A Walk Around the New Neighbourhood

March 22, 2017 — Leave a comment

Posted by Wanda

Our new neighbourhood in Chemainus is filling in fast and I believe we may be one of the last to build. The tentative start date is coming up fast (July 2017). We are flying out in April for two weeks to tie off the loose ends with the builder and the designer. It’s all pretty exciting!

Our good friends and soon to be neighbours Carl and Janine have been keeping us up to date with pictures of the changing landscape of the neighbourhood. (Thanks guys!) I have put a few of their photos together which best illustrates this transition. It’s interesting to see the progression and yes – there was snow! More snow than the island has seen for quite a few years. Oh well, I understand they needed the moisture so that’s okay, and it was very pretty too!

Looking north from the back of our lot

House two doors down east of our lot.

House two doors down from our lot.

Neighbour’s home to the west of our lot. For sale if anyone is interested? MLS 420809

Our neighbour’s home east of our property

Winter scene at Carl & Janine’s

Nice house around the corner of our street. View from Carl & Janine’s deck.

Winter view from the back of our lot.

Street view (with the bump, which is our lot)

Walls going up two house east of our lot.

Neighbours to the west to our lot (the bump)

View of Stuart Channel from our lot.

Another home in the neighbour, similar to the one we are building.

Snowy day in Kinsmen Park Chemainus

Snowy day in Kinsmen park Chemainus

Two houses to the east of our lot.

Google street view Orca View Terrace, Chemainus BC

Project: Fireplace

March 17, 2017 — 2 Comments

Anyone who has been at our house on Maple Wood knows that our fireplace was always pretty “plain Jane”. When we had the house built we needed to cut costs, so the fireplace was never really finished the way we had planned. Now this is kind of a good and bad scenario.

The bad – we never were able to enjoy a finished fireplace 😦

The good – finishing it now has allowed us to update to a more contemporary look. 🙂

Thanks again to Andre and Jim for a job well done. I could not have wished for a more beautiful finished project and we are now very close to the end of our renos. We just need to do some: painting and baseboard work in the master bedroom, outside yard clean up, finishing up with some odds and ends and a major clean up (including a purge). We are almost there!

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More Renos!

March 15, 2017 — 3 Comments

Posted by Wanda

Working hard to get the “Regina” house ready for sale! Andre and Jim tackled the big job of refinishing the carpeted stairs with wood. Gone are the white spindles; replaced by wrought iron and maple and it looks beautiful! The guys did an amazing job!

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House plans & Walk thru

February 28, 2017 — Leave a comment

Posted by Wanda

We are starting to work with the builder and the designer to finalize plans for the new house. We are working toward a potential start date of July 2017. It’s all pretty exciting and kind of scary as we have never lived any place but Regina Sask!

Below is a Youtube link to an animated walk thru of the plans which Wanda put together using Home Design Suite Software (thanks for the tip Kyla!)

Animated walk thru upper level – Orca View

Animated walk thru lower level – Orca View

I have also uploaded some preliminary plans which we are still fine tuning.

Upper level floor plan

Lower level floor plan

Chemainus – The Murals (Part Three)

January 27, 2017 — Leave a comment

Posted by Wanda

“The Murals”

In 1981 the town of Chemainus started a revitalization project, giving the town a much needed facelift. In 1982 five murals were commissioned to adorn walls in the downtown area of the community. In 1983, Chemainus won the renowned New York Downtown Revitalization Award for the redevelopment of its downtown core. That same year the sawmill which employed many of the residents shut down. The town leveraged the acclaim it was receiving from the award by expanding the Mural Project. Chemainus now boasts forty four murals depicting the history of the area and it has become a popular tourist destination on the island.

I found this mural and its story (see excerpt below) to be especially poignant. Pictures of all the murals, their location and their stories can be found at:

Chemainus Festival of Murals Society

Click on the “The Art ” tab.

The Hermit

Charlie Abbott arrived in Chemainus sometime in the 1970s (nobody knows exactly when or why), and wandered into the deep, green forest surrounding this small community where he spent the rest of his life.

