MARCH 2026
100% LOCALLY OWNED FIERCELY INDEPENDENT ALWAYS FREE
Tla’amin Nation hegus John Hackett and BC Truck Loggers Association president Bob Marquis celebrate a new era of forestry here.
qL’s guide to services in the region
Help is Here L
Literacy Outreach
iteracy is interwoven into everyday life: filling out forms, reading medical instructions, applying for jobs, signing your kids up for swim lessons. Lift Community Service’s Literacy Outreach program provides community-based support to adult learners with one-on-one and/or group support to develop their literacy skills. We work with community members to identify goals – whether that’s reading, writing, or digital literacy – and work towards gaining the skills they need to be successful in their life and community. We also run programming for families with children, at our Community House and other community locations, to raise awareness of the importance of literacy and support child development. Join us for
All families need help sometimes. We’re here for you. We offer a variety of programs and services for families and young people from birth to 19 years of age. www.youthandfamily.ca
For Parents Navigating Loss The Compassionate Friends offers support. If you’ve lost a child – at any age, for any reason – you are not alone.
The Powell River Compassionate Friends
drop-in mental health literacy for parents, reading kits and resources for kids, and literacy-based activities and take-home kits for families. Our program is primarily volunteer-run – if you’ve ever wanted to try volunteering this is a wonderful opportunity to make a positive impact in someone’s life. Our volunteer tutors support adult learners in one-on-one or group settings to support literacy skills. We provide training, tutoring materials and ongoing support. Check out our literacy programs at bit.ly/lift-literacy or visit us at the Community House, Tuesday – Friday, 10 am – 3 pm. For more information on volunteering visit liftcommunityservices.org/volunteer
A support group for bereaved parents meets the 4th Tuesday of each month Refreshments 6:30 pm, meeting at 7 pm For location and more information, please contact powellrivertcf@gmail.com
This space provided by Powell River Health-Care Auxiliary
Coming soon! An integrated hub of barrier-free health and social services for youth aged 12-24. Colead by youth, families & community partners. foundrybc.ca/qathet
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WORSHIP: Service • Meditation • Seekers Group COMMUNITY SERVICE: Pasta Dinner • Circle of Friends • Coffee Times SOCIAL ACTION: Everyone Deserves a Smile • Free Seniors Lunches PowellRiverUnitedChurch.org | unitedchurchpr@gmail.com 604-485-5724 | Office Hours 8-10am Thursday | 6932 Crofton Street
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2 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
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FREE TAX CLINIC Free tax preparation and filing for people with modest incomes and simple returns. Learn more at bit.ly/lifttaxclinic or call us at 604-485-0992
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Make a real difference. Donate to the Powell River Hospital Foundation. 604 485-3211 ext 4349 | 5000 Joyce Avenue, Powell River, V8A 5R3
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$28.95 - Age: 8+ - 1 Player You have come to the lake hoping to see a rare and beautiful sight. The lilies of the lake only open their blossoms in the rain, and only rarely do all eight kinds of lily bloom at once. The goal of A Gentle Rain is to place the lake tiles in such a way to cause all eight types of lilies to bloom before you run out of tiles and the rain ends. Keep Score, or don’t.
BIG News?
Stay Tuned!
qathet Living • March 2026 • 3
CONTENTS The TFL changes hands Tla’amin buys the woods
Bob Marquis, president
Of the Truck Loggers Association
Long Term Care: Part 2
A hot time for this hot button issue
Health Care Auxiliary is 80
Millions raised in dollars and hours
Lent and Easter Art
Faith leaders share their practices
Behind our built environment
Designer Martijn Poelen
U13 Kings host the Provincials
10 teams from Whitehorse on down
Track star crushes it
And celebrates Cerebral Palsy Day
Have a creative Spring Break
So much to do
CJMP & the People’s Prom
15 years of co-op radio
Doug & The Slugs Return
John Burton double-header
6 9 14 19 22 24 28 31 42 45 47
T
Forestry town
he top story of the year came early in 2026. Save a unexpected war, it’s unlikely that anything will replace the purchase of TFL 39 Block 1 by Tla’amin Nation as qathet’s biggest headline this year. With the mill no longer churning out steam, it’s easy to sometimes forget that this is still a forestry town. But when the ownership of the vast majority of the trees in our region changes hands, we do well to take notice. Though the naysayers will no doubt soon come out of the woodwork, forgive the pun, at first blush it was hard to find local voices who weren’t a lot more comfortable with control of our forest economy in the hands of the local Nation than in the pockets of stock market investors. While money from each tree harvested will still go into the provincial coffers, the profits, and, perhaps more importantly, the decisions about which trees are harvested, when, and by whom, will
be controlled by people who are locally accountable. Many things won’t change, of course, as the Province still sets many of the rules about how the Crown land is harvested, just as it did when the Tree Farm License was held by Western Forest Products. As the Powell River Community Forest celebrates 20 years of turning trees into local benefits (see Page 9 and the insert in this issue), we don’t have to look far to see the up-side of local control of forestry. When hockey players from all over the province descend on the Rec Complex this month (see Page 28), they’ll be skating in a house that forestry built, and when Track and Field (Page 31) kicks off, like many local activities, it will be done on facilities made possible by forest money. Tla’amin has just made a big, confident bet that forestry will continue to provide resources for this community for generations to come.
PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE
Volume 21, Number 3
REGULAR FEATURES Sports & Rec I Made the Move Mailbag Blast from the Past Business Affairs Events Section Return to Reverence Our Lives Slow Love & I Made the Match Horoscopes / Take a Break Last Word ON THE COVER: Tla’amin hegus John Hackett and Truck Loggers Association president Bob Marquis at Emmonds Beach. Tla’amin Nation has newly purchased TFL 39 from Western Forest Products. Bob was recently appointed to this spokesperson and lobbyist position for forest industries.
4 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
27 32 33 35 36 37 43 49 50 52 54
ISSN 2817-1667 (Print) ISSN 2817-1675 (Online)
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MARCH’S CONTRIBUTORS
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Contact: sean@qathetliving.ca 604-485-0003 suzi@qatetliving.ca 604-344-0208 vicky@qathetliving.ca 604-414-8964
KIKI MEYERS is an
author, publicist, and award-winning marketer, who works at Pier Law & Mediation and is also on the PRMHA board of directors. Kiki enjoys beaches with her kids and pets. S ee Kiki’s story, U13 Champs, on Page 28.
GEOFF NEWTON hosts
CJMP’s Powbilly Power Hour (Thursdays 5-7 pm) when he isn’t commingling with his bear friends. See Geoff’s story, CJMP & the People’s Prom, on Page 45.
GRAYSON COMMONS
is 15 years old. He lives with his dad (Branden), mom (Danielle), older brother (Noah) and two “Frenchies.” S ee Grayson’s story, Track Star Crushes It, on Page 29.
ALI MOORE is a local
”
outdoor enthusiast who spends her time exploring the coastal mountains and capturing moments along the way. See Ali’s photo of Emma Lake at Sunrise, on Page 10.
DAN ROGERS and ROBIN GIBSON , Game Masters at the PRPL’s Fantasy Adventure Club, excited to start another game. S ee Dan and Robin’s story, Fantasy Adventure Club, on Page 42.
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This is how we 8 do it
SEALS OF APPROVAL: Acting City of Powell River Mayor Trina Isakson, Tla’amin Nation hegus John Hackett, Western Forest Products CEO Steven Hofer, and qathet Regional District chair Clay Brander.
questions with Adam Culos, General Manager of Thichum Forest Products
Will you walk us through a short history of how forestry became such a dynamic part of Tla’amin’s economic base? Whose vision was this? What were the big moments?
For decades, hegus John Hackett explained, Tla’amin Nation has tucked away money from its forestry operations. When the opportunity arose to buy the largest Tree Farm License in the region — 154,000 hectares in qathet’s back country — the Nation was ready.
With the money in their pocket and a loan from CIBC, the Nation paid $80 million to Western Forest Products (WFP), and secured control of 43% of their territory in February. Now, instead of profits from this TFL heading to WFP’s shareholders via the TSX, the profits will stay here, in qathet. Instead of forest management decisions being made in Vancouver and Victoria, they’ll be made at Government House in tishosum.
6 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
Adam • Forestry has long occurred in Tla’amin territory, but historically without Tla’amin control. Since Treaty Effective Date (2016), leadership has focused on increasing jurisdiction, revenue stability, and sector capacity. This has been a multi-council effort over time. Key milestones include: • Expanding forest licenses in the territory • Building internal forestry capacity — staffing, technical expertise, compliance systems, and longterm planning. • Purchasing Olympic Forest Products (log sort) to strengthen market access and supply chain control. • Developing a long-term Forest Resource Plan. • Reacquiring TFL 39 Block 1, returning management responsibility over approximately 43% of Tla’amin territory. • Strengthening partnerships with local contractors • The objective has been consistent: increase stewardship authority and build a stable economic base. Does the agreement to sell logs to WFP allow for local manufacturing? Adam • Yes. The fibre agreement with Western Forest Products provides market certainty during transition while supporting manufacturing in BC. An important part of the agreement allows for the establishment of a local value-added facility in qathet, with an annual harvest of 40,000 m3 for local manufacturing. The fibre supply agreement expires in 2046.
Does the purchase include WFP equipment and the local office? Will WFP still have a presence in qathet? What happens to current local WFP staff? Adam • The purchase includes equipment, forestry assets, private land, and the tenure (TFL 39, Block 1.) All assets are located in the qathet area. This purchase does not include the full corporate operations of WFP or operations outside of this region. WFP will not have a presence in qathet as 100% of the ownership will be transferred over to Qwowqnes Forestry Holdings (a partnership owned by Tla’amin Nation.) Workforce continuity and contractor stability are priorities during transition, staff and contracting partners were witness to the signing ceremony. How does this fit with the earlier purchase of Olympic Forest Products (the log sort)? Adam • The log sort acquisition strengthened Tla’amin’s position in marketing and fibre distribution. The TFL reacquisition strengthens Tla’amin’s position at the source of fibre. Together, they improve supply chain integration, revenue stability, and operational control. What are Tla’amin’s plans for the Powell Forest Canoe Route? Adam • The Powell Forest Canoe Route remains accessible. There are no immediate changes planned. Recreation, ecological values, and cultural protection will be considered in long-term landscape planning. Thichum envisions a community advisory group which will support co-management conversations over time. (continued on Page 8)
Cha nn e l
Tob a
Inl
et
Comox
ay
Legend Tla'amin Territory
H
Conservancy, Park or Protected Area
fr om
Licence Area TFL 39
Tla’amin Tenure Tenure Type
Portions of Tla’amin Territory are shared with other First Nations but are not yet represented in this map. Nanoose Bay
Tla’amin Treaty Lands
ke
Pow ell L
Woodlot W1672
a
Community Forest K3P
Goat Island
Other tenures and land ownership within the Tla’amin Territory will be considered in the IRMP but are not yet represented in this map.
Communities Tla’amin Governance House July 5, 2021
yhuang
1:350,000
\\GISFILE01\gis_projects\First_Nations\Tlaamin\FC_Summary\Tenure_Territory 17x11_2021.mxd
A message from hegus John Hackett:
This deal has been years in the making, and we pursued it because we believe that local ownership makes sense. When the people who belong to a place care for it, we build an economy that balances rights with responsibilities, and prosperity with protection. For more than a century, decisions about our territory were made without us. Tree Farm Licenses were created in the 1940s without Tla’amin consent. Governments and companies negotiated cutting rights while we watched valleys logged with little regard for our cultural sites, our waters, or our teachings. The acquisition of TFL 39 Block 1 marks a turning point for our Nation. It brings more than 150,000 hectares of land, 98% of which falls within
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is L
Tla’amin territory, back under our care. This single act increases our land holdings and tenures from 8% to over 51% of our territory. Stillwater This is a major investment in our fuJervis Inlet ture, and it comes with responsibility. Stewardship takes patience and longterm thinking. Through our 300-year Tla’amin Forest Resource Plan, we will guide these lands using our taʔow, Courtenay making decisions not just for today, Comox but for the generations who will follow us. In a time of global economic uncertainty this reacquisition is an example of us betting on ourselves. Forestry has driven our economy for the last decade and TFL 39 Block 1 will strengthen both our sovereignty and our local economy. This means jobs, training, and Nation-owned businesses built on our terms. This will benefit the broader qathet region as well. We welcome old and Legend new partnerships with local businesses who Tla'amin wantTerritory to work with us in a way that respects the land and creates lastConservancy, Park or Protected Area ing prosperity here at home. Licence Area We’ve worked hard for this. We’ve TFL 39 42% OF TLA’AMIN’S TRADITIONAL TERRITORY: trained our people. We’ve built our Tla’amin Tenure TFL 39 Block 1, represented in green, is 154,000 own forestry company. We’ve shown Tenure Type hectares and has historically been licensed to that stewardship and sustainability Community Forest K3P Western Forest Products. Under Tla’amin control, can walk hand in hand. Woodlot W1672 stumpage (a volume-based tax forest companies Today, we begin a new chapter. Portions of Tla’amin Territory are shared with other First Nations but are not yet represented in this map. Nanoose pay to the Province) remains the same. Bay Tla’amin Treaty Lands We welcome this important part of Other tenures and land ownership within the Tla’amin Territory will be considered in the IRMP Map courtesy of Tla’amin Nation Tla’amin gɩǰɛ back into Tla’amin hands Communities but are not yet represented in this map. to heal, to manage, and to pass on to Tla’amin Governance House future 1:350,000 July 5, 2021generations. yhuang Powell River
Lo
Today our Nation welcomes a vast part of Tla’amin gɩǰɛ back under our care with the reacquisition of the tenure now known as TFL 39 Block 1. We celebrate the chance to resume responsibility for our lands, waters, and animal relations.
Tla’amin Governance House
qathet Living • March 2026 • 7
Presi SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE: Elder Elsie Paul praying as speaker and legislator Erik Blaney looks on. Will recreation sites still be managed by BC Trails & Rec?
What’s next for Tla’amin’s forestry plans?
Adam • Yes. Provincial recreation sites remain under provincial jurisdiction unless otherwise negotiated. No immediate changes are planned.
Adam • Near term: • Complete regulatory transfer. • Operational transition planning. • Explore value-added and diversified forest-based opportunities. • Implement long-term forest management planning. Long term: • Strengthen stewardship practices. • Increase Tla’amin employment and contracting. • Align forestry operations with longrange economic planning.
Can contractors currently working in Block 1 expect to continue, or will Tla’amin use its own company and equipment? Adam • Operations will be practical and phased. Existing contractors will continue where appropriate. Tla’amin will continue building internal capacity over time. Transition decisions will prioritize safety, efficiency, and economic stability.
NETWORKER EXTRORDINAIRE: Fourth-generation Powell River logger Bob Marquis was just appointed president of the BC Truck Loggers Association.
CELEBRATING 20 YEARS In forestry years, 20 means we are just getting started, but it is a good occasion to thank our community for your support. Powell River Community Forest was one of the early Community Forest Agreements awarded by the province. The objectives of the BC program were to allow more community control over how local forests are managed and to provide direct benefits from forest development near our community. It can be tricky to balance those two objectives. Feel free to let us know how we are doing. Photo credit: anjismithfotos
8 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
prcommunityforest.ca
ident Bob C
harismatic, opinionated, and above all, energetic, it’s no surprise that veteran Powell River logger Bob Marquis was appointed president of the BC Truck Loggers Association (TLA) in February. It’s an office he’ll hold for the next two years. This is the first time someone from this region has been president of the Association in its 81-year history. “I take this job very seriously,” said Bob. “I am quite honoured to be president.” His first act: congratulating Tla’amin Nation on behaf of the TLA, on its purchase of TFL 39 Block 1 — an historic, unprecedented change. “This is a huge step for the Nation,” said Bob, who has worked alongside Tla’amin members in the woods since he began logging more than 40 years ago. “Contractors in this region have worked with Thichum Forest Products for years, in the Tla’amin Community Forest, on Tla’amin Territory, and in the Nation’s wood lots, plus in partnership through Goat Lake Forest Products. We look forward to continuing those excellent relationships into the future.” Bob’s TLA position faces two directions. Up, as a spokesperson on behalf of 400 logging contractors, 5,000 workers, and the province’s forest-dependent communities, to the BC government. And, across, as lead convener and networker inside an industry that’s reeling from tariffs — o ld and new — collapsing mills, and an ever-changing, unpredictable land base. “The biggest problem in the forest sector is the dwindling ability of the government to get fibre to market,” he explained. “We’re swimming in trees up here. We have the strongest forest practices code in the world. It’s been such a huge part of our economy for a hundred years. So why are we turning our back on it? We do this better than anybody else out there. We really do.” BC harvested just 29 million cubic meters from the woods last year — well below the target of 45 million. (Sweden, in comparison, harvests 70 million cubic meters, Bob noted.) Bob has faith that the new Minister of Forests, Ravi Parmar, is listening, and will work with the TLA and other organizations to bring harvest volumes back up. Bob will serve on the TLA board
with Kevin McKamey, owner of Powell River’s Pilldolla Creek Contracting, which builds roads in the woods. Several businesses in town are members of the TLA; Bob estimates that about 300 locals work directly in the woods as loggers and road builders now, and the entire local industry, including transportation, mills and value-added, represents about 800 full-time jobs here. With assets such as the Powell River Community Forest, and Tla’amin’s Thichum Forest Products’ acquisition of the TFL 39 Block 1, much more money from the industry is staying local. “We have some of the nicest timber in all of British Columbia, with our sun exposure,” Bob said. “And all of our players get along pretty well. The ATV clubs, First Nations, the BCTS, the Forest Service. What made Mount Mahony? It was the Community Forest.” Between international uncertainty, and the local reality of the end of the mill’s contributions to this town, Bob knows that this is a tricky time to envision what might be next for the forest sector here on the Sunshine Coast. He calls it a “shadow period.” He sees his presidency with the TLA as an opportunity to draw together the players, to make plans for a vibrant, sustainable, stable, lucrative industry going forwards. To do that, he said, forest workers need a stronger voice. “If you want your voice heard, you better get in the room where it can be heard,” he said. “I can ask the hard questions. We’ve got to leave our egos, just check our egos at the door, have a conversation and see where it takes us. We’re gonna stand on our own two feet as a sector, and create better markets, with value-added. We’re going to try our best on behalf of all British Columbians. That’s our mandate.” Bob is best known outside the woods as the face of Powell River Logger Sports. He helped found the festival more than 40 years ago, and revived it a decade ago in memory of his brother, who died in the woods. Bob’s father started a contracting company in the 1960s, and Bob started his own company in the 1980s, logging, plus building roads and bridges. His son Brett runs the company now, and continues to compete in Logger Sports (Bob is past-president).
