY LA BAGUETTE PATIO SESH

@ La Baguette (downtown) · 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Join La Baguette for live music every Friday all summer long.

LIVE MUSIC

@ Revelstoke Mountain Resort · 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Live music in RMR plaza every Friday all summer long

SATURDAY REVELSTOKE FARM & CRAFT MARKET/REVELSTOKE LFI FARMERS MARKET

@ Downtown Revelstoke · 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Head downtown to Mackenzie Avenue and First Street where you’ll find not one, but two farmers’ markets full of locally grown produce, arts & crafts and much more.

@ Revelstoke Courthouse · 1 p.m.

Revelstoke’s Canada Day Parade is back! This year’s theme is Celebrating Together. Bike decorating contest takes place at 12 p.m. in Grizzly Plaza.

CANADA DAY LIVE MUSIC IN THE PARK

@Queen Elizabeth Park · 3 p.m.

Celebrate Canada Day with performances by May Davis, and the Local Group. There will also be a bouncy castle, food vendors and a beer garden. Visit City of Revelstoke – Parks, Recreation and Culture on Facebook for more details.

THE LOCAL GROUP

@ Queen Elizabeth Park · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free live music performances. The Local Group kicks-off a music-filled summer with a performance at Queen Elizabeth Park

SATURDAY, JULY 2 CLASS ACTION

@ Queen Elizabeth Park · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

SUNDAY, JULY 3 MOZI BONES

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances

MONDAY, JULY 4 LOS DUENDOES

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances

TUESDAY, JULY 5 DOWNTOWN HERITAGE WALKING TOURS

@ Revelstoke Museum & Archives · 11 a.m - 12 p.m.

A fun and informative tour focusing on the heritage of Revelstoke’s downtown. Tickets are $10 adults, $8 seniors, free for kids 12 and under. Additional tours on July 15, 19 and 26.

TUESDAY, JULY 5 THE REV

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6 RED HOT HAYSEEDS

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

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VISIT REVELSTOKEMOUNTAINEER.COM/CALENDAR TO SUBMIT YOUR EVENT FOR FREE. WE INCLUDE A SELECTION OF THOSE EVENTS HERE IN OUR MONTHLY PRINT CALENDAR.

The summer-long REVY.Live series returns with nightly shows at two locations. Most evenings, performers take the stage in the bandshell in Grizzly Plaza in downtown Revelstoke. There are also special shows on a portable stage in Queen Victoria Park. See our calendar for nightly details.

Photo courtesy of Arts Revelstoke.

THURSDAY, JULY 7

SATURDAY, JULY 9

STORY TIME (JERRY & COLIN STORY) LIVE – CD RELEASE PARTY

SHOESTRING NECKTIE

@ River City Pub & Patio · 8 p.m Revelstoke’s own Jerry Story and his son, Junonominated guitarist Colin Story, perform a mix of blues, jazz, boogie woogie and folk in their longrunning duo, Story Time.

FRIDAY, JULY 8 HERITAGE CEMETERY TOURS

@ Mountain View Cemetery, Highway 23 North · 11 a.m.

Revelstoke Museum & Archives offers guided tours of Revelstoke’s historic Mountain View Cemetery. Tickets are $10 adults, $8 seniors, free for kids 12 and under. Includes admission to the museum. Additional tours on July 18 @ 7 p.m. and July 22 at 11 a.m.

THE GROOVINEERS

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

SATURDAY, JULY 9 TRIPLE B LADIES DIRTBIKE RALLY @ Revy Riders Dirtbike Club ·9 a.m.

Join the Revy Riders Dirtbike Club for the 6th annual all girl’s dirt bike rally. Visit revyriders.ca for more information or to register.

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

SUNDAY, JULY 10 MYRA MORRISON & DENIS SEVERINO

@ Big Eddy Pub · 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Myra & Denis perform at the Big Eddy Pub’s Summer Music Sessions.

DENIS & MYRA

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free live music performances.

MONDAY, JULY 11 TENNYSON KING

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

TUESDAY, JULY 12 MIMI O’BONSAWIN

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

THURSDAY, JULY 7 EXHIBITION OPENING

@ Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre · 5 p.m - 8 p.m View the vibrant works of Revelstoke mixed-media artist Turbo Bambi (Claudia Simon) in the main gallery, along with works by Ben Arcega, Nicole LeBoutillier & Heather Yip, and Maxim B. Vidricaire in the side galleries. Exhibition runs to July 29.

LEELA GILDAY

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances Revelstoke's own Jerry Story and his son, Juno-nominated guitarist Colin Story, perform a mix of blues, jazz boogie woogie and folk at a CD release party for their duo, Story Time, at the River City Pub on July 7. Photo: Handout

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Calendar

Two-time Juno Award winner for Indigenous Music Album of the Year, Leela Gilday, combines a powerful stage presence with gutsy performances that include rich storytelling and rhythmic beats of traditional Dene drumming. She plays REVY.Live in Grizzly Plaza on July 7. Photo: Handout

THURSDAY, JULY 21 A MILLION DOLLARS IN PENNIES

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

FRIDAY, JULY 22 LEILA NEVERLAND

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

SATURDAY, JULY 23 MAJOR MAMBO

WEDNESDAY, JULY 13

MONDAY, JULY 18

SALTWATER HANK

MISERY MOUNTAIN BOYS

THURSDAY, JULY 14

TUESDAY, JULY 19

CLEREL

JODIE B

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

REVELSTOKE ROLLER DERBY

@ Revelstoke Forum · 7 p.m.

Cheer on the Revelstoke Derailers in this open gender game. Doors open 6:30 p.m., first whistle at 7 p.m. Family friendly with beverage garden area.

Tickets $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Kids 12 and under free. Search Revelstoke Roller Derby on Facebook for more information.

SUNDAY, JULY 24 NIK WINNITOWY

FRIDAY, JULY 15

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20

@ Big Eddy Pub · 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Nik Winnitowy performs at the Big Eddy Pub’s Summer Music Sessions.

AMELIE PATTERSON

PERPETUAL JAZZ TRIO

CHICKEN-LIKE BIRDS

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

SATURDAY, JULY 16 SURPRISE ARTIST

@ Queen Elizabeth Park · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

SUNDAY, JULY 17 ARIANA STEVENSON

@ Big Eddy Pub · 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Ariana Stevenson performs at the Big Eddy Pub’s Summer Music Sessions.

WIL

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

The Saturday morning farmers markets in downtown Revelstoke run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and are popular with visitors and locals alike. Photo: Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

Calendar

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SUMMER CALENDAR MONDAY, JULY 25

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3

SUNDAY, AUGUST 14

DARING GREATLY

REVELSTOKE WILDFLOWER FESTIVAL

JARED WAYNE

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

TUESDAY, JULY 26 BANDA TAVERNA

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27 THAT GIRL AND EARL

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

THURSDAY, JULY 28

@ Various Locations Experience the magic of Revelstoke’s blooming wildflowers. This week-long event features many wildflower-themed activities throughout town.

Visit seerevelstoke.com or drop into the Revelstoke Visitors Information Centre for more information.

Runs to Aug. 7.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7 AL LEE

@ Big Eddy Pub · 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Al Lee performs at the Big Eddy Pub’s Summer Music Sessions.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11 EXHIBITION OPENING

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

@ Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre · 5 p.m - 8 p.m.

See the works of Montreal-based collage artist Janna Yotte in the main gallery, along with works from the second Members Show of the year, inspired by the theme ‘Peri’ (Pantone’s 2022 Colour of the Year). Exhibit runs to Sept. 4.

FRIDAY, JULY 29

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13

APOLLO SUNS

BLONDE DIAMOND

THE AERIALISTS

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

@ Queen Elizabeth Park · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

@ Big Eddy Pub · 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Jared Wayne performs at the Big Eddy Pub’s Summer Music Sessions.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21 MAGGIE MAY

@ Big Eddy Pub · 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Maggie May performs at the Big Eddy Pub’s Summer Music Sessions.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27 FIVE ALARM FUNK

@ Queen Elizabeth Park · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

Five Alarm Funk finish out the concert series with a performance in Queen Elizabeth Park.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 28 AMY STENNDER

@ Big Eddy Pub · 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Amy Stennder performs at the Big Eddy Pub’s Summer Music Sessions.

BEN KLICK

@ Revelstoke Legion · 8 p.m.

Fun-loving interactive storytelling music gentleman Ben Klick performs at the Revelstoke Legion.

Tickets $25, available through Eventbrite.ca.

SATURDAY, JULY 30 THE HEELS

@ Queen Elizabeth Park · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

SUNDAY, JULY 31 MARITIME KITCHEN PARTY

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Arts Revelstoke presents REVY.Live featuring 58 nights of free outdoor live music performances.

AUGUST EVENTS MONDAY, AUGUST 1 SIDEWALK SEMANTICS

@ Grizzly Plaza · 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

REVY.Live presented by Arts Revelstoke continues throughout August. Visit artsrevelstoke.com for the full August line up.

Revelstoke singer songwriter Al Lee will play selections from his latest album, Revolution St., at the Big Eddy Pub's Summer Music Sessions on Aug. 7. Photo: Handout

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SPONSORED

Leanne Humphrey, the settlement worker for Okanagan College's immigrant integration program, grins in her colourful office decorated with artwork from across the globe.

Photo: Bailey Gingras-Hamilton

DIVERSITY AS OUR STRENTH: USING AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO FIGHT RACISM THE RESILIENCE BC ANTI-RACISM NETWORK OFFERS A COMMUNITY-BASED, CENTRALIZED NETWORK FOR ANTI-RACISM EDUCATION AND IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION.

By Bailey Gingras-Hamilton

As Revelstoke grows and changes, its demographic profile is expanding to people from across the globe. Although a widely welcoming place at heart, one provincial initiative is fighting intolerance in communities through integration and anti-racism awareness.

The Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network is an initiative funded by the Government of British Columbia. It offers a multi-faceted, province-wide approach to identifying and challenging racism.

The program follows a “Hub and Spoke” model. A central Resilience BC Hub serves as the program lead; connecting communities, increasing capacity to share information and resources, while coordinating training and anti-racism initiatives.

Offshooting from the “hub” are community-based “spokes.” Over 50 communities in British Columbia currently offer “spoke services.” Settlement Services at the Okanagan College’s Revelstoke Centre serve as this communities “spoke.”

Leanne Humphrey is a settlement worker at Revelstoke’s Okanagan College Centre, who supports immigrants and migrant workers in the community. According to Humphrey, Revelstoke’s “spoke” has identified some “areas of need.” They particularly involve anti-Asian rhetoric that has

emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We've heard of incidences on the street [in Revelstoke] with verbal accosting of locals who have Asian heritage and/or identify as Asian-Canadian,” Humphrey says. As she solemnly elaborates, many of these incidences involve youths instigating verbal attacks on visible minorities.

“That is very disconcerting looking ahead at the future of our community, where youth are our future,” Humphrey explains, adding that diversity plays a vital role in the community.

“Revelstoke was built in a very diverse manner, and we want to keep it that way. There's no getting away from the migrant workers [and] seasonal workers aspect of our town. If we don't embrace it, we're going to lose a lot of really valuable people in our economy.”

However, there are tools to maintain the diversity that has built this community. Bystander training, which teaches people how to intervene when hate speech or hate crimes happen, is available through the Okanagan College’s community “spoke.”

Additionally, Okanagan College’s Settlement Services offers programs and resources for immigrants and migrant workers in Revelstoke.

This includes English as a Second Language (ESL)

courses, which help give newcomers precious communication skills.

As Humphrey explains, helping people integrate into the community creates new connections that fight racism at it’s core.

“We lose the stigmas, we lose the language barriers, or we help with language barriers. When people who are long-term locals see more faces out and more happy interactions, it fights racism at it’s core, you know, in a personable way.”

To highlight diversity in Revelstoke, I spoke with three Revelstoke families about their journey to this community, what challenges they’ve faced, and why this town is so special to them.

These are their stories:

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MAIMI IM Thirteen years ago, Youn w Im made the pivotal decision to leave her home in Seoul, South Korea. After arriving in Canada, Im and her husband landed in the small town of Revelstoke. She adopted a new name, Maimi Im, and began her new life.

Little did she know, this mountain town would be the blossoming place for her family, a successful business, and her future– despite initially wanting to move to a bigger city. On a bustling Tuesday afternoon at Conversations Coffee House, Im took a break between blending coffees and serving lunches to reflect on the past decade in Revelstoke.