Old and bent with age, Charlie lived alone in the woods. He came to appreciate and love the forest, its wild inhabitants, and the changing seasons. For the few people that knew of his existence, he was simply called “The Hermit”.

Through acres of forest wilderness, he created “The Hermit Trails”. They were a marvel of enterprise, endurance and unique splendour. Slowly and painfully, he created a garden beneath the canopy of giant maples and firs, carving paths through the woodland floor. Slabs of rock, large and small, were hauled and placed to form intricate walkways and steps. Every day, Charlie swept the paths and cleared the fallen debris from both winter snowfalls and autumn windstorms.

This place of Charlie Abbott’s rebirth, what he called “the last stop on my pilgrimage”, became a place of solace and peace for others as well. He shunned human contact and had no sense of ownership over his domain. “I can’t take it with me when I go”, he would say.

He saw himself as a simple caretaker, nourishing the ground from which he drew his strength. It was a task more suited to a younger man, but for the last decade of his life, Charlie Abbott buried his gnarled hands in the rich earth and released its beauty. He chose to dwell in the silence of the forest.

Charlie Abbott’s pilgrimage ended on April 14, 1989 when, at the age of 87, “The Hermit” of Chemainus died.

The basement/garage for the house next door.

Viewing the Grade

October 28, 2016 — Leave a comment

by Wanda

Haven’t posted for awhile but there has not been much going on “Adventure” wise. Still working on reno’s and the house here in Regina is looking amazing (thanks to Jim and Andre). Just put in a new front door (with a beautiful glass insert) and it’s hard to believe what a difference it makes, should have done it years ago!

Okay, so now for the update on the build in BC. The empty lot to the west of us is now being worked on. Once the basement was excavated we were allowed the opportunity to check out the “rock” situation under our lot. Our friend Carl and his Dad Eric checked it out for us and took some pictures (Thanks guys!)

View of the side of our lot, you can see the grade line and very little rock to have to deal with. The ridge the runs along the back of the lots on this side of Orca view is towards the back of our lot which hopefully means less blasting.

View toward the street from the excavated lot. Their garage will be under the house so much excavation was needed.

View towards the back of the neighbours lot, with Eric. You can see the rock ridge that runs along the back of the lots.

View towards the back corner of our lot from the excavated lot beside us. The trees you see are on the upper back portion of the lot. To the right of the picture you can see some of the rock ridge that runs along the back of all the lots on this side of Orca View.

The Neighbours Basement Garage goes in…

The basement/garage for the house next door.

Basement/garage for the house next door. The small clearing at the back of the lot is the back right corner of our lot. This picture was taken from the front street.

And an update on where we are at…

We are still trying to figure out what we want in a house (and what we can afford which are two different things entirely).

We have talked with a designer and will be working with him (and the builder) in the beginning of the new year (2017). We will be spending about a month or so on the Island in January and will be meeting with them face to face to hopefully nail down some plans.

Meanwhile our house here in Regina looks a bit haunted! Decorated up a bit for Halloween but definitely downscaled from previous years. Eating way too many chocolate bars so I will be glad when it’s over.

Happy Halloween everyone!

September 3, 2016 — Leave a comment

By Wanda

So many beautiful ideas! We have put together a few Pinterest boards with some of our favourites!

Beach House Interiors

Beach House Exteriors

Nautical Coastal

Coastal Christmas

Coastal Autumn

Home

West Coast Motorcycle Rides – The Circle Route

August 28, 2016 — Leave a comment

By Wanda and Jim

West Coast Rides! So many places to explore on and off a bike. Both Wanda and myself are looking forward to doing Vancouver Island and the coast on a motorcycle. One of the first routes that comes to mind is one we took in our car with the kids about 10 years back.

The Circle Route

The Circle Route takes us from our starting point near Chemainus, north to Courtenay/Comox Terminal, a ferry trip across the Salish sea to the Powell River on the mainland.

Powell River

Sunshine Coast

Travelling south on the beautiful Sunshine Coast highway you hug the coastline taking in the stunning views. At Saltery Bay Terminal you catch a second ferry which takes you across the inlet to land at the Earls Cove Terminal. Hop on the Sunshine Coast highway again going through Sechelt and Gibsons (where the Beachcombers series was filmed, stop an have a coffee or lunch at Molly’s Reach, it’s still there).