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10 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
Sunrise at Emma Lake over Family Day weekend After two days of zero visibility, the sky opened up in time for an amazing sunset, northern lights show, and stunning sunrise. Shot on a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra phone. - By Ali Moore
qathet Living • March 2026 • 11
Learning another language helps students develop skills that last well beyond the classroom... Learning a second language has proven to strengthen how students think, focus, and problem-solve with confidence. Research shows that bilingual learners benefit from stronger critical-thinking skills, better concentration, and long-term cognitive health. French Immersion gives students the chance to develop those skills early, while exploring a new language and culture. Here in qathet School District, French Immersion is a valued program. Over the past year, students, parents, and educators have come together to explore the community’s shared vision for French Immersion, celebrating what they love about the program and sharing their hopes for its future. Read on to hear what teachers and students have to say, and to learn more about where French Immersion stands today and why it matters:
“From the student perspective, there is this feeling of stability. You get to know your future teachers right when you enter your first year as kindergarteners. Same goes for me: I get to know the kids on the playground for many years before they come into my class. I see them grow, and that is very special. This amazing thing happens to me everyday at school: I often realize the true meaning of immersion and the way that long-term exposure to a second language just transforms them into bilingual children. Almost none of them had a French background, and yet I come in every day, speak naturally (at quite the speed), and we keep rolling through our day in a natural way. The program fosters strong problem-solving skills, since there is always a challenge. From my own experience in becoming bilingual, I can say that learning a second language opened the door to a broader world. My hope for my students is that they will also have the opportunity to connect with other parts of Canada through this bilingual advantage.” - Maxime Paquette, Grade 6/7 French Immersion Teacher “There are so many benefits to learning a second language, but the one that is truly responsible for the success of Immersion students is the selfdiscipline they develop in the early years. The routines that are established to build success in their second language give students a chance to challenge themselves, to struggle, to fail, to try again, and to persevere in a way that is unique to our program. At first, we (the teachers) co-regulate this discipline with each student, and eventually, they are able to do this on their own. The bonus is that this skill is 100% transferable to everything they do later on in life, in any language! The most rewarding part of my job is when I hear that students go home and talk about what they did at school to their family. It tells me that the students were engaged in the lesson and learned something they thought was worth sharing, and that families are still talking to each other at home (over dinner, on the way to hockey or dance, before bed etc.). This gives me a tremendous amount of hope in this screen-heavy era we are in. - Jennifer Hillier, Grade 4 French Immersion Teacher
12 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
Scan the QR code to watch a video about French Immersion at James Thomson!
What is French Immersion?
French Immersion is a program for students whose first language is not French, giving them the chance to become bilingual. From grades K to 3, students learn the BC curriculum in French, with English Language Arts starting in grade 4 and gradually increasing. Although French Immersion students may begin reading in English later than their peers, the skills they gain make learning English easier. Research shows that students who complete the program become functionally bilingual and perform as well as, or better than, their peers in all subject areas, including English. The program is fully integrated, so students take part in all school activities, field trips, and events. With the wide range of programs, resources, and community opportunities offered by the qathet School District, students can explore many experiences while learning a new language. Meet Mme Megan Kaukas, a dedicated high school French Immersion teacher and District French Coordinator. She is passionate about helping students feel confident, connected, and proud to learn in French.
We’ve started a seasonal French Newsletter! This first issue introduces some French Immersion teachers, highlights results from a community outreach survey, shares resources, and more!
Scan this QR code to read:
Here’s an outline of target instruction time in each language:
French Immersion in BC Immersion française en CB “For me, French Immersion built a really strong sense of community. I’ve been in the same classroom with everyone graduating this year since Kindergarten, and it’s been really special to see everyone grow up and become who they are today.” - Piper
“French Immersion has benefited me in many ways. Mainly, it has given me more opportunities for employment, travel, and communicating with others.” - Anna
Grade
% of French Instruction
% of English Instruction
K-(2 or 3)
100
0
(3 or) 4-7
80
20
8-10
50-75
25-50
11-12
no less than 25
no more than 75
qSD was thrilled to welcome a very special guest last month, Jade Downie-Landry, Canadian professional ice hockey player and forward for the Montréal Victoire of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL)!
“What pushed me to stay in French Immersion was my peers. Building relationships with them was really helpful, especially after learning alongside them for 13 years. It’s been so special to build a small community that way.” - Azure
“I stayed in French Immersion because I’ve made a lot of close friends in the program. I also have family in Belgium who speak French, so it’s been really nice to connect and communicate with them in another language.” - Nelle
“Being able to speak both English and French is a really useful skill in Canada and gives me confidence knowing I can communicate with most people.” - Finn
Jade Downie-Landry with Division 2 and 8 students from James Thomson Elementary at the Powell River Complex (left), and presenting at the school (right).
Jade spent time with students across our district, sharing her love of the game and her journey as a professional athlete. She visited several elementary schools including Westview, Edgehill, and James Thomson, skated alongside students at the complex, and delivered inspiring presentations in both French and English, including one at Brooks Secondary for French Immersion and Hockey Academy students. Jade’s energy, openness, and willingness to connect left students motivated and excited to chase their own goals.
The French Immersion team at James Thomson Elementary held an Information Night on February 12th, 2026, for parents to meet the district’s French Immersion teachers, learn about the program’s key priorities, and take part in meaningful dialogue (pictured below).
“I’m in French Immersion because I think it will give me lots of opportunities, especially in Canada, where many jobs require you to speak two languages.” - Danielle
“The program is about learning French, but it is so much more. Students are comparing different cultures, listening to understand different perspectives and learning to appreciate different ways of knowing and doing. This helps them to better understand themselves and the world. As teachers and a district, we are excited to find as many ways as possible to connect students with new types of opportunities that they then feel inspired to seek out for themselves beyond the classroom.” - Megan Kaukas, Brooks French Immersion Teacher and District French Coordinator
qathet Living • March 2026 • 13
ROCKY CARE: Don and Marie Fossheim got married in Powell River in 1970. They’d hoped to retire here, but BC’s lack of publicly-funded home support for Don’s ALS forced them to choose Alberta instead.
qathet lost the Fossheims, due to BC’s lame elder care Alberta’s direct-to-family payments take the edge off caregiver burnout, and reliance on LTC beds, for some
M
arie Fossheim hoped to retire to Powell River with her husband Don back in 2012. This is her hometown. At the time, Don had been diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a degenerative disease that would eventually paralyze him. The Fossheim’s plan was to move into her parents’ home here, and Marie would care for him at home. This is also where the couple met. Don, originally from Alberta, worked as a surveyor in his youth, but apprenticed to become a millwright at MacMillan Bloedel here in the late 1960s. Friends set them up on a blind date. They married in 1970. (In his 2022 obituary, Marie was described as the “love of his life.”) Don eventually started his own company. The couple raised three children, following Don’s work across Western Canada. When he learned he had ALS at 70, he just had some weakness in his arm, but the couple knew it was time to tuck in and set up care for him before his conditioned worsened. “It all would have been out of pocket,” Marie said, explaining that BC’s homecare program offers very limited help, and all of the equipment they would need, from power wheelchairs to stair lifts, comes with steep rental fees. “We were comfortable in retirement, but we didn’t know how long this would last and we had to be careful with money.” Powell River, where the Fossheims had vacationed for decades to visit Marie’s family and enjoy fishing, as a happy vision for retirement, became a financially impossible place to manage Don’s ALS. Marie noted that on top of the money concerns, friends reported that the hospital is often over-full and patients
14 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
Elder Boom: By the numbers 1921: 4.8% over 65 1971: 8.1% 2001: 11.8% 2026: 20% In Canada in 1970, there were eight people of working age for every elder. Now there are fewer than four.
Long-Term Care bed chasm: By the numbers Number of LTC beds in BC: 33,266 Number of new beds needed by 2036: 16,000 Number of new beds promised in 2025: 3,315 Number of those promised new beds “put on hold” in the February 2026 BC Budget: 718 Numbers from BC Seniors Advocate Dan Levitt’s 2025 report From Shortfall to Crisis: Growing Demand for Long-Term Care Beds in BC. can linger in hallways waiting for long-term care. “BC just didn’t have any programs available for support,” she said. Instead, the couple settled in Cochrane. In Alberta, they qualified for the self-managed care program. Funded by that Provincial government, it gives money directly to families to hire and manage their own staff, for their own needs. Marie ex-
plained you set it up like a business, with a payroll, semi-annual audits, and an accountant. She couldn’t hire relatives, but apart from that, the control was in her and Don’s hands. They paid caregivers $25 to $30 an hour, and hired for personality rather than certification. “You need people who understand the person they’re working with, but can also get along with the family, because that’s part of the dynamic.” In addition, the local ALS society offered free equipment rental. The Cochrane hospital offered ALS clinics every six weeks, a one-stop-shop for assessments and care, from bloodwork to dental. Plus, their doctor offered monthly home visits. After nearly 10 years, Don’s legs and arms were paralyzed. He could no longer walk or feed himself. “He could still speak though, and he could feel you if you touched his hands or his face.” With home help, funded by Alberta, Marie was able to care for him at home, until his breathing failed, and he moved into hospice. He lived with ALS twice as long as doctors expected him to, enjoying his grandchildren and his retirement — and the companionship of his wife of 52 years. Marie credits Alberta’s self-managed care program, which kept him at home and allowed the people who loved him to select his care and caregivers, for his long life. Ontario offers a similar program to Alberta’s, Marie notes. Even as Canada’s long-term care crisis worsens (see main story and sidebars), she says, those are the only two jurisdictions in the country putting significant cash and power into the hands of family caregivers — the people who are most often doing the bulk of the caregiving work for elders.
Long-term care is hot. Solving it is not... yet. BY PIETA GOUDRON
I
n March, when BC released its 2026 budget, the government announced that seven planned long-term care facility projects have been put on hold. Those facilities are Abbotsford (91 new beds), Campbell River (153 new beds), Chilliwack (110 new beds), Delta (108 new beds), Fort St. John (84 new beds), Kelowna (110 new beds), and Squamish (62 new beds). In spite of the local pressures outlined in the November issue of qathet Living, which included elders living in hospital hallways for months at a time, awaiting access to long-term care — BC had no plans to build new longterm care beds in qathet. The reason for the lag: in today’s economy, each new bed costs $1.8 million. “$1.8 million a bed simply isn’t sustainable. It’s time to step back, look at that, and come up with new approaches,” said BC’s infrastructure minister Josie Osborne at a press conference February 18. In response, on February 25, Comox-Courtenay MLA Brennan Day (Conservative) introduced a private member’s bill, the “Long-Term Care Access and Transparency Act.” Debate is expected March 2. The act would force health authorities to report on wait lists for long-term care, the number of people waiting in hospitals for a bed in a long-term care facility, and wait times — the information qathet Living requested from Vancouver Coastal Health Authority in fall of 2025, and was refused. The BC government proclaimed
HARM REDUCTION Q&A Overdose, harm reduction, safe supply - these terms come up a lot when talking about the toxic drug crisis, and they’re often misunderstood. To help share accurate information about what harm reduction is and isn’t, we’ve put together a Q&A with some of the questions we hear most often. Why is there so much concern about overdose? Overdose is now the leading cause of unnatural death in BC (ages 10–59). In the unregulated drug supply, substances like fentanyl and other contaminants can appear in unknown amounts, increasing the risk of fatal overdose. You are at risk even if you use substances occasionally, or even one time. More than 15,000 people have died of toxic drugs in BC since 2016.
What does the “unregulated drug supply” mean? Street drugs are made and sold with no oversight—people don’t know what’s in them or how strong they are. This significantly increases the risk of health complications, overdose and death. An alternative to the unregualted supply is legal regulation which would provide safe, licensed, medical-grade drugs—much like alcohol, cannabis, or prescription medications.
What about safe supply - doesn’t Lift provide that? No. We wish we could! Safe supply means regulated, legal substances in known quantities. Canada’s street drugs are completely unregulated and unpredictable, which increases associated risks with use. Our iOAT program uses prescribed medications in a clinical setting.
What is harm reduction?
TRANSPARENCY NOW: Comox-Courtenay MLA Brennan Day was first elected in 2024, with the BC Conservative Party. He is the Official Opposition Critic for Rural Health and Senior’s Health — and in late February filed a Private Member’s bill that would force Health Authorities to release information about wait-lists for longterm care, and more. March 5, 2025 as “BC Seniors Care Providers Day.” On that day, Susie Chant, parliamentary secretary for seniors’ services and long-term care, promised thousands of new beds — because BC needs them. “We know that wait times to access long-term care are increasing and the seniors’ population in B.C. is growing,” she said. “That’s why we’re building more care homes and upgrading facilities in communities throughout the province. By 2030, we will have added 5,400 new and replacement beds in 32
Harm reduction is a public health approach aimed at reducing harms related to everyday activities, including risks associated with drug use. Examples of harm reduction are naloxone to reverse overdoses; drug checking and testing; clean needles and pipes; and overdose prevention sites. Harm reduction is on a spectrum of substance use support that also includes treatment and recovery.
Is harm reduction an appropriate use of taxpayer money? Yes! Harm reduction programs and supports save lives and money. They reduce overdoses, ambulance calls, and hospitalizations. Harm reduction keeps people alive, connected, and supports them to access treatment. Harm reduction is part of a spectrum of substance use care that also includes detox, treatment, and recovery-based resources. We need them all.
But drug use is bad?! Is it? Labelling drug use as bad is an over-simplification of the issue and the people involved. The reasons people use are varied and complex, and include biology, trauma, poverty, homelessness, colonization, pain, mental health, and more. We need to reframe substance use disorder as a systemic and policy failure - not a personal one.
Read more at www.liftcommunityservices.org/harm-reduction www.liftcommunityservices.org
@liftcommunityservices
qathet Living • March 2026 • 15
How much does institutional long-term care cost?
Institutional Long-Term Care is a relatively new phenomenon. Decent care? Even newer. At Confederation
The early 20th Century
Most elders were cared for at home, by their own family. Public institutions were for people who had no other options. It was poverty, not age, that landed you in care. Communal care was also practiced — either with extended family looking after elders, or a village would take turns caring for elders (the town would pay a household a small amount of money to look after an elder for one month, and then they would be moved to the next house). Elderly were not seen as a distinct group. They may be institutionalized if they were impoverished in a work house or charitable home. If they were senile, they might be placed in an asylum. Chronic illness might put them in a hospital. Most of these were funded and run by religious groups. Jails were also used to house Canadians who could not care for themselves, whether they were poor, elderly, or sick. At Confederation in 1867, municipalities in Canada funded two Houses of Industry (homes for destitute able-bodied people who would work) and seven “houses of refuge,” for the elderly and destitute. The first “homes for the aged” appear in Canada in the late 1800s. The model was: municipal funding, provincial regulation. Note: “The priority in most institutions tended to be, it seemed, economy and not the residents’ comfort…”
Canadian leadership hoped that the introduction of Old Age Pensions and rising standards of living would keep more elders out of institutional care, and at home or in family care. By the 1920s, boarding houses and private hospitals opened for elders with means. Until 1954, residents in Canada’s Homes for the Aged were not allowed to vote. Anyone who was an “inmate” receiving charitable care from the province, whether in a “House of Industry” or a “House of Refuge” could not vote. Before WWII, public institutions for vulnerable people of all kinds provided meals and shelter only, little else.
16 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
The later 20th Century Old Age Security (federal) and old age assistance (provincial) were introduced By the 1970s, only a handful of provinces had legislation requiring social and recreational activities in institutions “Perhaps an appreciation of how deeply the charitable and custodial traditions are entrenched in the history of extended care institutions in Canada will help explain both their influence and persistence.” Information from “A History of Long-term Care Facilities for the Elderly In Canada,” 1977. Prepared by Barbara Emodi for the Government of Canada, 1977.
qathet Living asked Vancouver Coastal Health Authority how much is spent on Long Term Care in this region. Their answer: $24 million per year. Willingdon Creek has 102 beds; Evergreen Extended Care Unit has 75 beds; and Kiwanis Assisted Living has 40 beds, for a total of 217 beds. $24 million divided by 217 beds is $110,600 per person, per year. new long-term care homes in BC communities.” The tension between the number of beds and the number of seniors is heating up, according to new numbers released by BC’s Office of the Seniors Advocate January 26. “The 2025 Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Directory, containing detailed information on 301 long-term care facilities and 133 assisted living residences in B.C., is now available online,” reads the release. “The summary report shows a 5% increase in the number of long-term care beds since 2019/20, compared to a 19% increase in the population of seniors 65+ over the same period.” Dan Levitt, BC Seniors Advocate, commented: “We are at the beginning of a rapid increase in the number of people 65 and over and we know the gap between the seniors’ population and older adults requiring public services will only widen if we don’t act now. Government’s own data shared in our report last July shows 16,000 more long-term care beds will be needed over the next decade and as of today, the Province has no plan to meet this demand.” He went on: “The wait lists and wait times for long-term care and assisted living continue to grow, putting seniors and family caregivers under tremendous strain. Public home support services remain unaffordable for many seniors and don’t provide adequate help for older people to age at home. The stories I hear from families at their breaking point caring for their loved ones are heartbreaking. We simply must do better.”
BEWARE THE CLIPBOARD: Elaine Steiger, Powell River’s feistiest health care advocate, sent all Vancouver Coastal Health Authority executive letters this winter raising concerns about the number of beds at qathet General Hospital occupied by seniors awaiting long-term care. So far, no one has replied.
Elders in hospital hallways: not acceptable, says advocate BY PIETA GOUDRON
E
laine Steiger spent part of January in qathet General Hospital, and witnessed first-hand the bed shortage there. She has been the region’s loudest advocate for more long-term care beds; both her husband and sister waited months in hospital, uncomfortably, for an appropriate bed. A decade ago, she also successfully advocated for improved hospital food here. “When they brought me in from the ambulance on a stretcher, there were already two stretchers in front of the nurses station,” Elaine said. She described a scene of a jammed ER, with cleaning staff barely able to navigate their way around patients. She was eventually placed in the maternity ward, although Elaine was not there to have a baby. In the same ward was a dementia patient in his 90s, who wandered around. “This hospital was supposed to have 85 beds when it was built, but there were never more than 54. It was supposed to replace the Townsite hospital
qathet Hospital beds: A short history St. Luke’s Hospital in Townsite opened in 1913 as a 16-bed facility. An addition completed in 1923 increased capacity to 35 beds. Powell River General Hospital in Townsite opened in 1942 with 68 beds, not including the nursery. In 1950, a new wing added 40 beds. In 1968, an extended-care wing was constructed, providing 35 beds. qathet General Hospital in Westview opened in September 1993. It was described as an 85-bed facility, although only 54 beds were initially put into use. One bed was designated for palliative care. Beds were reduced for a time to below 40, and now there are 42 beds at qathet General. There are also 217 long-term care beds adjacent to the hospital. With files from the qathet Museum.
qathet Living • March 2026 • 17
Get FireSmart advice from the qRD’s Regional FireSmart Program Wildfires have been a natural part of our coastal forest environment for thousands of years. They are a natural part of wildland ecosystems. Without wildfire, the landscape loses its diversity – fire recycles nutrients, helps plants reproduce and create a mosaic of vegetation that provides habitat for a variety of wildlife. By choosing to extend communities into forested areas, we become more exposed to the danger of wildfire, however, it is possible to reduce potential wildfire impacts on our homes by following FireSmart principles. Research into wildfire behaviour has determined that 90 per cent of homes and buildings damaged or destroyed during a wildfire is caused by embers and not the main fire front. By implementing FireSmart principles, and with proper planning and fuel management, it is possible to reduce the interface fire risk. The qRD is here to help property owners! The qRD FireSmart program operates throughout all areas of the qathet Regional District including the City of Powell River and all Electoral Areas. The FireSmart Program aims to educate and support residential property owners to build our community’s wildfire resilience and reduce wildfire risk in our region. To learn more about our regional FireSmart program, or to request property fire risk assessment please visit qathet.ca/services/ emergency-services/regional-firesmart-program/ Download the FireSmart brochure here: qathet.ca/wp-content/ uploads/2025/10/firesmart_brochure.pdf Open Fire and Burning Regulations You can help reduce the risk of fire in your community by abiding by local and provincial fire regulations. The regulations regarding outdoor burning, including campfires, vary throughout our region. Most rural areas of the region are regulated by the provincial Wildfire Act. The City of Powell River, Savary Island, and Van Anda and Gillies Bay on Texada Island have their own bylaws regulating outdoor burning. Visit qathet.ca/services/emergency-services/ fire-protection-services/openfireregulations/ to view current local regulations. To view Provincial bans and restrictions please visit: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/ content/safety/wildfire-status/ prevention/fire-bans-and-restrictions
18 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
with over 100 beds. Now, there are just 42 beds.” In November when qL published a spread about long-term care, we asked for whistleblower information from inside the hospital — how crowded is it? Our most regular whistleblower reported that one one day in February, there were 89 admissions (see sidebar), and that the hospital is regularly crowded with beds in hallways, and many patients waiting for a bed in one of qathet’s two long-term care facilities. “There’s no stimulation for them,” said Elaine, who estimates between 10 and 13 dementia patients are waiting in the hospital at any given time. “This borders on elder abuse.”