From hesitant, to revelstuck “When I came here, the first year I couldn't speak English. Only, ‘Hi, how are you?’” Im reflects. She describes herself as an outgoing person, and facing the language barrier was the most difficult part of her transition.

When the Ims first moved to Revelstoke, they were unsure about staying in a small town. However, the Ims were soon enamoured with the close-knit community.

“Me and my husband wanted to move to another city, a bigger city like Kelowna or Vancouver,” Im elaborates. “The people [in cities] were not good to us. But in Revelstoke, people try to understand my English and they are very patient.”

She explains that the Revelstoke community always made her feel supported; whether it was kind actions from neighbours, resources at Community Connections, or English lessons at Okanagan College.

“The community [is] quality… I like Revelstoke because people are helping each other in any way [they can],” Im says.

Building deeper connections through conversations After spending a decade working various hospitality gigs, Im made the decision to buy Conversations Coffee House and open her business one year ago.

“I grew up in the kitchen. Yeah, I like the cooking,” Im laughs. “I just realized it was time to time to take up a business.”

The cafe, as Im explains, offers a casual environment where she can practise her English. Appropriately named, Conversations Coffee House is a place where Im can chat with long-term locals and learn more about Revelstoke’s history.

Initially, Im worried that local palates would not be able to handle spicy Korean cuisine. However, she was pleasantly surprised by the communities reception to new flavours and dishes. Fusion dishes, like the bulgogi grilled cheese, are particularly popular.

Additionally, the cafe’s hours allow her to spend more time with her family.

Her two children, who are nine and ten years old, have spent their entire life in Revelstoke. Neither of her children have visited South Korea; something Im hopes to change very soon.

“We need to bring them to Korea,” she laughs. “They couldn't learn lots about the Korean culture because they’ve [always been] Canadian.”

Brooke Peng perches atop her go-to mode of transportation Photo: Bailey Gingras-Hamilton

CAPTIONS

Maimi Im take a break between customers during a bustling afternoon at Conversations Coffee House Photo: Bailey Gingras-Hamilton

BROOKE PENG For Brooke Peng, living in Canada was a dream she “buried” for many years due to financial and family reasons. But, after facing her fears and moving from Taiwan to Revelstoke in 2019, Peng is fulfilling her dreams and chasing her Canadian permanent residency.

When Peng was in fifth grade, she attended summer camp in Canada. Back then, she was only known by her Chinese name: Hui-Ping Peng. However, that trip to Canada left a massive impression on Peng.

“I loved the environment here and the education system, compared to Taiwan or any other Asian countries,” Peng explains. She describes a dedicated, albeit stressful working culture in Taiwan; one that Peng never felt she fit into.

“In an Asian country, they think you just need to graduate from university, you need to get a stable job, good salary … You have to follow the path. Like my brother,” Peng laughs. “But I'm the one who never follows it.”

Forging her own path After graduating from university in Taiwan, Peng set off and began her travels.

Her newly achieved degree in tourism opened many doors for her – the first leading to Australia.

Before coming to Canada, Peng spent a year in Australia on a working holiday.

While most Australians treated Peng with kindness, she unfortunately faced racist encounters in rural parts of the country.

“On the way to the supermarket, people just roll down their window and say ‘F-word, F-word Chinese,’ something like that,” Peng recalls. “When I arrived there, I started from zero because it's a new language for me. [It’s a] different accent.”

After facing these interactions, Peng was almost shocked by the kindness she received upon arrival in Revelstoke. She vividly remembers walking to her first shift at the Revelstoke Lodge and being greeted by a woman named Lisa. “‘[I was] walking by this house and then I hear, ‘Hello, how are you? Good morning!’ and she was holding a cup of coffee, sitting outside. I was like, ‘Wow, very friendly,’ Peng reflects. There is a general attitude of “helpfulness” that she experienced from Revelstoke locals, which made the community feel welcoming.

While Peng is applying for her permanent residency and eyeing a future in Canada, being away from her family has been difficult. However, after explaining her decision, Peng’s family have begun to accept to her choice.

“They kind of understand because they know my personality [would] probably not fit in Taiwan, the working system is very stressful. The life balance is very tough in Taiwan,” Peng says. “My relatives asked me to go back to Richmond [where Peng has family]. But in my mind, and I've been here for three years, I kind of like the life here.”

Brooke emphasizes her love of the Revelstoke lifestyle. She has immersed herself in mountain life and is an active participant in several beloved local pastimes.

I winter, she spends winters on her snowboard with friends at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. In the summers, she's back in the mountains, taking hikes around the Revelstoke region.

Most of all she's fallen deep for fishing and is growing her skills and knowledge of the good spots to catch trout are growing by the day. She's even helped some newcomers into the pastime, helping demystify the complex fishing rules and regulations.

14

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Christian Urrego (right) and Sofia Urrego (left) proudly show off their backyard view Photo: Bailey Gingras-Hamilton

CHRISTIAN URREGO AND SOFIA HERNANDEZ When Christian Urrego first heard of an opportunity to come to Canada, he thought it was a scam. It seemed too good to be true.

“Everything about the opportunities [to come to Canada] seem like a scam.

We felt a lot of fear that this would be a scam,” Urrego elaborates. Despite gut uncertainty, Urrego departed his home in Cali, Colombia in December 2019, and his beloved wife, Sofia Hernandez. Urrego decided it would be best for her to wait in Colombia, while he made sure this opportunity was real. This decision was incredibly difficult for Urrego.

“We have a good relationship. We have a beautiful life. But these ten months, she [Hernandez] was alone in Colombia with her mother,” Urrego reflects solemnly. Hernandez had already faced upheaval, as she moved to Colombia from Venezuela five years before coming to Canada.

“I worked so hard because I needed some money for her, and for her mother, and to pay my bills,” Urrego says.

When Urrego saw firsthand the legitimacy of this new opportunity, he immediately arranged for Hernandez to join him. Initially, things went smoothly, and Hernandez was supposed to arrive in Canada on March 19, 2020.

Shortly before her departure, the pandemic put the entire move on hold. Due to one strike of terrible timing, Hernandez could not come to Canada until October 2020.

Bracing for positive change Now, almost two years later, Urrego and Hernandez realize how much their lives have changed in Canada.

“It’s amazing because our minds changed so much. In Colombia, we lock all the doors. When we go outside, we feel fear,” Urrego reflects. “Now, we feel safe.

We feel amazing.”

But, big changes involve challenges. Like many recent immigrants, Urrego and Hernandez were overwhelmed by the language barrier upon their arrival in Canada. However, supportive coworkers and ESL courses went a long way to eliminate the initial isolation.

“My boss taught me with so much passion,” Urrego explains, giving examples of helpful tips he learned from his coworkers at Zala’s Restaurant. “These helped me so much, and I feel like Zala’s is my family.”

Luckily, Hernandez felt similar experiences from her coworkers; she is a housekeeper for Revelstoke Property Services. While our conversation was mostly limited to translations from Urrego and my own mediocre Spanish, Hernandez occasionally chimed in confidently; demonstrating her growing English vocabulary.

To cement their future in Canada, Urrego and Hernandez are working towards achieving their permanent residencies. Beyond working in the community and enjoying the outdoors, the couple are breathing in their newfound sense of safety.

“It's a beautiful life,” says Urrego. “Growing here is different to what we lived with [in Colombia]. We lived in a big city that was prone to more violence. And here, it’s peace and love.”

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OLD UPDATE OLDGROWTH GROWTH UPDATE OLD GROWTH UPDATE

In November 2021, the Provincial Government announced its intention to work in partnership with indigenous communities to temporarily defer the harvest of British Columbia most rare, In November 2021, Provincial unique, and at-risk old the growth forests.Government A technical announced review panelitshad intention to work into partnership with indigenous communities been commissioned identify, and map, possible at-risk areas, to temporarily defer the harvest of British Columbia most rare, and accompanying the November announcement, it identified unique, at-riskof oldold growth forests. reviewby panel had 2.6 millionand hectares growth areas A fortechnical further review been commissioned to identify, and map, possible at-risk areas, Indigenous groups to better understand which of these areas should and accompanying the November announcement, it identified be protected.

2.6 million hectares of old growth areas for further review by The Revelstoke forest sector understand fully supports this strategy Indigenous groups to better which of these and areashopes should that it will lead to an Indigenous and community led planning be protected. process that will ultimately identify those areas that should be The Revelstoke forestthose sectorareas fully that supports protected in perpetuity, couldthis be strategy managedand for hopes that it will lead to an Indigenous and community led planning harvesting, and those areas that could be managed for harvesting process that will ultimately identify the those areas that should on be the with modified practices to minimize ecological footprint protected in perpetuity, those areas that could be managed for ground. harvesting, and those areas that could be managed for harvesting Unfortunately, though well intended,the theecological roll out offootprint the old growth with modified practices to minimize on the deferral ground.strategy has been poor and has left Indigenous groups, our community and the local forest industry in a state of flux with Unfortunately, though well intended, the expectations roll out of theby oldsome. growth uncertainty and some unrealistic short-term deferral strategy has been poor and has left Indigenous groups, Over the past sixand months, theforest forestindustry industryin has beenof working our community the local a state flux with hard to limit or completely avoid itsshort-term impacts toexpectations the proposed uncertainty and some unrealistic byold some. growth deferral areas. These changes have not been insignificant six months, the forest industry shutdowns has been working andOver havethe ledpast to major disruption to operations, for hard to limit or completely avoid its impacts to the proposed old contractors, and the loss of a number of well-paying industry jobs deferral areas. changes have isnot been insignificant ingrowth our community.

WhileThese the forest industry moving towards and have led to major disruption to operations, shutdowns for identifying new development areas outside the proposed deferrals, contractors, and the loss of a number of well-paying industry jobs these developments will take several years to prepare It is simply not in our community.

While the forest industry is moving towards possible to discontinue operations while the planning is conducted identifying new development areas outside theall proposed while also maintaining a viable forest sector and those it deferrals, employs. these developments will take several years to prepare It is simply not The Revelstoke forest industry fullywhile recognizes that weisallconducted need possible to discontinue operations the planning and want tomaintaining move towards a more inclusive while also a viable forest sectorand andbalanced all thoseplanning it employs. process that addresses the unique interests and ecological values TheRevelstoke Revelstokearea, forest industry fullythe recognizes we of all need of the and supports economicthat needs and want to move a moreand inclusive planning the community and towards those families peopleand thatbalanced make this process that addresses the unique interests and ecological community what it is. This will take time but we are preparedvalues to of the Revelstoke area, and supports the economic needs of be transparent and innovative in our thinking and planning. There themany community andcomplex those families andand people that make are varied and interests concerns whenthis so community what it is.

This will take time but we are prepared many groups are involved and these all take time and patience,toby be transparent and innovative in our thinking and planning. everyone, to work through.

The industry is committed to this. There are many varied and complex interests and concerns when so many groups BY: are involved and these all take time and patience, by SPONSORED everyone, to work through. The industry is committed to this.

SPONSORED CONTENT SPONSORED CONTENT

It is not a case of ‘talk and log’ but a case of identifying clearly understood time periods and objectives and developing a plan together to get to where we collectively want to get to. It is It isbalance. not a case of ‘talk and log’ but a case of identifying clearly about understood time periods and objectives and developing a plan The Revelstoke industry has been clear from together to getforest to where we collectively want to the get beginning to. It is that a transitional about balance. period will be needed to take the time required to fully develop a long-term planning process. This short-term period Revelstoke forestofindustry has been developed clear from the beginning willThe require the logging some previously blocks that that a transitional period will be needed to take the time required to overlap proposed old growth deferrals. fully develop a long-term planning process. This short-term period Therequire Revelstoke forest industry taken significant steps and that is will the logging of somehas previously developed blocks working concert with the Provincial Government, the Revelstoke overlapinproposed old growth deferrals. community and Indigenous groups to prepare a one to two year The Revelstoke forest hassupport taken significant steps andforest is transitional plan. The planindustry will be to the viability of the working in concert withminimize the Provincial Government, Revelstoke sector in the short term, the impacts of and the on deferral community and Indigenous to prepare a one to two year areas, while meeting the spiritgroups and intent of the old growth strategy. transitional plan. The plan will be to support the viability of the forest In thein meantime, operational plans that areon being sector the short modified term, minimize the impacts of and deferral identified for meeting this summer and over next willgrowth only impact areas, while the spirit and the intent of year the old strategy. approximately 1% of all the proposed deferral areas in the In the meantime, modified operational plans that are being Revelstoke area. identified for this summer and over the next year will only impact Our objective is1% toof report out to the community laterinthis approximately all the proposed deferral areas theyear on what was harvested and what our plans are going forward into 2023.

