Denman Island Physiotherapy is now Spectra Health

February 3, 2022

Hello Denman and Hornby Islanders,

My maternity leave has come and gone, and I’m back to practicing Physiotherapy and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) at the Denman Island Medical Clinic on Mondays and Thursdays. I’m also available on Hornby one day per month,intending to eventually offer one day per week from the Hornby Community Health Center.

A few things have changed for the better since heading off on maternity leave.

I have decided to focus all my efforts here and no longer practice out of Parksville.

Because I’m now tending to both islands, I changed the name from Denman Island Physiotherapy to Spectra Health: honoring the spectra of parts that make up the whole and their interconnectedness.

This new name also reflects the greater scope of practice and treatment tools that I offer as a registered Physiotherapist, Acupuncturist and Herbalist.

Some additional changes include new state-of-the-art equipmentand a booking website for those of you with access to a computer. You can still call the medical clinic to book an appointment if necessary.

For those of you who don’t know me…I have lived on Denman Island for eight years now.

I completed my Doctorate of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Victoria with a residency at the Liaoning Hospital in Northern China.

I attended the University of British Columbia for my Master of Physical Therapy, which included placements all over the province as part of the first Northern and Rural Cohort. I havealso practiced at the Mary Pack Arthritis Center in Vancouver. I have done extensive continuing education courses in Vestibular Rehabilitation, allowing me to help you with dizziness/vertigo and concussion rehabilitation.

For more information about what I offer, check out www.spectrahealth.net.

Memoir of a Rural Sisyphus-Redux, Political Footballs

February 3, 2022

istockphoto-611882246-170667a — People trying to get rid of a dangerous or an embarrassing problem by giving it to someone else.

Introduction

Memoir of a Rural Sisyphus-Redux

Bill Engleson

www.engleson.ca

For several years, I kept a diary of my inauguration into the Denman Community. This column, recently renamed Memoir of a Rural Sisyphus-Redux, will

extract a few of my observations from a dozen or more years ago and share them. Hopefully, they will have some modern times currency.

Political Footballs

October 7, 2007

We got the storm last night. Took the power out briefly.

Before I went to bed, I read the Globe and Mail article on Insite, the safe injection site in Vancouver. It is a political football. On a side bar, perhaps political football is akin to other terms my barber has suggested should be written about, terms such as ‘ethnic cleansing’ and ‘friendly fire’. Both of these expressions do not really convey what is meant by them. Ethnic cleansing, the barber argues, does not sound so bad. A cleansing ritual, sprucing up a dusty ethnic notion.

Right.

I am not convinced.

Not by a long shot.

Regarding another long shot, he then suggests friendly fire is anything but. If your butt is fried, there is nothing friendly about it. Of course, it originated …where did it pop up? Sounds like a case for Wikipedia.

But back to political footballs. They are akin to hot potatoes. The image of someone tossing the heated tuber from one hand to another speedily so as not to get burned comes to mind. Political footballs have a heat of their own, perhaps not one that burns but nevertheless, one that is best managed, passed off to someone else. The implication is that a political football will not benefit the holder. A forward pass, a lateral, some kind of way of getting rid of it is called for because if you retain possession, you might have to do something, make a decision. The connotation is that if you do decide to bring closure to a political football, make a determination, you will lose points. Political points. Oh, you might gain some, but you are also bound to lose some.

Safe injection sites are political footballs. On the one hand, the research seems to show that if you provide a hygienic location for addicts to shoot up, provide clean needles, then you are condoning, nay promoting drug use. Currently in Canada, drug users are required to bring in their own substance to inject. If it is contaminated, the SIS argument is that medical personnel are in a position to respond and save the life of the user. Similarly, if the user overdoses within the SIS, they can get quick first responder intervention.

On the other hand, SIS’s save lives. That is their purpose. This is not, apparently, good enough for the constipated conservatives in Ottawa.

I would personally like to see drugs provided to users. This would seem to enhance the safety. The anti-SIS proponents would see this as clear permission from the larger society use drugs.

As with all sin, all moral failings, addictions of every stripe, there are those who will never subscribe to any plan that would appear to condone. Better let the chips fall where they may, they say.