“I think we should just inundate VCHA and the Minister of Health with letters and questions. Maybe we should do a town hall.” - Elaine Steiger So, Elaine has been writing letters describing the situation in qathet General to the executive of Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (all 15 vice presidents, she noted, plus others), she visited MLA Randene Neill’s office, and sent letters to the Ministry of Health. That was weeks ago. She has yet to hear back from anyone who received a letter. “I think we should just inundate VCHA and the Minister of Health with letters and questions,” she said. “Maybe we should do a town hall.” In Budget 2025, the federal Liberal government announced the Build Communities Strong Fund, a morethan $51 billion fund for infrastructure. Of that, $5 billion is a dedicated Health Infrastructure Fund. qL asked VCH whether some of that money will fund additional beds in our hospital, or alleviate some of the stresses on our local system. This is the statement VCH sent in response: Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is committed to providing exceptional care, including programs and services that support hospital patients and seniors in their community. Daily bed count at specific hospitals fluctuate rapidly as patient volumes change. This based on a range of factors and only provides a snapshot in time
From one local whistleblower: Snapshot: Mid-January There are 17 admitted patients at qathet General awaiting placement to long term care. Four are in the halls. Four are in the Emergency Room. The hospital is over-capacity. Rough count about 55 or 57 admitted in our 42-bed hospital. Snapshot: Early February The ICU has 10 patients, eight are waiting to go to long term care and another one is on being assessed whether they can go home or need to go to long term care. There are nine patients in the ER due to overcrowding. Snapshot: Mid-February There were 89 admissions today. Some elderly were admitted because it was too cold out and there is no warm place to stay. Hallway beds are everywhere. Eleven patients are in the ER. The ambulatory department is so full of patients appointments were cancelled. Nurses didn’t get breaks. Note: If Comox MLA Brennan Day’s bill passes (see page 15), these numbers will be reported regularly and qL won’t have to depend on whistleblowers for this basic public health information. without context. At qathet General Hospital, a wide range of measures have been implemented to help alleviate patient volume pressures on acute and emergency care, including: Increased funded bed base from 33 to 42 along with guidelines to support seasonal surge. Increased baseline staffing level in key areas to help reduce length of stay and get people home sooner. In addition enhanced service capacity at qGH, VCH is also exploring innovative models of care and supporting seniors to age in place while addressing the increased demand for long-term care. Expanded community and outreach teams — home care, home support, mental health and substance use and primary care — to help keep people healthy and well at home longer. VCH is committed to continue working with key partners to address the complex, integrated challenges facing long-term care in the region and beyond.
ECONOMY SHOP: In February, the Health Care Auxiliary moved its thrift shop to its new location at 4746 Joyce Ave (the old CRC building.) Managers are Willie Perry, Rhondda Schreurs, Betty de Groot, and Cathy Greiner (not shown). The Auxiliary celebrated 80 years this past fall.
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ASK U ABO S RENT UT ALS! qathet Living • March 2026 • 19
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20 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
November 26, 1945 • Auxiliary organized. Founding members were Kay Andrews (first president of the Auxiliary), Evelyn Black, and Ivy Foote. 1952 • Gift Shop began operations 1962 • Representative on Hospital Board became a voting member 1964 • Economy Shop started operations 1967 • Name changed from ‘Women’s Auxiliary’ to ‘Powell River General Hospital Auxiliary’ 1984 • First male was elected to an Executive office when Jack Loukes was elected by acclamation to the office of 1st vice-president. 1984 • Operation ‘Friend Bear’ began when president Lillian Bruce presented Christina Gittens with the first bear to be given to patients in the Children’s Ward, eight years and under. 1982 to 1985 • Auxiliary paid for the replacement of X-ray equipment. The total of the hospital’s share of $321,970 worth of equipment amounted to $80,493. The Auxiliary paid $241,477. 1985 • Extended Care volunteers came under jurisdiction of the Auxiliary. 1985 • Cigarettes no longer carried in the Gift Shop. April 11, 1985 — the Auxiliary helped purchase an ultrasound for heart and blood vessel examination. The total for this piece of equipment was $90,000 with the Hospital share around $23,000. 1991 • The Auxiliary took on the Red Cross Loan Cupboard run by Edith and Fred Doxsee. 1993 • Economy Shop moves from the old Townsite Fire hall to leased space in Westview. Donations and sales immediately soared. Location is very important.
1994 • Auxiliary becomes a Registered Society. 1994 • Auxiliary pays for a covered walkway between the Hospital and Evergreen ECU. Previously, trays of dishes had blown onto lawns and ECU residents and staff faced inclement weather constantly. 1995 • 50th Anniversary celebrations. The first president of the Auxiliary, Kay Andrews, was the special guest. 1997 • Red Cross moved to a larger room on the third floor of the Hospital. Total volunteer hours from Sept 1996 to June 1997 were 54,185. 2003 • Television services for patients at Hospital taken over by the Auxiliary. $50,000 donated to St. John Ambulance — PR branch, towards the purchase of a replacement vehicle. Auxiliary name changed from Powell River Hospital Auxiliary to Powell River Health-Care Auxiliary. 2005 • Television service provided to Hospital patients at no cost. 2008 • $1.4 million had been raised by the community for the CAT Scan Campaign. 2009 • Membership agreed to provide donation of Oncology Packages to patients as needed. 2010 • British Columbia Government proclaims May 10th as ‘Health-Care Auxiliary Day’. Volunteers were now expected to work 30 hours per year in order to fulfill their Auxiliary membership. 2011 • It was reported at the Lower Mainland conference of the BCAHA that British Columbian Auxiliaries donate close to $10 million per year to the health-care system in this province. 2012 • In May, a debit machine was hooked up and began to be used for purchases in the Gift Shop.
qathet Regional Emergency Preparedness
GET READY STAY READY Wildfire Season Starts April 1 Extended warm, dry weather conditions increase the possibility of wildfires in the qathet region. If a wildfire threatens your home, you may receive an Evacuation Alert or Order. It’s important to understand the difference.
POWER PEOPLE: On October 25, Volunteers gathered in Assumption’s gym for the Powell River Health-Care Auxiliary’s Annual General Meeting — and to recognize 80 years of supporting health care in this community. The 20252026 executive is president-Gaye Culos, vice-president-Ian Burke, past president-Rhondda Schreurs, treasurer-Cathy Greiner, assistant treasurer-Willie Perry, secretary-Joyce Genttner, directors at large-Jude Kersey, Betty Degroot, Shelley Stephen, Cindy Richardson.
Know your Evacuation Stages ALERT Be ready to leave on short notice. Gather your grab-and-go bags and arrange transportation.
ORDER In November the members approved a donation of $877,460 for the purchase of equipment at the proposed new Long-term Care facility to be built soon (later named Willingdon Creek Village.) 2013 • Powell River Health-Care Auxiliary website goes online. 2014 • Members approved the purchase of new burgundy aprons and shirts to replace the old smocks. 2015 • The Auxiliary began a fiveyear commitment to fund the Clinical Systems & Transformation project of VCH to be approved each year in the amount of $150,000 per year. An Auxiliary Facebook page was set up. $203,220 was approved for the Capital Equipment List. 2016 • Renovations completed and Economy Shop moved to new location. Capital Equipment funding approved for $101,315 in 2016 and a further $337,335 in May 2017 for items previously approved but not purchased. Library Cart was discontinued at the hospital due to difficult rules surrounding germ control. 2018 • $300,000 approved for Capital Equipment for VCH. Largest donations given towards Medical carts for Omnicell Closed Loop System-
$250,000-one time donation. 2019 • $132,215 donated to PR Gen Hosp/Vancouver Coastal; $136,100 given to Hospice. $7,979 towards a bus for Willingdon Creek. Due to volunteer shortage, Saturday openings reduced. 2020 • Celebration of 75 years. As of March 2020, all Auxiliary venues closed till further notice due to the worldwide COVID pandemic. 2021 • Coronavirus protocols in place for volunteers and customers. Proof of vaccination and mask wearing are required. No more than 15 customers in the Shop at one time. Funds for Patient care: $2,374; Hospital Equipment: $231,788; Community Disbursements $23,818; Scholarships awarded: $16,000. 2022 • Net assets $2.5 million. 2023 • $170,000 pledged for the new bus for Evergreen Extended Care and Willingdon Creek. $15,000 donated to the Hospice. 2024 • New building purchase finalized, 4746 and 4752 Joyce. 2025 • 80th anniversary: history Albums were distributed to the Economy Shop and the Gift Shop so that members can look through them. 2026 • New Economy Shop!
You are at risk. Leave the area immediately. Follow all directions from officials and evacuate using the route(s) identified.
RESCIND All is safe. You can return home. Stay tuned for other possible evacuation alerts or orders. Shelter in Place means to remain indoors, or if outside, go indoors immediately. If you spot a wildfire, report it as soon as possible by calling 1.800.663.5555 or *5555 on your cell phone.
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qathet Living • March 2026 • 21
Lent? How will you mark
Come home for Holy Week Sacred Heart • Assumption
Holy Week at Assumption Westview: Holy Thursday, April 2 7 pm • Mass of the Lord’s Supper Confessions following mass Good Friday, April 3 9am to 10am • Confessions 3 pm • Solemn Liturgy of the Passion.
Easter Sunday April 5 Masses: 10 am Assumption Noon Sacred Heart Tla’amin 7 pm Assumption
Holy Saturday, April 4 11am to 12pm • Confessions 9 pm • Easter Vigil
All are welcome Father Camillus Temba • 604-485-5300
Holy Week and Easter Services St. David & St. Paul Anglican Church March 29 PALM/PASSION SUNDAY 10 am April 2 MAUNDY THURSDAY 4 pm April 3 GOOD FRIDAY 10 am April 5 EASTER SUNDAY 10 am Holy Eucharist
& what is your favourite piece of Easterthemed art or music — and why?
With local faith leaders.
Fr. Camillus Temba
Assumption Catholic Parish Lent • Lent is a 40 day solemn Catholic liturgical season of Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending before the mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. It is a time of repentance and preparation for Easter, imitating Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert. Lent rules, primarily for Catholics, involve fasting (one full meal, two smaller) and abstinence from meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, with abstinence from meat required on all Lenten Fridays. Ages 18-59 fast; ages 14+ abstain from meat; exceptions exist for illness. Many also choose extra prayer, stations of the cross,
Holy Week Services Maundy Thursday April 2 7 pm All are Good Friday April 3 10:30 am welcome to celebrate Easter Sunday April 5 10:30 am the mercy
charity, or giving up personal indulgences (like sweets, social media) as spiritual disciplines. It is a time to prove that we are true Christians or false ones. This story from Africa can help us: The African lion and the wild cat look so much alike, yet they are different. An ancient African theory explains it this way. The same lioness gives birth to numerous cubs, some of which are truly lions at heart and some of which are not. How does the mother know which lion is which? Months after birth of the cubs, just before they are weaned, the mother lion leaves the den and then, in an unsuspecting moment, she jumps into the den with a thundering roar as if she was an enemy attacking the cubs. Some of the cubs stand up and fight back the presumed enemy while others flee the den with their tails between their legs. The cubs that hold their ground to face the danger prove themselves to be the real lions. Those that run away prove to be mere wild cats — false lions. As testing distinguishes true lions from the false so also does it prove true Christians from false ones.
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Westview Baptist Church
Powell River United Church Lent • Baptists don’t have as rich a tradition during Lent as other denominations, but Lent • We mark Lent by including our Powell River I have often taken this time to focus on a United Church Community of Faith through special particular spiritual discipline that I need to Shrove Tuesday supper, weekly Lenten studies, practice more. prayers, a book discussion during Saturday morning Seekers’ group, and leading Sunday services Art & Music • In the past couple of years, that focus on journeys in the wilderness. my favourite Easter-themed song has been “Living Hope” by Phil Wickham. And my faArt & Music • Jesus Christ Superstar has been a vourite Easter-themed work of art is probfamily favourite for many years. It began as an ably Forgiven by Thomas Blackshear II. To Easter story introduction for our children which me, this remarkable painting of the resurthey annually continue to watch as adults. The anrected Jesus holding an exhausted, guilt-ridden man holding a mallet and spike, cient account in a modern (1970s) perspective provides songs that are memois a striking way of showing Christ’s divine mercy. The sin of every individual was rable, and the story is thought provoking. We have enjoyed responding to many responsible for Jesus’ death on the cross, and yet it is through that sacrifice we queries and had discussions that have enlightened us all. receive forgiveness and grace.
Rev. David Wulkan
Lauren Dahill
Powell River Reformed Church
St. David & St. Paul Anglican Church Lent • This year I’m participating in an online Lenten retreat using material from St. Ignatius. His imaginative approach really appeals to me. Preparations with the family include carefully placing our winter decorations into their storage areas, and replacing them with tulips and other small pieces with brighter colours. Our meal planning shifts from wintertime comfort foods, such as stews, to dishes featuring spring veggies, like salads and fruit. Art & Music • I have a wide range of tastes when it comes to art and music, and I don’t know if I could pick just one thing. When it comes to Easter, I think the art that brings me the greatest joy is a good old fashioned painted egg — especially if it’s part of an Easter egg hunt for the kiddos at church. It’s hard to beat the joyful energy of the little ones who want to show off their favourite find.
Pastors Sam & Katie Alescio Living Water Foursquare Church
Lent • We don’t “do Lent” as a church family, though I would say some people in our congregation do; it’s more of a personal choice, but when I think of the time leading up to Easter one word comes to mind and that is “anticipation.” Thinking of Jesus living, dying, and then rising from the grave re-affirms to me that the Gospel of Jesus Christ really is good news and the anticipation I feel during this season makes me pause to consider if my life is still reflecting the joy of my salvation. Art & Music • My favourite Easter-themed art is a painting I have hanging on the wall behind my couch, painted by a friend’s son-in-law, and it’s a picture of Jesus’ outstretched hand and his wrist has a nail scar in it. I love it!
Lent • My family and I mark Lent with prayer and a daily reading: one psalm and passage from the gospel of Matthew. We also have Lenten Candles that we extinguish one Sunday at a time to mark the journey to the cross. Easter Sunday we relight the candles to celebrate the resurrection. Art & Music • My new favourite Easter hymn is “Worship Christ the Risen King.” Sung to the tune of Angels from the Realms of Glory, it beautifully links Christmas with Easter. It is an anthem call to worship Jesus, who died for our sins and rose in triumph. “He is risen, Now receive the Risen King!” Meat Pack: 3 lb - Pork Butt Roast 3 lb - Port Loin Roast 4 lb - Pork Chops 4 lb - Pork Steaks 2 Racks - Back Ribs 2 lb - Pork Tenderloin 2 lb - Ground Pork 1 lb - Breakfast Sausage 2 lb - Bacon
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qathet Living • March 2026 • 23
AN ARCHITECT’S LOCAL LEGACY: (Clockwise from top left.) Vertical house to enjoy view, for family north of town. Martijn Poelen’s flexible home on MacKenzie. Trail Place new build, Martijn’s own home under construction. Owners helping out, making their place a warm home. Working farmhouse with an eye for de-
24 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
tail. (Bottom images from left) Office space/treatment room/tv room: always flexible and with great lighting. View from kitchen in Marine Avenue new home. Omenica rendering of 1940’s home renovation/ overhaul.
Your home can adjust to unknown futures - and so can you.
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ne of qathet’s most invisible - but most impactful - professionals is celebrating several anniversaries this spring. Martijn Poelen has been an architect for 30 years; been a father for 25 years; lived in qathet for 20 years; and he’s just turned 60. Martijn is the designer behind more than 150 new builds and significant renovations in this region. Trained in the Netherlands, Martijn started his career designing large health care projects. When he moved to Canada, he discovered that, like doctors, moving his credentials here was going to be a bigger project than he was anticipating, Under the Building Code, though, he learned he can design smaller buildings without his professional accreditation - as long as they meet code. He does that work through Alofii Design, his design firm based in qathet. Martijn has been able to bring a uniquely Dutch approach to buildings here. “In Holland, there’s way more emphasis on how you use space. It’s kind of a forgotten child here in North America, because there is so much of it.” For example, the first home he built for his family in 2010, on McKenzie Ave, was divided into two suites. The multifunctional space allowed his family to rent out part of the home during the economic downturn that year; raise two children through their teen years; raise two more foster children; host office
space for both Martijn and his spouse Christien Kaaij; house their two adult children, two foster children, and home offices through COVID; and more. It could have flexed them into their downsize, but instead, Martijn designed a new, smaller in-town house. “The minute you design a space for one purpose, and then you build it, it’s already outdated,” he said, on why he designs for flexibility. Lately, Martijn said, he’s designed several carriage houses, as locals start to grapple with a more economical building reality. Multigenerational families are sharing homes and properties. His new home, just shared with Christien, is 1,400 square feet - but can still be sectioned into two suites if they need to. Perhaps they’ll age in place and accommodate a caregiver. Perhaps an adult child will move in again. A key to comfortable smaller-space living, he said, is to make sure there’s adequate storage space. A steeper pitch on the roof can accommodate a large, accessible attic, for example. Ultimately, Martijn said, design is about people, our psychology, and how we function. Buildings should work for humans - our present lives, and what unknown situations are coming in the future. “It’s a very fulfilling career,” he said. “A building can uplift people. What you build can last for 100 years, representing you.”
CREATIVE CLASS: Architect Martijn Poelen also plays tenor saxophone in the qathet Concert Band and Current Collective.
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qathet Living • March 2026 • 25
WHAT’S COMING THIS FALL? AUTOMATED RECYCLING COLLECTION MORE WASTE REDUCTION INJURY PREVENTION Download the qathet Waste Wise app for service reminders and other information on our waste collection services at powellriver.ca, or scan here:
Pantyhose, beers, and shiny moments Each stage of life is enriched by the Festival of Performing Arts. This year’s Grand Concert is March 8. BY PATRICIA MARTINUK
I SPRING GARDENING: WHAT GOES IN THE BIN Bins are deemed contaminated if they contain invasive species (blackberry, knotweed, ivy, broom, etc.). Spring brings bears and other vermin, make sure the lid fits tight. Your bin isn’t bear proof or bear resistant. Only your compostable kitchen waste, loose yard debris and small branches go in the bin.
