Boulevard Vancouver English, June/July 2021

JUNE | JULY 2021

VANCOUVER LIFE AT ITS FINEST

DREAM your

REALITY

FINDING THE MOUNTAIN Japanese gardens to think, meditate and be at peace

GREAT ESCAPES Local cuisine inspired by travel

THE INFLUENCERS Meet some of Vancouver’s top entrepreneurs

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CONTENTS 66

104 FEATURES

ON THE COVER Photo by Darren Hull Model Aiyana brings a dreamy mood to the cover, photographed on location at Crown & Thieves in West Kelowna. Makeup and hair by Jenny McKinney; fashion provided by Nordstrom Vancouver. Styling by Lia Crowe and Sarah D’Arcey

FASHION

44

16

B O U L E VA R D

40 HITTING THE RIGHT

94

Harmonious approach to ultra-luxury home design

Japanese gardens to think, meditate and be at peace

By Lisa Manfield

By Angela Cowan

NOTES

44 DREAM YOUR REALITY

Step into the fanciful with ultra-feminine silhouettes that beg for the sun

By Sarah D’Arcey & Lia Crowe

50 WATER & WOOD

A sophisticated hideaway on Gambier Island

By Lisa Manfield

FINDING THE MOUNTAIN

104 GREAT ESCAPES Travel-inspired tastes

By Ellie Shortt

SPECIAL FEATURE

66 THE INFLUENCERS

By Lia Crowe, Don Denton, Brian Giebelhaus, and Sean McIntyre

50

94

44

DEPARTMENTS

18

32 WEEKENDER

110 SECRETS AND LIVES

20 EDITOR’S LETTER

Seeking solace on northern Vancouver Island

Lindsay Holt

By Angela Cowan

Life in ferry land

By Linda Doctoroff

By Susan Lundy

38 IN STUDIO

24

LIFE. STYLE. ETC.

Craig Chevelier

A place to tell stories: Marie Clements

By Lia Crowe

By Lin Stranberg

CONTRIBUTORS

28 GOOD TASTE

The master: Pino Posteraro

By Gail Johnson

60 BUSINESS CLASS

Italian Stallions: Ferrari

By Lauren Kramer

112 NARRATIVE

How my world expanded: the Grandmother Riders

By Linda Mills

114 BEHIND THE STORY

By Sara Spectrum

B O U L E VA R D

17

contributors

PATRICK BARTA PHOTOGRAPHER WATER & WOODS

PAGE 50

“The Gambier Island Lindal home created some unusual challenges, most of which involved access. The only way to get there is by boat or plane and, since we travel with many heavy cases full of gear, a private ferry boat was the best option. A long steep foot path to the home welcomed us on arrival; needless to say, my assistant was not thrilled. Once there, however, it proved to be a magical location and a fantastic home to photograph. I feel blessed to have chosen commercial photography as a career. The 40 years I’ve been taking photos have given me many special memories. Whether I’ve been working in the studio or traveling the country, the relationships I’ve made along the way will last forever.”

“Listening to Susan Hawkins explain

ANGELA COWAN

WRITER FINDING THE MOUNTAIN

PAGE 94

gardens through the lens of art history was one of the most interesting interviews I have ever conducted, and made me wish I could take a semester of her lectures. She has a seemingly limitless number of stories and facts at her fingertips—the Egyptians so revered their gardeners that they mummified them!—and talking about the philosophy behind Japanese gardens with her was a truly mesmerizing experience. Even if it’s as simple as a beautiful stone, a small potted plant and a dish of clear water, anyone can create an oasis of peace in their garden.” Angela Cowan is an awardwinning journalist, a novelist, and a freelance writer and editor living on Vancouver Island.

Find her at angelamcowan.com.

“Speaking with artists about their

LIN STRANBERG WRITER A PLACE TO TELL STORIES

PAGE 42

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inspiration and their ambitions, their work, their lives past and present, is something I always look forward to in the course of my writing.

I was particularly excited to digitally meet and speak with Marie Clements, the highly acclaimed Canadian Métis/Dene playwright and filmmaker, who spoke to me from her home on Galiano Island. She did not disappoint—I was fascinated to find out more about her and her work.” Lin has been writing about art and travel for Boulevard since 2018, shortly after she moved to Vancouver. “Since the pandemic, local artists have become my key focus for the magazine. It’s been always intriguing and never dull. I’m grateful for the opportunity to meet and write about them all.”

JUNE/JULY 2021

BLACK PRESS GROUP PUBLISHER Penny Sakamoto BOULEVARD GROUP PUBLISHER Mario Gedicke PUBLISHER Harry van Hemmen harryvh@blackpress.ca 604-649-1707 MANAGING EDITOR Susan Lundy ASSOCIATE EDITOR Lia Crowe CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Angela Cowan, Lia Crowe, Sarah D’Arcey, Linda Doctoroff, Gail Johnson, Lauren Kramer, Lisa Manfield, Sean McIntyre, Linda Mills, Darcy Nybo, Kaisha Scofield, Ellie Shortt, Lin Stranberg DESIGNERS Lily Chan, Michelle Gjerde, Tammy Robinson, Kelsey Boorman ADVERTISING SALES Vicki Clark vicki.clark@blackpress.ca PHOTOGRAPHERS Patrick Barta, Lia Crowe, Don Denton, Brian Giebelhaus, Darren Hull, Tom Perry ILLUSTRATION Sierra Lundy DISTRIBUTION Marilou Pasion Marilou@blackpress.ca 604-542-7411

VANCOUVERBOULEVARD.COM Boulevard Magazine is published 6 times per year by Black Press Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs.

PHOTO BY LIA CROWE

Life in ferry land

If you live on the West Coast of BC—especially on an island— you will be well-acquainted with BC Ferries. As I recently traversed the sea between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen, I got to thinking about the many experiences I’ve had over the years onboard a BC Ferry.

Many of these trips involved the Bowen Queen and later the Skeena Queen—two ferries that have serviced the link between Swartz Bay and Fulford Harbour at Salt Spring Island, where I have lived since the mid1980s. In those years I became very well acquainted with our local ferry service. When my kids were young and soccer practices and games took us off-island to any of Victoria, Nanaimo or Vancouver several times a week; and summer swim team meets occurred all over the province, I once calculated the amount of money I’d handed over to BC Ferries.

The amount, tens of thousands of dollars, could have gone a long way towards purchasing my own boat.

Ferry stories on a small island abound: getting there on time rules your life and finding yourself en route to the terminal behind a slow driver becomes hysteria-inducing. Leaving something behind at the house (hello, passport!) can be disastrous; and on-board situations get dicey if you spot someone you’re avoiding and have to spend the entire trip hiding under a blanket in the backseat.

Ferry workers are the best source of “who’s sleeping with who” on a small island and the first to know which marriages are on the rocks.

Hence this memorable occasion when I borrowed my ex’s car and let a male friend sit behind the wheel as we drove onto the ferry.

“Hey!” yelled the ferry worker. “That’s not your car! And that’s not your wife!”

I’ve also had my share of being “that guy” on the ferry—dead battery, broken starter switch—and I’ve twice had the not-embarrassing-at-all occasion of having my vehicle pushed off the ferry. (That was in the olden days; now ferries have mobile, on-board car battery chargers.)

Over the years, we’ve discovered that ferry workers are essentially kind people. There was the time, for example—when ferry commuter tickets were paper—that I was waved through after presenting little more than a corner of a pre-purchased ticket. The rest of it had been shredded by a mouse in the glove box. (Perhaps a common occurrence in the Gulf Islands lineups?)

More recently, when “we” (that would be “he”) locked the keys in our truck, a ferry worker brought out a straightened coat hanger to help execute the rescue. The thing is, the keys were locked in the vehicle with our two dogs. As the ferry worker approached, Rollie, the dachshund, launched himself at the window in a tangle of snarls, barks and bared teeth. Austen, the big boy in the back, frantically barked his approval. As the coat hanger slid through the partially open window, Rollie grabbed hold of it, swinging back-and-forth, while the ferry worker tried to navigate the space. It took the entire half-hour journey, but somehow he unlocked the vehicle and we proceeded to our destination with two very tired dogs.

The pandemic ushered in its own ferry-travel fun. The one time this past year we travelled from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen, we were prepared to observe health protocols and ride out the trip in our truck. We had snacks, we had water…we had pillows! So we put the front seats back, rested our heads on the pillows and prepared to doze off amid the gentle sway of the boat and quiet hum of the engine. But not one minute into the zzzzs and the first car alarm pierced our slumber. It stopped and then another blared. And so on. The entire trip. Wide awake now, we grumpily looked for less slumber-filled ways in which to pass the time.

Ultimately, though, we West Coasters are lucky to have an excellent ferry system navigating our waters, providing a cruise-like experience amid glorious scenery. Perhaps it’s just as well I never purchased my own boat.

Susan Lundy Editor 20

B O U L E VA R D

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life.style.etc.

CRAIG CHEVALIER RESIDENTIAL DESIGNER AT CRAIG CHEVALIER CUSTOM HOME DESIGNS WORDS + PHOTOGRAPHY LIA CROWE

“I’m a nester,” Craig tells me when I ask how he came to work in this field. “At a very young age I wanted to be an archeologist, but I realized that the lifestyle wasn’t going to fit my personality. A career in the architectural field was my true calling. And 34 years later, I am proud to have over 300 homes in my portfolio. Maybe an archeologist will dig one up in a thousand years,” he adds, laughing.

Consistent with his “nester” personality, Craig has worked from home for over 18 years. He finds that a regular, disciplined routine is mandatory, but says “it’s never good for an ‘artist’ to force the creative process.”

He adds: “The advantage is you can step away and refocus when needed. This is beneficial to one’s mental health and results in a better product for my clients.”

Asked about any recent life lessons, he says, “I’ve learned over the last 16 months of the pandemic that life is short and time is precious.

However you choose to love, live and play, do it to the fullest.”

When it comes to his personal style, Craig leans towards clean, simple and classic, while adding a slight edge—“I do have to step back and edit myself, sometimes,” he says.

The same aesthetic carries over to his work, where his goal is to create timeless architecture.

“I hope that one day people will look back and remember the contributions I have made to the development of our communities. I have received a few awards and accolades,” he says, “but the ultimate achievement would be to have some of my homes end up on the heritage preservation list.”

Find Craig on Instagram at: craigchevalierdesigns 24

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CLOTHES/GROOMING Uniform: Stretch, dress joggers; crisp, collared shirt or polo shirt and driving shoes or flip flops.

Favourite denim brand and cut: Dirk Bikkembergs, raw denim straight leg.

Current go-to clothing items: Shorts with knitted T-shirts.

Currently coveting: COVID-19 sweatpants and hoodie.

Favourite pair of shoes: Scarperia Italian loafers.

Best new purchase: 2021 BMW X2.

Favourite overnight bag: Matt & Nat ZAM weekender bag.

Favourite day-bag: Mark Ryden Tucker sling bag.

Favourite work tool: Power washer.

Sunglasses: Tom Ford.

Scent: Acqua Di Parma and Bottega Veneta.

Favourite skincare product: Aesop Mandarin Hydrating Cream and Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Serum.

Favourite hair product: Davines.

Favourite watch: Emporio Armani and Burberry.

STYLE INSPIRATIONS & LIFE Style icon: Ryan Gosling.

Favourite artist: Bill Reid, northwest coast art, and Jorge Marin, Mexican sculptor.

Piece of art: Saint Jerome by Caravaggio.

Favourite fashion designer or brand: Past was Alexander McQueen, current is Tom Ford.

Favourite music: Jazz lounge and deep house.

Era of time that inspires your style: 1950s.

Film or TV show that inspires your style or that you just love the style of: Suits and Magic City.

Favourite local restaurant: St. Lawrence and Hawksworth.

Favourite restaurant patio: Reflections at the Hotel Georgia and Joe Fortes.

Favourite wine: Flaccianello della Pieve 2021 and Black Hills Nota Bene.

READING MATERIAL Fave style blog: DAPPERMENblog and Your Lookbook Men. Coffee table book/photography book: The Group of Seven Reimagined: Contemporary Stories Inspired by Historic Canadian Paintings by Karen Schauber.

Last great read: The Physician

by Noah Gordon.

Book currently reading: Paris by Edward Rutherfurd.

Favourite book of all time: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.

Favourite cocktail: A Negroni or tequila on the rocks.

Album on current rotation: Fine Line by Harry Styles.

Favourite city to visit: Rome.

Favourite hotel: The Fairmont Pacific Rim. Favourite app: Airbnb and SoundCloud.

Favourite museum: The Uffizi in Florence.

Favourite quotes: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" and "There’s no ATM in Heaven.”

Favourite place in the whole world: Italy, hands down.