Revelstoke area.

We believe this is community, working collaboration Our objective to report out to the in community laterwith thisthe year on Indigenous title holders, show complex planning what was harvested andcan what ourhow plans are going forwardprocesses into 2023. can be done together. Respect and trust will be critical. To get it We believe this community,negative working impact in collaboration with the wrong will have a long-lasting on our environment Indigenous title holders, can show how complex planning processes and our community. can be done together. Respect and trust will be critical. To get it wrong will have a long-lasting negative impact on our environment and our community.

SPONSORED BY:

Mike Copperthwaite Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation Mike Copperthwaite Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation

Patrick McMechan Stella-Jones Inc. Patrick McMechan Stella-Jones Inc.

Nick Arkle, CEO Downie Timber Ltd. Nick Arkle, CEO Downie Timber Ltd.

Fernando Cocciolo Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd. Fernando Cocciolo Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd.

16

FEATURE

THE CULTURE BUBBLE RESPECT AND RECOGNITION ARE POWERFUL WORDS. THEY REQUIRE US TO STAND UP AND ACKNOWLEDGE OUR SURROUNDINGS, TO DIG AROUND IN THE SOIL AND CHECK ON THE HEALTH OF OUR ROOTS.

By Jill Macdonald

Photo by Aaron Orlando — Chainsaw bars for sale at Revy's Repair and Rental

Photo by Jill Macdonald — The Fourth Street East storefront is a landmark

The word on some streets and neighbourhoods is that Rev y ain’t what it used to be and for better or worse, our bubble is bursting. Revelstoke is not the first mountain town to experience growing pains, we are unlikely to be the last either because if history teaches us anything, it is that we repeat ourselves.

When I first came to Revelstoke in 1988, the place came across as a rough, redneck railroad town with a biker bar vibe. Not what I was looking for. I hightailed it to Nelson, where there was espresso coffee, an independent bookstore and visible alternative lifestyles. Twenty years later, things looked different there and another fifteen years on, things are different here too – in similar ways. Resource industries are waning, affordability is out of reach and our public image is that of an outdoor recreation mecca. The irony is thick.

Change is inevitable, it is the only constant in the world. Yet in Revelstoke, some folks are feeling crowded, left behind and a bit out of sorts. Construction and tourism are two of the biggest games in a city that used to rely on logging and the railroad industry for employment and the stability to support family lifestyles. Employers struggle to find workers who can afford to live here.

Rev y’s Repair and Rental is a sign of these times. The small equipment shop on Fourth Street East, started decades ago by Ken Jager and Roy Abbott, ref lects a time when the economy was different and different values inf luenced our choices and self-sufficiency skills. People earned a living with tools, household budgets were tight, and repairs were essential. No one knew this better than current owner Gerda Diederichs, who took over the business rather than see it disappear. “I grew up around mechanics, I love it. The smell of engines, the fabrication, the details.” She knows her stuff. As soon as a customer walks in carrying a chainsaw, she fires off her opinion of the model and its strengths and shortcomings. She’s not shy.

Customers are relieved by her knowledge, as consumers, they know they are in the right place. “To some extent, I make decisions for my customers because I think they should get the best quality that is.” She means small equipment that is manufactured with quality components, that supplies replacement parts and will stand the test of time.

Gerda is a resource. While I was in the shop, several people came in looking for various things unrelated to her business. They did not leave without options. “I like to hear people’s stories. Come in, sit down and have a coffee.” Yet

by November, Gerda anticipates passing the baton – to her mechanic, Coty McClyment. “It’s time,” she says, for many reasons.

This is not Gerda’s first rodeo as a small business owner.

She and her husband ran a bakery when they first came to

17

"Evolution is inevitable. We cannot stop it but we can take a minute to think about where we came from, what we want and whose shoulders we are standing on."

Ph o

town, twenty-five years ago. “We made protein bread for the hockey players and sold out every time. We couldn’t keep up.” She loved it and yet she wanted to spend more time with her kids, at home. “That’s why we live in a small town. To be together.”

When I ask Gerda if she still feels at home in Revelstoke, she doesn’t hesitate. “No.” Her answer is quick and emotional. “I don’t ski, I don’t hike (anymore), I have to lock my house and my car, people drive all over the place and they hire companies to do their gardening and snow removal.

I’m irrelevant.” She shrugs and goes back to her catalogue of parts, searching for a replacement gasket the size of a quarter.

Roy Abbott sits on a stool while he waits for her to find the right one. Does he feel like he still belongs? “No. People don’t look at me, they don’t say hello.”

When I ask him what’s missing and what is the difference, he mentions land use. “All this building, without planning.

We don’t have the infrastructure to keep up.”

This is a sore point in many mountain towns, yet some of the discomfort is a cultural stretching that is happening every where. Social fabrics and workforces have changed.

People value different experiences. Gerda doesn’t go downtown, there’s nothing for her there. “I’m not a fancy person, I like simple things. It’s sad, you know, but I feel like I’m being left behind.”

Evolution is inevitable. We cannot stop it but we can take a minute to think about where we came from, what we want and whose shoulders we are standing on. Revelstoke is charming because of its history, it stayed charming because natural boundaries and economic structures limited its appeal. Some of those guardrails have been removed.

Back to the culture bubble. In another twenty years, this place will be different again. The possibility of Revelstoke becoming a bedroom community may appear unlikely, but it is already happening. The world is looking at us through the lenses of climate refuge, remote work and opportunity.

For myself, I feel fortunate to walk into Gerda’s shop and have an experience that is unique and reminds me to be observant. Respect and recognition are powerful words. They require us to stand up and acknowledge our surroundings, to dig around in the soil and check on the health of our roots.

We are stewards of the past as well as the future.

This land we inhabit has never belonged to us, we live on assumptions. Our moment in time is insignificant on the grand scale, but it can be defining. We can apply lessons that have already been learned. Make room for everyone, value and support a variety of lifestyles. Or we can ignore the signs, carry on and hope for the best.

G er da to b b u s y at y Jill w Mac or k don all d

irs repa hine onald c a m l d Smal y Jill Mac b o t o Ph

Gerd a he Photo lping a cu s

by Jil l Mac tomer dona ld

18

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TOURISM TALKS A Destination Management Plan for Revelstoke.

Tourism Revelstoke is undertaking a destination management planning process over the next year, and we expect to have a robust and innovative Destination Management Plan in place by March of 2023.

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Many destinations around the world are already experiencing the challenges and negative outcomes from an unplanned visitor economy. The purpose of destination management is to bolster and disperse the benefits of the tourism economy to our community at large, while minimizing its negative effects. The Destination Management Plan will identify achievable but ambitious actions to ensure that Revelstoke is a resilient and sustainable destination. Developing the plan will involve extensive research, surveying, and data collection in order to identify the key pressures and difficulties facing Revelstoke as a destination. This plan will align with our Official Community Plan and Resort Development Strategy, but will identify actions to ensure the plan deliverables are achieved.

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Downtown Revelstoke. Photo: Steve Shannon

Tourism in Revelstoke has seen significant growth over the past decade. Our stakeholders and our community are increasingly asking for us to consider and plan for the future of tourism in Revelstoke. We believe that this is the perfect time to get ahead of issues like over-tourism, environmental sustainability, and community participation in the benefits of the tourism economy.

Tourism Revelstoke is excited to be working with Destination Think on our Destination Management Plan. Destination Think is an industry leader in destination management planning and we are confident that Destination Think’s progressive values, holistic approach, and extensive experience will be an excellent fit for Revelstoke. Destination Think has worked with resort destinations such as Aspen, Queenstown, Banff, and Big Sky, as well as larger destinations such as Copenhagen and Travel Oregon. To ensure that the plan is a homegrown effort that responds to our particular needs, the project will be co-developed by Robyn Goldsmith, Destination & Sustainability Manager for Tourism Revelstoke, and Destination Think. Destination Think’s CEO, Rodney Payne, is a new resident of Revelstoke and is a passionate and engaged community member.

As part of the destination management planning process, Tourism Revelstoke and Destination Think will engage in a robust stakeholder engagement process. We want to know what is top of mind for our residents prior to developing steps to address their concerns. We will be looking at our local economy, our environment, our community wellness and sentiment, and the overall value and impact of the tourism industry in Revelstoke. We look forward to speaking with many of Revelstoke’s residents and welcome your feedback and engagement at any time.

Through this planning process, Tourism Revelstoke is seeking a set of guidelines and concrete actions to guide us forward. One of our assets in this process is our engaged and insightful community. We’d like to have community buy in, widespread stakeholder support, and a road map towards a more sustainable future for tourism in Revelstoke.

Tourism Revelstoke has received a grant to pursue this project along with funding from the Economic Opportunity Fund.

To engage with us, head to destinationrevelstoke.com/contact-us.

19

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BRIEFS

Marilyn James is one of the Sinixt matriarchs featured in the film, Beyond Extinction.

Photo: Louis Bockner

RVAC’s July Exhibit will feature a new body of work from Revelstoke artist Turbo Bambi.

Photo: Andrew Jackson

'Beyond Extinction: A Sinixt Resurgence' tells the stories of a people declared extinct

Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre's exhibit to feature five artists from the Interior

FILMMAKER ALI KAZIMI DOCUMENTS DECADES OF STRUGGLE AS THE SINIXT PEOPLE FIGHT TO BE RECOGNIZED BY THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT.

THE EXHIBIT WILL RUN FROM JULY 7 TO JULY 29 WITH AN OPENING EVENT THE FIRST EVENING

By Cara Smith

By Cara Smith

In 1956, an order was passed by the government of Canada declaring the Arrow Lakes Band to be extinct under the Indian Act. It’s difficult to comprehend how a people — now referred to as the Sinixt — could be classified this way, but filmmaker Ali Kazimi endeavours to tell the story with his film Beyond Extinction: a Sinixt Resurgence.

The film documents three decades of the struggle through the experiences of Sinixt matriarchs Marilyn James, Eva Orr and Alvina Lum. Kazimi was invited and granted intimate access to the community as they repatriated the remains of ancestors held in museums, fought against logging in their traditional territories, revived ceremonies, conveyed oral histories and battled erasure by the Canadian government.

The film begins with the experience of a Sinixt man, who faced deportation from Canada because he was born on Sinixt land on the American side of the border. The Sinixt people have been fighting for recognition by governments that have made it difficult for them to access their traditional territory, since it crosses the international border between Canada and the United States. Most of the traditional territory lies in the southeast interior of British Columbia, with a small percentage in Washington state.

Kazimi combines observational footage, contemporary interviews, oral histories, survival stories and archives to chronicle experiences that aren’t wellknown. The story that Kazimi manages to tell in 100 minutes of film is a complex and important one as the fight against the classification of the Sinixt people as extinct continues to this day. The Sinixt people come up against Canada’s immigration laws, environmental laws and hunting rights as they continue to struggle to be recognized and exercise their traditional practices.

July’s exhibit at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre is sure to have something for everyone as works from five artists grace the walls in a colourful and diverse display of artistic talent from the Interior.

The Main Gallery will feature works from Revelstoke’s Turbo Bambi (Claudia Simon), a mixed-media artist blending the lines between backcountry and canvas with comical street art and minimalistic landscapes. “Let the Good Times Roll”' will be the artist’s largest solo show to date and will introduce a new body of work made up of traditional art, skateboard features, woodworking and NFTs. Turbo Bambi’s works are already on display around Revelstoke with a colourful 3D mural as part of Art Alleries and hand painted abstract panels in the Revelstoke Mountain Resort terrain park.

Kelowna’s Ben Arcega will be featuring a new body of work described as a glimpse into who and what inspires his unique approach to painting, skating and self-expression. Drawn from memories of places he’s travelled and people he’s met, the show contains stylized portraits of skateboarders, musicians, surfers, as well as a handful of more abstract creations.

Gallery Two will feature a joint installation piece from Heather Yip and Nicole LeBoutilier. Yip, a contemporary conceptual visual artist, is inspired by human relationships, technology and the environment. She communicates concepts through assemblage, performance and digital media techniques. LeBoutilier draws inspiration from her surroundings and explores the possibilities of abstraction, memory and materials while discovering new and unfamiliar environments.