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26 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
n the spring of 1970, I was 11 years old. As the festival drew nearer, I could hardly contain my excitement. After watching my older siblings perform in the festival for several years, it was finally my turn. I played French Horn in the district-wide Grade 6 band. Performing with such a large group in Dwight Hall felt, at the time, like a major life event. I was allowed to wear pantyhose for the first time! I felt so grown up. I don’t remember what songs we played, and I’m not sure what we sounded like to the audience. But what I do remember is the feeling of being part of something that was bigger than myself. I also remember feeling pleased and proud that there were friends and family in the audience that day to watch my performance. After that auspicious event, I continued to perform in the festival either in band or choir or both, until I graduated from high school. These were heady times to be a music student in Powell River. We had excellent teachers who pushed us to always do our very best. Our bands and choirs were considered to be among the very best in the province. We routinely travelled to the Kiwanis Music Festival in Vancouver, where we competed against choirs from much larger schools, with renowned conductors. We were not intimidated. The competitions were fun and challenging, and we got to meet students from other music programs around the province. I had no way of knowing at the time that the music education that I received in Powell River in the 1970s would continue to have an impact on me for the rest of my life. After high school, life took many turns. My adventures took me around the world and eventually led to my career as a lawyer. In 1995, I moved back to Powell River to be closer to family and continue my legal career. Upon my return, I quickly reintegrated myself into the local music community by joining the Powell River Chorus. I learned that the original sponsors of the festival, the Knights of Pythias, had concluded that over 40 years, they were no longer able to continue run-
ning the festival. When they stepped back, in 1987, the role was filled by a group of volunteers spearheaded by Alex Hollmann, and was loosely affiliated with the Moose Lodge. By late 1996, the Moose volunteers were exhausted. Putting on a large scale, community-wide festival is a complex undertaking with many moving parts. After a few beers (and maybe a scotch or two), one night after choir rehearsal, I somehow found myself volunteering to take on the position of chair of the festival. I had a core group of five close friends who stepped up and supported me. I also had a very understanding business partner who never complained when our office filled up with trophies, or when I would disappear for hours at a time to attend some festival-related crisis. We had the generous assistance of so many volunteers. Every year as the Grand Concert wound down, my group and I would look at each other and marvel at how we’d managed to pull it all off yet again. At this point one might ask — why did I do this? The answer to that question takes me back to my 11-year-old self, remembering my first opportunity to perform in public, in front of friends and family. Over the years that I chaired the festival, there were days when the Evergreen was more than half full of elementary school children. I would look out at the wriggling masses in those theatre seats and wonder what those children were feeling. For most of the children that participate in the Festival, this may be the only chance they ever have to sing a song or recite a poem on a real stage. The vast majority of Festival participants are not going to go on to a professional career in the arts. But on that Festival stage, every child is given a chance to shine. Maybe they took away a memory, a glimmer of pride that they could call on at some point in their future, no matter where the path of life took them. In 2001, I was offered a job in Vancouver, and it was time to move on. It was at this time that the Rotary Club of Powell River took on the responsibility of running the festival, and it continues to this day.
Powell River Skating Club: On March 6 at 6:30 pm, drop by the Complex to witness this theatrical production by the fastest-growing skating club in BC & the Yukon: ours. Last year, the Club had 10 competitive skaters; this year, there are 24.
And, the Club’s CanSkate programs, representing 65 participants, sold out within 24 hours. Entry is by donation and open to the public.
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qathet Living • March 2026 • 27
qathet takes T centre ice for BC Champs
BY KIKI MEYERS
Ten teams, representing every BC Hockey region, including Whitehorse, will visit the Complex March 15 to 19 for the U13 Tier-3 BC Hockey Championships.
here is a specific kind of magic that happens when a community rallies around their rink. That energy will be palpable as the Powell River Recreation Complex opens its doors to almost 200 athletes in U13 minor hockey for five days in March. The Championships represent the “Best of the Best” in their division. As 10 teams of regional qualifiers arrive, the Complex will be a hub of provincial-level hockey competition. “Bringing the Provincial Championships to Powell River is a celebration of more than just a week of games; it’s a tribute to the years of early mornings, long road trips, and hard work these athletes have put in,” says PRMHA president Lindsay Seery. “Our goal is to create an atmosphere where every player feels this tournament will be a memorable milestone in their hockey journey.” From March 15–19, our community will see hun-
dreds of youth, their cheer squads (aka families), and team staff enjoy one of Powell River’s best lifestyles: Eat, Sleep, Hockey, Repeat. So don’t spring clean away your fleece blankets and cowbells just yet, because everyone is welcome at this five-day, free-to-attend and open-to-the-public tournament.
A Season to Remember For the hometown U13A Powell River Kings, the road, and ferry routes, to the Championships have been paved with hard work and dedication on and off the ice. Along the journey, this team has also had a lot of fun. The team has bonded over the course of the season far beyond the ice surface. The group of 11-13 year olds has enjoyed countless card and board games on the ferry, loud music in the vehicles driving up and down Vancouver Island, and learning the rules of the famous hockey rite of passage,
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“sewerball,” all with smiles on their faces. Under the tutelage of head coach Alan Fougere, team manager Alena Devlin, and a crew of assistant coaches, the 2025–2026 season has been a masterclass in growth, which included the team securing the Division 3 regular season banner for the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association (VIAHA). After winning the banner, the team, along with all of the teams in the three divisions of VIAHA, were placed into three tiers based on the size of the association. Powell River has competed in Tier 3 and finished first in the North Division after a Round Robin series with Campbell River T3, Port Alberni, and Triport, earning a home game in the semifinals; a single game elimination versus the second place team in the South Division, Sooke. These two teams faced each other twice in a tournament in Oceanside all the way back in October at the Oceanside Thanksgiving Tournament. In the
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THE HOMETOWN HEROES: U13A Kings Roster is #1 – Alexander Devlin – Goaltender; #2 – Tobin LeBlanc – Defence; #3 – Nadia Larson – Forward; #4 – Grace Caldarone – Defence; #5 – Connor Gustafson – Forward; #6 – Jonah Smisko – Forward; #7 – Claire Statham – Forward; #8 – Kyle van Diemen – Forward; #10 – Ozzy Sullivan – Forward; #11 – Jordan Barrows – Forward; #12 – Molly Culos – Forward; #15 – William Hawkins – Forward; #16 – Grady Meyers – Defence; #17 – Miller Pitman – Forward; #18 – Aiden Fougere – Defence; #19 – Carter Ricketson – Forward; #31 – Greyson Carlos – Goaltender. Affiliate Players: George Mathieu – Forward; Hannah Ollson – Forward; Maddison Tassell – Defence. With manager Alena Devlin, head coach Alan Fougere, assistant coaches Chad Van Diemen, Cohen Mastrodonato, Darin Meyers, Joe Caldarone, Randall Smisko, safety people Ian Ricketson and Melissa Hindle. Photo by Jenn Parkin Photography
BC U13 TIER 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS When & Where: March 15 to 19, Hap Parker You’re Invited: Be part of the excitement at the Complex beginning on Sunday, March 15. The Championships first game starts at 7 am and the The U13 Powell River Kings play at 9:15 am. The opening ceremony will begin at 7 pm followed by the Kings second game of the opening day with a 7:30 pm puck drop. The Kings will play their third game the following evening at 5 pm on Monday, March 16. The Kings will wrap up their Round Robin portion of the schedule on Tuesday, March 17 with a 7:15 pm puck drop. We ask all fans coming to this game to wear Green to support the Kings as well as to celebrate St Patrick’s Day! All four of the Kings’ round robin games will be played on the Hap Parker Arena.
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MAJESTIC RECEPTION: At press time, five teams were confirmed out of the 10 total that will be attending: the Powell River Kings, Whitehorse Mustangs, Quesnel Thunder, Greater Trail Smoke Eaters and Squamish Eagles. Photo by Robert Devlin first meeting, Sooke got the upper hand with a pretty convincing 4-0 win. In the rematch, which was the semi final, Powell River responded with a great game and were able to tie the game at 2-2 in the third period to force overtime. Neither team could score in the extra five-minute sudden victory period. In the shootout, goalie Alex Devlin shut the door and defender Grace Caldarone was the hero with the shootout winner to advance the team to the tournament final against the hosts from Oceanside. The Kings fell 4-3 to earn silver. In the VIAHA playoff semi-final versus Sooke played at the Powell River, the Kings were down 3-2 heading into the third period before exploding for five unanswered goals to skate away with the thrilling 7-3 victory and a spot in the VIAHA best of three championship series against the top seed from the South Division, Kerry Park. With Powell River having a guaranteed spot in the Provincial Championships, Kerry Park also earned a spot in the Championships and will return to Powell River regardless of the outcome of the VIAHA Final series. Still, both teams were hungry to earn their spot in the Provincials by winning the VIAHA Tier 3 Playoff banner. Game 1 of the best-of-three final was played in Powell River on February 21. Kerry Park led 1-0 after the first period, before the Kings bounced back to lead 4-2 after the second. The Kings extended the lead to 5-2 early in the third and seemed well on their way to a victory. Kerry Park stormed back with three straight goals to tie the game at 5-5. With just over a minute to play, Will Hawkins found himself alone in the slot and buried a nice shot past the goalie to give his team a 6-5 win. The teams shifted to Kerry Park to play Game 2 on February 28th. With the morning ferry cancellled and the game moved from 1 pm to a 4:30pm, the Kings didn’t have much time to get prepared and it showed as they fell behind 2-0 early, but Greyson Carlos made several impressive saves to keep the Kings in the game. Tobin LeBlanc got the Kings on the board in the first minute of the second period. A few minutes later the Kings forced a neutral zone turnover and Ozzy Sullivan beat the goalie with a shot to the top corner to tie things up. Halfway through the third, Will Hawkins gave the Kings the lead with a nice goal from in close. Kerry Park tied it a couple of minutes later. The Kings were awarded a power play late in the game and Miller Pitman found
the back of the net on a goal mouth scramble to give the out the Kings up 4-3 with 94 seconds to play. Kerry Park pulled the goalie but the Kings held the lead with some great defensive play by Grace and Miller. Connor Gustafson was able to find a loose puck and hit the empty net from his own end with two seconds left to seal a 5-3 win. So despite having a bye to Provincials as the hosts, the Kings earned their way to provincials as the VIAHA Champions. The two teams now have a couple of weeks to practice and make their final preparations for the Provincial Championships back in Powell River.
Leadership Behind the Scenes While the athletes handle the puck, a dedicated team of leaders will handle all of the other details to ensure the event runs efficiently on and off the ice. For PRMHA president Lindsay Seery, hosting the Championships is a reflection of Powell River’s deep-rooted commitment to its youth. There is a level of trust needed to host an event of this size. Trust that volunteers, partners, and sponsors would come through with time, funds, expertise, and support. “Hockey continues to be a catalyst for youth development in our community,” says Seery. “Hosting the U13 Championships speaks to the dedication our volunteers, families, and sponsors have for youth and sport. In our Association, from the bench, to the scorebox, to the countless hours so many parents spend advocating for our sport, we have the very best volunteers. Their dedication cannot be overstated. To have this opportunity to showcase our volunteers and sponsors to the rest of the province is a privilege we are grateful for.” The logistics of welcoming the province are no small feat. Just ask PRMHA-designated Event Chair Brooke Hanson: “The level of support from our community has been remarkable,” Hanson notes. “Local supporters, volunteers, and families have stepped up to help us create a high-level championship event that truly showcases our beautiful community and everything Powell River has to offer. Our goal is for every visiting team to feel the warmth of our town, for every athlete to leave with a memory they’ll carry forever, and to build a strong foundation for future events to come.”
FAST TRACK: Grayson Commons, 15, won silvers at the Provincials in 2025 (above), and is inspired by the late Terry Fox (admiring a statue of the runner at age 2). Grayson has cerebral palsy.
Unpredictable legs? No problem for this track star BY GRAYSON COMMONS Grayson is 15 and in Grade 9 at Brooks Secondary. He is an athlete with cerebral palsy, and won two silvers at Provincials in 2025. To mark Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day March 25, and to kick off track and field season, this is his story:
I
got interested in running because I have always loved the story of Terry Fox. He loved to run even though he had a physical disability and he never gave up. And my Grade 3/4 teacher at Edgehill, Mr. Gerry Aasen, believed in me. He made us all run a cross country race and I came first in my grade. I was shocked I could run — and fast. I have been running Cross Country and Track and Field for six years. Track and Field is my favourite because it’s nice weather when the races happen. Having cerebral palsy is hard and I live with pain every day. There are different types of cerebral palsy. I have ataxic cerebral palsy which is the rarest, and makes my balance and coordination off. I trip a lot and nothing is even in front of me most of the time. People with cerebral palsy use three to five times more energy than our peers at everything we do in a day. And when I run my legs fail me sometimes and then they get tired and shake a lot after the race is over.
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To get ready for Provincials in 2025, I was at the Timberlane track twice a week practicing with my coaches. I traveled to high school meets and ran against other high school students. When I qualified for BC School Provincials I was in Para Races with other Para Athletes. I won a silver medal in the Para Ambulatory AWE 100m race and another silver in the Para Ambulatory AWE 400m race. My coaches and mentors past and present are all supportive and believe in me, which makes me believe in myself. They include Bryce Fraser, Dave McMaster, Graham Cocksedge, Daniel Wang, Tony Rice, Wendy Cocksedge, Tristan Hansen, Inge Tholen, Gwendolyn Burton, and Shayla Russell. Every time I stand on the start line, my heart starts to race, and I have to remember not to false start. I hear my mom’s words: “Win or lose, I will see you at the finish line.” I forget I have a disability when I run. When I cross the finish line, I am proud of myself that I finished the race. When they announced my name that I won silver I was so happy, and my mom was cheering the loudest. With the 2026 Track and Field season starting, I want people to know that they should try Track and Field out. You don’t just have to run. There are many field events, too. And you may find your new favourite sport.
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I MADE THE MOVE Calm for the carpenter & crisis worker
A
nastasia Jarry-Mihalka and Jeff Radomsky met in East Vancouver ten years ago and have been building a life together ever since. With their sweet pup, Louise, they are smitten to now call qathet home. Jeff is an avid outdoorsman who spends most of his free time on his mountain bike. He loves heavy metal and everything nature has to offer. He works as a carpenter for Hanson Land & Sea, nearing completion of his Red Seal while continuing his studies in traditional log and timber building. As a death doula, grief companion, and through her work with the Crisis Centre of BC, Anastasia spends much of her time supporting people through some of life’s hardest moments. She loves dogs, books, plants, and slow mornings. She’s happiest wandering in nature with Louise, often collecting small pieces of the natural world for comfort or craft.
years. Anastasia is originally from Montreal, and spent the last 10 years in East Van.
Why did you choose to move here?
What would make this a nicer community?
Anastasia and Jeff • We had a loose three-to-five-year plan to leave the city, and Powell River was the first place on our “let’s explore” list. We visited last May during our annual double-birthday-anniversary camping trip, and within a few hours, both somehow knew we didn’t need to keep looking. This was definitely the place. When? Where from? Anastasia and Jeff • We moved here in December 2025. Jeff was born and raised in Calgary and lived in East Vancouver for 15
What surprised you, once you moved? Anastasia and Jeff • That it still feels like vacation, just with all our stuff! What made you decide to move? Anastasia and Jeff • When we imagined our senior years, it was easy to picture planting roots and growing old together in a little house by the Salish Sea. Where is your favourite place here?
WAITING FOR WILD SCOOP: Peruvian street dog Louise (left) enjoys a beach day with with Anastasia Jarry-Mihalka and Jeff Radomsky (above). The trio moved in late 2025 from East Van.
Anastasia and Jeff • Mahony and Mahoods. How did you first hear about qathet? Anastasia and Jeff • We’d been camping near Earls Cove for years and were always curious about taking that second ferry. We also knew one lovely human who lived here and spoke about it in such a dreamy way that we had to come see for ourselves.
Anastasia and Jeff • Bike lanes from Saltery Bay into town. What aspect of your previous community do you think would benefit qathet? Anastasia and Jeff • Walk-in or urgent care clinics to help ease the load on ER staff, and definitely more than one vet clinic!
What challenges did you face in trying to make a life for yourself here? Anastasia and Jeff • U-Haul… joking (mostly). It was a lot of work on a shorter-than-anticipated timeline, but so much has fallen into place in ways we never expected. We’re still in awe, and very grateful for the support from family, friends, and even many strangers who helped make this dream happen for us. If you were mayor, what would you do? Anastasia and Jeff • Other than doing everything possible to make sure no one goes without food or shelter, we’d take a hard look at the seemingly fixed and high price of gas!
What are qathet’s best assets? Anastasia and Jeff • Farm stands, well-maintained trail networks, backcountry access, wildlife, incredible beaches, and so many kind people. What is your greatest extravagance? Anastasia and Jeff • Probably chocolate or ice cream. Lately that’s from Black Cat Chocolates, while we wait for Wild Scoop to open. So, so good! Which talent or superpower would you most like to have? Anastasia and Jeff • Being able to snap our fingers and have all our grown-up responsibilities taken care of, so we can get back outside to play.
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“Bickering and lunacy” discourages political participation Hi Pieta, I just read your “Says Who?” piece. That is certainly one aspect of our local scene. The toxicity around these parts is not unique, as you know. Some councils elsewhere are now strictly online. I used to attend all Council meetings, all RD board meetings, and most committees of both. I sat on as many as eight boards and advisory groups. I also followed local Facebook pages dealing with issues even though some participants hid their identities. Now? I have retreated to the coffee shops and bar scene to carry on political discussions. This is a local election year. It will no doubt be nasty as hell. Yesterday we were yet again chatting with a fellow who is tempted to run for mayor. He was an excellent councillor. He is not sure it will be worth the inevitable bickering and lunacy. I reminded him what he said the first time he ran for Council, that someone has to be willing to do it or we may not like what we get. I can’t do it. My daughters tell me I say “fuck” too much. For good reason I say, the yahoos in the gallery are insufferable. - Cheers, Wayne Brewer
Stop subsidizing the Province, cities Greetings, I read with interest the “Says Who” piece in the February issue of qathet Living. I agree that there is definitely a “cost” for residents expressing their perspectives and being identified. And, as you note, this has had a significant impact on the potential for open dialogue on issues of the day. Given today’s highly politicized environment, this is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. There is an option to being unable to speak directly to a police officer, social worker, teacher, and others about their lived experience: accessing credible researchers, many of them university based, who conduct studies in these areas. Researchers can provide a conduit for the flow of information from persons in various occupations to the general public. And researchers do not remain anonymous. In our work with communities and police services, for example, we often conduct focus group discussions with officers about their lived experiences and the challenges and opportunities they encounter. Although the officers themselves remain anonymous in our reports, what is most important is how they see the policing landscape. As a side note: the debate over the emergency warming shelter at Dwight Hall is illustrative of the downloading that has occurred on communities in
preservation and thoughtful integration into our future. Heritage is not an obstacle to progress; it is an asset. Responsible waterfront development that respects history can generate lasting cultural and economic benefits. With prime waterfront property available, we must ask: is another industrial site truly the highest and best use for this space? Powell River deserves transparency, meaningful public engagement, and a comprehensive plan that balances growth with preservation. - Regards, Charles Tremewen
MAIL BAG We welcome feedback from our readers. Letters may be edited for length. Email your comments to editor@qathetliving.ca, or mail an old-school letter in the post to qathet Living, 7053E Glacier St, Powell River, BC V8A 5J7.