Molly’s Reach at Gibsons BC

After hanging out with “Relic” for awhile you make your way to the third ferry crossing at Langdale Terminal and land at Horseshoe Bay Terminal. Highway #1 will take you into West Vancouver (if you take a short detour at this point you can also check out the Capilano Suspension Bridge).

Back on route takes you to Stanley Park, leaving the park by Burrand St Bridge you can stop at the Grandville Island Public Market and once you’ve stocked up on fresh fruit and veggies or maybe stopped to have a great meal on the wharf, make your way to Tsawwassan Terminal.

Stanley Park Seawall.

Granville Public Market

Here you have a choice to go back to Chemainus via Duke Point or check out the Gulf Islands by landing instead at Long Harbour on Salt Spring Island. Head home via your final ferry ride from the Vesuvius Terminal to Crofton Vancouver Island and the short ride home.

Back to Chemainus

bestbikingroads.com

“Earthquake!”

August 25, 2016 — Leave a comment

by Wanda

The Juan de Fuca plate meets up with the North American Plate off the west coast of Vancouver Island and they are pushing against one another along the Cascadia fault line creating a subduction zone under BC’s west coast. This fault runs parallel to the island and is one of the most active in Canada.

Because this creates an elevated risk of earthquakes on the island new building codes have been implemented. Chemainus is closer to the southern tip of the island and is in the second highest seismic risk zone.

As of December 2014 these new codes have been deemed mandatory on all new builds and will have an impact on our new home. Below are a few graphics along with information links about the new codes.

When earthquakes occur underwater there is always a risk of tsunami. The graphic below shows the tsunami risk zones on the island. Chemainus is in a lower risk zone.

Links:

Earthquakes Canada Great information and links published by Canadian Federal Government. Historical Data can also be found here.

Overview of New Requirements Plenty of graphics and code descriptions in easy to understand laymen’s terms

BC Earthquake Fact Sheet Excellent fact sheet and links

Quake Safe Your Home

Earthquake kits

Links to new building code information.

2014 Amendments to the Building Code

New BC Seismic Codes

Seismic Design of Houses

BC Building Code and Earthquake Safety

Chemainus – Check it out! (Part two)

August 22, 2016 — Leave a comment

Posted by Wanda

There is something for everyone in Chemainus, from a Professional Theatre to an amazingly over the top Candy and Ice Cream shop and so much more between! In this series of postings we’ll show you just a few of the many interesting places for tourists to check out.

Tourism Chemainus has created a webpage “Enjoy Chemainus” filled with information on where to go and what to do in Chemainus and area. Many of the links in this posting will take you to this page.

Hansel and Gretel’s Candy Company

A tiny little store on Willow avenue, you can’t miss it because of it’s storybook appearance and the candy cane decoration around the store windows. Jim and I always stop by this store when we are in town as Jim loves the Double Salt liquorice and it’s here he finds a pretty good selection (this liquorice it’s an acquired taste which I have yet to acquire). I however, enjoy the friendly staff, the amazing decor and how most of their candy is pre-packaged and ready for gift giving. One of the best selling products in the store is a fruit flavoured chewy candy which we always buy for gifts to take back to the family (these candies are so good they sometimes don’t make it to the intended receiver!). The staff indicated that we are not alone in our love of this candy, the store literally sells tons during a single year!

The Hansel and Gretel Candy Co. is a locally run family business, the owners are so very friendly and easy to get to know. They live and work in the community and exemplify local business at it’s finest! The family also runs a Bed and Breakfast in town along with owning two additional shops in the downtown area, all three are a delight to shop in!

Third Party Home Warranty (BC)

August 18, 2016 — Leave a comment

Posted by Wanda

Home Warranty Protection

The Homeowner Protection Office offer resources for “new build” home owners along with lists of authorized third party insurers. Builders must be registered to arrange for insurance before a building permit is filed. This entity is in place to protect the “new build” home owner during and after a new home build.