Maxim B. Vidricaire’s “timeless” will be displayed in Gallery Three. The works are a collection of film images taken in Revelstoke. Vidricaire aims to portray the character, charm and feel of a town going through a major growth spurt and communicate a sense of nostalgia while documenting the town’s current state.

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21

Blue Moon Marquee returns to Grizzly Plaza on Tuesday, August 23, as part of the Revy.Live Outside lineup.

Photo: Arts Revelstoke

Revelstoke resident Alan Dennis has self-published a book about his years in avalanche control.

Photo: Snow Nomad/FriesenPress

Outdoor music returns to downtown Revelstoke

Alan Dennis documents 50 years forecasting avalanches with Snow Nomad: An Avalanche Memoir

ARTS REVELSTOKE RETURNS WITH REVY.LIVE, A FREE CONCERT SERIES WITH PERFORMANCES IN QUEEN ELIZABTH PARK AND GRIZZLY PLAZA.

By Melissa Jameson

Live music returns to Grizzly Plaza and Queen Elizabeth Park this summer with REVY.Live, a series of 58 outdoor performances presented by Arts Revelstoke.

Featuring an array of genres including jazz, swing, rockabilly, bluegrass, country, folk, and funk, the re-introduction of music in the plaza follows two years of Guerilla Gigs, a series of intimate concerts in remote locations while public gatherings were restricted due to COVID-19 rules.

“The lifting of COVID-related restrictions on gatherings means that Arts Revelstoke can once again deliver music every night in downtown Revelstoke,” Arts Revelstoke said in a statement.

Along with performances in Grizzly Plaza, the series will also include six performances in Queen Elizabeth Park, starting with high energy bluegrass band The Local Group, who will perform on July 1 as part of Revelstoke’s Canada Day activities.

“The four Guerrilla Gigs held in Queen Elizabeth Park last summer received an overwhelming response from the community who called for more of these events,” said Arts Revelstoke. Other performances taking place in Queen Elizabeth Park in July are Calgary ska band Class Action (July 2), a surprise artist (July 16), and country music trio The Heels (July 31).

Of course, it wouldn’t be music in the plaza without the return of a few homegrown, local performers. You can catch performances in Grizzly Plaza by the Rev (July 5), Denis & Myra (July 10) and Maritime Kitchen Party (July 31). Also returning in July are fan favourites WiL (July 17), A Million Dollars in Pennies (July 21), and Leila Neverland (July 22).

REVY.Live is free to attend and takes place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. starting July 1 and running to August 27. For more information, including a full list of performers and location details, visit artsrevelstoke.com.

AFTER HALF A CENTURY OF TRAVELLING THE WORLD AND SEEING AVALANCHE CONTROL CHANGE DRAMATICALLY OVER THE YEARS, ALAN DENNIS IS SHARING HIS STORY.

By Cara Smith

50 years is a long time to be doing anything, let alone forecasting avalanches across four continents. Snow Nomad: An Avalanche Memoir is Revelstoke resident Alan Dennis’s one and only — as he insists — book, which documents his decades spent on an unconventional career path travelling between Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, and Argentina.

Dennis’s background and journey into avalanche safety is an unlikely one. He was born in Malta to a British family and was the son of a Royal Navy officer.

Dennis says he never predicted that he’d spend five decades working in the field of avalanche safety, let alone be lured back into it after retiring at 51.

Dennis came to Revelstoke to work for the Canadian Avalanche Association and help set up the public side of what’s now become Avalanche Canada. He kept a home base in the area as he continued travelling to work in Argentina and other parts of British Columbia. After finally retiring — for real this time — Dennis traded the snow for the sea aboard a boat he named in honour of his father’s seafaring days, S/V Griffin.

Snow Nomad is at once a humble and heartfelt tribute to family, friends and colleagues and a quirky account of Dennis getting in over his head but learning to rely on training and a bit of luck in the process. Dennis documents the ways avalanche work has changed over the last 40 to 50 years, from an occupation that required a great deal of luck and intuition, to a field with stronger methodology.

Snow Nomad teaches the reader a thing or two about avalanche control while keeping them entertained with dry wit and the adventure of it all. It’s available online for purchase through FriesenPress and at Fable Book Parlour in Revelstoke.

Publisher: FriesenPress Publication date: January 19, 2022 Pages: 228

22

Briefs

Ariel Kesike Hill — Bneshiinhs pictured at her June 2022 exhibit, Honour | Respect, at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre.

Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

Water spills over the Revelstoke Dam in spring of 2022.

Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

Powerful exhibit meditates on reconnecting

Revelstoke Dam Unit 6 'postponed indefinitely'

EMERGING GLASS AND MULTIMEDIA ARTIST ARIEL KESIKE HILL — BNESHIINHS’ POWERFUL EXHIBIT A DEEP REFLECTION ON CONNECTION TO ROOTS AND NATURAL WORLD

BC HYDRO PROJECT WITH ESTIMATED $45 MILLION IN LOCAL SPENDING WAS IN PLANNING AND CONSULTATION FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

By Aaron Orlando

It’s been a joy to see Ariel Kesike Hill — Bneshiinhs establish herself on the professional Revelstoke arts scene over the past few years. She arrived with a BFA major in Glass from the Alberta University of the Arts and a jewelry certificate from the Kootenay School of the Arts and has since leveraged her technical and theoretical skills into a multimedia oeuvre that continues to expand. Her latest exhibit, Honour | Respect, featured in a June gallery exhibit at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre, represents her personal and artistic development journey over the past two years to rejoin her Haudenausanee and Anishinaabe language, arts and cultural roots.

Based on the Anishinaabe Prophecy of the Seven Fires teaching, which augurs a pilgrimage of youth to seek wisdom from elders, Hill coordinates glass sculpture and jewelry with film photography. Intricate macro photo studies of moss and lichen are paired with layered glass vases that echo the delicate and dark forest floor patterns.

In the Sediment Series, photos of the oxidized ancient sediments of Horseshoe Canyon in southern Alberta are mirrored in glass creations that echo the stratification of erosion in swirling ochre, cream and ebony coloured glass.

Matriarch Series, a black and white film family self-portrait photo series including her mother and grandmother, is interlaced with glass jewelry works blending traditional motifs and contemporary patterns.

“My glass practice has always been focused on elements of the natural world,” says Kesike Hill — Bneshiinhs in the exhibit statement. “In my work in I attempt to honour the visual beauty and fine details that exist within nature in order to evoke a sense of connection between the viewer and the subject matter.”

Hill — Bneshiinhs artistic works pair thoughtful natural studies with technical skill making her ongoing development as an artist exciting to watch and meditate on. She displays at regional galleries and can also partners with Big Eddy Glass Works in Revelstoke. Find her online at akhstudios.ca and @ akh_studios.

By Aaron Orlando

A major hydroelectric project with significant economic spinoffs for the Revelstoke economy has been quietly dropped by BC Hydro.

BC Hydro now says Revelstoke Unit 6, which would have put a generator into the sixth and final empty turbine bay in Revelstoke Dam, is postponed indefinitely.

BC Hydro had done significant local and regional consultation on Unit 6 in the past five years with BC Hydro projecting need by about 2026, but a late 2021 filing with the BC Utilities Commission revealed the BC Hydro utility is no longer pursuing plans.

In response to an inquiry from Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine, BC Hydro regional spokesperson Sally MacDonald said the filing meant Unit 6 is on hold indefinitely. "In December BC Hydro filed Clean Power 2040, our Integrated Resource Plan, with the B.C. Utilities Commission. The Plan is not forecasting a need for a sixth generating unit at Revelstoke Dam over the next 20 years.

Considering these factors, BC Hydro is postponing the Revelstoke Unit 6 project indefinitely," she wrote.

Macdonald added that forecasts are subject to change and we continue to monitor the growth in electricity demand. Revelstoke Unit 6 is one of several resources BC Hydro could call upon in a contingency scenario. "Under these scenarios, Unit 6 would not be needed until the late 2030s," MacDonald wrote.

When the dam was built, it was designed to hold six generating units, but only four were installed. A fifth was later added and began operating in 2010.

A 2017 BC Hydro estimate said the 500-megawatt generating unit would create 400 person years of temporary employment and "generate local spending of about $45 million for goods, materials and services."

It would have also involved an additional water licence for an additional 3,000 cubic feet per second to allow for peak operation.

Development of the project is complex and involved consultation with a range of groups and environmental assessments and licences.

BANH MI SANDWICHES | SALAD BOWLS | WEEKLY FEATURES Explore the crossroads of contemporary Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean flavours at our food truck. Find us parked in front of Big Eddy Glass Works.

We also do catering!

ORDER ONLINE: theluckypupfoodtruck.com @theluckypupfoodtruck

Briefs

23

Damage to the Giant Cedars Boardwalk pictured in early May 2022. The boardwalk was damaged in several locations. Photo: Parks Canada

The Headwaters: Stories from the Source is available on major podcast streaming platforms.

Photo: Contributed by Columbia Basin Trust

Parks Canada's popular Revelstoke-area visitor attraction Giant Cedars Boardwalk closed for 2022 after damage

CBT partners with KMC on new Basin podcast

THE GIANT CEDARS BOARDWALK IS CLOSED FOR THE 2022 SUMMER SEASON DUE TO SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING THE WINTER

The Columbia Basin Trust has partnered with Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine to create a new podcast featuring stories from the Columbia Basin region.

The Headwaters: Stories from the Source is a new podcast that showcases the creativity, spectacular places, and innovative thinking in the Columbia Basin.

Hosted by Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Mitchell Scott, The Headwaters takes listeners on a journey through one of North America’s most compelling landscapes, one connected by a powerful river system.

“We’ve been telling these types of stories for two decades in our magazine, and they are a natural fit for a podcast,” says Scott. “With podcasting, the listener gains an intimacy with our subjects that sometimes we can’t get in print, and the results are as engaging as they are authentic,” continues Scott.

Each of the eight episodes are connected by a theme, such as saving species, innovations in the region, food sustainability, and more. The podcast was written, produced, and recorded in the Basin using journalists, writers, musicians, and designers from the region.

“We’re committed to sharing and celebrating the stories of the remarkable people and places in this region, and we’re excited to partner with the team at the award-winning Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine to help us do this,” says Delphi Hoodicoff, Director of Communications, Columbia Basin Trust.

As of press time, the first seven episodes of The Headwaters are now available at headwaterspodcast.com or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The first episode gathers stories from across the Basin on the theme of innovation, telling the stories of the birth of the Snow-CAT skiing, a the first 3-D printed home in the region, and a company that manufactures firefighting clothing for women.

Watch for new episodes weekly and follow it on Instagram at @ headwaterspodcast.

By Nora Hughes

The Giant Cedars Boardwalk, a popular Mount Revelstoke National Park attraction, will be closed for the 2022 summer season due to substantial damage, Parks Canada has announced.

Parks Canada says the damage is due to significant snowfall and fallen trees on the boardwalks. The initial inspection suggested the damage sustained required a full assessment for safety, structural integrity, and environmental impacts on the surrounding area, Parks Canada said in a statement.

Giant Cedars is a top-ranked visitor attraction in the Revelstoke area, drawing the key vehicle-based summer visitor demographic to stop and stay in the area.

The Giant Cedars Boardwalk and picnic area saw 36,370 visitors in 2018 and 34,217 in 2019 during staff operating hours between 9–5 p.m. daily. Due to the pandemic, the Parks Canada facility was not staffed in 2020 or 2021, so Parks Canada could not report visitation numbers for those years.

Parks Canada said the attraction has no timeline for reopening. Across the highways, the Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk has also sustained damage resulting in the closure of the area. After assessments are complete, Parks says planning will need to be undertaken to determine if the sites should be repaired, replaced, or reimagined to protect the sensitive ecosystems best and provide accessible visitor experiences.

Parks Canada says the damage sustained on both boardwalks is beyond regular annual maintenance and upkeep expenditures and will require additional funds.

Parks Canada says it understands that these closures will impact the experience for visitors and say they remain committed to providing safe and meaningful experiences in Mount Revelstoke National Park and neighbouring Glacier National Park.