BC and across the country: legally and financially in BC, the provincial government is responsible for emergency shelters but, as is often the case, do not fulfill their legislated mandate. Similar challenges are faced by communities in addressing the issues of homelessness/addiction/mental health. The downloading is also manifested in the increasing number of police calls for service that are related to mental health; similarly, in BC communities, over 50% of the calls for service responded to by Fire & Rescue Services are medically related. This is due to inadequate EHS resources. It is notable that the Powell River Fire & Rescue Service recently announced that it will no longer respond to medical calls, except in very serious cases. In sending fire and rescue personnel to medical calls, the municipality is de facto subsidizing what is a legislated provincial responsibility. We’ve suggested to more than one municipal council in BC that it should submit an annual invoice to the province to cover the cost of municipal resources being used to fill the gap in legislated provincial responsibilities. Thank you, - Curt Taylor Griffiths, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, School of Criminology, SFU. Associate Faculty Member, Royal Roads University
Save the stack There is growing concern about the lack of transparency and planning surrounding this proposed development (“Demolished for New Dreams,” December 2025). To date, no public site plan, environmental review, or heritage assessment has been shared — including for structures more than 100 years old. Our city’s history risks being erased by decisions that feel rushed and irreversible. Should choices with permanent consequences for our shared heritage be left to short-term elected officials without a clear, publicly vetted vision? Once these historic assets are lost, they are gone forever. This waterfront holds stories that deserve
Don’t save the stack Re: “Demolished for New Dreams,” December 2025. This memorial [letter] is dedicated to the once majestic forests of coastal British Columbia, Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii, all consumed to feed the ravenous appetites of the pulp and paper industry: It was a time of peace and plenty where the first people lived in harmony with the land and the water and with all of the living things that dwelled upon the earth. They took only what was required to lead their simple lives and did not conceive of needing more. It was truly a time of peace and contentment and the people knew that they shared the land with all of the creatures of nature and they showed great respect for all living things. The Creator that was their God, was responsible for it all and was held in great regard. When the first people arrived at this place it was at the time of the final receding of the mighty ice age and all was new and fresh. They thrived for thousands of years and never once caused a blemish on the land. Then came the arrogant white man, the European colonizers, secure in their knowledge that all that they observed was theirs for the taking. The people who occupied the land had no rights and were simply an inconvenience that needed to be swept aside as these men took over the land and all that it contained. Eventually they brought axe and saw and began to cut into the mighty forests. They built railroads giving access to these forests and its majestic trees and when they were done not a one was left standing. They took the trees, they took the profits and they left behind a land that was now decimated and abandoned. Abandoned to those that were left behind, men who if given a chance would boast of the glory days of logging, how big those trees were, how big the mill was and how proud they were of the part that they had played in it all. And so it was and so it is in this once fair land. Let us not memorialize any part of this unfortunate era of displacement and destruction. - Jerry Eskes
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This letter is not a rebuttal to a letter I read in the February qathet Living magazine 2026 (“Warning: Astrology is not scientific”). My experience of working with Astrology has demonstrated that the practice of Astrology is a queer thing. It defies scientific logic, yet relies on the observational practice. For example, Astrologers have noted down through the centuries that if a planet/Sun or Moon are in certain relationships with each other as seen from Earth, that configuration has consistently pointed to similar events on earth. For as long as humans have been on the this planet we have sought to understand what is going on and to be able to predict what would happen next. We have also sought after control over the unpredictable. Their ability to predict the changing seasons as done by Astrologers in ancient Egypt even went as far as noticing the procession of the equinox. A phenomenon that would later point to our journey around our galaxy. I have been calculating and reading charts since the 80’s. I’m very familiar with the disclaimer that Science has placed on Astrology. Yet to their amazement I suspect that they have to keep saying it. I have personally been asked if I “believe” in Astrology. And my answer is it is a queer thing ... that surprises me to this day. I do not “believe” that we will ever have a scientific proof/rational/double blind test for Astrology that will have Astrologers be recognized as a legitimate thing. Nor do I think that centuries later, people are still so naive that people like me are running around bilking people of their money through clever observational tricks. What I have experienced in applying what I have learned from studying Astrology text, going to Astrological conferences and taking and completing courses in Astrology, that when applied to a client’s chart, I can say meaningful things to them. Clients do come away with informa-
tion that can be meaningfully applied to their life. A simple way to describe what information can be gleaned from calculating the placement of the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and in recent times Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (and Asteroids and Trans Neptunian objects, etc., which is a rabbit hole that I do not go down) as seen literally from the place on earth that the client was born at the time recorded of their birth, some examples follow. This diagram gives a symbolic picture of the themes of the clients life. Will it say Jack will marry Jill on May 1, 2026? No. If an Astrologer is asked, “Will Jack and Jill have a successful marriage?” the Astrologer can see the strengths and challenges that can arise between these two people. We cannot predict with certainty whether these two people will successfully work through the challenges. Career questions are quite commonly asked. An Astrologer can run through a list of scenarios that should be part of the clients search for the right job at this point in life. I look at the themes described for positions in society, daily work conditions, resources inherit in the individual that would or could be used in a career situation. Will they apply what I have pointed out to them? I do not know, as advice is just that. Today in Astrology most people are learning to read their own charts. Bypassing the interpretations lets say I might have of their charts. In this scenario I am a guide to the language of Astrology. There are many things in life that Humans have not figured out in “Scientific Terms” and a world of good that Science has given too. Humans are curious and questioning and seek meaning and understanding and I hope that all avenues are explored to our benefit. Personally I am endlessly fascinated by Natal charts and so, too, I am continuing the practice of observation and correlations that humans have done since we lay down at night and discovered those wandering stars. - Moreen Reed
Battle of the Badges Charity Hockey Game Saturday, March 28 at Hap Parker Arena. 6 pm.
Tickets at 460 Realty, TAWS, the Fire Hall, RCMP Station and at the door. Proceeds split between Cops for Cancer Tour de Coast and the PR Professional Firefighters Charitable Society’s Feed the Kids program. This space available to non-profit organizations, courtesy City Transfer
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DISAPPEARING VILLAGES: Above, Balkan Village in Townsite. Residents of the village gather with musical instruments, while others look on, 1911. Left, Architectural drawing of quarters for 26 men, Balkan Village. Riverside/Balkan Village looking North,1916. Below, Townsite plan of the old Townsite, 1915. To the left of the river are two neighbourhoods: the top is Riverside, and the bottom is Balkan Village. Photos courtesy of the qathet Museum
Across the dam, Balkan Village
L
ike many cities in Canada, early Powell River was shaped by a rich mix of cultures, as people from around the world arrived in search of work, opportunity, and a better life. In the early 1910s, Balkan Village was a series of shack-like bunkhouses to house laborers, primarily from Europe, who helped with the early construction of the mill. The village was located across the river and dam from Townsite, on the former site of tiskʷat a historic village site of the Tla’amin Nation. In time, another neighbourhood, Riverside, also formed on that same side of the river. According to local accounts, the first residents were largely Russian Cossacks. In 1917, at the outbreak of the Russian Civil War, they were reportedly taken from the area aboard The Old Charmer and sent back to Russia by the Russian consulate to serve in
BLAST FROM THE PAST DEVAN GILLARD the army. As the steamer pulled away, the men are said to have stood along the rail, singing songs from their homeland. In the years that followed, the area encompassing Balkan Village and Riverside became a cultural mosaic. After the Russians left, single male Italian workers moved into the shacks, resulting in many Italian families later settling into Riverside along with some Irish and French-Canadian residents. By the late 1920s, an increasing number of British
and American workers began to settle Balkan Village. The 1929, Powell River Digester nicknamed the area “Little Scotland,” and one of the houses became known as the “Thistle”. In 1929, Balkan Village was cleared to make way for the Riverside Oval, a new athletic ground. The remaining Riverside community was eventually removed in 1959.
qathet Living • March 2026 • 35
BUSINESS AFFAIRS
Local designer Taylor Designs has gone through a series of changes to take on its current form as a marketing and design agency serving local businesses. Shannon Taylor formed Taylor Designs in 2018 as a home based craft business. During Covid, it pivoted into marketing contract services. In January 2024, Shannon was hired full time by a client, and was running Taylor Designs as a small side business when she moved to Powell River in July for another job opportunity. That ended when the company was sold to a new owner. “It was time to reopen Taylor Designs and dive back into doing what I do best, marketing and design!” Shannon told qL. With two degrees in marketing and design from VCC Langara, and 25 years of continued graphic and program studies, Shannon offers graphic design, social media services and management, and print designs for newspaper, magazines, and posters, etc. “I offer reasonable prices for small businesses to help promote their products and services, allowing them to do what they do best — run their business!” She currently represents nine businesses — seven of which are right here in town. For more info, visit her website at taylordesigns.ca, email taylor2002@shaw.ca, or call 604-818-1931.
Farms join combined food box A foodbox program that started on the lower coast has moved north. The Sunshine Coast Foodbox is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) arrangement that works with farms to connect, crop plan together, and share resources. One Straw Society
Cosmos is “inviting expressions of interest from qualified individuals, business leaders, community ownership groups, and investment partners who recognize both the responsibility and the opportunities associated with owning a historic franchise.”
SEAN PERCY manages distribution, marketing, and administration so farmers can focus on growing. Four local farms, Terra Nostra Farm, Paradise Valley Farm, Blueberry Commons and Coming Home Farm are participating this year in a Powell River/qathet foodbox. Locals can sign up at onestraw.ca to pick up a foodbox Thursday for 14 weeks from July 2 to October 1 for $689.
Kings search Cosmos for new owner The Powell River Kings have turned to marketing firm Cosmos Sports & Entertainment in its search for a new owner. “This is a rare opportunity to acquire a BCHL franchise in a market that genuinely cares about its team,” said Cary Kaplan, president of Cosmos Sports. “The Kings have history, brand equity, and a passionate fan base. With strong leadership and proper investment, there is significant potential to strengthen operations, grow partnerships, and build long-term stability.” Joe Mastrodonato, who has been the force behind the team since bringing it to town in 1988, said, “For more than three decades, the Kings have meant so much to so many families. Now it’s time for the next group of leaders to step forward, bring fresh energy and resources.”
Farm goes to school Solsken Farm is transforming into Solsken Folk School. The Wildwood farm was purchased in December by Kayley Redgers and Aly Jones. The school inspired by Danish folk schools — simple community spaces centered around sharing skills, food, stories, and time together. Right now they’re running workshops out of a converted shop on the property. The long-term dream is to build a space designed specifically for workshops and community gatherings. Their first workshop is a primer on pruning scheduled for March 7. Homebirth emergency skills, knitting, and cheesemaking workshops are also on the agenda. They’ve taken over acres of grapes, fruit trees, gardens, as well as half a dozen sheep and a flock of chickens, so farming also continues on the property. They hope to have a potato co-op soon. “We’re excited to grow food for ourselves, for workshops, and eventually for shared meals.” “We imagine Solsken as a place where you can learn to bake bread, mend your clothes, build things, preserve food, sit at a long table, and meet your neighbours,” said Kayley. For more info, visit solskenfolkschool.ca || sean@qathetliving.ca
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36 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
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əm kʷaθ nan Namesake A film about place, memory, and what it means to live together. In the coastal community currently known as Powell River, a request from the Tla’amin Nation sets off a public conversation. Through interviews, archival records, oral histories, and community gatherings, təm kʷaθ nan Namesake follows the discussion around a possible name change for the city and the deeper questions underlying it. Special community preview screenings will be held at the qathet international film festival on March 6 (sold out) and March 16 (limited tickets available).
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MARCH EVENTS
Why buy new? Buy used—save hundreds
5
Intro to Line Dancing begins
Film • qathet International Film Festival Opening Party and Namesake / təm kʷaθ nan
Storytimes: Festival Francophone
World Day of Prayer Service
Thursday
10:30 am, Legion. $3 drop in weekly for 12 weeks.
10:30 am to 11 am each day, Library.
Seniors’ Luncheon Like-new Apple computers & iPhones
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11:30 am to 12:30 pm. Trinity Hall, United Church (near 7-11). Followed by Projects Half Done, 1- 3 pm. Free.
Festival of Performing Arts: Dance
Evergreen Theatre. See schedule at qathetfestivalofperformingarts.com
Suave Melodies and Spanish Follies: Pacific Baroque Festival 2026
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world. See the guide in the February issue of qathet Living.
7 pm, James Hall. Tickets at Showpass.
6
Friday
Paralympic Winter Games begins Shrek on Ice 6:30 pm, Hap Parker, by donation. Powell River Skating Club’s production of the DreamWorks classic.
Rendez-Vous de la Francophonie
Multiple film screenings starting at 10 am. Drop-in. Library. Discover a selection of Francophone films from the NFB offering a rich and diverse look at Francophone cultures across Canada. View the full schedule here:prpl. ca/event/rendez-vousde-la-francophonieon-the-ice-and-in-thewoods/2026-03-06/1/
Two Pianos, No Rodeo: Bob Wiseman and Mike Boguski 7 pm, qathet Academy of Music and Arts. Tickets $30 on Showpass (under 18 $10). See more, right.
qathet International Film Festival begins qathetfilm.ca. Watch 16 feature films from BC, Canada, and around the
6 pm party, 7 pm screening, The Patricia.
10 am, Reformed Church of Powell River, 4372 Padgett Rd. For more info contact Faye Perry, 604-414-5220.
Sunshine Coast Flavour Festival begins
Dining festival from Gibsons to Lund. See flavourfestival.ca.
7
Saturday
Daylight Savings: Spring Ahead (set your clocks ahead tonight for the last time!) Festival Francophone 5110 Manson Avenue. Traditional sugar shack brunch and maple taffy on snow, live music, and more. Info and tickets at afqa.ca.
Winter Paralympics 2026 Watch Party
10 am to 3 pm, Library. See prpl.ca for full schedule of Paralympic watch parties this month.
Uptown Market
10 am to noon, outside Dr. Varma’s office on Joyce. Bread, pies, cookies, gluten-free baking, eggs, plants, local artisanal gifts.
Festival of Performing Arts Grand Concert
7 pm, Evergreen Theatre. $25 or $20 for students and seniors.
Film / qIFF • Mr Nobody Against Putin 1:30 pm, The Patricia. Preceded by Paradaïz
Film / qIFF • Hamnet 7 pm, The Patricia.
BLUE RODEO PIANISTS: Bob Wiseman and Mike Boguski take the keys at qathet Academy of Music March 6.
Two Pianos, No Rodeo
T
his isn’t a concert. It’s a piano séance in two acts. Bob Wiseman and Mike Boguski, two of Canada’s most unpredictable keyboard minds, are taking turns dismantling and reimagining what a solo piano set can be. One piano. Two artists. Zero cowboy hats. See them March 6, 7 pm, at James Hall (qathet Academy of Music.) See left. Bob Wiseman • Founding member of Blue Rodeo. Punk pianist. Lo-fi provocateur. Think Monk meets Burroughs at a Toronto dive bar. Expect sound collage, biting satire, sonic left turns. Nothing’s off limits. Mike Boguski • Current Blue Rodeo pianist. Ambient soul explorer. A master of restraint and reverie. Piano as landscape. Melody as memory. Quiet storms and cinematic swells. Musical cliff jumping. The Night • Each artist takes the same piano and launches in opposite directions — solo, stripped down, wide open. One piano. Two deeply personal journeys. No safety net. No genre crutches. No rodeo. Come for the clash of styles. Stay for the communion. This is piano as protest, as prayer or as whatever they feel that night. “Two Pianos, No Rodeo” is for those who like their art live, unexpected, and slightly dangerous. Think of it less like a show and more like two sonic postcards from different planets sent through the same grand piano. - Jason Addy
8
Sunday
International Women’s Day Accordion Extravaganza!
2 pm, James Hall, by donation. Matinée concert and preview of the 5th annual qathet Accordion Fest. This one-hour performance featuring Walter Martella, Karina Inkster, and Terry Martyniuk, will feature tango music, film score, and jazz.
Powell River Farmers’ Market
12:30 to 2:30 pm, Paradise Exhibition Grounds (4365 McLeod Road). Produce, meat, baking, prepared food, artisan vendors.
Lang Bay Song Circle 1-3 pm, Lang Bay Hall. By donation.
Magic the Gathering Commander night
6 pm, High Tide Games. Bring your best Commander deck and be prepared to defend your creatures.
Soul Groove Sunday Drop-In
11 am to 12:30 pm, qathet Academy of Arts. Dance space.
Texada Farmers’ Market
Noon til 2 pm, Texada Community Hall
QRCA Group Bike Rides begin
Follow along on Facebook or Instagram Qathet Regional Cycling Association for more details on our weekly group rides.
Kings vs. Alberni Valley Bulldogs 7 pm Hap Parker.
Film / qIFF • Emergence: Women in the Storm 1:30 pm, The Patricia. Preceded by My Knitting Circle
Film / qIFF • All That’s Left of You 7 pm, The Patricia.
9
Monday
Commonwealth Day ASL Kids Club 4 to 4:30 pm. Drop-in. t̓ oxʷʊm/ Huckleberry Room (Room B). Join ASL Specialist Donna Lee for stories and games in American Sign Language. Everyone welcome! prpl. ca/series/asl-kids-club/
Community Pasta Dinner
4:30 to 6 pm, Trinity Hall, United Church (near 7-11). Everyone welcome. Free.
Board Game Night
5 pm, High Tide Games. Use one of High Tide’s or bring your own.
Film / qIFF • The Secret Agent 7 pm, The Patricia.
10
Tuesday
Film / qIFF • The Mastermind
1:30 pm, The Patricia. Preceded by The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Film / qIFF • It was just an Accident
7 pm, The Patricia. Preceded by The Sounds of Things Ablaze
11
Wednesday
St. Patrick’s Museum Drop-In Begins
Regular museum hours, qathet Museum (Willingdon). Drop in for a St. Patrick’s Day-themed scavenger hunt and shamrock-making. Free with admission by donation. Ages 4 to 10. March 11 to 14 and 18 to 20.
Dungeons & Dragons night
Doors at 5:30, games at 6 pm. High Tide Games. Come to watch or start a character and jump right in on the adventure.
Film / qIFF • Mile End Kicks
1:30 pm, The Patricia. Preceded by Freaks of Nurture
Film / qIFF • 100 Litres of Gold 7 pm, The Patricia.
12
Thursday
Seniors’ Luncheon
11:30 am to 12:30 pm, Trinity Hall, United Church (near 7-11). Followed by Projects Half Done, 13 pm. Free.
Film / qIFF • The Blue Trail 1:30 pm, The Patricia. Preceded by The Muse
Film / qIFF • No Other Choice 7 pm, The Patricia.
Kings vs. Prince George Spruce Kings 7 pm, Hap Parker
13 Friday
Last day of school before Spring Break Miss Emily in concert
7 pm, Cran Hall. On the triumphant heels of her second Juno nomination (for her 2025 album “The Medicine”), this three time Maple Blues Award winner requires no spoonful of sugar for her rich sound to go down! Print tickets only ($30) at The Nutcracker Market.
Film / qIFF • The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes
1:30 pm, The Patricia. Preceded by Imprint
Film / qIFF • Sentimental Value 7 pm, The Patricia.
Kings vs. Prince George Spruce Kings 7 pm, Hap Parker
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14
Saturday
Seedy Saturday
10 am to 3 pm, Dwight Hall. A day of seed swapping and information sharing for community groups, gardeners, and farmers.
BC Hockey U13 Provincial Championships Hap Parker
Uptown Market
10 am to noon, outside Dr. Varma’s office on Joyce. Bread, pies, cookies, gluten-free baking, eggs, plants, local artisanal gifts.
Let’s Go Surfin’ Beach Boys tribute
7 pm, Evergreen Theatre. $50 plus GST, at the Rec Complex.
Film / qIFF • Orwell 2+2=5
1:30 pm, The Patricia.
Film / qIFF • Closing Party with Köln 75 6 pm party, 7 pm screening, The Patricia.
Kings vs. Prince George Spruce Kings 7 pm, Hap Parker
Spring begins with Seedy Saturday At Seedy Saturday (March 14, Dwight Hall, 10 am to 3 pm) people swap their packaged seeds for other people’s seeds. If you are new to seed saving, and don’t have seeds to swap, don’t worry, as hundreds of local seed packets are donated by local growers. Gardening and farming books or magazines are also exchanged at the swap. Garden-related workshops are held throughout the event. Community information tables manned by dozens of enthusiastic volunteers offer useful tips and guidance on topics like market gardening, permaculture, composting, and bee-keeping. The event has also expanded into the sale of locally (BC) grown seeds, fertilizers, and garden-related products by vendors. This family-friendly event includes a children’s activity corner and a Seedy Cafe, as well as a popular Silent Auction.
New Films Weekly
i n h i sto r i c tow n s i t e ■ pat r i c i at h e at r e . c o m ■ 6 0 4 - 4 8 3 - 9 3 4 5 qathet Living • March 2026 • 39
MARCH EVENTS Wills Litigation Real Estate Matrimonial
15
Sunday
Lailat al-Qadr Free Community Skate with your MP Aaron Gunn
3 to 5 pm, Complex. Register at aarongunnmp.ca. See more on Page 55.