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®

good taste

The Master “Pino” Posteraro and the art of Italian cuisine WORDS GAIL JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY LIA CROWE

R

estaurants come and go, and then there are those that, like a fine wine, only get better with age.

Giuseppe “Pino” Posteraro opened Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill and Enoteca in Yaletown in 1999, and it’s been on all the “best” lists ever since, including the best Italian restaurants outside Italy by 50 Top Italy—and that was before its recent $2 million renovation.

Big names have dined at Cioppino’s over the years, including Frank Sinatra, Bono, George Lucas, Jennifer Aniston and Al Pacino. Elvis Costello and Henrik Sedin are local fans. To celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations, Pino cooked for the Italian president at the top of Grouse Mountain.

In response to the pandemic, the legendary chef has been rolling with the restrictions; he started doing takeout, posting family-style menus on social media in the morning and regularly selling out by 4 pm. Other chefs refer to him as the master. All this from a father of four of humble beginnings who nearly didn’t pursue cooking at all. His success comes down to his passion.

“I cook every single day,” Pino says. “I love it. When I’m not cooking at the restaurant, I cook at home. It’s inside my veins.”

He adds, “Being a successful restaurateur and chef doesn’t mean being on TV every day. It’s doing your job day in, day out, trying to be the best you can be as a human being, and being loyal to people.”

Pino grew up in Lago, a rural area in Italy’s Calabria region, in a family of eight. His mother was the only daughter of a baron; as a young woman, she was sent to study with professional chefs in Naples and Rome—not to become a chef herself but to acquire skills for the day she would have a family.

Although though their family was not wealthy, Pino says, they ate extremely well.

“My mother knew how to turn the simplest of ingredients into a masterpiece,” he says. “She would take plain items and make something delicious.”

He began helping his mom in the kitchen before grade school. They had a garden, chickens and pigs. Pino recalls the celebratory ritual of the pig slaughter, always on a Friday. His mom would use the blood to make pudding with chocolate

and pine nuts. They would clean the pig in the river then stuff it with peppers that the family had cured a year before. Together, they would slice the meat by hand, using different cuts for various purposes: some for sausage, others for soppressata, capicola and prosciutto. This was true head-to-tail dining; there was no such thing as food waste.

Although he loved everything about food—growing, harvesting, preparing, and cooking—Pino nearly became a doctor.

He spent two years in Sicily attending medical school. What changed his mind was working with people who were very sick; he found it too heartbreaking—he wanted to see people happy.

Food was the way to do that. He worked at Michelin-star restaurants around the world and taught at George Brown College, before making his way to Vancouver via Toronto.

More than a way to bring happiness to people, food is a way to share his culture. For this, Pino has been named a Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy, an award designated by Italy’s president. The knighthood recognizes individuals who promote Italian prestige and relations internationally. Pino received the distinction in 2018, the first chef in Canada to do so.

“I never thought I’d receive this award for doing what I do every day,” Pino says. “At the end of the day we are cooks, but if we promote Italian technique and traditions in Canada, it’s an accomplishment. For more than 30 years, my motivation has been to promote Italian culture to the local community, introducing Italian gastronomy to a new generation of Canadians.”

Pino is extremely particular about the ingredients he uses, with a demand for perfection that results in consistently superior dishes.

The chef prioritizes local foods such as sustainable wild Pacific salmon, buffalo mozzarella from Vancouver Island, veal from the Fraser Valley and fruit and vegetables grown on nearby farms. He also imports speciality items from Italy that are ethically produced by small artisans, such as saffron from Calabria, Sardinia and Abruzzo.

He won’t use foods with preservatives or genetically modiB O U L E VA R D

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“At the end of the day we are cooks, but if we promote Italian technique and traditions in Canada, it’s an accomplishment.

For more than 30 years, my motivation has been to promote Italian culture.” fied ingredients. He makes all of his own salami and other types of charcuterie, such as organic air-dried bresaola, from scratch. Pino brings in organic pigs from Salt Spring Island and Chilliwack, slicing them by hand, never by machine.

He has the seasoning down to an exact science.

Making fresh pasta is his go-to if he’s having a bad day.

It’s not just cooking Pino has mastered; he also knows as much about wine as many top sommeliers. He personally creates the wine list at Cioppino’s, which has a collection of approximately 45,000 bottles, including many hard-tofind and rare vintages. Part of the restaurant’s recent overhaul, which saw a dividing wall come down making the entire room more open and airier, was the addition of a spectacular central bar complete with a 50-bottle, temperaturecontrolled, by-the-glass wine dispenser and preservation system.

The chef also brought in two state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line ovens from Germany, and the new patio is an urban oasis that his wife helped design, with greenery like golden and Irish yews.

Whether he’s boxing freshly made lasagne to go (the same kind he enjoyed on Sundays with his family in Italy) or serving celebrities at safe physical distances, Pino is at home in the kitchen. Italian Heritage Month in June is significant to him: “It means reinforcing a strong tie with the motherland and bringing it to a wider public attention,” he says.

It all goes back to his singular mission.

“You do it because it’s a passion,” he says, “a passion for food and cooking and for people.”

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weekender

seeking solace Kayaking northern Vancouver Island WORDS LINDA DOCTOROFF PHOTOGRAPHY TOM PERRY

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Swoosh…dip, swoosh…dip, swoosh…dip and smack! Less than 50 metres from our kayaks, the humpback’s fluke whacks the water as it dives deep searching for krill.

Last summer, I left the isolating effects of these strange pandemic times to embrace another form of isolation: to seek solace in nature and to lose myself in a remote marine environment. I signed up with Orca Dreams to kayak in a marine wilderness area near the Broughton Archipelago, nestled between Vancouver Island and the BC mainland. I decided to travel solo on this trip. I often prefer it that way.

I’m more open to meeting others and experiencing nature.

Base camp is a half-hour boat ride from Telegraph Cove.

The treetops sway gently in the wind as if they are welcoming us with a slow dance. I am humbled by the natural beauty and the history of the area.

While waiting for the water taxi, I read about the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that hit this tiny outpost. An eerie feeling echoes through me: 100 years later, we are living with the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we leave this historic village, we spot a pod of resident orcas about 200 metres from us. JD, the owner of the company, cuts the motor.

“There’s A23 and A25,” he says. “They’ve been active in this area lately, hungry for salmon.”

He drops a hydrophone in the ocean; we listen to the orcas sing underwater. They are skilled communicators, making sounds for orientation, navigation and feeding.

As the boat approaches our base camp, I am struck by the

haunting beauty of the wilderness. A thick forest of western red cedar, Sitka spruce and hemlock covers the island. The treetops sway gently in the wind as if they are welcoming us with a slow dance. I am humbled by the natural beauty and the history of the area.

The campsite is located on small Compton Island, on Mamalilikulla-QweʼQwaʼSotʼEm Band First Nation territory.

They have given permission to the company to use their land.

We step off the boat onto the midden beach. I imagine how, for thousands of years, Indigenous people have lived here, fishing, farming clams and hunting. The shells are the remains of their cultural heritage and their present-day life.

The first morning, after a hearty breakfast of buckwheat B O U L E VA R D

33

pancakes, fresh fruit and bacon, we set out in our kayaks to Blackfish Sound, a wide channel known for feeding humpback whales. Humpbacks migrate annually, moving from their summer feeding grounds in the high latitudes to warmer winter breeding waters closer to the equator.

Perched high on a bare branch in the thickly treed shoreline, a bald eagle surveys the scene. It’s watching a seal feast on a salmon, patiently waiting to swoop down and scavenge any leftovers. I continue paddling and soon a sea lion joins me, swimming a few metres away. I keep pace with it until it dips down into the ocean. I paddle to the middle of the sound and pause to watch two humpbacks. They are circling around me, dipping, blowing and slapping their flukes before diving down.

Am I intruding on their space?

When I return to the campsite, dinner is almost ready. Amy, our cook, sure knows her way around a kitchen. She has prepared pickled bull kelp, which she harvested that morning in the inlet. We nibble on the bright mustard-coloured delicacy while she puts the finishing touches on dinner. She is preparing pierogies from scratch, a recipe passed down from her husband’s grandmother, who came from the Ukraine. Grandma made sure Amy was married before turning over her recipe. I bite into the potato–cheddar cheese pierogi, topped with fried onions and a dollop of sour cream; I’m in heaven.

The next morning, we go out on Tenzing, a 38-year-old former US Navy whaleboat, and watch a pod of Dall’s porpoise skim along the shoreline, bobbing up and down in perfect single formation, like large bubbles dribbling.

“They are the fastest cetacean on the planet, swimming up to 56 kilometres per hour,” JD offers.

Another day, I see a purple sea star (or starfish) spread out on a barnacled rock on the shoreline. It’s good to see they are returning after several years’ absence, owing to the sea star wasting disease.

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“Forty species of sea stars have been affected by this disease,” JD says, as we glide by. We stop at a small island, and, from our kayaks, we pick sea asparagus that later appears in our salad at dinner that night.

One late, starless evening, we stand on the midden beach and throw stones in the water. We watch the bioluminescence—light generated chemically by organisms—as we swish sticks back and forth in the ocean. It’s as if fireflies are swimming underwater.

Another evening after dinner, we hike the kilometre-long trail to Sunset Beach, stopping along the way to pick ripe huckleberries. I arrive just in time to catch the sun blanketing across a billowy, cloudy sky as it dips into the ocean, forming a pattern of shooting rays of gold. An orange glow covers the sea. When we return to camp, JD has just caught a 24pound Chinook salmon.

“They like to bite in the early evening,” he says, as he’s filleting the fish on the beach, and then preparing it in brine to be smoked the next day.

On our last day, the sun shining, we head north on Tenzing. JD’s pulling a double kayak at the stern of the boat. Tom, our kayaking guide, and I are dropped off in the heart of Broughton Archipelago Marine Park to kayak back to our campsite. As we approach Blackfish Sound, there’s action ahead.

Tom excitedly says, “I’ve been here seven weeks and haven’t seen anything like this!” He quickly grabs his camera and starts taking photos. “I won’t have another chance like this,” he exclaims.

Over the UHF radio, we hear the crackling voice of a captain in another boat shout, “This is craziness!”

We see several humpbacks blowing and gliding along the ocean, while a pod of surfing orcas and dolphins cavort

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between them in the shimmering water. This time the humpbacks are making different sounds from what we’ve heard before. Their sounds are coming fromkitchen deep Liven up the with within them, almost moaning, making an eerie-sounding howl.

As we leave the scene and return to camp, a flock of red-necked phalaropes skim just above the water’s surface.

I went on this kayaking trip to lose myself in nature during these strange pandemic times; I wanted to be in the richness of a remote marine environment. But I came away with much more: I gained a new appreciation for the wildlife so abundant in this area.

Indeed, it was a great getaway during a pandemic.

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Kwa’lilas Hotel in Port Hardy.

eat. sleep. do. see.

The north end of Vancouver Island reveals itself as a wild and wonderful wilderness playground.

It’s a place to discover tiny townsites like Coal Harbour and Zeballos, a chance to escape to sublime spots like San Josef Bay—recently named “best wilderness beach” in Canada by Lonely Planet—and to revel in nature in all its forms.

It’s the gateway to the North Coast Trail, a 43-kilometre wilderness hiking area that traverses Cape Scott Provincial Park. It’s a place to experience wildlife tours on land, sea and even from the air; explore neighbouring islands, where you’ll find charming communities like Alert Bay and Sointula and to visit the historic boardwalk community of Telegraph Cove.

Northern Vancouver Island is also a place to discover First Nations art and culture, and a stay at Kwa’lilas Hotel, owned and operated by the Gwa’sala‘Nakwaxda’xw people, is a good place to start.

Located at the entranceway to Port Hardy—the area’s largest community at the very tip of Vancouver Island— Kwa’lilas Hotel is a premier First Nations destination. It offers 85 guest rooms—each beautifully decorated with Indigenous art and details. It’s also home to the nax’id’ Pub and a curated selection of cultural experiences.

Kwa’lilas is a kwak’wala word used by Gwa’sala-

‘Nakwaxda’xw people, and it means “a place to sleep.” The visually striking structure, built by the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw-owned k’awat’si Construction Company, makes extensive use of local cedar, and the design is meant to resemble a traditional big house with a smoke hole at the top of the building.

Traditionally, when visitors see smoke coming from a big house, it means, “welcome.”

Items found on the menu at nax’id’ Pub feature dishes inspired by First Nations cuisine, while local Indigenous art can be found in the gift boutique, lobby and throughout the hotel.

The hotel also offers a number of Indigenous experiences, including wildlife and cultural tours, and activities such as drum-making and cedar-weaving.