God bless ’em.

Grumpisms

February 3, 2022

Press Release

February 3, 2022

01/31/2022

News Release

For immediate release

January 28, 2022 – for immediate

release 2022-02-IT

Groundwater Licensing Program Information February 3, 2022 Webinar

Lək̓ ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. – In partnership with Islands Trust, provincial staff will be offering a free online information webinar on British Columbia’s groundwater licensing program on Thursday, February 3, at 7:00 p.m.

This session will be moderated by Islands Trust’s senior freshwater specialist, William Shulba. The webinar comes ahead of the March 1, 2022, deadline date to apply for a water licence with the Provincial Government for those who started using groundwater from a well or dugout before March 1, 2016, for non-domestic uses like irrigation, commercial, waterworks, or industrial use, or home businesses that increase intensity of water use. After this date, the Province requires that those affected by the legislation stop using groundwater until they have a licence. Non-compliance could result in losing priority access to the groundwater.

Domestic well owners are also urged to register their well for free, so their water use is known and considered by provincial decision-makers when dealing with other licence applications.

“The sustainability of freshwater resources is crucial across the Islands Trust Area,” said Peter Luckham, Islands Trust Council Chair. “Licensing water helps protect aquifers and streams, along with the businesses and livelihoods that depend on reliable access to water. Join us as provincial staff from the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy present about the legislation and what it could mean to you and the islands.”

In the Water Sustainability Act, non-domestic groundwater is now included in the same regulatory structure that has existed for surface water for over 100 years. The Act recognizes that groundwater and surface water should be managed together amidst increasing pressures on freshwater resources.

The webinar will take place on Zoom Videoconferencing. To register and receive the invitation link, visit https://bit.ly/3KLDRkr. Participants are encouraged to submit questions ahead of the presentation to make the most of the evening webinar.

Questions can be submitted to programs@islandstrust.bc.ca.

Open Letter to Hornby and Denman Islands

February 3, 2022

To the residents of Denman and Hornby Islands,

We at CityWest hope you’re doing well the first month into 2022! We’ve done a lot of work together over the last few months with the Comox Valley Regional District and the Internet Committees on your islands, and that hit a high note with the astounding success of the referendum at the end of November. With that in mind, we wanted to give you a bit of an update of what we’ve been up to since then, and to give you a high-level view of our plans for the year.

Since the referendum, we’ve continued to promote our “Dropping In” campaign, where you can sign up for a drop to your house. We also opened up pre-registration in December, which allows you to pick the packages you want today; once we’re ready to install services, you’ll get 2 months off, just for pre-registering! If you’d like to pre-register, please visit www.citywest.ca/south-waitlist

On the construction front, we’ve been very busy over the last month to secure permits and find a contractor to do the civil work on your islands. All the work on the project will be overseen by our Outside Plant and Project Management departments, who have many years of experiences undertaking builds like these. We’re doing our best with ordering, given the major disruptions in the supply chain all over the world.

The contractor will be laying the fibre underground along the roadways, and they will also be involved in bringing the drop to your door. We are planning to start this phase of the build in the springtime, and hopefully have it finished by late fall.

And that’s just one part of the project! In parallel, we’re also working to build the Connected Coast project, which will be the undersea backbone that will be providing you with tonnes of bandwidth.

This massive project – which, when complete, will stretch 3,400 kilometres underwater and will connect 139 communities – is currently in the construction phase, and already it has laid 50 kilometres of fibre in northern B.C. communities. We have been working hard to bring the Connected Coast to your islands as well, and we are estimating that the cable lay will be happening late in the summer. After that, we’ll be commissioning the shoreline landing, which is the physical connection between the subsea fibre and the underground network on your islands. Once all that is complete, it will be ready to connect customers to improved Internet, as well as TV and phone services!

As you can probably appreciate, for two projects of this size, there are many, many dependencies that may push back the timelines, including: delays with permitting, materials being choked by the supply chain, weather, and Covid. We will do our best to make sure these projects are completed as quickly as possible, and communicate any changes in the schedule as soon as possible.