Texada Farmers’ Market
Noon til 2 pm, Texada Community Hall
Experienced. Local. Professional.
Call Hillary Fleming today.
Powell River Farmers’ Market
12:30 to 2:30 pm, Paradise Exhibition Grounds (4365 McLeod Road). Produce, meat, baking, prepared food, artisan vendors.
Magic the Gathering Commander night
6 pm, High Tide Games. Bring your best Commander deck and be prepared to defend your creatures.
4571 Marine Ave • 604-485-2771
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We’ve got it to go. (And you can feel good about it.) For a wide variety of eco-packaging, visit Aaron Service & Supply. We have take out containers made from a variety of environmentally friendly products, such as compostable paper, bamboo, bio-degradable plastic, wood, and sugarcane fibre. • Cups • Soup cups • Salad bowls • Straws • Bags • Cutlery • and more…
16
Monday
Spring Break Camps begin
At the Rec Complex (see the Active Living Guide at powellriverprc.com for details) and at the Library: Spring Break Comic Camps March 16-20. By registration. First Credit Union Community Room. With graphic novelist Kathleen Gros. (Ages 8-10) runs 1 to 3 pm. Teen camp (Ages 11+) runs 10 am to noon. Space is limited. For registration and more information about this year’s facilitator, visit : prpl.ca/spring-break-comic-camp-2026/
Community Pasta Dinner
4:30 to 6 pm, Trinity Hall, United Church (near 7-11). Everyone welcome. Free.
Board Game Night
5 pm, High Tide Games. Use one of High Tide’s or bring your own.
Film • Namesake / təm kʷaθ nan
aaronservice.com • trevor@aaronservice.com 604 485-5611 • 4703 Marine Ave
40 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
7 pm screening, The Patricia. qIFF encore screening
17
Tuesday
St. Patrick’s Day Film • Hamnet
7-11). Followed by Projects Half Done, 1- 3 pm. Free.
20 Friday
7 pm screening, The Patricia. qIFF encore screening
Spring Equinox
18
21
Wednesday
Dungeons & Dragons night
Doors at 5:30, games at 6 pm. High Tide Games. Come to watch or start a character and jump right in on the adventure.
19
Thursday
Town Hall meeting with MP Aaron Gunn
6-8 pm at Church of the Assumption Hall on Glacier St. Doors open at 5:30 pm, event at 6 pm. Register at aarongunnmp.ca. See more on Page 55.
Malaspina Naturalists Speaker Night — Invasive Species in the qathet District
Trinity Hall, United Church, on Duncan Street, 7:30 pm, Doors at 7 pm. Stephanie Weinstein is an avid naturalist and environmental educator who is passionate about connecting people to nature and inspiring them to learn about, care for and take action to protect biodiversity. Her talk will be a “Naturalist Guide to Invasive Species in the qathet District; Protecting Special Places and Endemic Stickleback”. Everyone welcome. $5 drop-in fee for non-members.
Memoir Writing Course on Texada
Noon to 2 pm, Texada library. Discover the joys of memoir writing in this first of a two part workshop. Previous attendees wishing to deepen or refresh their skills are welcome. To register contact Mark at mmerlino@prpl.ca
Seniors’ Luncheon
11:30 am to 12:30 pm Trinity Hall, United Church (near
Saturday
Combatting Climate Disinformation
4:30 pm, Cran Hall. Join the qathet Climate Alliance for a presentation and discussion. Free or by donation. Light refreshments provided. For those interested in joining the qCA, stay for a short AGM at 6:20 pm. Anyone sharing the qCA mission is welcome to make a pay-what-youcan donation to become a member at the same website or at the event. The AGM will be followed by a social gathering over a potluck supper. Save your spot: email your RSVP to info@qathetclimatealliance.ca by March 18th.
Crib Tournament
Lang Bay Community Club. $25 per person. Last chance to register March 18. 604-483-1440.
Community Garage Sale
9 am to 2 pm, Carlson Community Club.
Uptown Market
10 am to noon, outside Dr. Varma’s office on Joyce. Bread, pies, cookies, gluten-free baking, eggs, plants, local Artisan gifts.
22 Sunday
Texada Farmers’ Market
Noon til 2 pm, Texada Community Hall
Lang Bay Community Club AGM 2 pm at Lang Bay Hall. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend and learn the important role this Club plays in the south of town community.
Contact 604-483-1440 for more info.
Soul Groove Sunday Drop-In
11 am to 12:30 pm, qathet Academy of Arts. Dance space.
Powell River Farmers’ Market
12:30 to 2:30 pm, Paradise Exhibition Grounds (4365 McLeod Road). Produce, meat, baking, prepared food, artisan vendors.
Magic the Gathering Commander night
6 pm, High Tide Games. Bring your best Commander deck and be prepared to defend your creatures.
23 Monday
Community Pasta Dinner
4:30 to 6 pm, Trinity Hall, United Church (near 7-11). Everyone welcome. Free.
Board Game Night
5 pm, High Tide Games. Use one of High Tide’s or bring your own.
Kings vs. West Kelowna Warriors 7 pm, Hap Parker
24 Tuesday
Powell River Garden Club: Tool maintenance and sharpening with Ron Berezan
Doors open at 6:30, meeting at 7 pm at Cranberry Seniors Centre. Everyone welcome. Also Members of Powell River Garden club will be on hand, Saturday, March 14 at Seedy Saturday with information about the club and the benefits of belonging to this vibrant community of gardening enthusiasts.
Paul Jenkinson is Listening begins
Library. Through March 28. Social Worker Paul Jenkinson aka The Listener will also sit with community members who are recognized as people who listen well and are able to promote community harmony. To contact Paul email
pejenkinson@gmail.com . youtu.be/jAzHPQQxsZc
Compassionate Friends meeting
6:30 pm. For anyone who lost a child at any age, for any reason. For location and more, email powellrivercf@gmail.com. See ad on Page 2.
25
Wednesday
National Cerebral Palsy Day See story on Page 31.
Dungeons & Dragons night
Doors at 5:30, games at 6 pm. High Tide Games. Come to watch or start a character and jump right in on the adventure.
26
28
Seniors’ Luncheon
Battle of the Badges: RCMP vs. Firefighters hockey game
Thursday
11:30 am to 12:30 pm, Trinity Hall, United Church (near 7-11). Followed by Projects Half Done, 13 pm. Free.
27 Friday
Artist Janet Southcott on passion, purpose, and community
7 pm, Library. Local painter Janet Southcott will be discussing finding passion, purpose, and community through art and her artwork currently on display at the Library.
Saturday
7 pm, Hap Parker. Battle of the Badges raises money for the Powell River Professional Firefighters Charitable Society’s Feed the Kids Program and Cops for Cancer. Watch for 460 realtors selling 50/50 tickets on site! There will also be program giveaways. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in advance at the RCMP detachment on Barnet Street, the fire hall on Courtenay Street, TAWS on Marine Avenue, 460 Realty on Joyce Avenue, or at the door (cash only) on game day.
Local Author Anna Byrne: The Last Caravan
2 pm, Library. Anna presents an antidote to urgency and loneliness. Her new book offers a fresh paradigm for deathcare by
returning it to the hands of the community.
Uptown Market
10 am to noon, outside Dr. Varma’s office on Joyce. Bread, pies, cookies, gluten-free baking, eggs, plants, local Artisan gifts.
Julio Avila Cuban Band fundraiser for the Powell River Food Bank
Doors 7 pm, concert at 8 pm, Carlson Loft. $35. Tickets at the Carlson Club.
Brice Tabish Band 7 pm, Legion
Got Stones! Rolling Stones Tribute
7 pm, Evergreen Theatre. $36.75 at the Rec Complex.
29 Sunday
Palm Sunday Doug and the Slugs
7 pm, Max Cameron Theatre. Hard tickets available at The Nutcrack-
er, Armitage Menswear, and at Full Bug Records. Online tickets available at dougandtheslugs.tickit.ca/ events/33309. $55.
Burger & Beer for Grace House: Coastal Women in Business 1-4 pm, $20 tickets (available at Mother Nature, The Nutcracker Market, Primo’s Barber Den, and online coastalwib.ca) Burger & Beer event at the Carlson Club to benefit Grace House/qathet Safe. Raffles, silent auction, and more!
Cranberry Hall Coffee House
30 Monday
Back to school after Spring Break Free Community Pasta Dinner Board Game Night
5 pm, High Tide Games. Use one of High Tide’s or bring your own.
Texada Farmers’ Market
Noon til 2 pm, Texada Community Hall
12:30 to 2:30 pm, Paradise Exhibition Grounds (4365 McLeod Road). Produce, meat, baking, prepared food, artisan vendors.
Are you in construction?
6 pm, High Tide Games. Bring your best Commander deck and be prepared to defend your creatures.
4:30 to 6 pm, Trinity Hall, United Church (near 7-11).
6:30 sign up, 7 pm performances. Everyone welcome.
Powell River Farmers’ Market
Magic the Gathering Commander night
31
Tuesday
Kindergarten registration deadline
Visit sd47.bc.ca to register children born in 2021.
Builders Carpenters Contractors
Do we know you?
Drywallers Electricians
In June, qathet Living will publish our first Construction Guide, including a directory of all the businesses (or at least all those we can find) that are available to help local homeowners with their building, home, yard & garden projects.
Engineers Excavators Flooring Glaziers Handymen
Do we know to include your free business listing?
Deadline is April 20.
Make sure by sending a note to sean@qathetliving.ca
Heating & Cooling Landscapers Painters Plumbers Roofers qathet Living • March 2026 • 41
8 March
Soul Groove Sunday Dance Space Drop-in program
Runs Every Second Sunday
11:00am 12:30pm
8 Mar
Accordion Extravaganza
2:00pm By donation
9 April
Penderecki String Quartet
7:30pm $25
March Break Clean-Up! Are you around this March Break? Join us for an outdoor clean-up and help give the Academy spaces a fresh start this spring. All ages welcome • Bring a friend • Make a difference
Sign up Here:
Congratulations to everyone who participated in the qathet Festival of the Performing Arts. Thank you for keeping the oldest, continuing cultural event in the area alive with your talents and hard work.
Tickets & registration online: 7280 Kemano St
604-485-9633
! l i a m y b t i et G Subscribe to qathet Living for just $70 a year, including taxes! Get all 12 issues of qathet Living, plus ZEST and Home Grown.
Simply call (604-485-0003) or email (office@qathetliving.ca), or fill in the information below and mail this, along with your cheque or credit card details to:
qathet Living Subscriptions 7053E Glacier St, Powell River, BC V8A 5J7 Name Email Address City, Prov Postal Code Phone
Q Why would I subscribe when I can get qathet Living free all over town, or online at qathetliving.ca?
A For folks who prefer to read a paper edition and are not in the qathet area, or are not able to get out, getting it in the mail is a practical solution to satisfy their craving for qathet stories. The magazine is still free, we just have to charge for postage.
42 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
Have a CREATIVE Spring Break Land & Sea - La terre et la mer - Poetry Contest for Kids
April is National Poetry Month. Celebrate by writing a poem that explores your relationship with water and land. Every stone, stream, mountain, and drop of water is a teacher; every breeze, a messenger. Prizes in two categories: Grades 1-3 & Grades 4-6. Entries accepted in French and English. Email to szagwyn@prpl.ca by April 26. Full contest details coming mid-March at prpl.ca.
Recreation Complex camps
March 16 to 20, and 23 to 27. Swimming, skating, bowling, and more. See powellriverprc.ca for the full details.
Earth Week ReNew Art Faire - Youth Exhibit - call for submissions
Youth Artwork Drop-off Tuesdays & Thursdays 12-5 pm through March. *In conjunction with our Earth Week ReNew Art Faire on April 25, 10-4 pm at historic Dwight Hall. ART CALL: qathet ART is calling all youth artists to submit artwork with themes around nature and ecology, including human relationships to the “other than human”
world and the impact of climate crises. Artwork made with repurposed and natural materials are welcome! Youth (under 18) artwork drop off Tuesdays &Thursdays 12-5 pm through March.
High Tide Games Gaming Nights
Warhammer, Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, and more happen nearly every weeknight – free – at High Tide Games. Check social media for more, or drop in to the store.
Spring Break Comic Camps
Spring Break Comic Camps March 16-20. By registration. First Credit Union Community Room. The Library’s popular Spring Break Comic Camps are back, this year welcoming graphic novelist Kathleen Gros as guest artist! Kids Camp (ages 8-10) runs 1 – 3 pm. Teen Camp (ages 11+) runs 10 am – 12 pm. Space is limited. For registration and more information about this year’s facilitator, visit: prpl.ca/spring-break-comic-camp-2026/
Fantasy Adventure Club BY DAN ROGERS AND ROBIN GIBSON
From 4 to 5:30 pm every Wednesday, a group of adventurers, more commonly known as teenagers, meet up at the Powell River Public Library.
They embark on a fantastical adventure, and often, sow complete chaos in a session of a table top role playing game, a type of collaborative story telling where each player takes the role of a character in an imaginary world. A facilitator, often known as a Dungeon Master, Game Master, or Referee, runs the world, ensuring that the actions of Non-Player Characters and the consequences of the players actions are fair and rooted in the shared logic of the game. Players face challenges, match wits with monsters, solve puzzles, and navigate moral dilemmas. Anything that can happen to a character in a movie or a book can happen to a party of adventurers in a role playing game. Being a player asks you to use your imagination, make plans, and react to unexpected circumstances. You are challenged to consider how you would react to situations that you may not have encountered in your life, allowing you a safe space to experiment with the consequences of different actions. Players are free to try on different personalities, bodies, and abilities. Maybe in this campaign you are a gnome barbarian with a deep knowledge of the local fauna, or a fox person tinker who worships
the moon. It is freeing to inhabit someone else for a while, someone who doesn’t have the problems that you experience in your real life. Everyone needs that little escape from reality once in a while, and table top role playing is a safe, supportive space to do that. Beyond escapism, taking on a character allows players to experiment with identities and values in a lowstakes environment. Besides creating the world and planning challenges, one of the game master’s jobs is to play the role of Non Player Characters. NPCs are one of the most important things in a campaign, they are the game master’s way of showing how the players’ actions affect the world around them. Creating and acting NPCs is a rewarding bit of improv, you never know when the random shop keeper or tavern owner you thought up on the spot will become your players’ favourite, inspiring repeat visits just to check in on them, or the raising of an army if they are in danger. Regardless if you are a player or game master, tabletop role playing games provide everyone with plenty of ways to shine. Those with a dramatic flair can fully embody their character with a unique voice and physical acting, clever folk can make elaborate schemes, writers can flex their craft with a character journal or in-world letters, artists can illustrate the players’ adventures or draw maps of the world, crafters can create miniature scenes or sew costumes. No matter how you engage with the shared story, the telling of it gives you and a group of friends a reason to spend a few hours in each other’s company.
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Surviving Spring’s Transition
T
his month is the Vernal Equinox, and cultivating a sense of belonging is a brief point in the year where paramount. we have equal amounts of dayFaith and spirituality: Be it mainlight and nighttime. Spring is in the air stream religion or “alternative” beliefs, and messaging tends to focus on life connecting with a sense of the divine is unfolding in a gentle, beautiful ways. powerfully stabilizing. Sweet medicine — w ith risk of glossing Reduce caffeine and sugars, inover the tougher aspects of emerging crease whole foods and water: Giving from the dark of Winter. our physical body nourishment is a Shell cracking, seed coat busting, foundational key, plus boosts intuition labouring to and energetic birth new wellbeing. life or new T o u c h lifeways not grass: Litonly takes eferally. Get fort, but can grounded be exhaustand engage JULIETTE JARVIS ing, frightensenses by ing, and a struggle where not every- sniffing the air, looking at things furthing makes it. ther away than a computer screen, and If these past months have contained listening to natural sounds. any dark nights of the soul, waking Play: It can be hard to get silly when up to new realities and finding a path life brings serious matters, but it’s forward might not match the pastel worth it. coloured softness presented by SpringPhysical movement: Dance, walk, time decor. slowly stretch, exercise, wriggle finIf your lived experience during the gers and toes. Emotional movement dark half of the year has contained naturally follows. the elements of initiation, an InteCreative practice: Art about it, write gration phase may be unfolding — a about it, get messy with glue and tears, time when any internal wisdom we’ve or pour your heart into song. gleaned needs to be implemented for Reduce stimuli: Choose comfort anchoring good change. This part is shows, swap a screen for paper, let often considered the hardest. there be quiet. Too often we’re barHow might we support ourselves raged with incoming activation that through this transition time? isn’t supportive. Look for signs of nature’s quickenFrom equinox until solstice as days ing and relish beauty: This brings life grow longer, may the light bring clarforce confirmation and reassures our ity and inspiration where you wish it nervous system. most. Gather with elders, olders, and survivors of hardship: Their wisdom and Keep connected until next time through companionship is invaluable. archives, books, & guides found Supportive cultural traditions: at juliettejarvis.com or subscribe Rooting into longstanding methods to juliettejarvis.substack.com
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qathet Living • March 2026 • 43
Book a Permanent Jewelry Party IDEAL FOR: Birthdays • Reunions Weddings • Graduation Milestones • Staff Appreciation Bachelorette • Girls Night Mom & Me • Holiday Party Bridal/Baby Shower or Just Because...
Found Stone P manent Jewelry Art • Dec
SPRING MEANS TOWNSITE JAZZ FEST: See legendary blues musician Jim Byrnes and his band, with the Brooks Vocal Jazz Ensemble, at the Max Cameron April 9. Check out the full line-up at townsitejazz.com.
LOOK AHEAD TO APRIL April 1
Follow me on Instagram for pop-ups and events schedule Ask any time about booking a party
@foundstone_jewelry_art_decor
25 qathet international
The Music of Peter Green: a tribute to Fleetwood Mac, with John Burton and Dude Cervantes and the Panchos 7 pm, Carlson Loft
April 2
First Day of Passover
April 3
Good Friday stat
This is a day off for most folks.
Master storyteller Jan Blake’s Re-Rooting Tour
7-9 pm, Cranberry Hall. Adults $25, Youth (12-18) $10, no youth under 12.
April 4 & 5
Springtime Market See Page 43 for more.
April 5
Easter Sunday
See Pages 22-23 for more.
10 Years since the Tla’amin Nation Final Agreement
April 6
MARCH 6 –14 Special thanks to all our supporters! This year’s festival pre-sales are nearly sold out. Limited tickets will be available at the door 30 minutes before show time.
qathetfilm.ca 44 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
Easter Monday
This is a day off for some lucky folks who are federally regulated and some unionized workers.
Tartan Day
Wear your kilt
Easter Community Turkey Dinner
At Trinity Hall, Powell River United Church (near 7-11). Free.
April 7
Drawn To Earth: Youth Art Exhibition begins qathet Art Centre
April 9
Penderecki String Quartet
7:30 pm, James Hall. $25.
April 9 to 11
Townsite Jazz Festival townsitejazz.com
April 11
CJMP People’s Prom The Alley
April 15
Opera? Are you kidding me?
7 pm, Max Cameron. Beloved arias and duets from the world’s most popular operas with a few hidden gems thrown in for kicks. Opera will be presented in a fun and entertaining atmosphere. Singers will be joined by solo violin and piano accompaniment. $35. Tickets at Showpass. com
April 17
DBX the Doobie Brothers Experience 7 pm, Evergreen.