STORIES FROM THE SOURCE FEATURES INSPIRING FEATURES FROM THE COLUMBIA BASIN REGION

Contributed, with notes from Revelstoke Mountaineer staff

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FEATURE

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTION IN FOSTERING STUDENT RESILIENCE AND SUCCESS. It was Mike Hooker’s second year in public education when he experienced the profound impact teachers can have on the lives of their students. A Grade 5 teacher in West Vancouver at the time, Mike recalls the mother of one of his students came to meet with him near the end of the school year. “[She] wasn’t going to be in my class the next year. Her mom came to see me in June, and she had a scarf on her head. She said, ‘I’m not likely going to be around this fall and’ ….” Usually a pillar of stoic professionalism, Mike’s mouth begins to quiver as he tries to fight back a sob that has begun to escape. He asks for a moment to compose himself before continuing: “… and [the student] is going to have a tough year, so is there any way you can talk to the principal and have her stay in your classroom? And we did, and she stayed in my classroom and her mom passed away. That was the start of understanding the impact that can happen, and that reminds me of what I’m most proud of, the connection.”

In April, Mike announced he will retire as Superintendent of Schools for School District 19 (Revelstoke) this coming fall. Replacing him is Roberta Kubik, who brings with her more than 25 years of experience in education, having worked in teaching and administrative roles in school districts in B.C. and Nova Scotia.

As Mike reflects on a career in education spanning more than three decades (including time spent as an elementary teacher, high school principal and district superintendent) it’s students—the obstacles overcome, the successes celebrated, the youthful antics—who are the common thread weaving through our conversation.

Some of the stories are humorous, like the one about the four Grade 12 boys at the old Revelstoke Secondary School whose plan to streak through the gym during a Friday night dance was foiled by a locked door. Other stories, like the one about the young girl and her mother from West Vancouver, are more sorrowful but offer opportunity to contemplate on the importance of how connection can lead to student resilience.

In 2008, while still principal at RSS, Mike recalls the day the school was evacuated after a bombthreat was discovered written on a bathroom wall.

“I remember working with the RCMP trying to

RETIRING AFTER A 30+ YEAR CAREER, SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS MIKE HOOKER PROVIES AN INTROSPECTIVE LOOK AT PUBLIC EDUCATION IN REVELSTOKE.

By Melissa Jameson

25

decide whether we thought this was a viable threat, making the decision to finally make the call. It was winter, so we were able to move the kids down to the arena. We made some really big mistakes that day because we had everyone leave everything in the building and that’s not good practice. The [RCMP] had to try to clear the building. They brought dogs from Kelowna to clear the building, but the building was full. Every kid had left everything they own in the building, so it took hours and hours.”

Thankfully, it turned out the threat wasn’t viable. Rather, it was written by a student who was struggling and unhappy at the time. That student has stayed connected with Mike in the years since, providing updates on her successes in life.

“That really typifies the way most of our interactions with kids have gone. People got really excited [about the] bomb scare and how dangerous it is and really at the heart of it, it was a hurting youngster,” Mike says, pointing to the importance of prioritizing student health and wellbeing. “Let’s make the assumption that everybody’s doing the best they can and try to meet them where they’re at and move on quickly, because that was the challenge to get her back to school afterwards.”

While the importance of meeting the holistic needs of students is becoming more recognized within the public education system, Mike points out one of the future challenges is further growing the understanding of how to help children and youth who have suffered from or are living in trauma.

“I think it’s important to differentiate, to acknowledge there are no such things as difficult kids. Often kids who are having difficulty are having difficulty because we’re putting them in a situation they can’t handle. Our schools have gotten good at trying to accept behaviours, to say, ‘There’s going to be some crazy shit that happens here, but you know what that is life and growing up.’ That’s where I really credit staff with the ability to be able to push through, [rather] than saying ‘I didn’t sign up for this when I was going to become a teacher’, they said, ‘No, I’m a teacher of people’ and that’s been an important focus.”

COMMUNITY INTERACTION, SCHOOL COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT OF SUPERINTENDENCY Mike and his family came to Revelstoke in 1997, after he accepted a job as principal at Arrow Heights Elementary School. He was appointed to the role of principal at RSS in 2004, where he stayed until the Revelstoke Board of Education asked him to take on the role of superintendent after Anne Cooper announced her retirement in 2012. It’s a slightly unorthodox trajectory into an upper management

Photo: Mike Hooker, who is retiring as Superintendent of Schools for Revelstoke, is pictured at a May 2019 Fridays for Future rally in front of Revelstoke City Hall. Students from across the district gathered for the protest inspired by activist Greta Thunberg. Photo: contributed

role within the public education system, as these typically require applying for vacant positions and a willingness to relocate.

“I wasn’t prepared to move and honestly I enjoyed the superintendency, but because of the impact and interaction to be working with the community, but working with the staff in a broader way, what I really missed was the principal-ship. The decision to take the superintendency was related to the way I felt about the school community. I wasn’t quite ready to leave the high school, but at the same time I didn’t want to work for somebody new and I really loved working with Anne, so that sort of drove it a little bit.”

The work Mike did as superintendent differed somewhat from many of his colleagues across the province. With only one high school and three elementary schools there is more opportunity to directly interact with students and staff than in larger districts.

“One day I could be dressing up as Zero the Hero and going to a kindergarten classroom and then sitting down with Bruce [Tisdale, School District 19 secretary treasurer] and doing capital planning around what we are doing with our sites. It’s an interesting mix of things.”

During his time as superintendent, Mike has faced several large challenges including the teacher walk-out in 2014 and the more recent COVID-19 pandemic. In navigating the seemingly constantly changing provincial health rules around COVID, Mike said rather than trying to change people’s minds on how they felt about the broader context of the provincial guidelines, vaccinations and mask mandates, the district’s approach was to try and keep the focus on students.

“We didn’t start trying to help change people’s minds about how they felt. When people were upset or concerned we said, ‘Well, how can we help with your child at our school in her classroom with her teacher. Let’s just focus on that.’ I think focusing on the individual child that way was one of our strengths. I think staff stayed at their comfort level, because staff were on a bit of a continuum on how comfortable they were too, but at the end of the day they all just kept doing what they wanted to do which was look after the kids.”

WORKING TOWARDS INCORPORATING INDIGENOUS WAYS OF LEARNING & UNDERSTANDING Research shows today’s youth face bigger, more complex challenges than past generations. A 2018 United Nations World Youth Report points to “unacceptably high numbers of young people […]

experiencing poor education and employment outcomes.” In a 2018 survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, teens reported higher levels of anxiety and depression than all other age groups.

Provincially, the Revelstoke school district is recognized among its peers as a leader in early childhood education, student mental health and wellbeing, and new curriculum initiatives.

A long-term partner of the UBC Human Early Learning Partnership, an interdisciplinary research network involved in the assessment of children’s developmental readiness, Revelstoke consistently scores above average on the Well-Being Index, a measure “relating to children’s physical health and social and emotional development that are of critical importance during the middle years.”

While there is certainly a focus on ensuring the diverse needs of learners are met, Mike points to Indigenous ways of learning as a vehicle to help provide better understanding and a path to reconciliation and healing.

“I think for the most part relationships are repaired, but there were relationships broken during COVID and going forward that’s an important part of the work.”

He notes the significance in doing the work in a community where youth are not often directly exposed to first-hand examples of what’s happening nationally with Indigenous Peoples of Canada and their experiences through colonization. While Revelstoke does have an Indigenous Friendship Society, it does not have a local band office or council.

“That’s been a challenge with the work, because it’s our work to do, but we’re not being pushed on it by any group, where other communities you got to—Kelowna, Salmon Arm, Merritt, there are Indigenous [people] there coming to the school, saying ‘You need to do this’, and here that doesn’t happen.”

For Roberta, who will take over as Revelstoke’s superintendent of schools in August, continuing to build on, and recognize, the importance of incorporating Indigenous teachings is pivotal.

“For our children to get a strong sense of place of the Four Nations who were here, it’s important for us to go to community, to go to where there’s a physical presence — pow wows, ceremonies. It’s for us to go out to community,” she says.

“I need to connect with band councils and elders and knowledge keepers myself. This is new to me, and I would like to respectfully do that. Revelstoke does have a lot of things going on with honouring truth and reconciliation and this is a pathway I would like to explore more.

26

Feature

EDUCATION TIMELINE

HERE’S A LOOK AT SOME OF THE EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE DURING MIKE HOOKER’S 25 YEARS WITH SCHOOL DISTRICT 19 (REVELSTOKE).

1997

Mike Hooker and his family move to Revelstoke after he is hired on as the principal of Arrow Heights Elementary School. Hooker, who grew up in Kelowna, spent a few years of his childhood in Revelstoke when his father managed Cooper's Foods.

2005

Hooker is appointed principal of Revelstoke Secondary School.

2011

The newly built Revelstoke Secondary School opens in October. It includes one of the first Neighbourhood Learning Centres (NLC) in the province. The $39.9 million project includes a 275-seat performing arts centre and coordinated adolescent health services.

2012

Superintendent of Schools Anne Cooper announces her plans to retire the following year, after the completion of the new schools’ project. The Board of Education announces Hooker will replace Anne as Superintendent.

The newly built Begbie View Elementary School opens, replacing both Mountain View Elementary School and Mount Begbie Elementary School. It hosts Revelstoke’s second NLC which includes the Revelstoke Early Years Centre and a g ymnastics facility.

2013

Photo: A TV news crew interviews Mike Hooker, then principal of Revelstoke Secondary School, at the 2011 grand opening ceremony of the new high school. Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

Hooker officially steps into his new role as Superintendent of Schools after Greg Kenyon takes over as principal of RSS in January. Cooper remains on staff to oversee the surplus schools and to provide mentorship to Hooker during the

transition.

2014

An ongoing dispute between teachers and the provincial government delays the start of the school year. The longest teacher’s strike in B.C. history finally ends in mid-September when 86 per cent of B.C. Teachers’ Federation members vote in favour of accepting a new six-year contract.

2020

The BC Ministry of Education announces students will not return to classes after Spring Break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Revelstoke School District staff and students adapt to remote learning. The district provides computers for students who require one to participate in online learning. In-class learning eventually resumes under the B.C. government’s restart plan in September 2020.

A Black Lives Matter protest is forced to move from its planned location on the Mountain View Elementary School field after being informed the event cannot take place on land owned by the Revelstoke School District.

In an interview with revelstokemountaineer. com, Hooker says while the district supports the protest current provincial guidelines regarding COVID-19 and public gatherings mean the event will need to take place elsewhere. It is relocated to the Centennial Park ball diamonds.

2022

In April, Hooker announces he plans to retire as Superintendent of Schools in the fall. The Revelstoke Board of Education announces Roberta Kubik will replace Hooker upon his retirement.

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HOMES

Designs for Earthwright Shelter Company's first on-foundation garden suite with the exterior modelled after their client’s primary dwelling to meet bylaw requirements. Image: Blake Richards/ Earthwright Shelter Company

A LONG TIME COMING: CITY ALLOWS CARRIAGE AND GARDEN SUITES IN RESIDENTIAL ZONES THE CITY OF REVELSTOKE PASSED A BYLAW ALLOWING RESIDENTS TO BUILD CARRIAGE HOMES AND GARDEN SUITES IN RESIDENTIAL ZONES, INCREASING DENSITY.

By Nora Hughes

Blake Richards came onto the modular building scene with the goal of providing more housing in Revelstoke that didn’t force residents to break the bank. As of January 13, 2022, Zoning Bylaw No. 2299 was adopted by the city, launching Richards’ dream into the realms of reality.

The new carriage and garden suite change came at a special meeting following the city’s comprehensive review to update, modernize, and clarify the city’s bylaws.

The city informed the public about the significant change in a Talk Revelstoke discussion forum during their review phase.

Richards is the owner of Earthwright Shelter Company, a portable building

manufacturer in Revelstoke. Typically, Richards creates portable, modular units designed as an office or studio space but not intended for a person to live. However, when city council adopted the new bylaw, Richards saw the opportunity to serve the community.

The bylaw adopted allows residents in Revelstoke to build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) that were not allowed in previous versions of the city’s bylaws. ADUs include secondary suites, like the classic basement suite, carriage suites and garden suites.

The latter two suites are liveable spaces and separate buildings from a primary

house that, before January, were not permitted in standard residential zones of the city. Now they are allowed, and businesses like Earthwright Shelter Company are poised and ready to react.

The city defines a carriage suite as a detached, subordinate dwelling unit that contains a garage or similar storage space on the ground floor, with a dwelling unit on an upper floor located on a permanent, continuous foundation. A garden suite is a detached dwelling unit typically on the ground floor, on a permanent foundation.