Port Hardy has a wealth of beaches and hiking opportunities, including the easily accessible Carrot/Rotary Park, which is a waterfront walkway that offers more than a quarter mile of promenade space. The Harbour Walkway & Nature Trail links Port Hardy neighbourhoods to the many outdoor recreation areas. It’s a paved route for both walkers and cyclists that extends from the Glen Lyon River towards the Quatse River and Estuary Trails. There’s also the Fort Rupert Trail, the Quatse River Nature Trail and Storey’s Beach, which seemingly goes on forever, when the tide is out.

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in studio …

WITH MARIE CLEMENTS

A place to tell stories WORDS LIN STRANBERG PHOTOGRAPHY LIA CROWE

“The reality of making things real is not for the faint of heart—you not only work as a craftsperson, but you have to be strategic, too.

It’s not all sexy and great.”

“Crazy storytellers are always inspired by their stories.

They don’t give up.”

Marie Clements, a multitalented artist and playwright, likes to keep it simple. She is just grateful she is able to tell her stories.

After a long festival run that continued into 2020, her feature film Red Snow was scheduled for theatrical release on March 13, 2020—the day that COVID-19 closed everything down.

“You can’t plan for a pandemic,” she said.

Nothing stays the same, either inside or outside a pandemic.

Red Snow, which launched on CBC Gem in October 2020, has since become widely accessible via streaming services across the border. It was recently picked up by Elevation Pictures and released in the United States across all digital platforms. It’s streaming on Netflix in the US and available as a DVD, opening it up to reaching a much broader audience.

Filmed on location in the Northwest Territories and BC’s desert interior, Red Snow tells the story of a Gwich’in soldier from the Canadian Arctic who is captured by the Taliban in Panjwayi, Afghanistan, and escapes across rough terrain with a Pashtun family. Written and directed by Clements, a Métis/Dene playwright, screenwriter, composer, director and producer, the film was shot in four languages: Gwich’in, Inuvialuktun, Pashto and English.

It was nominated for 10 Leo Awards from the BC film industry, and named Most Popular Canadian Feature Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) and Best Canadian Feature Film at the Edmonton International Film Festival. At the 2019 American Indian Film Festival (AIFF) in San Francisco, it earned nominations for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Film. Red Snow also won the Best Feature Director and Best Achievement in Film from the LA Skins Festival in Los Angeles.

Clements’ award-winning documentary and feature films have screened around the world—Cannes, TIFF, MOMA and VIFF, the Whistler Film Festival, American Indian Film Festival and imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.

Her work as a playwright has been recognized with the 2004 Canada-Japan Literary Award and two Governor General’s Literary Award nominations, and her 15 plays have been presented on some of the most prestigious stages for Canadian and international work. The Unnatural and Accidental Women opened the first national Indigenous theatre at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre and her opera Missing toured nationally.

Of her extraordinary career as an artist across multiple media, Clements simply says, “I was interested in broadcast journalism in my teens and early 20s. I was looking for a place where I could tell stories, and theatre was going to allow an entry in. I expanded my craft, always asking myself what the genre was about and looking for how story works within the capabilities of each genre. All these different things are great taskmasters—they make you hone your discipline. It’s always exciting to be challenged and to rise to the challenge of every story.”

She admits it’s taken a lot to get her work out there: “The reality of making things real is not for the faint of heart—you not only work as a craftsperson, but you have to be strategic, too. It’s not all sexy and great.”

Before the pandemic, when travel was still a thing, Clements was always on the move, showing her work at festivals across North America and in Europe. Now she lives quietly on Galiano Island; these days even her trips to Vancouver are less frequent.

But Clements is okay with that.

“I’m a West Coast girl, born and raised in Vancouver and I live primarily on Galiano. There’s a certain grace to living here—my aunt and mother came down from the north and had their children here, so there’s a strong family connection,” she says. “I’ve been doing a lot of writing lately, and on the island you’re close to nature, which is a great backdrop to writing a lot. The island is still quite small. There are no banks. There’s a gas station, a pub. We’re close to a lot of things in nature, the ocean, the rain forest…it’s a simpler life.”

While her work on features and documentaries “kind of goes on and on,” she is largely focused on writing a five-episode mini-series, Bones of Crows, about a Cree matriarch, a Second World War code talker, across five generations of her family’s experience of the residential school legacy.

The Road Forward, a soul-stirring musical documentary that Clements first presented as a live musical performance in Vancouver, is probably her best-known film. Through song and narrative, she tells the compelling and powerful history of six generations of Indigenous activism, linking the beginning of Canadian First Nation nationalism in the 1930s with the First Nations activism of today.

The Road Forward was produced by the National Film Board and had a huge festival run, premiering at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto in 2017, opening the 2017 DOXA Documentary Film Festival in Vancouver, closing the 2018 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and receiving five Leo Awards, including Best Production, Best Director and Best Screenwriter.

Despite all the acclaim, Clements is very much that natureloving West Coast girl. She feels the difference out here.

“Certainly, the West Coast has its own style of activism and environmental concerns. We’re not separated from nature, we’re still in it. It makes us different people,” she says. “The culture that shapes the land and the language informs and shapes who we are.”

She adds: “Like all creators around the world, I create different stories at the same time and there’s a natural rhythm to how they ultimately get told. This has changed radically for everyone—and we’re all looking to find a way in this new paradigm, understanding the urgency to tell a story always finds the way.”

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Hitting the

RIGHT NOTES

Sea Rock Developments’ harmonious approach to ultra-luxury home design is striking a chord in White Rock—and around the world WORDS LISA MANFIELD PHOTOGRAPHY BRIAN GIEBELHAUS

I

t’s best to throw away the typical questions about specs and cost per square foot when you’re speaking with Kaz Noori and Sharon Kaby about their philosophy on ultra-luxury home building.

For the developer and his design partner, the most important aspect of the custom homes they build is the “wow” factor. And that is simply unquantifiable.

Kaz, the founder and visionary behind Sea Rock Developments, along with Sharon, have made a name for themselves in international circles with their lavish one-of-a-kind homes in the White Rock and South Surrey area.

It’s a region they feel is ripe with both opportunity and natural beauty.

“We’re all about the lifestyle here— the ocean and beaches, the parks and wide-open spaces,” Sharon says.

“That’s why we design and build homes here; we fell in love with all it has to offer. We call it home.”

The scenic landscapes certainly add to the wow factor—and Kaz and Sharon elevate them by integrating natural elements into their designs.“We strive to create a harmonious balance of flow and function that builds on what the location already offers and augments it with timeless artistic application,” Sharon says.

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But they don’t equate their artistic vision to size or price tag. It’s about an organic symmetry of delightful custom features, intuitive functionality and unparalleled finishings inspired by art and nature, and unmatched anywhere else... in this part of the world, anyway.

“There’s nothing that’s not possible,” Kaz says.

Their “sky’s-the-limit” approach to building and design has put them in a unique position to serve a select clientele.

“Some of our clients are high-profile people with homes around the world,” Kaz says. “They want their estate here to be a showpiece they can be proud of, especially when entertaining guests.”

From showbiz to showpieces Originally in the entertainment business, Kaz changed direction to set his artistic vision in a solid foundation of quality home construction in a region he cherishes. Every home Kaz and Sharon design is tailored to creating an experience that matches the client.

They don’t pay much heed to trends, instead preferring long-lasting palettes and materials.

“We really try to create art,” Kaz says. “I turn the whole build into a set. Our whole team has a love for creating something that exceeds everyone’s expectations.

What we’re trying to do is push the envelope.”

For a current project located in South Surrey, for example, Kaz and Sharon have taken inspiration from the natural surroundings to create a resort-like feeling throughout the property. But it’s not at all about impressing with stats or scale. For them, it’s all about the creative journey that starts by getting to know every detail of a client’s needs and ends in a home that surprises, delights and truly wows everyone who experiences it.

Inspiration from abroad Generating creative ideas that match their clients’ tastes and functional needs usually starts abroad.

“We will visit our clients in their homes,” Kaz says, adding that they also take their clients travelling with them to get a sense of what inspires them.

Their favourite destinations for inspiration are Italy, France, Spain and New York, where timeless art and culture can be found around every corner, and where structures are built to stand the test of time.

Their penchant for working with natural materials arises from their desire for both quality and longevity, and carefully selected finishes are chosen for their ability to bring the outdoors inside. “We use a variety of woods, metals and natural stone because they age beautifully,” Sharon says.

Despite their high-profile clientele, or perhaps because of it, Kaz and Sharon themselves keep a low profile on their work, taking on only a few projects at a time, always through referrals.

Their relationships with their clients run deep, and the trust that results affords them the creative freedom to design homes that are truly incomparable.

“Our clients will say ‘surprise us,’” Kaz says, “so when you see their reaction to the final product, it’s very rewarding.”

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1-12331 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond, BC, V6V 1J4 | 1 (604) 278 2787 | www.maplelighting.ca

fashion

Dream your

Reality

PHOTOGRAPHY DARREN HULL STYLING SARAH D’ARCEY + LIA CROWE

Boulevard meets fantasy as the fashion team steps into the unique and magical world of West Kelowna’s Crown & Thieves winery. This fashion season, the blue and peachy pink tones of the Italian coastline are tempered with summer whites, and painted with opulent detailing. Step into the fanciful this summer with ultrafeminine silhouettes that beg for the sun and a cold glass of vino bianco.

Dress: Fantasy Butterfly Fluffy Dress Hat: J. Crew Provided by DCNOY

Dress: JACQUEMUS Scarf: Kate Spade Hat: Brixton Provided by Nordstrom Vancouver

Top: Alexander Wang Shorts: KHAITE Necklaces: Monica Vinader Provided by Nordstrom Vancouver

Top: Dolce & Gabbana Skirt: Meryll Rogge Provided by Nordstrom Vancouver

Jacket: ALC Jeans: rag & bone Top: Nili Lotan Choker: JENNYBIRD Provided by Nordstrom Vancouver

Sweater: Chloe Skirt: Dolce & Gabbana Provided by Nordstrom Vancouver

Makeup and hair: Jenny McKinney.

Model: Aiyana, represented by Deja Vu Model Management.

Styling and production assistant Cassidy Hale.

Photographed on location at Crown & Thieves.

A huge thank you to the staff for graciously hosting our team for the day.

hot properties

Water&Woods This Gambier Island hideaway offers a dose of sophisticated seclusion

WORDS LISA MANFIELD X PHOTOGRAPHY PETER BARTA

P

icture the perfect island getaway.

A cosy cabin-inspired home with all the modern accoutrements, nestled in the woods with a view of the ocean. It’s at once rustic and luxurious, simple and sophisticated. It integrates seamlessly and sustainably into its environment, becoming a comforting escape from reality, or a place to permanently call home.

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This was the vision behind My House Design/Build/ Team’s Gambier Island Waterfront Hideaway. Originally intended as a weekend getaway and summer home, it’s become a permanent dwelling for its owners during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has won numerous awards for its style, beauty and ingenuity. These include Georgie Awards for best custom home, best interior design and best outdoor living space; National Association of Home Builders awards for best singlefamily built-green home and one-of-a-kind custom home; and a FortisBC award for excellence in energy efficiency. It’s also been featured on HGTV’s unique homes in North America.

The house is a beauty to behold—if you can spot it through the trees. “The property owners had a dream of creating their dream home there,” says Graeme Huguet, owner of My House Design/Build/Team. “When they first met me, they had seen some of the designs we were working on that were contemporary West Coast style, and which had struck a chord with them. They wanted something that would meld into the trees and rocks of this sloped waterfront property.

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Most other properties you can see if you approach the shore, but they didn’t want to get rid of all the trees.”

Designed to host guests and destination entertaining, and built with the goal of preserving the site’s natural beauty, the 5,000-square-foot, three-storey, four-bedroom, high-performance home brought their dreams to life. It’s the ultimate green house (with a certified platinum build green rating) in the ultimate green setting.

A SUBLIME DESIGN

With the main entrance on the forest side, entrants to the home are regaled with views for days as they step through the door. Twenty-four-foot-high angled wood beam ceilings and a large expanse of windows in the great room give an airy feel to the open-concept main floor.

Warm porcelain radiant floors, extensive glass walls and varying ceiling heights bring cosy and bright together in a modern ensemble.

The open great room combines the kitchen, dining, interior and exterior living areas along with a unique peninsula loft that floats above the kitchen. Simple lines in the minimalist, modern interior make for unobstructed views from all of these key rooms, opening up the back of the house to the magnificent peek-a-boo views of the ocean.

An eye-catching, asymmetrically positioned 18-foot-tall quartz fireplace spans two floors, uniting the upper-level loft with the main-floor living room, and allowing for optimal furniture positioning, illuminated by under-hearth LED accent lighting.

The fireplace is adjacent to a 20-foot glass door leading to the large outdoor living space—320 square feet of covered space on an 800-square-foot deck—making the outdoors and indoors feel like a seamless continuum.