Thank you very much for all your continuing support. We’re looking forward to serving you as customers, and perhaps even meeting you in the months ahead!

Sincerely yours,

Chris Armstrong
VP of Sales & Marketing
CityWest

Press Release

February 3, 2022

News Release

January 28, 2022

First 50 kilometres of subsea fibre-optic cable laid for Connected Coast project

PRINCE RUPERT – The Connected Coast project hit a milestone this week, as the first 50 kilometres of fibre-optic cable was laid at landing sites across Northern B.C.

The fibre was laid and connected at shore landings at three communities: Lax Kw’alaams, Metlakatla, and Dodge Cove. Another leg was brought ashore at Ridley Island, an industrial area just outside of Prince Rupert, which will connect into CityWest’s main network.

“This is a significant milestone for a project that’s laying the groundwork to bring better connectivity to 139 remote, rural and Indigenous communities along B.C.’s coast,” said Jennifer Rice, MLA for North Coast. “Supporting innovative approaches to expanding connectivity has been a priority for our Government. With each successive kilometre of fibre being laid, this project ensures these communities will be able to participate in the digital economy and stay connected to their friends and loved ones.”

When complete, the Connected Coast project will provide backbone communication services to 139 rural and remote communities, including 48 Indigenous communities – representing 44 First Nations – along the BC Coast from Prince Rupert, to Haida Gwaii, south to Vancouver, and around Vancouver Island. Financed by the federal and provincial governments, the $45.4 million project is a joint partnership operated by CityWest and Strathcona Regional District.

“After years of hard work and arranging permitting, we’re ecstatic to see fibre going into the water,” said Stefan Woloszyn, CEO of CityWest. “We’re extremely proud of everyone who has been involved to get us to this point, and we’re looking forward to bringing underserved communities world-class connectivity. This is what they need and this is what we’re bringing!”

Before the fibre-optic cabling was laid in the water, shoreline cabinets were constructed in each of the communities: this is the access point for each community, where their local network connects to the subsea network.

And this first 50 kilometres is just the beginning. Over the next few weeks, weather permitting, the project team will lay more subsea fibre-optics to other Northern communities, like Kitkatla and Oona River, before going westward to Haida Gwaii. The construction project team will then move down to the southern areas of the network off the east coast of Vancouver Island.

When complete, the project will touch approximately 90,000 households in rural and remote communities around B.C., stretching 3,400 kilometres – about the distance from Vancouver to Ottawa. Laid in an environmentally-friendly manner on the ocean floor, it will be one of the longest coastal subsea networks in the world.

Construction crews working on the Connected Coast connect a subsea fibre line to Ridley Island, outside of Prince Rupert, part of the first 50 kilometres of the build.

To find out more about the Connected Coast project, please visit www.connectedcoast.ca. Or email info@connectedcoast.ca

Social Media

Facebook: www.facebook.com/connectedcoast

Twitter: www.twitter.com/coast_connected

Instagram: www.instagram.com/connectedcoast

YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCuvgVJiUhU4C8QRQVcX3M0w

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/connectedcoast

Freedom Rally

February 3, 2022

Freedom Rally

Some of you may remember an article I submitted to the Grapevine back in September regarding demystifying some of the myths about the unvaxed. Well, in light of some very interesting developments as of late, I felt it was time for a follow up.

First, let’s take a look at where we are in terms of Covid19. Have you noticed that every time things start to look as though they are going to get better, they come out with a new strain which is either stronger than the last or spreading faster than any other strain? Even though Trudeau has maintained his “get vaxed” mantra, people are still testing positive in record numbers, including himself! It’s almost hysterical how he continues to blame the unvaxed even though it’s been months now that our movements have been restricted and/or we’ve been forced into unemployment. Have you noticed that CBC has stopped comparing vaxed vs unvaxed when they are citing the number of cases and numbers in ICU each day? It is clear that the vax campaign has not been successful and yet people are still screaming “the greater good!” while attacking anyone who disagrees. The decades long women’s right movement has virtually been wiped out in one fell swoop, “My body, My choice” being replaced by “do this or else!”