Richards describes the units as mini versions of the main house. “One of the important parts of this bylaw is that the

29 29

carriage home or the garden suite has to be built of similar materials, complementing materials and sort of similar design,” he says. “So it looks like a little sibling of the house that we're putting it next to the same sort of roofline, same sort of materials, same sort of trim and all that kind of thing.”

Jocoah Sorensen, owner and operator at Adaptive Homes, says he anticipated the bylaw change and has started a few projects involving ADUs. “We designed a series of carriage houses ahead of time and then released them actually at the same time the bylaw changed. We had a lot of initial inquiries about that. We’ve been dealing with that over the past few months, working through building permits and drawings and all that stuff,” he says.

Sorensen says the permitting process for one of these suites is very similar to what needs to be compiled for a regular home build, with some exceptions to meet the new bylaw’s requirements. For example, the carriage home or garden suite can’t exceed a useable floor space of 40% of the usable floor space of the primary dwelling with a maximum of 90 square metres and must have a minimum of 10 square metres of open space dedicated to the suite's occupant.

Implementing this bylaw creates the potential to increase density within Revelstoke and gives businesses like Richards,’ and Sorensen’s a big boost.

“Any urban planner will tell you in a confined space, density is how you solve things,” Richards says. “Where do your kids live? If you’re raising kids in town and they’re old enough, they’re not going to buy a house. Where does your mom live when she retires and doesn’t want a big house anymore? There's not a ton of options.”

Additionally, Richards thinks that people will take on these projects to use them as rental units to help with expensive mortgages, despite the exorbitant market prices on building supplies right now. “It's costing my customers twice as much to build a house in 2022 as it did in 2018,” he says. “To balance that out, we have huge amounts of equity sitting in people's houses. If they owned it five, six years ago, it's worth so much more now than what they purchased it for. There tends to be enough equity on the table that it makes the financing pretty easy. So, I think we're going to see people doing this.”

Richards points out that these are social issues tearing at our community and is thankful that the city has opened up avenues for residents to build solutions. The city says they’re issuing building permits for garden and carriage suites and have had four applications this year.

Both Earthwright Shelter Company and Adaptive Homes use a modular style building method that involves building projects offsite before being transported and assembled at the final location, mitigating some of the vexing qualities of construction. Richards’ modular building technique allows him to build all his projects in a shop, limiting the noisy construction that has to happen on location at his clients' homes. Additionally, Richards says his business is equipped to build carriage and garden suites because they are smaller construction projects in which his company already specializes. Richards says larger companies may be more reluctant to take on smaller building projects like the suites.

Top Photo: Blake Richards/Earthwright Shelter Company Bottom Photo: Jocoah Sorensen/Adaptive Homes

30

BRIEFS ARTS & CULTURE

STORIES OF THE FOREST A NEW BOOK BY LOCAL AUTHOR LAURA STOVEL ENCOURAGES US TO LOOK, LISTEN, AND LEARN FROM OUR FORESTS

By Bryce Borlick

On one of my walks, deep into the temperate rainforest that surrounds Revelstoke, I stumbled upon a mystery.

As I meandered up a long-abandoned road grade adjacent to a tumbling creek, a thick grove of waist high ferns slowed my progress. When I paused to appreciate their vigor, I noticed something odd; the ferns grew vigorously only on the road bed. Why only here? Why only ferns? What was the story behind this? And what other stories does the forest hold, waiting to be told to a mindful observer? This last question is what spurred Laura Stovel to create her new book and art exhibit, Stories of the Forest.

Back in town, I peruse the exhibit at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre. In her book, Stovel poses this question to a varied group of forest enthusiasts and professionals, and curates their replies with the help of her co-creator Christy Shaw. Each of the twenty two contributors shares the wondrous things they've found in the forest and elucidates what they reveal about nature’s delicate balance. Both the book and the exhibit combine this writing with

the images of photographer Rob Buchanan and artist Claire Sieber, to lead readers and viewers on a journey that encourages them to slow down, look around, and find their own stories in the forest. And for Stovel, that’s exactly how this project started.

“When Covid arrived, I spent a lot of time isolating in the forest on Mount Revelstoke,” Laura explains. “Sitting under a tree where I often write, I started to see things that I had never noticed before.

There the dominant plant species indicated that a fire had burned through decades ago and I wondered how many other forest stories were right in front of us just waiting to be told.”

To answer that, Laura enlisted the help of friend Christy Shaw. You may know Christy as a longtime local and founder of Mountain Goodness Natural Foods, but in recent years she has shifted her focus to working with Indigenous groups as an ethnobotanist. She not only helped to shape Stories of the Forest, but also contributed her own section: ‘A forest close to home is where I come to

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STORIES OF THE FOREST: Reflections on an Inland Temperate Rainforest

sit, where Devil’s club slowly fills the spaces between the cedars and the hemlocks and whispers that he has always been here... His leaves, reminiscent of giant maples, hang wildly like umbrellas. And just out of reach, a pyramid of green berries, bursting ruby red, beg me to be picked, but shouldn’t... It is medicine in its purest form.’

A little further into the exhibit, I recognize the name of one the volunteers who maintains the garden plots just outside the visual arts centre, Ken Talbot. Ken is a lifelong forestry professional and avid outdoorsman with an infectious enthusiasm for nature. With a background in technical writing, he adapted his style to the project: ‘As spring arrives and the mosquitoes start hatching, the dragonflies and damselflies show up to eat them. Some, in turn, might be eaten by a small carnivorous plant called the sundew that grows around the bog. The sundew’s normal diet would likely be insects the size of a mosquito or smaller.’

Nearing the end of the exhibit, I pause to study a photo of man submerged calmly in an icy winter stream. It’s Giles Shearing, an environmental scientist with a particular interest in the beauty of winter and the various ways in which plants and animals adapt to the season. Where others see a barren frozen landscape, Giles sees another chapter in nature’s story: ‘Skiing and camping in the mountains are exhilarating, but just as important are the pauses, when we stand quietly to absorb the energy and wonder of our surroundings.

Surveying the rounded peaks and sunken valleys — mountains older than the Rockies — we know we are guests on the landscape.’

Some days later I return to the forest, to the mysteriously vigorous ferns. But this time I look more closely, taking note of the clues before me; the damp conditions, the surrounding cedars, and the age of the road.

It seems likely to be an old corduroy road, built with a base of rot-resistant cedar that retains moisture like a sponge and creates acidic conditions in which only ferns can really thrive. I suppose it’s a story that I already knew, I just had to look closer to hear the forest tell me.

STORIES OF THE FOREST: Reflections on an Inland Temperate Rainforest

Stovel and Shaw eds.

Laura Stovel and Christy Shaw eds.

Photography by Rob Buchanan Illustrations by Claire Sieber

Page left: Parks Canada interpretation officer based in Revelstoke, Verena Blasy, inspects a Lungwort Lichen.

Photo: Rob Buchanan Above: Stories of the Forest book cover image.

Below: Stories of the Forest author Laura Stovel. Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

32

FEATURE

COMMUNITY RADIO!

DURING THE DARK EARLY DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC, I GOT THE CALL TO HELP OUT WITH OUR COMMUNITY RADIO STATION. HERE'S AN UPDATE ON WHAT'S UP WITH STOKE FM 92.5 FM.

By Aaron Orlando I got the call about two years ago from Mike Watson, host of the long-running Mountains, Rivers & Streams radio show: Stoke FM Radio Society, operator Revelstoke’s non-profit, volunteer-run community radio station, needed members for the board of directors. Was I interested?

It was during the darker early months of the pandemic and public life had shut down. Pandemic disruptions meant board members, volunteers and show hosts had to move on for various reasons; several had left town. There were a lot of holes to fill.

Financially, the station, a non-profit society, was surviving on fumes and effort from volunteers who were barely keeping things afloat. A GoFundMe put on just before I arrived was keeping the lights on.

So, I said yes because the station is important to the community. It’s a 24/7 buddy accessible for free for everyone.

It’s a unifying force in the community: it’s a shared experience accessible to everyone, including those with financial, literacy, and technological barriers. Unlike social media, where who knows what everyone else is scrolling through, with radio you know everyone is on the same wavelength, sharing a common, community experience.

Most importantly, it’s our thing: the community of Revelstoke is free to make of it what it will. The station will have pretty much anybody who asks on the Morning Show, and the door is wide open to anyone who wants to host their own show.

So, I joined the board as a director at large for the past couple of years. I’m happy to say we’ve dug ourselves out of the hole and are building up the station again, thanks to lots of help from the community.

We’re a licenced community radio station broadcasting at 92.5 FM and our signal goes all the way to the Weird Woods Smokey Bear statue on the highway. We also have a decent online following, including a lot of Revy ex-pats from around the world.

The team

Our president Marquie Murphy brings a lot of enthusiasm and digital broadcasting experience, and deep knowledge of electronic music. Our executive director, Jace Preenan, puts in way more than his part-time hours to manage just about everything from faulty signals to complex grant applications. Our long-time Morning Show and Monday Mayhem host, Lerritt Robinson, hosts community guests live three times a week and brings institutional memory to the organization, having been with the station for nearly a decade. He’s also the sales rep, so hit him up! Tina Steen is our secretary and star board member, along with her I Wish I was 20 in the ‘90s co-host Jane McCulloch. Rhehal Burgess is a new recruit looking to step it up. Morning Show co-host Lynn Muller is away working this summer, so April Bloem has stepped in for the summer. Bryce Harrison brings his skateboard to the board and on the board and also hosts a show. And I’m leaving out a lot of people and all the show hosts! Sorry!

What's next for Stoke FM? We hope to unveil a new website this summer. It will

have a new front-page emphasis on digital web versions of our shows and audio news stories, showcasing our partnership with the national Local Journalism Initiative (Read more about that in the side-bar introducing our new Community Radio Journalist, Meagan Deuling). It’ll also have a great new digitized membership and donations options and we hope you will help by donating.

We’re in the middle of a rebranding process that reached out to the community to find out what you want us to be, and this summer we’ll be aligning with what you told us.

We’ve also done a ton of tech upgrades and equipment improvements, including new software, hardware, remote recording equipment, computer system, and more.

We onboarded four new shows last month, a sign of our improved capacity.

We’ve also done a lot of important behind-the-scenes things like inclusivity and anti-harassment policy development, governance improvement and business development.

A couple of years ago, we were down to a handful of people keeping it going, but our numbers have swelled and we’re picking up steam.

A work in progress, always

There’s lots of room to grow. Like everyone else, we’ve got financial constraints and we try not to burn our volunteers out.

Sometimes, it’s two steps forward, one step back. We get some momentum, then volunteers leave for seasonal work. We get a new equipment, then another gadget needs replacing. We land one grant and get turned down for the next. Volunteers get injured – not at the station, just doing regular Revelstoke stuff.

Things like that.

We do what we can and are trying to build sustainably.

A final note

We do most of it on volunteer effort, but really money makes things work. If you’re not hearing the stories shows you want, consider becoming a member and donating. That’s really what’s going to help us up our capacity and grow, especially our executive director position.

Our three revenue pillars are grants, advertising and listener support through membership and donations, and we’re really trying to grow the last category.

Finally, I’ve been working in community media here in Revelstoke and know residents have deep feelings about community representation and always want more of it. The more you support us, the more we can support the community with programming that represents everyone.

And, from the heart, Stoke FM in 2022 is a super-welcoming, inclusive environment. All you have to do is reach out and be ready to pitch in. You’re absolutely invited to do a show and we’re ready with an onboarding process. We’ve produced a number of partnership series with community organizations this year, so consider getting your club or group involved, too. If your community group wants to be on the Morning Show, just reach out – there’s no secret handshake.

Thanks to hundreds of volunteers over the years, we made it to 10 years – here’s to 10 more.

Find us at www.stokefm.com, on Facebook, Insta or Twitter, or email us at info@stokefm.com.

33

STOKE FM'S NEW REPORTER

NEW COMMUNITY RADIO JOURNALIST MEAGAN DEULING

By Meagan Deuling

Photos: Above: Stoke FM's Morning Show host Lerritt Robinson and cohost April Bloem at the studio. Here, they interview Nicole Grimsdell and Stacie Byrne of Revelstoke Roller Derby about an upcoming Roller Disco and derby match.

Top Right: New Stoke FM 92.5 Community Radio Journalist Meagan Deuling.