From the main entranceway, you can see the kitchen, anchored by a large quartz island which doubles as a prep

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station and gathering space. The sizeable open kitchen features Sub-Zero Energy Star appliances concealed within integrated Wenge cabinetry, except for the exposed Wolf range, with its reflective stainless tile backsplash.

A theatre and laundry room round out the main floor, with an open stairwell that leads to the loft above.

On the upper level, two bedrooms plus an open library and den comprise the floating loft, which shares the view beyond with the great room below. The master suite integrates both the bedroom and bathroom with frosted glass partitions. Matching marble tiled shower and tub walls give the feeling of a high-end hotel with attached spa. Sit in the Zuma tub, let the rain shower wash over you as you gaze out at the ocean stretching out below.

On the lower level, two additional bedrooms provide ample space for guests, while a workshop allows room for hobbies and tinkering.

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When it comes to building high-performance, energy-efficient homes attractive to potential When it comes to building high-performance, energy-efficient homes attractive to potential buyers, we’re with you every step of the way. And now, for a limited time, we’ve got even buyers, we’re with you every step of the way. And now, for a limited time, we’ve got even bigger home performance and appliance rebates through our New Home Program.* bigger home performance and appliance rebates through our New Home Program.* Offer extended until December 31, 2022.

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FortisBC Inc. and FortisBC Energy Inc. do business as FortisBC. The companies are indirect, wholly owned subsidiaries of Fortis Inc. FortisBC uses the FortisBC name and logo under license from Fortis Inc. (21-082.2 04/2021) FortisBC Inc. and FortisBC Energy Inc. do business as FortisBC. The companies are indirect, wholly owned subsidiaries of Fortis Inc. FortisBC uses the FortisBC name and logo under license from Fortis Inc. (21-082.2 04/2021)

The house is a beauty to behold—if you can spot it through the trees.

AN ISLAND AWAY

Building a home on Gambier Island is no easy feat. The first step for Huguet’s team involved creating access to the property via a dock.

“Gambier Island is not accessible by ferry,” Huguet says.

The team had to barge over not only all the materials, but also all the equipment.

“We had our cement trucks pumping concrete on the barge. We brought our excavators on barges. Everything had to be thought through carefully in terms of logistics,” Huguet says.

Another issue was potable water, which was located one kilometre away from the house.

“We needed to have a well that was gravity fed down to their property,” Huguet says. “We also put in a septic field and geothermal heating, which allowed us to make this sustainable in terms of the ability to have radiant hot-water heating throughout.”

The team melded the home’s foundation into the existing 56

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granite, blasting a small portion of the granite away from the face to bring the foundation closer and pin it to the rock.

The geothermal system was built into the granite as well.

The energy-efficient home is a passive house, meaning it barely uses any energy for heating and cooling.

“The energy evaluation is one quarter of what a code-built house of the same size would have been,” Huguet says.

Condensation issues on the large windows, which are “common when you’re in the forest,” were mitigated with the installation of an air curtain. “The continuous air curtain along the perimeter of the house in front of the windows provides constant air flow along the side of the home,” Huguet says, adding, “We also put in ultraviolet light air purification to eliminate or reduce dust mites and pollen and any other bacteria.”

While it took 18 months and $3.5 million to build, the result is a stunning gem tucked away in the woods—a perfect place to escape to when needing a break from city life. And never has there been more of a need for solace and solitude in comforting surroundings.

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business class

italian stallions Riding high in a Ferrari WORDS LAUREN KRAMER

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X

PHOTOGRAPHY LIA CROWE

Admired and coveted by car lovers the world over, the Ferrari brand is like a great red wine: it just keeps getting better.

Nothing says Italian craftsmanship quite like a Ferrari. These spectacular vehicles, known for their combination of speed, sleek design and hefty price tags, never fail to capture attention. Admired and coveted by car lovers the world over, the Ferrari brand is like a great red wine: it just keeps getting better.

Ferrari opened its 35,000-square-foot dealership in Vancouver 11 years ago, one of only four dealerships in Canada.

Step inside the four-floor showroom and you can peruse new and pre-owned vehicles. (Although, the pre-owned are in such immaculate condition, you’d have to check the odometer to know they’d spent any time on the road.)

“We have a wide range of drivers, from young entrepreneurs to distinguished businessmen,” noted Roger Helou, general manager at the Vancouver dealership. “Ferrari makes a car to fit everyone’s needs, whether you want one to cruise around town during the weekend, use it as a daily driver, or take it to the track for a few laps.”

Roger was drawn to Ferrari of Vancouver by the brand’s reputation and its state-of-the-art showroom on Burrard Street. Inside that space, soon-to-be Ferrari owners can build their dream two-person or four-person car in the configurator room, where paint and leather samples vie for attention with steering wheel, seating, brake calipers and hubcap options. After that they can shop for Ferrari merchandise, including cuff links, watches, umbrellas, mugs and key chains.

It can take 12 to 18 months for a new order to be filled, and the Vancouver showroom receives up to 75 vehicles per year. Since each Ferrari is custom-made to buyers’ specifications, it’s rare to see identical models.

What distinguishes Ferraris from other vehicles? The race technology that accounts for Ferrari’s speed is one factor. Another is the fact that this brand doesn’t follow competitors’ trends, Roger said. “We are usually tagged as trendsetters, thinking out of the box and lately, focusing on unpredictability.”

Purchasing a Ferrari is about more than coming away with a sleek, new vehicle, noted Soraya Hirani, marketing manager for the dealership.

“We want our clients to know they are part of an exclusive community, and we host upscale events like client appreciation dinners, charity galas, new car launches and test-drive events to immerse them into the brand.”

The Vancouver dealership organizes track days and wine tour rallies in the Okanagan for Ferrari owners, who are also

invited to join global Ferrari events in Italy and other farflung destinations.

“These are opportunities for Ferrari owners to use their vehicles, show them off and meet other owners,” she reflected. “It’s also why we have so many loyal clients and repeat purchasers who enjoy being part of this exclusive community. The Ferrari brand is all about a lifestyle, and that’s what sets us apart.”

The pandemic forced the dealership to re-think its events, and car launches became more private and intimate focusing on a more personalized experience. For Chinese New Year, Ferrari of Vancouver hosted a “shop and test drive” event in conjunction with shoe designer Christian Louboutin.

“Guests could pick up the spring line of shoes and test out a new Ferrari,” Soraya said. “That’s just one example of the unique experiences we offer to engage our community.”

Roger added that the Ferrari dealership focuses on building strong, long-term relationships with its clients with monthly Cars & Coffee events and two-day track events.

“In 2020, Ferrari of Vancouver won the Cavallino Award, the only dealership in Canada to win it,” he said. “We strive for excellence and want to ensure that our clients and fans are part of this.”

For potential Ferrari buyers who might feel daunted by maintenance costs, Roger explained that all Ferraris come with a maintenance program that covers all required maintenance for seven years. A standard three-year warranty can also be extended for up to 15 years to ensure buyers have no unforeseen expenses.

“Many people believe that a new Ferrari is not obtainable without having to jump through hoops, and that’s incorrect,” Roger said. “Production models are open to any client that wishes to be part of this exclusive family.”

Price tags for Ferraris range from $300,000 up to $1.5 million. Before the pandemic, clients designing their new Ferrari could travel to New York or even to Italy, to peruse the colours, textures and materials available, or to add a dedication plate containing their initials or a personalized message.

For Ferrari admirers who don’t have that kind of cash on hand, Soraya said everyone is welcome.

“We’re all about friendly customer service and building our community in Vancouver. Stop by for an espresso, explore our vehicles, come and learn about the brand and view our merchandise.”

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2021 HAVAN AWARDS FOR HOUSING EXCELLENCE

2021 WINNER

SHOWCASING THE BEST NEW-HOME CONSTRUCTION, RENOVATION, AND HOME DESIGN IN METRO VANCOUVER RENOVATION Best Kitchen Renovation Under $75,000: The Aquarius, Enzo Design Build Inc. Best Kitchen Renovation: $75,000 - $125,000: 80's Makeover, Twin Lions Contracting Ltd. Best Kitchen Renovation: Over $125,000: Berkley Kitchen, Tyrrell Projects Inc. Best Kitchen and Greatroom Renovation: Modern Serenity, Shakespeare Homes & Renovations Inc. with Ian McLean Architect Inc. Best Bathroom Renovation: Under $35,000: Bubbles and Beyond, Jedan Brothers Contracting with Laura Grist Interior Design Best Bathroom Renovation: $35,000 and Over: Sunlit + Kits, My House Design/Build Team Ltd. Best Character Home Renovation: An Oldie But A Goodie, MKL Custom Homes Ltd. with Sarah Gallop Design Inc. Best Townhouse/Condominium Renovation: Under $250,000: Sunlit + Kits, My House Design/Build Team Ltd. Best Townhouse/Condominium Renovation: $250,000 and Over: Secret Spaces, Refine & Design Custom Homes & Renovations Best Renovation: Under $200,000: Sunlit + Kits, My House Design/Build Team Ltd. Best Renovation: $200,000 - $399,999: West Coast Revival, West Coast Dream Homes Ltd. Best Renovation: $400,000 - $699,999: Belle Vue, Best Builders Ltd. with Sarah Gallop Design Inc. Best Renovation: $700,000 - $1 Million: Open house, MDM Solutions Inc. Best Renovation: Over $1 Million: Berkley Residence, Tyrrell Projects Inc. NEW-HOME CONSTRUCTION: PRODUCTION Best Single-Family Detached Home (Production): Less than 2,400 S.F.: Eterno, Raicon Developments Inc. Best Single-Family Detached Home (Production): 2,400 S.F. and Over: The Wellington at Latimer Heights, Vesta Properties Ltd. Best Townhouse/Rowhome Unit: Less than 1,800 S.F.: Campbell Residences - Unit 3, South Street Development Group Best Townhouse/Rowhome Unit: 1,800 S.F. and Over: Riverside @ Penticton, Azura Management (Kelowna) Corp.

Best Single-Family Detached Home Development (Production): More than 10 Units: Latimer Heights Single Family Lane Homes, Vesta Properties Ltd. Best Townhouse/Rowhome Development: FRASER, Zenterra Developments Best Multi-Family Lowrise/Highrise Development: Triomphe, Millennium Group with Chris Dikeakos Architects NEW-HOME CONSTRUCTION: CUSTOM HOMES Best New Small-Scale Home: Home on the lane, Northern Alpine Contracting Best Custom Home: Under $1 Million: Ranelagh, Hara Homes

Best Custom Home: $1 Million – Under $1.5 Million: Passive House - A Narrow Perspective, Project Mint Developments with Nick Bray Architecture Ltd. Best Custom Home: $1.5 Million - Under $2 Million: Scandinavian Modern Farmhouse, A.W.Kennedy Construction Inc. Best Custom Home: $2 Million - Under $3 Million: All Decked Out, Barrett Group Custom Builders Best Custom Home: $3 Million and Over: Feats of Strength, Versa Homes with Sarah Gallop Design Inc. DESIGN/BUILD Best New Kitchen: Under $50,000: Passive House A Narrow Perspective, Nick Bray Architecture Ltd. with Project Mint Developments Ltd. Best New Kitchen: $50,000 - $99,999: New Classic, Marquis Custom Homes Best New Kitchen: $100,000 and Over: ARLINGTON, Marble Construction Ltd. with Maz Majidi PREC and Arcwood Millwork Inc. Best Master Suite: New or Renovated: Unassuming Masterpiece, Sprucehill Contracting Inc. Best New Space: Queens Estate-Tea Lounge, Good Castle Real Estate Development Ltd. with Beyond Beige Interior Design Inc. Best Renovated Space: Piano Bar, Reisinger Homes Ltd. Best Outdoor Living Space: Single-Family Production or Multi-Family: Wilder Crossing, Infinity Properties Ltd. Best Outdoor Living Space: Custom or Renovated: Outside In, Novak Contracting & Construction Ltd. Best Special Feature: New or Renovated: Monarch, Reid Developments Ltd. with Peter Rose Architecture + Interiors Inc. Best Multi-Family Amenity Space: Wilder Crossing, Infinity Properties Ltd. INTERIOR DESIGN Best Interior Design Display Suite: Multi-Family Home: RIVER + PINE, Isle of Mann Property Group Best Interior Design Display Home: Single-Family Home (Production): Eterno, Raicon Developments Inc. Best Interior Design New Custom Residence (Whole Home): Monarch, Reid Developments Ltd. with Peter Rose Architecture + Interiors Inc. Best Interior Design Renovated Residence (Whole Home): Vancouver Special, Triple Dot Design Studio with Level One Construction Ltd. SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT Best Marketing Campaign: Manoir, Icon Marketing Inc. with Everglade Development Ltd. Best Non-Certified High-Performance Home: New or Renovated: Passive House - A Narrow Perspective, Project Mint Developments Ltd. with Nick Bray Architecture Best Certified High-Performance Home: New or Renovated: All Decked Out, Barrett Group Custom Builders Excellence in Building Science Innovation in