For many of us, it has been 2 years of tolerating bullying, name-calling, character assassination and in some cases, unwarranted job loss and even expulsion from family and friends. It was as though the whole world had gone mad as everyone accused everyone else of “unreliable sources” and of being “racists and misogynists” (that one, from our very own Prime Minister). Overdoses and suicides were hitting a record high, more and more indigenous children’s bodies were being found, people were being arrested for protecting the old growth, all against the backdrop of the pandemic which, in some ways, seemed to be fuelling it all.

And then one day some truckers decided to stand up and say “no” to the mandates. No one could have known, even a few weeks ago, how many of them there would be or what kind of an impact they would have. We still don’t know what the end result will be but we do know that the “fringe minority” that Trudeau spoke of is actually millions of Canadians, your countrymen and women, your friends and your family. This protest has even inspired convoys in several other countries and is being watched with anticipation worldwide.

Of course, the first thing the mainstream media tried to do is discredit it (as they are being paid/forced to do) in the same way that they have done with any doctor or scientist who spoke out against the vax. If you don’t see the pattern, it probably means that you are deeply susceptible to the propaganda. Of course Trudeau is going to keep trying to push the vax narrative. According to the CBC, he’s ordered over 400 million shots. That works out to over 10 shots per person! That’s what Trudeau has in store for you. Thankfully, even people who are double vaxed are starting to realize that that is not the answer.

The truth is that thousands of people came out to cheer on the truckers on highway bypasses and all along the road sides right across Canada. Whole towns prepared food for them, gas stations donated gas and on Gofundme, they’ve raised almost $10 million to date and no, it’s not true that the funds were being withheld. It’s also not true that it was organized by white supremacists. One of the two main organizers is Jewish and the other is Metis.

For so many of us, the convoy is like a thousand white knights riding in on their horses to save the day, not just because of the mandates but because there are millions of us who have been treated like second-class citizens for the last two years and we’ve had enough! We are Canadian and as such, we embrace diversity and the freedom to choose what is right for ourselves and we are no longer going to tolerate the discrimination.

So to all the people out there who have supported the mandates, who complied by getting vaxed and who believe the masks are actually helping, that’s your right and no one is going to try to take that away from you. But if any of you decide that you are a better person than the next guy because you got vaxed, or if you try to bully us into complying with your ideologies, or you want to use mainstream media as your platform for convincing everyone that you are right, well, you can just back right off. I’m sorry if you’re afraid but if you’re afraid, then you stay home. If your immune system is compromised, then you take the necessary precautions. The vaxes were supposed to protect you and if they have failed to do so, who’s fault is that?

We’re done being the scapegoats and being treated as “less than” and we’re not going to tolerate it anymore. We have as much right to be here, to live and be free, as anyone else on this island and anyone in this country.

And for all of you who have stood strong through all of this despite the almost abusive treatment by your community and in some cases, family and friends, I salute you.

Please stay tuned for our very own convoy, coming soon to a downtown near you.

C. Urquhart

Press Release

February 2, 2022

Telephone polling in Trust Area – not by Islands Trust

Hello:

It has come to our attention that island residents are receiving phone calls from a polling firm that asks questions about Islands Trust and the Policy Statement. We wish to advise you that this is not on behalf of the Islands Trust.

We are currently engaging on the 2022/23 proposed budget with an online survey (follow the link for details on tonight’s budget webinar). We will be beginning engagement on the Policy Statement Amendment Project (Islands 2050) in February.

Thank you,

Islands Trust

Seedy Saturday is Happening!

January 27, 2022

Seedy Saturday is happening!! By Danni Crenna

This will be another year of a virtual event rather than an in-person one but our website will have numerous local seed sellers and other garden supports as well as links to weekly zoom talks. In March (tentatively the 12^th but possibly a week later if the weather is unfriendly) we will have a local seed exchange table at the Old School Field in with the hardy souls who do Saturday markets all year long. The Denman Island Seed Library, which is housed at the Portable at the school (aka. The Food Bank), will be present at the seed exchange and will happily accept any seeds that are left over after the seed exchange. The Seed Library offers free seeds year round in the CAP Site next to the pre-school. It is open 4-7 pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The following are scheduled zoom talks which can be accessed free on the Growers &

Producers Website: https://www.denmangpa.ca/seedy-saturday

Zoom links are available on the website or you can sign-up for the GPA email list to stay up to date and be reminded about each event. All talks are scheduled for 10 am on the designated Saturday unless otherwise announced.