Photos: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Mag

I’m StokeFM’s new reporter and I’m excited to have a chance to tell stories on the radio here in the Interior of B.C. I have been all over telling stories from Halifax where I got started in radio to Whitehorse where I almost got stuck to Toronto, just to see what it was like, to Nunavut where I left my heart.

Growing up in the bush in the upper Shuswap, radio was my only connection to the outside world, aside from when we walked to my grandparents’ on Sunday night to watch TV. I’ve always loved radio and the way it immediately and simply connects remote places to the rest of the world and allows people to share stories.

I learned about the importance of sovereignty over stories and the way they’re told, even the language they’re told in, during my time working for CBC in Iqaluit.

Here in Revelstoke I’m working with StokeFM. The team at the station applied for a reporter position through the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI), which is a federal Culture and Heritage program.

The idea behind the program is to create local journalism in smaller centres. Our mandate through LJI is to cover municipal affairs, school boards and local events.

I work remotely with a team of reporters from stations in Smithers, Cortes Island and Abbotsford.

Through the years I’ve covered city councils, legislatures, court and crime but my favourite stories have been about 120-year-old sourdough starter, ice bridges over rivers, Russians strapping cameras to beluga whales to use them as spies and sealskin space suits.

It sure was a leap to leave Nunavut, but there aren’t many broadcast radio jobs out there, especially in smaller cities close to my home.

Hence the federal initiative I suppose. I’m pretty lucky to work with such a great, supportive team and get a chance to dig up and tell some stories in the radio here.

Please get in touch with me if you want to share an idea for a story you think is being missed.

34

STYLE

MOUNTAIN TOP WEDDING TRENDS AFTER HIATUS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, WEDDINGS ARE BACK, BRINGING NEW TRENDS THAT ARE CHANGING THE SCENE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS IN REVELSTOKE. WE CAUGHT UP WITH THREE PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM TOWN TO IDENTIFY RECENT TRENDS AND SEE HOW THE WEDDING GAME HAS EVOLVED.

By Nora Hughes

Breaking Traditions

CHRISTINE LOVE HEWITT

Christine Love Hewitt has seen couples ditching tradition in 2022. She has observed many weddings cutting back to the basics, removing groomsmen and bridesmaids, leaving out elaborate flower arrangements, and an uptick in mini-wedding ceremonies. Perhaps the most visible non-traditional trend is wedding attire. Hewitt says weddings have been incorporating colourful dresses and suit jackets, more casual attire and even bridal outfits that don’t conform to traditional standards. Hewitt says she’s also gotten loads of requests for “documentary” style photography. “It's in accordance with the trend of moving away from staged, traditional, "cheesy" wedding stuff,” she says. “People are looking for more authenticity in their lives, including weddings and photos.”

35

Mountain top ceremonies ALEXI MOSTERT

Revelstoke local and photographer Alexi Mostert, has seen and photographed the excitement behind the trend of mountain top weddings.

“A mountain top ceremony or shoot can be enjoyable for many reasons,” she says. “It can be more intimate, the scenery is stunning and creates amazing photos, and the memories are unbeatable.”

Mostert says that Revelstoke is the ideal location for these dreamy ceremonies because of the many companies that offer experiences. “There are many spots to choose from, and the weather is always different,” Mostert says.

She recalls one unique shoot where she accompanied a couple on a helicopter flight to their destination. “The day this couple went up was cloudy, so the images came out more moody and soft, which is something they both appreciate.” She says that the couple got to be on top of some of Revelstoke’s iconic mountains and enjoyed a scenic flight together in celebration.

Elopement MADELAINE DUFF

Madelaine Duff, photographer, artist, and athlete, says the wedding trend she’s found the most refreshing is the boost in elopements since the start of the pandemic. The actual meaning of the nuptials seems to have overshadowed the whole production, she says. Duff says one wedding she shot was particularly special because the couple only had an officiant, two friends, their son, and the dog. “Keeping it down to the people who really matter,” Duff says. Elopements have also prompted couples to keep it classic, Duff says. She notes that for this wedding, the party chose a riverside scene to complement the classic ceremony and focus on the meaning of the marriage. She noticed that weddings during the pandemic brought the essential aspects of the couples’ lives into view, and one way weddings have reflected that is through elopements.

36

FEATURE

REVELSOKE HOUSING CRISIS MAKES IT UNLIVABLE FOR MANY Revelstoke has that special something; if you ask its residents, they’ll tell you about the strong sense of community and belonging. Some claim that Revelstoke is unique because it's not a Whistler or a Banff type of tourist-dominated location; it is a livable mountain town.

Banff and Whistler attract tourists looking to check the destination off a bucket list. Despite Revelstoke’s other economic industries, such as lumber, transportation, and hydro, it may be well on its way to a similar status as these famous tourist destinations. Unfortunately, that status comes with challenges that many, if not all, mountain towns face. Revelstoke is becoming the place everyone insists it’s not: unlivable.

Community Connections Revelstoke Society is an organization that supports individuals and families by providing and advocating for accessible, responsive social services. Siobhan O’Connor, Social Justice Advocate at Community Connections, puts it simply: the current housing climate in Revelstoke is catastrophic.

“There aren’t available units that are affordable for most of the folks that live here,” she says. Many people turning to Community Connections are on a fixed income, getting assistance or disability through the provincial or federal government. O'Connor says that assistance ranges between $900 and $1,600. “At the moment, you’re lucky to get a one-bedroom (in Revelstoke) for under $1,500 a month, if you can find one,” she says, adding that those prices are out of reach for most people.

Laurence Chanut, Emergency Shelter Program Coordinator at Community Connections, says gentrification is to blame for the city’s housing crisis.

“People that can afford to build large homes or really even rent here are able to, and then the other folks are being evicted from their units,” Chanut says. “Not all of them own the houses that they live

in. So, the landlords are coming in, and they want to either demolish or move into their home.” A report from the Emergency Shelter Program run by Chanut indicates that 37.5% of individuals accessing the program have lived in the community for ten or more years, and 12.5% have families with children.

Andres and Teresa are working community members and parents to two young boys. They’ve lived in Revelstoke for five years and have found themselves in the situation Chanut describes. In November 2020, their home was sold. Fortunately, the new owner has allowed the family to stay but informed them of his intentions to eventually move into the residence. Andres and Teresa say they know the fragility of situations like these and began to look for new accommodation well in advance.

Andres and Teresa’s search has persisted for a year and a half with no luck.

Andres says he’s utilized services to help with their search, such as making a profile with Revelstoke Property Services because they offer affordable housing. However, the scarcity of affordable rentals in Revelstoke right now is incontrovertible. The few rentals listed in the Revy Rentals Facebook group are expensive and get snatched up quickly, often by individuals willing to pay more per room than a family can afford.

“If it’s just you as an individual, it’s easy because you can get a room or little apartment, but as a family, we need a whole house and a whole house they rent for $3,000,” He says. “It’s because they can charge $750 for each person and they share the house and that’s nice for them, but we can’t pay $750 for each of (our family members). I can’t pay my whole salary just in rent. $3,000 in rent is too much.”

Erin MacLachlan, Co-Director of Community Outreach and Development at Community Connections, says that in an ideal financial world, you should only have to pay 30% of your salary in rent.

That percentage is the same for subsidized

housing in B.C., meaning if you’re receiving assistance, the rent will be 30% of your income MacLachlan says. With the current rental rates, Andres and Teresa would need to make close to $10,000 a month to afford rent at that ideal rate and provide for their family’s needs, something that they feel is difficult in a town like Revelstoke.

The illusion of value So why are prices in mountain towns so unaffordable? The simple answer is that people want to live in an idealistic place and value that location because of a holistic idea.

Chanut says that in mountain towns, properties tend to become an investment in an idea. “Whereas property should be viewed as shelter,” she explains. “Everyone here is using this terminology as some sort of profit. And everyone’s trying to get on that bandwagon. It's trending. Everyone’s doing it. They know they’re going to make money off of it.”

MacLachlan adds that she arrived in Revelstoke in 2008 when Revelstoke Mountain Resort opened and saw the value of houses go up astronomically because of something she refers to as speculation.

“The value of houses went up, and most people were blown away because three years prior to the ski hill, they were buying houses for $80,000,” she says. “And so much of it is about speculation. It’s not about actual value for what you’re buying.”

MacLachlan and Chanut suggest that the allure and trendiness of a mountain town directly influence the price of living there.

It’s not as if a house falling apart is worth half a million dollars; it’s the illusion that living in the location adds value. But, what happens when people start to leave town because they can't afford to live? Who will keep the town functioning? How will it survive?

37

WITH EXPENSIVE LIVING COSTS, A SHORTAGE OF RENTALS, AND SKYROCKETING MARKET VALUE, REVELSTOKE’S HOUSING CRISIS PRICES OUT MANY RESIDENTS, LEAVING PEOPLE STRUGGLING TO LIVE AND WORKER SHORTAGES AT BUSINESSES.

By Nora Hughes

"If it's just you as an individual, it's easy because you can get a room or a little apartment, but as a family, we need a whole house and ... they rent for $3,000."

Why re-invent the wheel?

Above: Homes that once rented to families are rented by the room, commanding higher prices and making rentals for families very hard to come by.

Top right: Andres and Teresa have been searching for home for an affordable family home since late 2020.

Photo: Nora Hughes/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

Whistler identified housing affordability as a tangible concern for local employees due to the presence of Whistler Blackcomb and proactively looked at other mountain communities that had surmounted similar challenges, such as Aspen, Vail and Breckenridge. As a result, the idea to set aside a separate housing inventory that would only be available to the workforce was conceived, and the Whistler Housing Authority was born in 1997. Marla Zucht, General Manager at the housing authority, says it was created to meet the community's evolving needs and help locals afford to live in a world where housing and real estate costs were increasing at a pace far exceeding local incomes.

To make the housing authority possible, the local government created a bylaw requiring new commercial development to contribute to employee housing. “They were going to be part of the problem by being a new business, creating the need for additional staff,” Zucht says. “The community was growing. Certainly, we wanted that, but at the same time, it would be creating strain on the existing housing supply.”

The bylaw requires new developments to do one of three things: Build their staff housing, provide offsite staff housing, or provide cash in lieu. Most businesses choose the latter and provide money that

38

Feature

goes into a municipal housing fund, only to be used for employee housing in Whistler.

The Whistler Housing Authority provides beds, rooms, apartments and houses for rent, and the only requirement is that the applicant must work in Whistler to be eligible. The housing authority dedicates housing to families with occupancy standards that don’t allow a single person to rent more rooms than needed.

“So that enables families that have kids or even single parents, they get priority for the larger units because those larger units have to be occupied, every bedroom has to be used,” Zucht says. The housing authority also allows people to buy houses in the town without paying the market price. Most local employees with moderate incomes would never be able to afford a house at market price in Whistler. However, through the housing authority, they’re able to own a home. The only disadvantage

is when they go to sell, it will not be for market value. It must be sold back to the housing authority so they can re-sell it.

“We want employees to be able to settle down their roots here and stay here long term by providing them with stable, secure and affordable housing,” Zucht says.

Change is needed Change seems inevitable for all mountain towns, and Revelstoke is no exception. The solution is change. Andres and Teresa hope for meaningful action that would make a difference in their family’s situation, like more affordable housing for families.

He says that owning is out of the picture, but perhaps it wouldn't have to be with an organization like the Whistler Housing Authority in Revelstoke.

The City of Revelstoke has been developing a Housing Action Plan, a repetitive request from residents, to address core housing needs within the community. However, the plan is still far from becoming a reality.

“Change takes time,” O’Connor says. “We need more housing, and that takes a lot of time, but we need concrete change. We need to actually see rooms or houses available for people to live in.

That's what we need, but I fear that's not what's going to happen quickly.”

VOLUNTEER NON-PROFIT HOUSING SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT NEARS COMPLETION

By Aaron Orlando RCHS Chairperson Randy Driediger says they had hoped to bring rents on the project in for less, but the reality of construction costs and the fact they aren't subsidized to operate means they have to operate within financial constraints.

"It's a big responsibility for volunteers, but it's a big role in the community," says Driediger, which, again, largely falls on the shoulder of volunteers, who manage with the resources they have available.

The model is in contrast to other resort communities, such as Whistler, whose local government identified the housing issues created by mountain resort town development in the 1990s, and created and resourced the Whistler Housing Authority.