CUSTOM HOME BUILDER OF THE YEAR: BARRETT GROUP CUSTOM BUILDERS

Residential Construction: Passive House - A Narrow Perspective, Nick Bray Architecture with Project Mint Developments Ltd. Best In-Fill Development (10 Units or Less): Seeing Double, Davenport Homes Ltd. BC Housing Award for Excellence in Innovative Housing: Campbell Residences, South Street Development Group FortisBC Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency in New Residential Construction: Scandinavian Modern Farmhouse, A.W. Kennedy Construction Inc. GRAND HAVAN AWARDS Best Residential Community: Single-Family: Latimer Heights, Vesta Properties Ltd. Best Residential Community: Multi-Family: Wilder Crossing, Infinity Properties Ltd. Interior Designer of the Year: Sarah Gallop Design Inc. Residential Renovator of the Year: My House Design/Build Team Ltd. Custom Home Builder of the Year: Barrett Group Custom Builders Single-Family Home Builder of the Year: Vesta Properties Ltd. Multi-Family Home Builder of the Year: Infinity Properties Ltd. WWW.HAVAN.CA/AWARDS

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Celebrating Housing Excellence in Metro Vancouver PROJECT: Monarch AWARDS: Best Special Feature

New or Renovated BUILDER: Reid Development ARCHITECT: Peter Rose Architecture + Interiors Inc. PROJECT LOCATION: Vancouver

Featuring a butterfly-style roofline, this contemporary industrial home, dubbed ‘The Monarch’ is built for self-sustainability using durable surfaces to keep up with a young family that loves to entertain. The 11-foothigh ceilings off the dining and living room areas allow light to spill in through folding glass-doors, with patios seamlessly integrating indoor/outdoor living. Private sanctuaries are located on the upper level, with recreational areas located in the lower level.

Photo: Andrew Fyfe - Fyfe Photography

PROJECT: Scandinavian Modern Farmhouse BUILDER: A.W.Kennedy Construction Inc AWARDS: Best Custom Home: $1.5 – under $2 Million; FortisBC Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency in New Residential Construction LOCATION: West Vancouver

With a focus on the client’s ethos for pure simplicity in both interior and exterior materials, this modern farmhouse meets the family’s need to connect with nature. Sunlight streams into the open living space featuring a 15-foot vaulted cathedral ceiling with continuous skylight and windows revealing views of the North Shore mountains, and, weather permitting, stargazing on clear nights from the master bedroom. Built to BC Energy Step Code 4 efficiencies, livability and comfort is set to maximum!

Photo: Ema Peter Photography

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Streaming live from an exquisitely custom-built award-winning home in West Vancouver, the Homebuilders Association Vancouver revealed the 2021 HAVAN Awards for Housing Excellence!

Viewers attending the online Gala were treated to music by local band Ten Souljas while Yosh Kasahara, Executive Vice President of Alabaster Homes and renowned foodie @yoshfood shared an authentic Japanese Wagyu beef appetizer

to complement Mainland Whisky customdesigned mixologist’s cocktail recipes. Entrants and sponsors received hand-delivered House Party boxes prior to the awards show, including the event program, and gifts to participate and commemorate the evening. Not to be left out, viewers had the option to access an online version of the party kit too. Be inspired to build your dream home at www.havan.ca/awards.

2021 WINNERS

PROJECT: Feats of Strength AWARD: Best Custom Home:

$3 Million and Over BUILDER: Versa Homes DESIGNER: Sarah Gallop Design Inc

(Interior Designer of the Year) PROJECT LOCATION: Vancouver

This handsome character home located in a Vancouver neighbourhood pays homage to the heritage-aesthetic.

Wood windows with Georgian panes and shutters direct all-day sunlight while keeping up the traditional appearance.

Private balconies offer breathtaking city and mountain views. Inside, the traditional floorplan, consciously designed with a modern openness throughout, masterfully blends modern character elements with neutral materials of consistent quality to create a timeless serenity.

Photo: iShot.ca

PROJECT: All Decked Out BUILDER: Barrett Group Custom Builders AWARDS: Best Custom Home:

$2 Million – Under $3 Million; Best Certified High-Performance Home: New or Renovated; Grand HAVAN Award Custom Home Builder of the Year LOCATION: North Vancouver

Photo: ishot.ca

Every corner of this custom-built award-winning home has been thoughtfully designed to fit the unique-sized property. Featuring 1650 square feet of exterior patios and decks, this home is designed for entertaining. Outdoor kitchen, bar and BBQ , plus a negative edge pool/hot tub creates opportunities for impromptu gatherings at one of three custom built fire pits. Open plan living on the main features cantilevered floating stairs leading to three mastersized bedrooms, each with full ensuite for the ultimate in privacy. The basement includes a gym, wine room, home office, games room and rental suite. There is even a secret library hidden behind a stone wall! This home has every angle covered!

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THE

Influencers Meet some of Vancouver’s top entrepreneurs as they consider a post-pandemic world.

Boulevard presents: The Influencers This edition of Boulevard’s The Influencers is set against the lush and colourful backdrop of Vancouver’s historically rich Sylvia Hotel.

Perched on the edge of English Bay, near Stanley Park and just five minutes from downtown Vancouver, the Sylvia was built in 1912 and designated as a heritage building in 1975. The tallest building in the West End until 1956, this city landmark is immediately recognizable by the brick and terra-cotta exterior and Virginia creeper—an ivy-like plant—which covers more than half of the property in a coat of colour that changes with the season.

Built as the Sylvia Court Apartments for a “Mr. Goldstein” (who had a daughter named Sylvia), the building fell into hard times during the Depression and in 1936 was transformed into an apartment hotel. During the Second World War, many of the suites were converted to rooms to provide accommodation for merchant-marine crews. But by the 1960s it had become a fullservice hotel.

In 1954, Vancouver’s first cocktail bar—the medieval-themed Tilting Room—opened at the Sylvia. It was an instant classic, playing host to the likes of Malcolm Lowry and Errol Flynn.

In another piece of Sylvia history, the hotel’s cat, Mr. Got To Go—a stray who arrived at the Sylvia Hotel one day and decided to check in permanently—has inspired popular children’s books and is even included in a song. Perhaps this is why many of the rooms in the hotel are pet friendly, and pets stay at no extra charge.

Today, the Sylvia has 120 guest rooms and suites and several spots to dine and revel in the views, including the hotel’s hugely popular, oceanview lounge—with its large picture windows and a cosy fireplace—a sunny patio and Sylvia’s Restaurant with amazing views of English Bay.

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photos by Lia Crowe, Don Denton and Brian Giebelhaus makeup by Farrah Sanei | words by Sean McIntyre B O U L E VA R D

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Macdonald Realty tinamak.com 604-412-5860

I have enjoyed living in Vancouver since 1991. I’ve learned through the pandemic that I will continue to embrace diversity as it is essential to helping my clients find a home. I’ve worked hard in real estate for nearly three decades to understand the insights and idiosyncrasies of each culture and all generations. My clients range from millennials, first-time buyers to high-net-worth generational family clients. My post-pandemic philosophy will be to focus on living a colourful life by embracing diversity.

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Tina Mak Personal Real Estate Corporation & Certified International Property Specialist

Shrink Urban Sweat Lounge getshrinkwrapped.com 604-558-1722

Truly commit and dedicate yourself to your idea—that has to be the first step. If you believe in your concept from your very core, others will as well.

I learned how resilient we can be when faced with so many obstacles. The pandemic reminds us that everything can change in a moment. Invest in healthy relationships and be good to yourself. Now is our chance to reshape the future. If you have an idea to create something great, be fearless and go for it.

Jenny Beth Meischl

Carly Chadwick

Founder & Owner

Founder & Owner

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Sea Rock Custom and Signature Homes info@searock.ca

During these challenging times of what I call “lifestyle hibernation,” I’ve realized the importance of digital technology to stay connected with family and friends, to conduct business locally and abroad, and to create and maintain business networks. I’ve also been reminded to not forget what matters most, like maintaining good health, family and friends, and keeping an optimistic outlook on life. Every day is a new day, so don’t sweat the small stuff.

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Sharon Kaby Designer

During the COVID-19 crisis I’ve been impressed by the level of our in-house team and suppliers in dealing with challenges related to the pandemic. They have all adapted to new protocols on a daily basis while delivering high level workmanship.

Going forward, I seek to embrace the pandemic as a source of growth and opportunity.

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Kaz Noori Sea Rock Developments

Be Naturally Fit benaturally.fit 604-339-6737

In a word: grounding.

By that I mean being so rooted in my self that nobody’s absence or presence can disturb my inner peace. I’m coming out of this pandemic mentally, spiritually and physically stronger because of my dedication to self care, my sovereignty and serving my highest purpose. This year has been all about supporting my clients’ health so they too can live a life filled with grace and strength.

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Rebecca Johnston

DRESSED BY VETRINA MODA

Owner

Cynosure cynosure.com 778-918-5172

With medical aesthetics, we can continue to create “beautiful energy” in everyone so they all can realize their full potential.

Robbie Wilkinson

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Territory Manager

Andrew Shieh District Sales Manager

Brittany Hartley Territory Manager

Alair Homes alairhomes.ca 604-229-6082

I’ve placed renewed focus on the value of relationships, both personal and professional. In business, I’ve learned the importance of keeping clear leadership roles and finding the best people to fill them. The right people equals growth. Personally, I’m cherishing life and loved ones, and letting them know I love them.

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David Babakaiff Regional Partner

MRKT Realtors kaitlynherbst.ca

I have learned to love staying home. Don’t get me wrong, I miss travelling, but I don’t miss going out or being busy running around or going to meetings. I love my home and now I can enjoy staying put and making the most of it.

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Kaitlyn Herbst Real Estate Professional & Media Personality

Devon Owen Personal Real Estate Corporation devonowen.com 604-614-8380

I’ve been awakened by the self-sacrifice of others over the past year and will be forever grateful to all our frontline workers. In this post-pandemic world my mission will be to continue giving back and supporting local businesses and the community. In the inspirational words of Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

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Devon Owen Owner

Red Tree Creative Homes redtreehomes.ca 778-241-4526

This pandemic has reinforced our belief that the home is a sanctuary, a constant that gives people comfort, safety and solace in an ever-changing world.

It is the one place, in good times and in bad, that continually provides the backdrop to life’s milestones and memories. Now, more than ever, our business will focus on providing truly unique and creative living spaces for people to enjoy.

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Vic Sanghera Owner & Director

Oksana Suvorova Real Estate Services homesbyoksana.ca 604-928-2779

I’m sometimes referred to as the Energizer Bunny. Being a single mom can be tiring, but I always find time for friends and clients. My motto in life is, “Do unto others as you would do for yourself.” I believe if you do something you love, you will always find the time.

It’s gratifying to see how happy my clients are when they finally walk into their home.

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Oksana Suvorova Real Estate Professional

OpenRoad Auto Group Ltd. openroadautogroup.com 604-659-3200

I have learned that people expect more value for their money than ever before in the automotive industry. Many clients have hit the “reset button” and reexamined their wants versus their needs. Car buying should be a joyous experience, and we must adhere to how clients want their purchase experience to be. Time is very precious, and we need to build value in the time our client has allocated to their purchase experience.

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Aly Jiwani Vice-President, Regional Operations

Justin Vroegop Sales Manager

Westeck Windows and Doors westeckwindows.com 877-606-1166

I think the pandemic has really put a spotlight on how busy life and business can become and how quickly it can overrun us, causing us to forget about the little things in life. Post-pandemic I’m really looking forward to finding a healthy balance between the two.

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Justin Vroegop Sales Manager

Personally, the pandemic has shown me how fragile and quickly things in life can change. Our business has shown how, when we work together as a close team, we can overcome large obstacles.

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Massimo Rizzi Branch Manager

Massimo Rizzi Branch Manager

Crescent Living Co. crescentliving.ca 604-671-6452

I’ve been reminded to keep pushing forward in a post-pandemic world.

I launched my business in early 2020, and that meant learning to pivot and persevere constantly. I appreciate being given time, something of which every business owner is always short: time to strategize, time to dream about the future and time to jump into action.

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Jaime Bergman Owner & Founder

RE/MAX Progroup MitchDrewRemax@gmail.com 778-235-0503

As a realtor, I help people fulfil the dream of home ownership, as a musician I bring happiness with music and the joy of a song. Having been unable to perform live in over a year, I plan to make up for it after COVID-19 by spending more time playing in seniors’ homes, hospitals, at non-profit events and anywhere else people need to be uplifted by live music.