April 19
qSO Spring concert: “Music of the Night”
Evergreen Theatre, 2 pm (doors open 1:30 pm) By donation. The qathet Symphony Orchestra invites you to experience selections from Phantom of the Opera; an orchestral version of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata; the Nocturne from Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”; Vox Madrigal singing alone and with the Orchestra; some Fireworks Music; and a very special world premiere of a brand new piece
by Roy Carson, featuring Barrie McDonald on solo Flugelhorn.
April 22
Secrets in the Stacks
7 to 8:30 pm, qathet Museum. $15. Bring your research questions! An overview of qMAS research sources, with one-on-one help to get you started, Ages 12+.
April 24 & 25
Grant Lawrence’s Stories and Songs tour
7 pm, Cran Hall. Tickets at grantlawrence.ca
April 25
Secrets in the Stacks
1 to 2:30 pm, qathet Museum. $15. Bring your research questions! An overview of qMAS research sources, with one-on-one help to get you started, Ages 12+.
April 27
Eagle Eyes: Eagles tribute 7 pm, Evergreen
April 28
qathet Play and Connect
Noon to 1:30 pm. Drop-in. Texada Elementary School. Early Years Development Series: information and resources for caregivers and a bundle of fun activities for the littles! prpl.ca/series/qathet-play-connect/
May 3
Garden Club’s Annual Plant sale
May 3
Island Cup Powell River XC Marathon Mountain Biking islandcupseries.com
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POWER TO THE PEOPLE: The People’s Prom has a long and proud tradition. This photo, of CJMP hosts and fans, was snapped at one of the Prom events.
A long, strange history of CJMP
T
his year marks the 15th anniversary of the relationship between qathet Community Radio Society’s CJMP and the qathet region. A “Crystal anniversary” commemorates clarity, transparency, and strength within the enduring beauty of a committed relationship. These good tidings aptly describe the approach that “The Little Station That Could” has taken over these years towards this northern corner of the Sunshine Coast. Although CJMP observed its 15th anniversary at the beginning of May last year, it began as a different incarnation way back in 2002. The late Dr. Geraldine Braak spearheaded the application to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for the Powell River Model Community Project for Persons with Disabilities (MCP) and on September 9, 2002, her vision became reality. Although she was legally blind, she possessed the ability to view the possibilities that an organization of this sort could provide a voice for the under-served citizens of the region. On May 1, 2003, Jump Radio, as it had been named, jumped onto the airwaves by being broadcast from a tower that still stands as a
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testament to this special day high atop Persephone Brewing Company’s Alley. In 2006, C-Jump, as it also became known, applied for a new license and morphed from a developmental community station to a low-power Type B community FM station. C-Jump’s purpose began to wane by 2008 with a decision to give up the CRTC licence and cease operation. Cue the emergence of the Powell River Community Radio Society (PRCRS) onto the landscape to take over from the MCP and become the steward of CJMP. In 2010, after a momentous AGM to stop the planned dissolution of the PRCRS and resulting loss of the licence, the leadership changed hands. The newly minted leadership gained the approval of the CRTC to acquire the assets of the MCP. The Jump Radio moniker was retired and CJMP Community Radio was born. © 2021 A&W Trade Marks Limited Partnership
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qathet Living • March 2026 • 45
Spring into fun AT THE LIBRARY
Every hour is a radio adventure... - Geoff Newton
ORCA BUS at Storytime! Thursday, March 12, 10:30 - 12 pm Our regular storytime is turbo-charged by the Orca Bus on March 12!
Join Sonia from PRPL for storytime (10:3011:00 am) in the Children’s Reading Room, then hop on board the Orca Bus with Lesley from Youth & Family (11:00 am-12:00 pm) to make connections, play and learn together!
Spring Break Comic Camp Spring Break Comic Camp for Teens (ages 11+) runs Monday to Friday, March 16-20, 10 am to noon. Registration is required and closes when at capacity or on Saturday March 14 at 5 pm. Go the prpl.ca website or scan this code for more information and to register.
This year PRPL welcomes Kathleen Gros as our guest artist! Kathleen is a cartoonist living in Vancouver. Her most recent graphic novels are Carousel Summer, and I Hated You in High School. She is working on her next middle grade graphic novel for release in 2027.
Check out the library’s events calendar for more information and activities: prpl.ca/calendar
PEOPLE WITH PERSONALITY: Chad Yurich welcomes the Promians. POWELL R IVER PUBLIC LIBR ARY
info@prpl.ca 604-485-4796 prpl.ca
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22. Juni 6963 Egmper Gardens Jennifer ont Stree t Burry @juniper.g 25. Prim Landscape ardens 8101 Verkeal Pastures farmer, r, turned floris rk Road Kristen grown Jen creates long- t, now micro 778-888-& Luke Hilto bouquets. lastin Nostra 28. Hod n info@prim3540 Farm (avai Sold week g, locallyral stand 7819 Vallegins Farm ly at Terra lable @primalp alpastures y Road Tuesdays outside the anytime at Roger .ca astur Lamb, and the floduring and Fridays)farm store; resto sausage, esbc 604-485- Kathy Hodg ments, store and tallow cked ins holidayfar7025 23. Ceda hours (resto 32 Lakes Café, Availablebeef, chicken, , ancestral supp cked r fb.com/Ho m@telus. Thursdays 4593 Clari Forest Farm net Delivery Sundays at eggs and more le). Horse and dginsFarm available the Farm . Laurette dge Road 26. Cree cattle hay; weekdays ers’ Mark 604-414- Hamoline 29. Para et. ksid . pasture-ra 7812 Valle e Farm hamoline 3994 3959B dise Valle ised beef. Alan and y Road y Prod Padgett Farm freshlaurette@ Rachael uce Road gmail.com 604-485- Kathy Reba and Dane eggs info.p ne . 7737 24. Do Sher arad Creekside Little paradisev isevalleyp stad 4347 Padg Farm fb.com/Cr FarmCusto Certified alleyprod roduce@gmail. Rosie Tempett Road uce.ca creeksidef eeksideFa mMeats.com orga com able at nic mixe rm 604-485- le & Greg Offering arm123@g Rebane Foods, Townsite Fruit d vegetable fb.com/do6961 s. butcher pork and somemail.com 32 Market. Lakes Cafe, & Veg, Save Availlittle r_tem and huntand smoking produce. Provi On ple@telusfarmpowe vacationCSA is custo and Sechelt services ers. llriver Chicken mizable .net Farm holds. to farm des 27. May and allow ers’ ers manure. and pork. Com 30. Ham 7873 Valleana Adar s mer Valle Fam to call Farm gate openposted and 3734 y Road ily Farm Padgett if open The de y fresh week Mark & sign is Road Ranch 604-489-Villiers family not out. ends. Best 604-485-Bronwyn Gisbo ingriddev0046 26 • A 2935 rne Pork and markg4b@ publicatio Organic illiers@telu honey. gmail.com n of qathe chicken. fed, free rang s.net t Living Grass-fed e, soy free eggs lamb and beef. and
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Home Grown Black Point
qathet’s ONLY magazine dedicated to agriculture and local food
More than a grower’s or diner’s guide, Home Grown also takes you behind the scenes to see who is creating food, where and why.
We’ll look at how you can grow your own, and share maps and instructions to help you find where to get locally-produced food.
• Want to get on qathet’s food map? • Want to get the word out about your farm, products or services? DEADLINE IS APRIL 2
46 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
Contact: sean@qathetliving.ca 604-485-0003 suzi@qathetliving.ca 604-344-0208 vicky@qathetliving.ca 604-414-8964
New energy
These days
The new PRCRS brought with them a renewed verve and fresh vision for the station. Members now consisted of new faces that added to the vibrant public participation important for a community radio station. Their mandate was to operate the station while, in turn, considering qathet’s needs for a community-based organization that reflected all segments of the population. This was accomplished through both music and spoken word programming from local, regional, national, and international programmers in a committed 24-hours seven-days-a-week schedule. A mix that brought a dynamic flair to the radio waves around the area; furthered by an involvement in creating and supporting community events by accessing the various creative characters inhabiting our local environs. The 2010’s saw an organization with both zeal and belief in their envisaged mission. There was a pride that it was qathet’s own station with no commercial interests or considerations dictating its direction or programming. This commitment was bolstered in 2016 with over $15,000 raised locally for engineering studies and expenses to move their transmitter to Scout Mountain, expanding the broadcast area to the Comox Valley and up to Cortez Island.
Fast forward to 2026, the station is thriving. The mandate is intact while still serving the land bounded by the Salish Sea at 90.1 on the FM dial. CJMP is also broadcasted to the world through its CJMP.ca website. Along with this knowledge, it is important to know they are also part of the emergency broadcast system when the region’s sailing gets difficult. As of 2022, CJMP is governed by the qathet Community Radio Society (qCRS). CJMP is funded by their listeners with individual memberships, grants, events, and through sponsorships from local independent businesses. CJMP has a wide array of local programmers’ offerings and backstopped by an eclectic schedule of hourly pre-programmed music and spoken word with podcasts of previous shows on their website. Every hour is a radio adventure and CJMP’s schedule on their website lets you know what is available. Or just leave it on and be entertained. There are musical genres for everybody from jazz, metal, African, punk, country, reggae, rockabilly, ambient, soul, and funk to name a few. There is always a need for new members, volunteers, local business advertising, and programmers. Give them a listen and open your ears to the daily/ weekly possibilities within the community radio sound.
Slug Trails Most afternoons, at RockIt Music on Marine Ave, you can find Doug and the Slugs co-founder John Burton casually drinking coffee with a klatch of local musicians.
JOHN BURTON IN CONCERT - TWICE!
In the 1970s and 80s, Doug and the Slugs was an iconic Vancouver rock band. Top-40 hits included “Too Bad” (1980), “Who Knows How To Make Love Stay” (1982), “Making It Work” (1983), “Day by Day” (1984) and “Tomcat Prowl” (1988). If you missed the heyday of the Slugs, or you just miss the Slugs, this is your chance. At the end of this month, John takes the stage twice: once with the Slugs at the Max Cameron, and then in a tribute to Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green. (Additionally,
at RockIt Music, you can lean into Slug month with a “Johnny-Go-Latte,” an 8-oz double-shot bevvie named for John himself). John was first introduced to Doug Bennett in July of 1977. John primarily played guitar in the band, and later co-wrote some songs with Doug, most notably “Tom Cat Prowl.” For most of his adult life, John has been a professional musician. He began his musical journey at the age of six with piano lessons. He started playing
With Doug & The Slugs: 7 pm at the Max Cameron on March 29. Tickets are $55 at dougandtheslugs.tickit.ca/ events/33309or at the door. With Blues for Greeny, a tribute to Fleetwood Mac’s early years: 7 pm at the Carlson Loft April 1.
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UNDERFOOT FOR SIX DECADES: Above, the original band in the “Who Knows How to Make Love Stay” video costumes. Above, John Burton, more recently. guitar at age 12. His first professional gig was as a drummer in The Mike Beddoes Band in the summer of 1969. “We were the on stage musical accompaniment for the controversial play “The Beard” at the Arts Club Theatre when it was still located on Seymour Street,” John recalls. John initially formed DATS with Doug in the fall of 1977 and continued with the band until the spring of 1992. Doug passed away in 2004.
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qathet Living • March 2026 • 47
In 2010, the five surviving members reformed Doug and The Slugs with Ted Okos taking over Doug’s role. “We regularly keep the legacy of the band alive in casino show rooms, soft seat theatres, and classic rock musical festivals throughout Canada,” John explained. “Aside from Doug and the Slugs, I perform piano and guitar with several bands and artists in a variety of styles ranging from Blues and R&B to Surf/Jazz and Psychedelia. I teach guitar and piano privately and at the qathet Academy of Music.”
Why John lives here I had been working in Toronto with singer songwriter Jacqui Brown in 2015 and had given up my apartment in Vancouver. Upon returning to Vancouver in 2016, finding a place to live was impossible. My eldest son Mitch had moved to Powell River in 2012 and was constantly telling how great it was. After my frustrations apartment hunting in Vancouver I was able to secure an apartment in one phone call responding to a Craigslist ad for a furnished suite in Powell River. I thought I would check out the town and visit my son. I arrived in October of 2016 and never left. Vancouver by 2016 had changed a lot, and for me not in a good way. The once thriving music scene was in it’s last gasp and I was ready for a change of pace having just turned 65. I found it in Powell River. Mitch was able to introduce me to a wide range of great people and it very quickly felt like my new home.
south of town. I am the co-founder along with Rob Reed, Sheila Reed and CJ Beauchamp of the ” Rockit Music Coffee Club.” We have meetings Tuesday thru Saturday 4 to 5 pm where the best coffee in town is shared along with many opinions and observations. Always a giggle!
Local musicians John admires The people I have played with the most here in PR is the “Walter Martella Trio” which is Rob Reed on drums, Doug Sanders on bass, and Walter Martella
on keys and trumpet. There is a lot of great musical talent here. Gitta May and Sonya Nielsen are wonderful singers. CJ Beauchamp is an amazing guitarist and has the voice of an angel. CJ also builds really nice guitars! Chris King and Chris Greenwell’s band Turn the 7, I enjoy. Tyler Bartfai and Austin Parise are solid singer songwriters. The list is long. I helped Cyndi Koppen produce an album with my son a few years back and it’s well worth listening to “Winterspell” by Indigo Lee. Cyndi is content to just be brilliant and not make a career of it. Some great songwriting and singing complete with exquisite background vocals by her daughter Autumn Skye Morrison.
How John fills his days
The Slugs’ legacy
I take retirement very seriously! It is time to smell the roses! I stay as busy as I want to be playing and teaching music. I love going for leisurely drives, the serenity that abounds here never gets old for me even though I travel the 101 almost every day north and or
I wrote 50,000 Slug Fans Can’t be Wrong because it’s a story worth telling. There a lot of insights into what it’s really like to be in a band from our era, or any era for that matter. There are a number of reasons why the band never achieved the interna-
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tional recognition we may have deserved but we have stood the test of time and proven to be one of Canada’s most distinctive bands. I also believe Doug was one of Canada’s finest songwriters. So yes the story was worth telling!
Thoughts on the film, Doug and the Slugs and Me I thought the film started out as a great documentary about the band but lost it’s way mid way through the movie in the more personal story of the filmmaker and the tragedy of Doug’s death. The film had to be no more than 90 minutes to fit the format that the budget and funding required. I think many issues touched on in the film would have needed a six-episode m i n i series to properly address. There was clearly no opportunity or budget to do that.
Peak Slugs story It would have to be the classic “Spinal Tap” moment where we drove straight from a show in Johnathan Swifts in Havard Square, Boston after our show at about 2 am to Washington DC. We had to do an in-store promotion where fans could come and eat bologna sandwiches and buy our album Cognac and Bologna, and get us to autograph them! We arrived after driving all night around 11 in the morning, checked in, got maybe 30 minutes of sleep. Then off to the big in-store promotion. We arrive at this huge warehouse type record store. And absolutely no one is there except the staff! After about an hour, two people finally came in who had already purchased albums, so this must-do big promotion where we were going move lots of product was a total bust.
Apparently this is a rite of passage of every band, which why the scene it “Spinal Tap” is so funny.
Fave Slugs songs Tropical Rainstorm, Partly From Pressure, Freshman’s Alibi. Hard to pick favourites. Those ones I mention are, in my view, Doug at his best and the band at it’s most distinctive and unique. Most of our songs display “our signature racket” as Richard Baker so eloquently describes our sound.
On stage March 29 The band will consist of Ted Okos who does an absolutely amazing job of replacing the irreplaceable Doug Bennett, and the five quintessential Slugs: Simon Kendall on keyboards, Steve Bosley on bass, John Burton and Richard Baker on guitars, and John ‘Wally’ Watson on drums. Expect a more intimate and interactive show than what you would see if you saw us at a Classic Rock festival. Slightly unplugged, but we still ‘ROCK’ when necessary and are a little more sensitive when necessary. Some great story telling, as well! The band is better than ever. It’s like we’ve been playing together all our lives! And that’s a long time!
Advice for young musicians Work hard at your craft, play what you are truly invested in doing, keep your integrity, don’t chase the trends thinking that if you sell out a little you will be able to finance what you really want to do. Do what you really want to do! If you make a decent living at it, great! If not, at least you did what you’re passionate about and did it your way! One last note: don’t quit your day job too early and have a back up plan like electrician, plumber, massage therapist, so after you gave trying to become rich and famous a shot and it didn’t work out, you have something to fall back on and play music just for the joy!
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Larry Joseph Cocksedge
Our Lives •
•
In qL’s Our Lives section, anyone can share important news from their loved ones’ lives:
Births Graduations Weddings Job Changes Anniversaries Retirements Obituaries ‘In Memoriam’ Notices & More
August 18, 1947 - February 13, 2026
1977-2026 Larry was the son of Graham and Trish Cocksedge, the youngest of six children: Laura, Brent, Wendy (Ross), Wally, and Graham (Laurel). He was an uncle to Liam, Rowan, Adianta, Tilly, and Piper. He grew up in Mission, BC. He loved fishing and hockey. He loved his family and his daughter, Jadalynn. Larry was a fierce and loyal advocate for his community in Vancouver, BC. We will miss him. Please consider a donation to the Cooling Bus in Vancouver in memory of Larry. The Cooling Bus offers relief from the heat of the summer to Downtown East Side residents. Listen to a CBC interview with Larry advocating for the Cooling Bus here > < Donate here.
ayxcommunitybus@gmail.com
Because sharing this kind of news is so important in a community, qL offers free small notices for births, weddings, and obituaries: a 1/18th size, for locals, when the event happened in the three months previous to publication. Bigger sizes and other announcements: 150 words & photo: $150 300 words & photo: $300 600 words & photo: $500 750 words & photos: $750
Send your info to ourlives@qathetliving.ca, call 604-485-0003, or drop in to 7053E Glacier Street.
Memories Last Forever J.R. Len Carriere August 19, 1933 to March 28, 2021
With deep sadness, we share the passing of Ted – loved son, father, step-father, grandfather, brother, cousin, uncle, great uncle, brother-in-law, son-in-law, husband and friend. Ted loved a challenge and maybe his greatest was his last return trip from Mexico. Ted broke so many bones in his 78 years but maintained, “They haven’t killt me yet.” It is so difficult to sum up the life of a hard-working, loving, kind, and gentle man, but he was always a busy man who could fix, renovate, or build anything. A tool in his hand or his head under the hood of something was a common sight, yet he was always ready for a camping trip, a kitchen dance, or simply enjoying the backyard by the fire pit. He leaves behind his son Justin, granddaughter Lennon and her mom Katie; his son Cory, granddaughters Zoe and Charli and their mom Jayme; and daughter Jennifer (Catherine); stepson Terry; stepdaughter Erin; his wife and friend Sheri; his brothers Peter (Nicole) and David (Betty Anne) ; and sisters-in-law Barb, Sharon, and Sandy. Ted was predeceased by his mom Nancy, dad Harold, brother Bob (Jane), sister-in-law Gail, cousin Larry, mother-in-law Irene, brother-in-law Tommy, and fatherin-law Johnny. Thank you to so many – his car pal Terry Walsh, school chum Nancy, longtime friend Violet and her daughter Jacquie, his cousin Dennis (Eileen) and great nephew Brandon. Ted loved his phone calls and visits. Thank you to my daughter Erin and her dad for holding down my fort, to my son Terry for the medical help and assistance in handling tickets home and hotel reservations, and to Justin, Cory and Jennifer for your continued emotional support. Your dad loved you very much. Thanks to Reese, our Mexico contact; Martha, Ted’s nurse in Mexico; Elda and her group in Mexico for their help and concern; Powell River Hospital staff; Martin Ostensen and Natalie; Cindy from Coccola; Val and her amazing Credit Union staff; Ted’s brother David for being with Ted at the hospital in Mexico, and other family members and friends who supported and continue to support. You were all part of the solution. I hope I haven’t missed anyone. It was truly a very large family effort. There will be a celebration of Ted‘s life on Saint Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2026 from 1 - 3 pm at Ted’s loved home in Powell River, by the fire pit, of course. ~ the Moloughney family
qathet Living • March 2026 • 49
Slow
Love
Seeking Romance
Seeking Friendship
1. 42, female. Active, open-minded, and grounded, with lots of energy and interests. I love being outside, learning new things, sharing belly laughs, and talking about how the world works — including finding humour and compassion in the mess. I care about integrity, community, and the common good. I love my life; it’s full, fun, and settled. I have a young adult child and am not looking to have more biological children, though I’m open to a partner with kids. Looking for someone emotionally available, steady, curious, and adventurous-ish.