Making the Case for Nuts in an Age of Climate Catastrophe – January 29

Dylan Gale and Nick Montgomery of Nutcase Nursery are on a mission to get people to plant more nut trees. Join them to learn about how nut trees can be an empowering response to climate catastrophe, helping make our gardens, farms, and food systems more resilient. They will be sharing their nutty ideas about why we should grow more nuts, what nuts to grow and how to maximize yield with minimal effort. (www.nutcasenursery.com)

Interactive Fruit Tree Pruning Webinar with Kate Janeway – February 5

Kate Janeway of Denman Island Heritage Apples will discuss fruit tree pruning techniques. This interactive presentation will cover some of the classic pruning guidelines for fruit trees such as apples, pears, and plums. The session will focus on practical application of pruning knowledge and webinar participants are encouraged to submit a photo during the session of one of their own trees. The group will discuss where to make specific pruning cuts and the rationale for those decisions, providing a template for you to confidently prune on your own! Denman Island Heritage Apples is a small-scale fruit tree nursery that specializes in saving and propagating traditional varieties of apple and pear trees. Kate’s knowledge base and services include orchard design and maintenance, nursery trees, and juice pressing. (www.denmanapple.ca)

Plan B(ean) – February 12

Plan B(ean) was born in 2019 with a conversation about how to respond collectively and joyfully to the challenging times ahead, as Plan “A” (business as usual) is clearly not working. Inspired by Dan Jason’s book* and talk on “The Power of Pulses,” five (so far) experienced gardeners formed and launched an island-based collective with the goal of growing trials of various pulses under local conditions. Can we grow enough to supply our families and (hopefully) even more? We will discuss our project including selecting best-suited varieties, irrigation, enhancing soil quality, planting with an inoculant, mulching and experimenting with trellising. (www.denmanislandclimateaction.ca/action-areas/plan-bean)

Increasing Resilience in Food Production – February 19

Peter Janes of TreeEater Nursery will explore some ideas around increasing the resilience of our local food production systems to stressors like drought, extreme heat and market instability. Peter Janes is the owner/operator of TreeEater Nursery. He spends most of his time and energy working with perennial plants that make food: Both in the nursery and on the homestead where he lives and works with his family. (www.treeeaternursery.com)

The Co-Conspirators to play the Guesthouse

January 27, 2022

On Friday, Jan 28th The Co-Conspirators, a Quebec-based folk duo, will be performing a live show at the Earth Club Factory on Denman Island.

This duo performs a blend of folk, country, singer-songwriter, bluegrass, and general roots music, with heavy emphasis on vocal harmonies. They have been compared to such heavy-hitting vocal duos as Ian and Sylvia Tyson, Richard and Linda Thompson, and Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris.

They are currently on tour in support of their latest release, The Unreliable Narrators. The album has been called a masterful mix of fact and fiction folk storytelling, with bullet-proof harmonies. In the grand tradition of songs ripped from the headlines, it includes the first single, The Lonesome death of Elijah McClain, the story of a young black man from Aurora, Colorado who was murdered by police and paramedics in August of 2019.

Along with the 11 original songs (that cover such topics as loves first meeting, life on the road, and a range in emotions from joy to the bleakness of loss), there is a version of the classic song of resistance Bella Ciao, an Italian anti-fascist song from the 1930s.

Find The Co-Conspirators on Facebook, Spotify, Apple Music etc, or at their web-site at www.theco-conspirators.com.

The show at Earth Club Factory is a 6PM, and – weather permitting – will be in the exterior tent. A suggested donation of $15 at the door. Contact Earth Club Factory for a reservation.

The Co-Conspirators

thecoconspirators.band@gmail.com

http://theco-conspirators.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0By7Ss6rMPiNNnH4xz09VG

https://www.facebook.com/TheCoConspirators

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOFSIliVmSuDEhbM8fuLg5Q