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Mitch Drew Realtor

The pandemic validated Icon Marketing’s core business strategy of preparing for the unexpected by cultivating a diverse yet cohesive team.

At the onset of the pandemic, we pivoted by rallying the real estate industry to focus on COVID-19 relief efforts. We have been buoyed by our results so far, which has only reaffirmed our team’s resiliency and has given us tremendous confidence in our ability to turn crisis into opportunity.

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Jack Chang Executive Director

Crystal Hung CEO

Icon Marketing Inc. iconco.ca 604-227-7967

Ellen Hung COO

Leah Kenney Associate

Amir Miri PREC* Royal Pacific Realty Corp. amirmiri.com 604-657-5030

Life is too short. Appreciate every moment, and be thankful for what you have today.

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Amir Miri Realtor

RE/MAX Lifestyles Realty LisaCraik@remax-lifestyles.com 604-513-2300

Showing up everyday, being persistent in moving the business forward and being adaptable to a changing environment have paid dividends during the pandemic.

We’ve adjusted our business operations, giving us opportunity to re-evaluate how we lead, elevate and inspire our staff, real estate agents and the industry as a whole.

The pandemic gave us a reason to reevaluate our systems and processes to discover different ways to move us into the future. There is no losing here, only winning or learning.

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Lisa Craik Director of Operations, Marketing & Realtor Relations

Designs for Life designsforlife.ca 604-307-2869

There’s been a lot less noise, which has allowed me to develop and strengthen the power of my intuition and part with the obsession to know what’s going to happen tomorrow. These are just two of the positive and uplifting lessons I shall carry forward post-pandemic. I hope they will help you through your journey as well.

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Kamelia Rahmatzadeh Founder & Creative Director

LaStella Winery lastella.ca 604-697-0988

In the words of the great Bob Dylan, “The times they are a-changin’.” Relationships can be created and nourished in person or virtually, but they are the most important aspect of life and business.

To those who hesitate using online platforms to foster these relationships, I say: “Adapt and change, for change is the only constant. If you miss riding this wave, you will be left behind.”

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Rasoul Salehi Managing Partner LaStella Winery (sister winery to Le Vieux Pin, part of Enotecca group of wineries)

DRESSED BY QUORUM FASHION

Cadence Financial Group cadencefinancialgroup.com 236-521-7792

I’ve relied on pragmatism and intuition. This pragmatic approach is a trait that coincides with Cadence’s core mantra of looking after our clients in a thoughtful, consistent and measured way. On a personal level, the pandemic has helped me reflect on the importance of my health, family and friends, which enables me to better manage my clients’ financial needs.

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Seth Allen Founder & Senior Portfolio Manager

The pandemic forced me to slow down, leading me to change my relationship with myself and realize how important it is to invest in self-love.

Moving into a post-pandemic world, I’d like to maintain a healthy work-life balance by practicing genuine self-love and reconnecting with people personally and professionally. This will ultimately lead to better understanding of my customers’ needs and priorities.

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Ana Allen Product Developer & Consultant, Skin Care & Beauty Expert

DRESSED BY VETRINA MODA

anaallen.com

Black Press Group Ltd. 604-488-9161 blackpress.ca

The first lesson is making sure the needs of our audience are at the core of every decision we make. Secondarily, never has it been more critical to ensure the needs of our employees are front and centre for the success of our enterprise. We need to be there for them. If we take heed of the first two lessons, our business will achieve the type of success we envision.

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is to stay true to my roots. It’s allowed me to persevere in times of adversity.

Good morals and a strong work ethic were a priority in my upbringing and have taught me that, in challenging times, one must reset and reflect on the importance of the team.

Adversities require a leader to be in the trenches.

Rick O’Connor

Kristy O’Connor

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President & Chief Executive Officer

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Director of Advertising

RETAIL HOURS: Mon-Sat: 10am-5:30pm Closed: Sundays and Holidays

Enjoy the finest shopping and services surrounded by the stunning architectural heritage of Sinclair Centre including: • Ethereal Art • Gastown Photo • International Experience Club Ltd. • Diamond Deals Jewellery

• Sinclair Travel • Sinclair Wellness Centre • The Perfume Shoppe • The UPS Store

Just steps from Waterfront Station 757 WEST HASTINGS STREET VANCOUVER WWW.SINCLAIRCENTRE.COM

finding the mountain Japanese gardens: to think, meditate and be at peace WORDS ANGELA COWAN PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY BUTCHART GARDENS

F

ind the mountain where there is no mountain.

Imagine a Japanese garden and you’ll no doubt picture cherry blossom trees, artfully pruned shrubs, trickling water features and gently sloping bridges. A sense of peace and serenity, and of calm and quiet drapes over the space. A large torii gate brackets the entrance, inviting visitors to enter into the garden beneath its arch, exchanging worry for reflection.

Whether expressed in sprawling multi-acre retreats or miniature trays only a few feet wide, the philosophy behind Japanese gardens is the same: a place to think, meditate and be at peace.

“Most people understand that the style is supposed to have a sense of serenity and peace to it, a place to go and be mindful,” says Susan Hawkins. “People already understand that in Japanese gardens there is an intrinsic value to everything.”

Susan is an instructor at the University of Victoria with a

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master’s degree in art history, a background in heritage landscapes and a lifelong passion for all things growing.

She’s taught the history of gardens from Versailles to Victoria, touching on Edwardian design, the Age of Enlightenment and the fascination with collecting rarities, Egypt, and everything in between. But there’s an interesting—and unique—aspect to Japanese gardens in that it’s possible to trace their inception back to a narrow point in history.

Muso Soseki, a 12th-century Japanese monk, is considered the first Zen garden designer, notes Susan.

“In the beginnings, the sages or yogic masters went to nature. They went to a tree. They went to a woodland to meditate, to separate themselves from the everyday. One day, [Soseki] has an epiphany. He’s sitting outside his little hermitage and sees a rock and a tree and a little creek.”

He sees how the individual parts can represent the wildness and enormity of nature, and takes that idea to create a temple, and a temple garden. Retreating into the sanctity of nature suddenly becomes much more accessible, and caring for the garden becomes part of the monks’ spiritual practice.

“It’s about being mindful of the things that are in the garden.

The wind through the trees. The smells.

It’s about engaging with the environment that you’re in. You have pathways, you have stone, you have water features and movement.

PRESCHOOL–GRADE 12

New world. New challenges. New learning.

“The idea of learning to do this becomes a very high art,” says Susan. “There’s a particular sense of allowing a linkage to happen to nature, of creating a small space to reflect in.

So instead of having to go out to nature, to go on a pilgrimage to the mountain, his philosophy truly was, ‘Find the mountain where there is no mountain.’”

Speaking to Susan, you instantly get the impression that she holds an encyclopaedic level of history and knowledge about everything green; she can pull out facts and near-lectures at will. It’s fascinating, and utterly absorbing to listen to, and in no small part due to her practical experience as well.

Beyond her academic accomplishments, Susan is no stranger to getting her hands dirty. She’s been in horticulture for over three decades, has a BC certification in landscape horticulture, is a Master Gardener and, among many other notable projects, was invited to do the restoration for the Japanese Shinto garden at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. These days she also has an allotment garden in Oak Bay, which is where serendipity struck when she met Marian Paris.

Marian has been in the process of creating her own Japanese garden for three years now. She and her husband have lived in the same Oak Bay bungalow for more than three decades, but it’s only been in the last few years that she’s picked up her trowel and dug in.

“I’m brand new to caring for a garden,” says Marian, who is gentle and thoughtful as she speaks. “We started to do some much needed work, like putting up a wraparound fence to deal with the deer, and it just evolved from there.”

When the two women met, they quickly got chatting about Susan’s UVic courses, and when Marian asked if Susan consulted on private gardens, Susan agreed to lend her expertise to her Japanese garden project.

admissions@qms.bc.ca

www.qms.bc.ca

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CREATE YOUR OWN

Much of the foundational work had been done, with structure and shape and hardscaping already largely figured out.

Where Susan became essential was in choosing the actual plants.

“I’ve been so insecure about the idea of committing to plants,” says Marian. “What a gift her expertise is, because she brings her passion and experience to this project.”

When Marian describes the in-progress garden—with its stonework and hanging lanterns and trickling water—you start to actually feel what it is she’s trying to cultivate in the space: a soft, quiet sense of serenity. Of peace and of sanctuary. You can feel the heart she’s put into it, trailing out and over the ground like vines of affection.

“I have a brand new relationship with this garden, and I feel so grateful to have this focus,” she explains. “The garden for me represents recovery from grief. Our youngest of three sons died in 2013. His name is Daniel, and ever since his death— which irrevocably altered us—this project and everything involved has inspired me to look at life differently.”

She adds: “I know how I want to feel, and it’s happening here.”

Marian, and by extension everyone who’s been involved in creating the space, has approached the construction of the garden with a unique sense of deliberate creativity, with her full encouragement.

“It’s been really great to give people the freedom to decide how it should be,” she says.

From the contractor, who unearthed a huge cleft in the bedrock, to the stonemason who created a stunning memorial to Daniel, and the fellow who dug out a huge pit to remove a 4,500-pound boulder and then had to leave to be at his baby’s birth, everyone has left a piece of themselves in the garden.

It feels fitting that in the creation of a garden meant to be a place of reflection and serenity, an entire community of people has come together and made indelible impacts on the process. And it ties perfectly with the entire philosophy behind Japanese gardens, where everything is deliberate, thoughtful and intentional.

Find the mountain where there is no mountain...

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Even if an entire garden overhaul isn’t feasible for a DIY Japanese garden, you can scale down the philosophies into your existing property, says Susan.

It’s important to think about the basic foundations of gardening—what type of soil you have, whether it’s shady or sunny, how you’ll get a wheelbarrow in—but with Japanese garden design, one of the main tenets is the interrelationships between the structures and plants, and how you interact with them.

“It’s about being mindful of the things that are in the garden. The wind through the trees. The smells,” says Susan. “It’s about engaging with the environment that you’re in. You have pathways, you have stone, you have water features and movement.

“Japanese gardens, though they vary greatly, are usually half to two-thirds green and another third colour, especially leaf colour. If you have a shaded area, Japanese gardens typically do very well under certain kinds of canopies. And moss grows very well here,” she adds, laughing. “Things that are within a Japanese garden are in flux. You need corners to go around, paths to walk.

And there’s the space between things, called ma. It’s not an empty space. It’s a space where activity is constantly being seen. If you’re looking through the leaves of a tree, the space between those leaves is the dynamic place where ma is.”

Perhaps most importantly, the garden needs to reveal itself gradually.

“You have to enter into the garden. It doesn’t give itself away all at once,” says Susan.

EXPLORE OTHERS

Whether you’re looking for inspiration for your own gardens or just want to explore others, there are plenty of local options.

The Victoria Japanese gardens at both The Butchart Gardens and Royal Roads University are fabulous examples. Both were designed and created around 1910

by Isaburo Kishida, well-known for his creative eye, and have had the benefit of more than a century to grow and mature.

A much more recent Japanese garden was unveiled in 2002 on Mayne Island, in recognition of the early Japanese settlers on the island.

In Kelowna, the Kasugai garden was co-designed in partnership with Kelowna’s sister city of Kasugai, and offers an oasis of waterfalls, ponds and creeks in the middle of an often very hot city. And in Vancouver, the Nitobe Memorial Garden at UBC is considered one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan itself.

But wherever you are—whether a century-old garden with pine trees that brush the clouds, or a modest corner of your own back yard that’s been transformed with calming stone and uneven walkways—the philosophy of the Japanese garden is something you can carry with you. Simply take a breath, listen to the breeze in the leaves and find a mountain.

It’s all about the lifestyle Thirty years at Predator Ridge

BY DARCY NYBO PHOTOS COURTESY PREDATOR RIDGE

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“It’s unlike any other resort in this country.

You can live year round and still be within minutes of wineries and a wellness resort.

It’s a lifestyle you don’t have to escape from.”

redator Ridge is well known throughout the world as a thriving community built around a golf course—a place where the amenities draw people from all walks of life. With its renowned restaurants, yoga platforms and hiking areas near beautiful lavender fields, Predator Ridge truly is a world-class resort. And this year, it’s celebrating 30 years.

Located in Vernon, the name references the height of land between Kalamalka and Okanagan lakes—home to many birds of prey and raptors, including eagles, osprey, kestrels, peregrine falcons, red-tailed and Cooper’s hawks and several owl species.