3. New to qathet! Friendly young professional DINK (dual-income, no kids) couple seeking platonic friendships with fellow DINK couples. We love outdoor adventures, dinner parties, and board game nights. No offense to families — just looking to connect with like-minded childfree friends.
2. Woman seeking man. I am a 61-year-old woman seeking a gentleman companion to help me explore the 32 lakes, festivals and nearby islands this spring and summer. I am new to the area and plan to head back to Saltspring in the fall.
I Saw You / Missed Connections 4. I’ve seen you at River City Coffee over the last couple months. I always wonder if you’re single. Then I saw you at the MuchMusic Dance Party wearing a heart, so that meant you are single! Every time I went to talk to you, there was a new girl flirting with you. Understandable… you have the best smile. I think you had on a plaid shirt. I’m crushing!
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50 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
2025 - the 10 th ANNUAL
AS CHOSEN BY THE READERS OF QATHET LIVING
Try giving qathet Living’s print-based personals column a chance. It’sa place where real humans can meet, off the online fray. Everyone is welcome to submit an ad of up to 75 words, looking for any kind of love. Or, if you spotted someone attractive locally and didn’t have the courage to say hello, drop them a note here. Please keep it all relatively family-friendly! The deadline for the April issue is March 20. Send your ad to editor@qathetliving.ca.
How to respond to an ad: Write an email to editor@qathetliving.ca noting which # you’re responding to, and we will forward your note to the right person. You can take it from there. Alternately, to lean in to the “slow love” theme, mail or drop off a physical letter to the qL office. Please note: qL does not screen the people behind the personals ads, nor the respondents. You are all responsible for your own comfort and safety. Please take precautions such as meeting in public places, drinking responsibly, telling a friend where you are, and most importantly, choosing to not harm other people, physically or emotionally.
Slow Love’s official mascot: The Nudibranch.
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Each nudibranch (noo-di-brank, see image, of doris montereyensis above) is colourful, vibrant, and unique, perfectly themselves — just like qathet’s singles. The similarities are actually uncanny, we hope. These little sea slugs grow out of their shells by the time they’re adults. That’s the vulnerable spirit we hope you take into dating. In addition, finding another nudibranch to mate with can take time, so they are both male and female — any nudibranch can mate with any nudibranch. It’s very West Coast. Nudibranchs live in nearly every ocean, including the waters surrounding this region. qL’s love of nudibranchs is so great it’s in the name. The magazine is owned by Gastropod Media, a company with Pieta Woolley (a fan of slugs, a gastropod) and Sean Percy (a fan of nudibranchs, also a gastropod) at the helm. The nudibranch: an ancient symbol for modern, slow love.
I MADE THE MATCH
Electric jolt sparked a lifetime of romance
D
avid and Gillian Lynch met in Labrador in the winter of 1970. David is from Ottawa and Gillian from England. He was part of the administrative team at a small remote hospital in North West River, Labrador, run by the Grenfell Association and she was a medical student on assignment from University College London. After four months Gillian returned to London to complete her degree. They met up in London summer 1970, got engaged, and Gillian secured an internship in Ottawa starting January 1971. They married in England in January 1972. Gillian joined Health Canada in January 1972. They returned to Happy Valley, Labrador in 1973, David as hospital administrator and Gillian as a hospital-based GP, on leave from Health Canada. Their first son was born there in March 1974. Due to his ill health they had to return to their former positions in Ottawa in April 1975. They moved within their careers to Edmonton in 1977 then back to Ottawa in 1987. Second and third sons were born in 1977 and 1979. They retired in late 1990s (David) and 2003 (Gillian), although Gillian continued working for the next 16 years as a management consultant and executive coach, mostly within the federal government environment. They moved to Powell River in 2014.
How did you get to know each other? David & Gillian • We were both working in the same small hospital and the staff lived in a staff residence. We never dated in the conventional sense. Socially, the staff
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RETRIEVED IN LABRADOR: Gillian and David Lynch moved around Canada chasing careers and health care. So they really appreciate community. tended to have fun together as a group. We tended to gravitate to each other in these activities. What was the moment you knew this person was special to you? David • A romantic night in front of the fire was the furthest from my mind when the day started. I had invited Gillian to travel with me on my skidoo in a group going down Lake Melville for a fishing and hunting adventure. I was new to North West River, having arrived a couple of months earlier and had never been down the lake. Gillian was brand new, she had just arrived about ten days before. It was mid January, temperatures were about 40 below at night. Gillian couldn’t go because a group of sick patients had been airlifted in from the coast. So I was traveling solo on my skidoo with the group in the late afternoon. Some of the guys were successful in bagging a few ptarmigan on the way down.
We arrived at the the cabin in the dark of evening. The beers were broken out. A while later, we realized that a few supplies were missing. One of the school teachers in the group wanted to go back to get them. He had been drinking quite a bit of beer and I realized that he definitely shouldn’t go alone. I wasn’t bothered about staying anyway. We set off on two skidoos, with me following him, since I had no idea of the direction. Suddenly, his skidoo stalled out and we couldn’t get it restarted. So we decided to continue with my skidoo. I was pulling an qamutiik (a traditional Inuit sled) and he chose to travel on that rather than behind me on the skidoo. He had bagged a couple of ptarmigan on the way down and was determined to take them back with him, so he lay on the qamutiik grasping the ptarmigan in both arms. My only choice was to go ahead using as my map home the trail left by the skidoos as we had came down the lake. I suddenly realized that he had gone quiet. I thought he was sleeping off the beers, but when I turned around he was gone! A little panic crept in! I was alone goodness knows where and I had lost my companion, the only guy who knew the way home! I turned the skidoo around and retraced my way. I found him asleep in the snow still grasping the ptarmigan. He was very cold and I knew I had to get him back as soon as possible. I hauled him back on to the qamutiik, tied him on with rope and turned around again. The trip seemed endless. I wasn’t sure that I was on the right trail and I was very cold. Eventually, I saw a few lights from the houses in the community and knew we had made it. I took him home and woke up his wife; it was way past midnight, and she helped me to get him inside into the warm. I went back to the residence. The night staff were up and Gillian was just coming down off the ward. She got me bundled up in blankets and in front of a blazing fire and stayed with me all night to make sure I was warming up. Listening to Gordon Lightfoot, we talked for hours. Gillian • A couple of weeks after we met we were alone in the staff residence lounge. David leaned in for our first kiss. As he kissed me there was a loud crack and a jolt of electricity went through us both. We backed off and stared big-eyed at each other. We both believed it was a sign, but
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really it was probably just accumulated static electricity. It was minus 30 or 40 outside, we were in the dry conditions inside, standing on a nylon carpet! Probably just physics! What challenges did you face in your relationship? David & Gillian • Our biggest challenge was managing the health of our oldest child. We had to live apart for a number of months because Gillian had to take Matthew back to Ontario for medical care before David could leave Labrador. It all worked out in the end, but finding a house, managing a sick baby, new jobs and different locations was difficult. Three things you enjoy about the other person: Gillian • He is kind, he is dedicated to his family, he makes me laugh. David • She is always looking for and finding the bright side, she is smart, she is always looking out for the other person. How has this relationship changed you? David & Gillian • Moving from place to place made us depend on each other and trust each other. Working through difficulties taught us that if we just keep going, we can get through it. We learned that the community we live in, the people we see every day are very important to us and we appreciate them everyday. As we moved across the country, we learned to appreciate the different viewpoints and passions of Canadians from different provinces that all contribute to the success of the country. What is different about this relationship from what you experienced in the past? David & Gillian • Neither of us had a long term relationship prior to this one, so it is hard to say. Best advice for those seeking a romantic relationship David & Gillian • Look for common values and likes. Find someone with whom you enjoy spending quiet times, not just the exciting times. Someone who is authentic and not afraid to say they are wrong, someone who makes you feel safe and warm. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t, so listen to your inside voice.
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qathet Living • March 2026 • 51
SMALL TOWN ORACLE KRYSTAL THOMPSON
ARIES (March 21 to April 19) The New Moon on March 2 is a perfect time to build new foundations and set intentions for a rebirth and a new momentum. After a humble start to the year, we shift from Pisces’ deep, visual, and reflective vibe into courageous, bold Aries season on March 20. Your birthday season shines a glow on all signs. Before the end of the month, triple-check contracts and travel plans. Alongside Mercury going direct, adding a sense of relief, the Spring Equinox will feel like a fresh opportunity to dissolve old identities and embrace maturity, charm, and leadership.
LEO (July 23 to Aug 22)
Communication or connections may have been slow and your social budget might have dipped, but the Full Moon on March 3 may bring focus to intentional gatherings and more thoughtful connections. This highlights the need to edit big social groups in favor of a low-key, high-value crew, possibly reducing some financial stress as well. With Mercury in retrograde until March 20, wait until the end of the month to make any big moves financially; in the meantime, as Mercury goes direct alongside the Equinox, a window opens for calculating risk. The Sun moving into Aries will add fire to your spark and light your way toward healthy collaboration and growth.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 to Dec 21)
Embrace any necessary changes to your routines. Change is good, and the New Moon is a fertile time to focus on new intentions and plant seeds for the long term. As your ruling planet, Jupiter, stations direct, you could be coming out of a lackluster or homebody phase, lightening any heavy energy or stalemate with a shift toward increased self-care, structure, and adventure. The Spring Equinox revitalizes your natural fiery charisma and shines a green light for your productive ideas.
GEMINI (May 21 to June 21)
Mars, in your fellow air sign Aquarius, activates your ambition toward a potential career relaunch and curiosity regarding emerging technology or AI. Jupiter in Gemini promotes confidence to declutter “old software” in your mind or bring past issues to the surface. Expect some delays regarding leadership projects or ways of communicating. You may feel like you’re swimming through honey, and misunderstandings are likely until post-retrograde, when your ruling planet, Mercury, gets back on track (March 21). Mid-month, the fog begins to lift, and a solution to a problem may appear. When Mercury moves closer to Aries later in the month, thoughts turn to action and your silver tongue sharpens.
52 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
LIBRA (Sept 23 to Oct 23) Venus snuggles into Pisces on March 2, highlighting a need for harmony in relationships and finances alongside a Lunar Eclipse on March 3 that could urge closure, rest, and choosing reality over romanticizing. Venus also encourages a soft aesthetic toward helping colleagues or team dynamics. Practice careful communication to navigate the Mercury retrograde foggy, mental influence and repetitive daily grind. Aries season opens with a wellness reset and a fiery surge of optimism or confidence. Avoid overspending on luxury self-care materials and honor the humble balance of the brain-body connection.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 to Feb 18)
After navigating some shifts early in the year, the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in March signals a need to slow down and avoid impulse. Choose to focus on maturity and personal transformation. Success comes from dedication and self-discipline. Pluto has begun its journey through Aquarius, but Jupiter in Gemini lends some harmonious, course-correcting energy to Pluto’s volatile and eccentric vision. Wisely reassess dependencies with empathy to resolve minor misunderstandings. The New Moon on March 18 pushes rest, detox, and grounding to manifest a more authentic future timeline and soul connections that honour your truest self.
PISCES (Feb 19 to March 20)
Mars entering Pisces, hand in hand with the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Virgo, invites you to pivot from pretty and passive to hot and driven. Careful not to accelerate with the brake on, or you’ll burn out before expressing your needs clearly. Mid-month, the New Moon in your sign is ideal for a reset, and a consistent sleep routine would be a great start. Mercury direct in Pisces can open the gates where confusion has been building, allowing you to go with the flow in a more clear, confident, and intuitive state of mind.
CANCER (June 22 to July 22)
A level up could cultivate more stability later in the month. Earlier, the Lunar Eclipse influence may overwhelm relationships as the energy demands honesty and depth. Jupiter transitions from backpedalling in your sign to going direct on March 10, potentially removing some mental clutter, gaining a unique clarity, or reaching a turning point with daily connections surrounding friends or career. Several planets are moving into your house of career and public status, peeling away your performative outer layer to rebrand with a more authentic version of yourself. Mars moves forward in Cancer, alleviating simmering emotions and triggering vulnerability. The final days of March have potential for progress and a boost of inspiration.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 to Nov 21)
Early March circles around home, life, and career growth. You may find creative ways to balance things with more stamina. Venus in Pisces may suggest some fun, casual spending or a boost in self-ex-
pression and romantic pursuits. Through the month, you may experience a slow soul search or revival of old hobbies. Past connections could return. Favour logic over past visuals to confidently achieve or provide closure. Don’t dwell on tension, past slights, or family drama. Your ruling planet, Mars, ends its retrograde on March 18, lifting some dampened emotional confusion. Just before that, Jupiter removes the brakes as well, letting confidence rebuild until the end of the month. Harness the fresh spring energy and make a move. Communication will flow easier. The universe is giving you a green light.
TAURUS (April 20 to May 20)
Our Full Moon hosts a Lunar Eclipse on March 3, and you may notice something you’ve begun to outgrow; however, it encourages balance in potential career shifts. Emotional bonds can deepen this month, but hold tight during the Mercury retrograde, as this stage could bring some minor misunderstandings. That fog lifts just in time for the Spring Equinox, initiating a vibrant glow-up. Your ruler, Venus, is getting around! Traveling through Pisces and Aries this month, she accelerates grace, joined by an alluring boost in self-expression. Sitting in a new house, Venus influences a potential income increase or ease when it comes to finances. With all glow-ups, there is a natural increase in joy! You may want to travel or try a new physical activity.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 to Jan 19)
Slow down on big decision-making until late March. Increased family responsibilities or home renovations could create fatigue. Mercury going direct on March 21 will bring clarity, and seeds planted can come to life. You may have felt less certain in your authority and may seek a mentor. Define boundaries with maturity and compassion to support efficiency in the workplace or any team setting. Your ruler, Saturn, highlights your own Saturnian traits or ideals, like discipline and long-term visions, but the Sun moving into impatient Aries may add pressure to get everything done at once. Focus on stable and executive-level strategy while others chase flashy wins. Haste makes waste, and what felt like a pause will activate as long as checklists are followed. Go with the flow, Cap!
VIRGO (August 23 to Sept 22)
Swap perfectionism for what is truly sustainable. Forcing a turning point in your personal or professional routines will require empathy and balance. A Total Lunar Eclipse in your sign marks a rare but significant reality check. Supercharged, culmination-focused, and deeply personal, it will highlight where extended efforts in a job, relationship, or other systems have not been sustainable. Pace yourself when it comes to the details and you may naturally find a “glitch” that no one else did. With Virgo’s ruling planet, Mercury, in retrograde until the Equinox, there could be some crossed wires. If you assume expectations were clear, they are likely to be revealed as murky. When direct on March 21, Mercury brings a boost in confidence, triggering unexpected recognition and bold career pivots. Trust yourself!
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A
LAST WORD PIETA GOUDRON
54 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca
Overstep breeds rebellion
t the end of February, I took a walk with a friend, and watched a flock of pigeons on the telephone wires. The month before, I randomly photographed a community member feeding these birds. The result was a foggy, moody, wing-filled portrait of a man enraptured by these beings, and the pigeons at their most humbly majestic. I didn’t run it in the magazine for fear that he would be slapped with a fine. Feeding the birds is against the Animal Control ByLaw here; doing so is considered a nuisance. I loved that image so much, though: the interplay between human and bird. I have a long-standing affection for pigeons. If I were to get a tattoo, it would certainly be a pigeon. My friend knew all of this, and suggested we buy some oats, feed the birds, and recreate the image. Heck, yes. Absolutely. What followed was, for me, a few moments of pure joy. And, to people who are not me, I manifested a nuisance. In society, how much nuisance should we tolerate? So far, to me, that is a defining question of 2026. In any society, governments are tasked with balancing liberty and authority. Legislate too little, you get anarchy. Push people too far with restrictions, and you get rebels. Both have consequences. For example, we live with far fewer animals than urbanites did 200 years ago. Then, the poor and working classes in European and North American cities kept vast populations of pigs, chickens, goats, and sheep for food, and horses for transportation. Eventually, the upper classes legislated this food system into oblivion; to them, the animals were a nuisance. The result, of course, was a new dependence on cash for food — a system that doesn’t always work out in working people’s favour. It’s only recently that cities are once again allowing people to keep very limited, very controlled chickens. Feeding birds is a joy for me — and many others. Just think of Julie Andrews’ voice singing “Feed the Birds, tuppence a bag,” in the Mary Poppins film. But it does result in messy murders of crows, flocks of seagulls, and swarms of (my beloved) pigeons. Their poops are so acidic, they can damage buildings. They carry parasites and disease. But is that enough reason to harass or fine the people who want to feed pigeons? Maybe. Over the past several years, fireworks have become illegal in several large cities. Here, we can still enjoy large public displays on Canada Day and during Blackberry Fest, and you can buy them and set them off on Hallowe’en between certain times. For some — especially pet and livestock owners — fireworks are a significant nuisance. Should fireworks be canceled here? Some cities have grandfathered out fireplaces
and wood stoves in people’s homes, and don’t allow beach campfires or backyard fires. For those with asthma or emphysema, smoke is a serious health hazard. For others, smoke is an unpleasant nuisance. But for me, heating my home with fire is both practical, and a source of joy. Beach and backyard fires are core pieces of the lifestyle that drew me here. Is that freedom enough to justify the smoke? Smoking cigarettes and cannabis, drinking alcohol, loud mufflers, loud music — fun for some, nuisance for others. Vancouver earned the moniker of “no fun city” for its strict limits on how late bars and clubs could stay open, noise by-laws, and tight regulations on events. These are all relatively harmless should-we-orshouldn’t-we questions. But the same dynamic is playing out with bigger stakes across Canada, as we try to figure out how much we should tolerate from each other. Before the House of Commons this Spring is Bill C-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religious or cultural places). We are again debating where the line is between speech that is merely offensive and speech that passes the test for hate. In Chilliwack, former school trustee Barry Neufeld is facing a $750,000 fine from the BC Human Rights Tribunal for statements he made against the district’s SOGI curriculum — and the impact his comments made on staff and students. Conservative leader Pierre Poillievre called the ruling “Orwellian.” He is, of course, seeking a judicial review. Was the Convoy protest a tolerable nuisance, justified under our freedom of expression laws? Or was it an act of war, worthy of the Emergency Measures Act and jail time? The courts are continuing to fight this out. We hand governments the power to decide what is worth punishing, and what is worth tolerating, in every little tiny thing we might do. But citizens are not robots that automatically obey. Push back, when we drift towards overreach, is inevitable. Ghandi illegally made his own sea salt in 1930, to resist British rule (causing a hiccup to the colonial economy). Nuisance, in Ghandi’s hands, is power. I know this isn’t considerate, or justified. But the more I feel government overstep, the more I want to feed the birds.
Feed the birds, tuppence a bag Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag “Feed the birds”, that’s what she cries While overhead, her birds fill the skies All around the cathedral, the saints and apostles Look down as she sells her wares Although you can’t see it, you know they are smiling Each time someone shows that he cares
qathet Living • March 2026 • 55
56 March 2026 • qathetliving.ca