The Revelstoke Community Housing Society's Humbert Street project will have 24 onebedroom units and is expected to be completed this summer. Photo: Aaron Orlando/ Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

Revelstoke Community Housing Society (RCHS), an independent nonprofit organization run by volunteers, is hoping to welcome new tenants to its new Humbert Street project this summer, which will have 24 onebedroom units.

The RCHS currently operates two rental housing facilities, a 12-unit townhouse complex and a separate duplex, both nearby on Oscar Street.

The non-profit society's goal is to create a variety of affordable housing options in the community and draws on community-minded volunteers to run the operation. Essentially, they develop housing projects, including all the heav y lifting of getting land, zoning, grants, financing, and overseeing development contracting. Once completed, they oversee and manage the projects using property management companies.

The 24 new units on Humbert Street is the society's biggest project to date and will feature one-bedroom units at $1,150 per month plus utilities. Tenants have to fit within an income window, and there is a maximum of two persons per unit, among other rules – like no pets.

The development game is a heav y lift for a volunteer-run organization, which essentially serves as a developer with capital subsidies from organizations like Columbia Basin Trust and BC Housing. In addition to the volunteers, they have a staff project manager, Rosie Denton, who works less than half time due to budget constraints.

Future coordination direction?

The most interesting part of the interview focused on possible future directions. Driediger, who is known for his work at Revelstoke Credit Union Insurance, and also through past community roles as a volunteer firefighter, says RCHS is doing a strategic planning review, and part of that has been networking with other housing groups.

Revelstoke has a seniors housing society and a newly formed employee housing society. In addition, BC Housing has told Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine that it plans to tender a contract for management services for its planned development on Downie Street, as well as its Rivers Edge and Columbia Gardens rental buildings, which it bought and renovated over the past several years.

Driediger says the ongoing discussions, which involve many parties, are at an early point. Where are the opportunities? How could governance be done differently? Are efforts being duplicated? Can they be better coordinated? All these questions are open for discussion, says Driediger, who notes RCHS board membership includes members who are on other housing societies.

The sense is it’s at an early stage, but something to watch as the housing and affordability crisis shows no signs of going any where. Can Revelstoke coordinate things better?

For now, Driediger says RCHS is focused on completing construction on the 24 new units on Humbert Street, then looking at next steps. " We're very excited,” he said.

You can apply for housing on the Revelstoke Community Housing Society website at w w w.revelstokecommunityhousing.com.

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ARTS

LIVE THEATRE RETURNS TO REVELSTOKE WITH THE PRODUCTION MAMMA MIA!

FLYING ARROW PRODUCTIONS PRESENTED THEIR BROADWAY MUSICAL PERFORMANCE, MAMMA MIA!, JUNE 22 - JUNE 28 AT QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK

By Nora Hughes

Lead roles (left to right) Tanya (Monica Embury), Donna (Sonia Cinelli), and Rosie (Anita Hallewas) perform Super Trooper in the first act of the performance.

Photo: Nora Hughes

Characters Pepper (Adam Cadegan), Cindy (Katie O’Brien), Sky (Simon Woods), and Sophie (Hailey Christie-Hoyle) dance and sing in a musical number with the support of other cast members as nightclub dancers.

Photo: Nora Hughes

Nestled under an impressive arching outdoor stage, professionally lit, with a backdrop of Revelstoke’s most iconic mountain, the unstoppable production of Mamma Mia! unfolded in the last two weeks of June 2022.

The Flying Arrow Productions company revived live theatre in town after two years of hiatus due to the pandemic. In doing so, they made history with the first theatre performance to take place outside in Queen Elizabeth Park.

Mamma Mia! was written by play wright Catherine Johnson and the music was composed by ABBA

Members of the play company perform a musical number in the first act of the Mamma Mia! show.

Photo: Nora Hughes

members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. It is the story of a young girl getting married and inviting three men who could possibly be her dad.

The company’s five months of work paid off. Comprised of dedicated and talented volunteers, the cast put on the elaborate production a total of eight times, with spectators roaring with laughter and applause at every show.

The show went on rain or shine.

The live event aimed to bring Revelstoke together again to share the experience.

They did just that with performances by all the cast members, including leading roles of Donna (Sonia Cinelli), Sophie

(Hailey Christie-Hoyle), Sky (Simon Woods), Tanya (Monica Embury), Rosie (Anita Hallewas), Bill (Joshua Beauchamp), Harry (Rory Luxmoore), and Sam (Shaun Aquiline).

The shows were electric, with cast members weaving through the audience casually seated on blankets and chairs, equipped with skillful choreography and no shortage of glittery costumes. With much anticipation surrounding the event, Flying Arrow Productions delivered laughter, enjoyment, and a much welcomed theatre experience.

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CHECKED BY

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2022-06-14 DATE 3:18:31 PM

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2022-06-14 3:18:31 PM

ADAPTIVE HOMES

Hilltop Toyota 2380 10 Ave NE Salmon Arm, B.C. V1E 1M9

250-832-9433 hilltoptoyota.ca

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BRIEFS

Rider Keenan Kovacs airs off of a wallride, one of the newest additions to pre-existing trail, End Game. Photo: Hywel Williams / Revelstoke Mountain Resort

Cricket team member bats the ball during a social game hosted by the club every Wednesday and Saturday from 6–8 p.m. Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

RMR opens new mountain bike trails this summer

Enthusiastic locals revive the historic Revelstoke Cricket Club

REVELSTOKE MOUNTAIN RESORT ADDS FOUR NEW MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS TO THE LOWER MOUNTAIN AND TWO TO THE UPPER TRAIL NETWORK FOR THE SUMMER 2022 SEASON

THE REVELSTOKE CRICKET CLUB IS SEARCHING FOR NEW MEMBERS AND A FIELD TO CALL HOME

By Nora Hughes

On June 4, 2022, the gondola started spinning, and Revelstoke Mountain Resort (RMR) opened the lower mountain for mountain biking. This summer, RMR has added updates, changes, and extensions to trails within the Resort, in addition to four new lower mountain trails and two new blue technical trails on the upper mountain in the works.

RMR has added four new trails in the works on the lower mountain — a green flow trail, two blue technical trails, and a black technical trail.

RMR describes the new lower mountain addition, Salad Fingers – the green flow trail just over four kilometres in length – as mellow in grade and overall fun. Also new to the resort’s lower mountain assemblage of trails is Dust Punk – a black technical trail RMR describes as a staff favourite with a bit of everything crammed into the 600-metre descent.

Trail crews have renovated End Game, creating a proper black jump line on the lower mountain. These changes include replacing the high-speed straight sections with more jumps, tables, sharkfins, and a wallride.

Slated to open June 25, Boggy Bagpipe and Macht Schnell are two blue tech trail additions to RMR’s upper mountain. Boggy Bagpipe is a 0.9-kilometre trail that offers a technical descent through the forest. Macht Schnell, German for “hurry up,” winds through the Aspen Glades above Revelation Lodge and is 1-kilometre long. Park staff say that the trail is rated as blue but is suitable for intermediate to advanced riders and is a good stepping stone towards black technical trails.

Resort trail crews will also add another kilometre to the already existing trail, Doomsday, creating a complete black flow trail on the upper mountain. The resort says they intend this extension to be open for riding in July.

A local cricket team has emerged in Revelstoke, reviving an unexpected pasttime filled with history dating back to 1892. The modern-day team is seeking members to join their club and a permanent field to house their cricket games.

The 11-a-side team sport isn’t as popular in Canada as in other Commonwealth countries, but Revelstoke’s growing contingent of migrants from countries where cricket is a premier sport — such as India, Pakistan, England, Australia and New Zealand — is bolstering the burgeoning Revelstoke contingent.

Records found at the Revelstoke Museum and Archives indicate that cricket has historical ties to the community, with evidence of a cricket club formed during a meeting at the Victoria Hotel on May 7, 1892. The historic club had a cricket ground for games and played matches against teams from Vernon and Golden.

The modern group has big ambitions. Despite not having a field, a group of dedicated and enthusiastic locals gather to play whenever space is available. The club recently organized a gathering in celebration of the 130th anniversary of the original club. While acknowledging that finding a home field may be a long-term goal, they won’t let that slow down their pursuit of success. They’ve purchased new equipment and are focusing on spreading the news of the return of cricket to Revelstoke.

The Revelstoke Cricket Club says that “cricket is a global sport that knows no boundaries,” which is why their team comprises diverse backgrounds with players from all over the world. The club says they welcome all genders, ages, and levels of ability with hopes to gain enough players to compete against other teams within B.C., just as the historic team had done before the club folded following the start of World War II.

By Nora Hughes

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NEW REPORTER FOR REVELSTOKE MOUNTAINEER MAGAZINE

BeeKind Honey Bee's bee box design challenge on display at RVAC in May. Photo: BeeKind Honey Bees

Beekeeper enlists local artists to get the community excited about spring pollinators LOCAL BEEKEEPER INVITES LOCAL ARTISTS TO DESIGN BEEHIVE BOXES TO RAISE AWARENESS OF POLLINATORS AND RAISES FUNDS FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

By Nora Hughes.

This spring marked the start of another very busy bee season for the beekeeping community of Revelstoke.

Amid the seasonal changeover, Ron Glave, owner and beekeeper at BeeKind Honey Bees, generated excitement around beekeeping in the community with an initiative to bring art and beekeeping together for a good cause. BeeKind Honey Bees donated pine beehive boxes and enlisted five of Revelstoke’s local artists to design the exteriors of each creatively. The artists had the month of April to document and bring their artistic journeys to life on the hives.

The Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre displayed the finished hives in May, and BeeKind Honey Bees invited the public to view and vote for their favourite bee box design. The host also invited viewers to bid on the hive boxes through a silent auction fundraiser to raise money for local initiatives and programs.

Proceeds from the event’s silent auction fundraiser went to the Revelstoke Food Bank, Bee City Revelstoke, and the new B.C. Bee Tech Transfer Program, a program which Glave says allows beekeepers across the province to collaborate at a standard level and transfer knowledge of their bees for generations to come.

The event successfully raised $2,275 through the silent auction fundraiser, totalling $759 for each organization. The highest bidders will use the creative boxes as operational bee hives, says Glaves, and extends his gratitude to the artists and people who participated in the captivating event.

NORA HUGHES Multimedia Community Reporter

Nora came to Revelstoke searching for community and deep powder like many before her. Nora moved here from Kamloops, where she recently completed her undergraduate degree in Interdisciplinary Studies at Thompson Rivers University, combining her interests in Adventure Studies, Communications and Journalism.

Prior to Revelstoke, she worked as a hiking and sea kayaking guide in the remote West Fjords of Iceland and lived on the Long Trail in Vermont’s Green Mountains as a summit caretaker.

With a background in the adventure tourism industry, Nora has a passion for all things outdoors and has immersed herself in the multisport environment of Revelstoke.

Nora loves chasing her friends through the mountains, camera in hand to document the day's spontaneous adventures.

She is passionate about storytelling in more than just words. As Multimedia Community Reporter for Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine, she wants to highlight the town's events, issues, and faces through avenues of video, sound, and photography.

You can reach her at (250) 814-9666 or nora@revelstokemountaineer.com.

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COMMUNITY

NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD KITCHEN NEW MULTI-PURPOSE KITCHEN FACILITY TO SERVE FOOD BANK AND AS AN INCUBATOR KITCHEN

Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine

By Aaron Orlando.

Grand Opening

Community Connections Revelstoke hosted a grand opening of their new food bank facility and Neighbourhood Kitchen on June 3, 2022. Located in their newly renovated heritage outreach building at 416 Second Street West, the Neighbourhood Kitchen has 24/7 access and two production lines with an array of equipment: A full-dish pit, steam ovens, a multi-cooker, gas ranges and ovens, rentable dry and cold storage, food storage and an equipment rental library. It will support food bank services and also serve as a rental kitchen incubator for new food businesses. The food bank’s services have been greatly expanded with the

new facility, including a new store-front style public area, a large processing area, and a shipping receiving area in the back. Pictured from left at the grand opening: Bailey Elizabeth, assistant Food Bank and Outreach Coordinator; Laurence Chanut, Housing Outreach Coordinator; Deborah Hogan, Better at Home Coordinator; Siobhan O’Connor, Social Justice Advocate; Austin Luciow, Community Kitchen Manager; Hannah Whitney, Community Food and Outreach Coordinator; Sheena Bell, Community Connections Executive Director; Melissa Hemphill, Food Security Coordinator; Erin MacLachlan, Co-director of Community Outreach and Development.

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