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A BRIEF HISTORY

In 1989, the Neigel Ranch—so named for the Neigel family who bought the land in 1925 and farmed it for years—was acquired by Barrie Wheeler and the Paterson family with an eye to creating a premier-quality golf course and housing development. Predator Ridge Golf Resort officially opened in July 1991, and the first golf tournament took place two years later in 1993.

Fast-forward to 1998 when Predator Ridge started to build its first subdivision. By 2000, the resort opened its first accommodation, and by 2005 there was an on-site fitness centre complete with an indoor lap pool, hot tub and steam rooms.

In 2007, current owner Wesbild Holdings purchased Predator Ridge with plans to create a true, amenity-rich

community. Today, Predator Ridge is considered one of the top resorts in Canada. While golf is still a mainstay, it’s not the number-one draw. The people, amenities and a safe and engaged community continue to attract people from all over the world.

PREDATOR RIDGE GROWTH

Brad Pelletier has been the senior vice president of Wesbild for over 10 years and oversees all aspects of projects and operations at Predator Ridge.

“I’ve seen some amazing growth since I arrived,” Brad said.

In 2011, he added, Predator Ridge was a classic golf course community with a golf-course identity. However, around this time, the quintessential dream of living on a golf course started to decline.

“We decided to open up and expand to create a world-class resort with hiking and biking trails, gyms, restaurants and more. We realized how important it was to be good at a lot of things, which is why we expanded into other areas, while not losing sight of the importance of golf.”

At first Brad focused on developing new architectural designs for the homes being built.

“We really started to evolve those designs and create different neighbourhoods. For example, The Commonage was a modern-ranch design. We really wanted to push that side of it, to push new designs in homes.”

With housing dealt with, Brad and Predator Ridge began forming strategic partnerships to promote the community.

“We formed one with Hockey Canada and one with Okanagan Bucket List. We partnered with some of the strongest lifestyle brands in the Okanagan. It was really fast-paced as we advanced the direction of changing Predator Ridge into a best-in-class community.”

Much has evolved at Predator Ridge in the last decade.

“When I look back over the past 10 years, I think of all the changes that have taken place. Sparkling Hill Resort made their home in the corridor. Then there was the upgrade to the highway and more wineries opened in the area.”

In recent years, Brad and Wesbild have paid close attention to trends and considered what future homeowners might

want in a community. They looked at everything from homes to lifestyle and diet.

“We partnered with UBC Okanagan a few years ago and created our lavender field. The project was to discover which lavender species thrive in our area,” Brad said. “It’s right next to one of our yoga platforms and the area has become a mustvisit destination for people who live here. They love to grab a bottle of wine, sit up on a yoga platform and enjoy the fabulous views with the relaxing scent of lavender around them.”

While relaxing is a big part of the Predator Ridge community, getting out and having fun is even more important.

“We connect to Ellison Park for world-class mountain biking, have the tennis and pickleball courts, the gym, great hikes and so much more,” Brad said. “Then there’s Commonage Road near Carr’s Landing, which has eight wineries that people can bike to and spend the day wine-tasting.”

The winter of 2020/2021 was a hard one for most people under the cloud of the pandemic, so Brad and his team decided to do something to make life a bit more enjoyable for the residents.

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“We created a big skating rink during COVID-19 so people could get outside. We did snowshoeing as well. [In normal times], we hold over 1,500 events a year for our homeowners.

Nobody delivers community the way we do. We have a whole team dedicated to ensuring this is a thriving year-round resort community.”

Pets are a large part of the Predator Ridge community plan.

“We have a pet-friendly approach here,” Brad said. “We even make our own dog treats and sell them. If you look around you’ll see some signs that say ‘Petador Ridge.’ Our pets are very important here.”

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS

The celebrations this year won’t be like the ones held in the past. For their 25th anniversary, Predator Ridge held its own rodeo, bringing in famed musician Tom Cochrane to play for homeowners. There’s nothing like that planned for the 30th anniversary. Instead, it will be acknowledged virtually.

“We are limited to what we can do because of COVID-19,” Brad said. “We’re getting the word out online and in print so people can learn how much we’ve changed and how great a community this is. Now people look at Predator Ridge as a place to live, or to come visit for the culinary and outdoor-adventure aspects of the area. They don’t just come here to golf.”

THE FUTURE

While there’s been a lot of growth at Predator Ridge over the years, nothing is as epic as what is planned for the future.

“We are about halfway through our development plans at Predator Ridge,” Brad said. “Extensive planning is underway on some of the lands we have yet to develop.”

He added: “We have two new subdivisions we are working on with great lake views. This summer we really want people

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to see the future, to see the amenities we are adding to and expanding here.”

Predator Ridge covers an area of 1,200 acres and is zoned for 2,100 units. At the moment, the community has 800 homes, with a few hundred more in the planning phase.

“We won’t develop to the maximum of 2,100 units. We want to leave more green space,” Brad explained. “It’s not just about building houses; we also want to add new services to our community. We want to expand our state-of-the-art fitness centre. We’ve looked at some professional services like healthcare. We want to add complementary services like retail, physio, doctors, grocery, pet stores and other fitness-related retailers. We are looking to see which potential tenants would be part of our expanded plan for homeowners.”

There are sites already zoned commercial at Predator Ridge—some are in The Commonage and some near the main offices.

“We have the density we need on site now to support these new services. In fact, we have a year-round resident base that is very active in all seasons.”

When Brad hears people in his community talk about Predator Ridge, one of the most common things they say is that you don’t have to be a golfer to live there. He echoes this.

“We do so much else here,” he said. “Those 1,500 events range from art classes to outdoor activities, wine-tastings to foot clinics. We even had an on-site nurse offer every single person a flu shot. We have a great speaker series, where we bring people in to talk about photography, writing and travel, to name a few.”

There are very few places in Canada that offer all that Predator Ridge gives its homeowners and visitors, he added.

“This year we are telling the world to look and see how far we’ve come in 30 years. It’s unlike any other resort in this country. You can live year round and still be within minutes of wineries and a wellness resort. It’s a lifestyle you don’t have to escape from.”

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PHOTOGRAPHY LIA CROWE

have unwavering wanderlust. Often at this time of year I’m lost in blog posts, reviews and suggested itineraries, planning my next big adventure. Wherever I’ve decided to journey consumes my thoughts and frames my days as I eagerly anticipate that sweet moment when the bags are packed, the alarm set and I’m one too-excited-to-sleep night away from takeoff.

Of course, the pandemic paradigm of the past year has meant globetrotting plans are on hold as borders remain closed to nonessential travel. Missing the feeling of having a boarding pass between my fingers, I’ve found myself scrolling wistfully through past vacation photos. I yearn for cobblestone strolls, gelato in hand and an espresso buzz pushing me through a jet-lagged daze.

I long for breakfasts on picture-perfect patios; daydream about picnic lunches consisting simply of fresh bread, meat and cheese, as English-free conversations trickle in and out of the background soundscape. I ache for drawn-out dinners in hidden gems where the generous and wine-soaked owner keeps producing unordered courses of his favourite seasonal dishes. What I could give to eat my way through markets or sip my way through cafes.

The things I would do to be fumbling through unfamiliar currency in front of a food cart in the middle of a buzzing summer’s eve festival.

Wandering a bit too far down memory lane, I’ve pulled myself back through appreciative acknowledgment of the place I’m lucky enough to call home, and the realization that some of those experiences can be recreated literally in my own backyard. I am beyond fortunate to live in beautiful British Columbia, one of the most desirable destinations in the world—a place where we have access to so much beauty, as well as some of the most exquisite ingredients a professional chef or amateur cook could dream of.

So now, as we trudge through another season of pandemic living with no chance of recreational travel for the foreseeable future, I encourage you to evoke vacation vibes even if just for an evening. Put on the music, treat yourself to some special ingredients, take your meal outside and enjoy it the way you would while on holiday—fully and completely immersed in every mouthful as you indulge in the most mindful form of exquisite escapism.

Panzanella with Grilled Peaches, Prosciutto & Honey Toasted Walnuts For our honeymoon, my husband and I spent three romantic weeks in Italy. We started in Rome, popped over to the Amalfi coast and then finished things off in Tuscany, where we enjoyed panzanella in the garden terrazzo of our family-run lodgings. If you’re unfamiliar with this dish, it’s an unassuming yet immensely satisfying Italian bread-based salad.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions seem to be a mainstay, and thankfully, these staple veggies also grow in abundance throughout BC in the summer. Italians may also add in whatever else is in season regionally, whether that’s asparagus in the spring, roast eggplant in the fall or peaches in the summer. I suggest enjoying this dish al fresco on a sunny summer evening, along with a bottle of Toscana Rosato, while Caterina Bueno’s sultry vocals serenade you in the background.

Prep time: 15 minutes Makes about 4 servings 1 to 2 loose cups baby arugula 1 to 2 loose cups mixed baby greens 2 mini cucumbers, sliced 1 lb cherry tomatoes, cut in half ¼ to ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced 3-4 medium Okanagan peaches, cut into wedges 8 oz rustic bread, cut into large chunks 1 tsp dried oregano 200 g mozzarella, cut into rough chunks 100 g prosciutto, cut into pieces 1 cup crumbled walnuts 1 tbsp local honey ½ cup extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 loose cup fresh basil, chopped Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste 106

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Preheat your oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, toss the walnuts with the honey and about 1 tbsp of olive oil until evenly coated. Spread the walnuts on the paper-lined baking sheet, sprinkle with a small amount of salt and roast for 10 minutes, until just starting to get golden brown in places. Remove from the oven and set aside allowing to cool completely.

While the walnuts are toasting, heat a grilling pan on medium high. Brush the peach wedges with olive oil and grill for one minute on each side. You want them to be soft and sweet, but not so overdone that they fall apart and stick to the pan.

Transfer the peach wedges to a plate and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, heat a large pan on low-medium and coat the bottom with olive oil (about 2 tbsps).

Toss in the bread chunks, a bit more olive oil to fully coat them, a sprinkling of salt and the oregano. Continuously stir and flip the bread bits until all the pieces are just starting to get golden brown, adding more olive oil as needed. You want them to be crispy on the edges, but still a bit soft in the centre.

Transfer the bread chunks to a plate and set aside to cool.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss with olive oil (2 or 3 tbsps) and balsamic vinegar (1 tbsp).

Transfer to a serving plate or bowl, garnish with a bit more basil, walnuts etc. and enjoy!

Slow Roast Lamb Shawarma Israel is a small country, but it’s bursting with culinary delights. The mélange of cultures culminates in gastronomic brilliance as many international traditions combine to create unique flavour profiles. I’ve been to Israel four times and one of my favourite experiences is exploring the night markets in Old Jerusalem with a shawarma wrap in hand.

Shawarma is technically the way the meat is seasoned, even though most people associate it as a pita-wrapped streetfood hero. For a fun and interactive dining experience, I like to serve it with a big spread of hummus, labneh or thick yogurt, roasted or pickled peppers, greens, Israeli salad (basically just chopped cucumber, tomato, onions and parsley or cilantro, dressed in a simple drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of lemon juice) and then pita or rice to enjoy it as either a wrap or bowl. Create that Mediterranean night market vibe with some string lights, a cold beer and lively Middle Eastern dance hits (Omer Adam’s Tel Aviv comes to mind) as you feast upon a build-your-own shawarma adventure.

Prep time: about 5 hours Makes about 6 servings 3 lb leg of lamb 1 medium onion, roughly sliced 1 cup of water

MARINADE:

8 cloves of garlic 2 tbsp cumin 1 tbsp coriander 1 tbsp sumac 1 tsp sweet paprika 1 tsp allspice

1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp ground ginger ½ tsp cardamom ½ tsp cinnamon 2 tsp sea salt 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Place marinade ingredients in a food processor and pulse into a paste, scraping down the sides as you go. Arrange the onion slices in the bottom of a Dutch oven. Coat all sides of the lamb thoroughly with the paste. *Tip: if you have time and plan ahead, cover and refrigerate overnight to let the marinade really soak in.

Pour 1 cup water into the Dutch oven, cover with a heavy lid and roast in the oven for 2.5 hours. Uncover and continue cooking for 1 hour. At this point, check the roast and if the pan seems dry, add another ½ cup of water. If the crust seems like it’s getting too dark, cover lightly with foil or even just the lid.

Continue cooking until the lamb pulls apart easily with tongs or forks (possibly another hour). If it’s still feeling tough, continue cooking until it’s tender, making sure the top is not burning or that the pan is not out of liquid in the bottom.

Let stand a few minutes before serving with rice or pita, Israeli salad, hummus, labneh or yogurt sprinkled with za’atar, roast or pickled peppers, schug, greens, etc.

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Tarte au Citron with Local Honey and Lavender Fresh out of journalism school I took myself off to Paris to do a culinary program. Run by the iconic Marie-Blanche de Broglie, the course covered classic French recipes including many tart iterations. While we never made lemon tarts in the program, some of my fondest memories of that glorious time include spending many delectable hours after class on café terraces, rewriting sauce-stained notes into a Moleskine while making love to sumptuous spoonfuls of French delicacies, including tarte au citron.

My garden at home is bursting with lavender in the summer, so naturally I sprinkle dried lavender petals in almost anything that warrants it. Using local honey in the lemon curd adds a deliciously dynamic layer of flavour that plain old sugar simply doesn’t provide. I suggest enjoying your tart au citron in some romantic garden with perhaps Piaf or Gainsbourg humming the background, and let your taste buds transport you to La Tour Eiffel or even Provence as you daydream away each summery bite.

Prep time: about 30 minutes plus cooling time Makes 6 individual tarts

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FOR THE FILLING…

2 tbsp lemon zest (about one large lemon’s worth) 6 large eggs ½ cup of local honey ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice ¾ cup unsalted butter Zest the lemons, squeeze the juice and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, and set aside. Heat a pan on medium low, and melt the butter. Once melted, add in the rest of the ingredients, stirring constantly so the egg doesn’t overcook and get lumpy. Be patient—this takes a little while.

Continue to cook and stir until the mixture has thickened and is just beginning to bubble ever so slightly. Remove from the heat and strain through a sieve into a bowl, or you can also whir it up quickly with an immersion blender to make it extra smooth.

Set aside and let cool before filling the tart crusts.

FOR THE CRUST…

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour ¼ cup cane sugar ½ tsp sea salt ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks 1 large egg yolk 1 to 2 tbsp ice water, as needed 1 tbsp dried lavender petals

Preheat your oven to 350 F and lightly grease six 4-inch by 7.5-inch tart tins with removable bottoms (this is not necessarily needed if they’re non-stick). In a mixer, food processor or by hand, mix together the flour, salt and sugar. Cut in the butter until crumbly, either using the pastry attachment (mixer), pulse mode (food processor) or a pastry cutter (hand). Add the egg and mix until well incorporated (the mixture will still be slightly crumbly). Slowly add the water until the dough holds together for rolling.

Divide the dough into six even-sized balls. Shape your first dough ball into a disc and place onto a sheet of floured parchment paper. Cover the dough disc with an additional sheet of parchment or wax paper, and roll it out to slightly larger than your tart tin, and about one-eighth to one-quarter-inch thick.

Remove the top piece of parchment paper and slip your hand gently under the bottom paper to flip into a tin, carefully peeling back the paper as you press it into the pan. Don’t worry if it breaks apart a little, you can always press it back together with your fingers. Pierce the bottom all over with a fork and set aside. Repeat with the remaining dough and tins and arrange them on a baking sheet.

Bake the crusts for about 15 minutes, until they’re just starting to look golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. Once cool, carefully remove the crusts from the tins, place on a baking tray or serving platter and fill with the lemon curd filling.

If you’d like your curd filling to set more (be less runny), you can place the tarts in the fridge to cool. Otherwise, enjoy as is!

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secrets and lives —

AND THE 7 SINS with LINDSAY HOLT

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ith Hollywood style long blonde hair and a killer smile, Lindsay Holt isn’t exactly the stereotypical picture of a lifelong accountant, but the mom of two got into the numbers business straight out of high school, and has been regional controller for Black Press Media for the last five years.

She recently made headlines when she decided to enter the Inked Cover Girl 2021 contest, and showed off her substantial tattoos in the hopes of winning $25,000.

Her two full sleeves, large thigh tattoo and several more pieces nabbed her a spot in the quarter finals, and while she was disappointed not to get the top prize, the whole experience was an interesting stretch outside the box.

“It was fun—and it was a little stressful,” she says, laughing. “It was just about getting out of my comfort zone. I had all these new tattoos, and I had gotten in pretty good shape over the COVID-19 period.”

Lindsay got her first tattoo at 18—“It’s a typical lower-back tattoo,” she says with a laugh—and slowly added more pieces to her feet, then her shoulder. But her passion for getting inked really kicked in when she finally got a piece done by wellknown tattoo artist Disa Raven.

Lindsay had seen Disa’s work on Instagram and instantly fell in love.

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PHOTOGRAPHY DON DENTON

“A year before I had messaged her with what I wanted, and had no response,” she says, explaining that the radio silence isn’t unusual with highly sought-after artists. “She’s very popular, and she’s very, very good at what she does.”

Never one to give up, Lindsay took a chance and sent one more Hail Mary message, and managed to get in, setting up a realistic botanically themed half sleeve.

“Once I got Disa’s work, seeing how realistic it looked and how much I loved it, then it was kind of an addiction,” she says.

And while some of her pieces have sentimental threads—a chickadee for her grandpa and a dragonfly for her mom—many of them have come straight from the artist’s imagination.

So what is it about tattoos she loves so much?

“It makes you stand out, makes you a little different,” she says after a moment. “It’s a little something different in how you’re set apart, and the way you’re set apart. Even everyone with tattoos, they all have something different.”

“It’s a little something different in how you’re set apart, and the way you’re set apart. Even everyone with tattoos, they all have something different.”

WRATH:

The 7 Sins ENVY:

Whose shoes would you like to walk in?

I thought long and hard about this one and realized I don’t particularly wish to walk in anyone’s shoes. At first I thought of some celebrities whose lives might be fun to experience, but nobody’s life is as glamorous as it seems. I would love to experience the carefree life, a slower-paced lifestyle without the busy day-to-day hustle, but only for a moment.

GLUTTONY:

What is the food you could eat over and over again?

Cheesecake! Any and all types. I have a major sweet tooth and cheesecake hits the spot every single time!

GREED:

You’re given $1 million that you have to spend selfishly. What would you spend it on?

I would definitely go on an extended vacation, to a place with the little huts on the water. Maybe Bali.

Somewhere warm and relaxing.

Pet peeves?

Where do I even start? Two major ones that come to mind are people that leave their shopping carts in the middle of the aisle of grocery stores (why?) and slow drivers in the left lane. Please just move over! I could go on... and on and on.

SLOTH:

Where would you spend a long time doing nothing?

I could spend hours and hours lying on a white sandy beach in the sun, listening to the ocean. A Hawaiian beach sounds perfect!

PRIDE:

What is the one thing you’re secretly proud of ?

Myself. I don’t openly admit it, but I am proud of myself. Proud of my consistent hard work, my perseverance, my drive, my effort and my self-motivation.

But don’t tell anyone.

LUST:

What makes your heart beat faster?

Nothing gets my heart going like getting tattooed.

Something about the finality of it, the excitement of a new piece, the anticipation of the pain. I have spent a lot of hours being tattooed, but the thrill is always the same. The best feeling!

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narrative

WORDS LINDA MILLS

X ILLUSTRATION SIERRA LUNDY

HOW MY WORLD EXPANDED WITH THE GRANDMOTHER RIDERS 112

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n 2017, I joined the Victoria Grandmothers for Africa (VG4A). I found this group welcoming, accepting and inspiring, especially the annual Cycle Tour. This involved a bunch of grandmothers, women my age (mid-70s) and older, riding for three days down Vancouver Island from Campbell River to Victoria, raising funds for the African grandmothers they had pledged to help. These women were elite, in my view, and I admired them from afar. But I had no bike, nor a biking background. Maternal worries meant I never owned a bike as a child, and five-odd years in my 30s barely counted.

And seriously, who—who?—begins riding a bike in their 70s? Foolhardy, ridiculous.

Then along came the COVID-19 pandemic, and the whole world shut down—except for the Grandmother Riders.

And in pivoting to meet this new reality, the 2020 Cycle Tour decided to accept all newcomers, all distances and all kinds of bikes, including electric bikes and stationary ones, for the fundraiser.

Well, I knew a Grandmother Rider or two. One of them, Laurie Wilson, got me to meet her at a bike shop (shout-out to Fairfield Bikes!) and I tried an electric bike, wobbled a block or two, and then I bought a helmet. The bike followed within the week. And another Grandmother Rider, Lisbie Rae, volunteered to help me get up to speed.

At first, it was a big thing to get on my bike and ride down the road to Beacon Hill Park, to go through the park and turn around and come back home again. It was maybe a kilometre and a half. It was a huge step forward.

Turning was a challenge, getting started was a challenge, staying on and balanced was a challenge. Remembering I could change gears and didn’t have to struggle was a challenge. Keeping my mirror aligned was a challenge. Then, I was riding in and through the park, going down little slopes without braking, letting myself enjoy the speed—wow! And then riding on real streets, going past parked cars, remembering the lanes and turn signals, stopping and starting and keeping up.

Having cars pass me was scary, until it wasn’t. Turning and starting always meant wobbling all over the road, until it didn’t. Finally, I could add in the turn signals; finally, I could scratch an itch without stopping; finally, I could coordinate the gears and assist levels to go all the way up to the top of Beacon Hill. That was an accomplishment! I liked the feeling of that a lot!

My first real ride took me through the park down to the Dallas Road bike path, over to Ogden Point (or as close as we could get), then to Clover Point, back to the park and home!

I’ve walked that distance and it took over an hour, one way.

Here Lisbie and I had done it both ways in about 15 minutes.

Six kilometres! Amazing! And with other riders in the mix now too, I was learning the courtesies, ringing my bell, getting passed by men in spandex at speed. My world suddenly ex-

panded. Then I went out the very next day and did it all again, all by myself. That was amazing too!

Next came riding on real streets with traffic, not the easy back streets of south Fairfield, but Vancouver Street almost all the way to Fort. And back. Getting braver. Riding with my bike coach, Susanna Grimes, down Humboldt to the bike lanes on Wharf Street, over the Blue Bridge and along Harbour Road to where the Goose, the Galloping Goose Trail—the real thing— turned off! And on the way back, really riding in the real downtown! Traffic lights and traffic! Eight kilometres! My world expanded again.

Lisbie took me over to the Goose again and up over the trestle and past the switch bridge to Saanich Municipal Hall, where we met some other Grandmother Riders for the first time. For me, it was a destination; for them, just a marker point on a much longer route. My world expanded again, and kept on expanding, with so many firsts: riding longer distances, riding with other VG4A grandmothers, learning how to keep up. Doubling, then tripling, my ride goal of 50 kilometres.

And now I am back at it again for the second time. The bike came out of storage a few weeks ago, and I am getting the wobbles out in our glorious April heatwave.

Last year, the 2020 Cycle Tour achieved its highest fundraising total ever, with 67 women from ages 61 to 85 completing a collective total of over 27,000 kilometres and raising $145,000 for the Grandmothers Campaign of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. They hope to do even better in 2021.

For the 2021 Cycle Tour, cyclists do not even have to be members of a Grandmothers group. We can ride conventional bicycles, e-bikes and stationary bikes. All women aged 55 and over are welcome, from beginner to veteran. We will each set our own personal targets for the four-week period from August 14 to September 10, and report our weekly kilometres to our team captain.

My goal for last year was 50 km; I achieved 150 km. My goal for this year is 200 km, and I’m betting I can do more than that!

As the grand total of kilometres grows, everyone taking part will also be guided on a virtual tour of sub-Saharan Africa, to meet some of the women working for the community-based organizations we are supporting.

Registration is $20. To receive the registration package and information (as it develops) about training-ride bubbles, possible group rides and optional single-day or multi-day tours, or if you have questions, send your name to vg4acycleregistrar@gmail. com.

As for me, my kids and my sisters are proud, my friends are astonished and I am on a whole other level of being, with worlds opening before me every time I ride. This grandmother is a force to be reckoned with—I’m a Grandmother Rider, now!

What started out as having to ride became wanting to ride, then looking forward to riding, then having riding adventures! And setting a personal goal, and achieving it, turns out to be an effective formula for feeling powerful. Here I come!

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behind the story

The woman behind Boulevard’s Narrative illustrations is Sierra Lundy, a multidisciplinary artist, based in Victoria.

Although she has been creating the illustrations for Boulevard since the feature was introduced two years ago, her creation for this edition came with an added bonus: it turns out she knows the writer. In fact, Narrative writer Linda Mills was Sierra’s elementary school music teacher. Today, Sierra is mostly known as a musician—she plays in an indie folk duo called Ocie Elliott with her partner Jon Middleton.

So perhaps it’s even possible to speculate that Linda Mills played an influential role in the Narrative artist’s life!

PHOTO BY SARA SPECTRUM

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©2020 California Closet Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Each franchise independently owned and operated.

Take an up-close look at our quality construction and explore exclusive finishes, hardware and accessories.

Showroom viewings by appointment only.

Ask about a virtual consultation.

VA N C O U V E R 2421 Granville St for B U Rbetter N A BY living 5049 Still Creek Ave Custom solutions

californiaclosets.ca 604-320-6575