As of 1999, all residential builders in British Columbia are required to be licensed by the Homeowner Protection Office and arrange for third-party home warranty insurance on proposed new homes prior to obtaining a building permit.

Builders Registry Search

Education and Teaching in BC

August 14, 2016 — Leave a comment

Posted by Wanda

Becoming a post secondary student in BC

EducationPlannerBC is an online resource to help learners make well informed decisions about their education and career options. Use the Plan section to find articles and information about the different paths along the student journey.

This excellent resource helps guide you through:

Getting Started – Planning stage

Apply – Application Processes

Finance – Financing your Education

Study – Supporting your study plans

Work – Guiding you to work opportunities both during and after

Institution Locator – Helping you find the perfect institution for your area of studies

How to apply

Becoming a teacher

Teaching certificate holders coming to BC from elsewhere in Canada are required to apply for two certificates

BC Teaching Certificate (an academic record, including teacher education training and subject area studies and teaching experience. If you have a valid Teaching Certificate from another province you are likely to qualify for a basic Certificate without any further coursework)
BC Ministry of Education certificate – fitness to teach (taken through the Teacher Regulation Branch to show you meet the Ministry’s requirements to teach in the province, that is, whether your moral character makes you suitable to work with children)

The information in this section applies to you if you are completing or have completed a teacher education program at a Canadian university outside of BC or completed your education program in BC over one year ago.
If you have a valid teaching certificate from another Canadian province or territory, you will probably qualify for a BC teaching certificate. However, before you can teach in BC, you must apply for a BC Ministry of Education teaching certificate through the Teacher Regulation Branch and show that you meet the Ministry’s standards of fitness.
Paths to teacher certification are different from one province to another. While you may qualify for a Basic Certificate, you may choose to upgrade to a Professional Certificate by completing additional coursework. Learn more about the types of certificates issued by the Teacher Regulation Branch.

Types of Certificates
Note: The Teacher Regulation Branch is moving to only accepting applications for teacher certification through the secure Applicants’ Area of our website. This change will benefit you as an applicant because you will be able to receive updates about the status of your application and monitor its progress online. The online application process improves the security of your information and the service we are able to provide you.

Applicant log in area.

Standards for educators

“BC Landowners”

August 13, 2016 — 1 Comment

Posted by Wanda and Jim

Vancouver Island BC Canada – Bad Habits Cafe

We are BC Landowners!

The paperwork is done and it’s now official, we are the owners of a beautiful piece of property in Chemainus BC! We are one step closer to realizing our dream of moving to Vancouver island.

The Lot (click for more)

Thanks to Carl and Janine for all your help, guidance and patience 🙂 over the past few years. You are both amazing friends!

Thanks also to Eric and Cory for their ongoing support, (the couple we most want to be like when we grow up!)

Thanks also goes out to our son John (Fraser). It’s nice to have a Real Estate professional in the family, we are so proud of you!

Thanks also to Linda (Vavra) for your help and support, your the one who turned us on to the island in the first place, your an amazing ambassador! (but, now you can tone it down a notch as we don’t want everyone in on our secret paradise!) 🙂

And now the hard work of building, packing, selling and moving begins!

The House (click for more)

Going Coastal (click for more)

“A Blog Break-Updated”

August 3, 2016 — Leave a comment

We are taking a bit of a break to deal with a family emergency. My sister Janice has been sick for quite some time and is now receiving end of life care. Will keep you posted.

Wanda

Update:

Janice passed away after a life time battle; many years of health struggles. She always had a wonderful positive attitude, and an amazing sense of humour despite her challenges and she will be missed by so many.

Over these past months I have held back telling Janice our plans to move, especially during this time when it was all coming together with the purchase of the property in Chemainus. I felt it was too much of a contrast to her own health struggles and that it would be best not to share. Now, I wish I had. Janice would have loved to have shared this together with me. Jim and I even picked our house plans based on how someone in a wheel chair (Janice) could easily access it, even though it’s build on a slope. I should not have held back, I wish I had told her.

Someone asked me the other day how I’m feeling (about losing my only sister) and at first I didn’t know how to describe it. Now after some days have passed only one word comes to mind to describe how I feel – “alone”.

Janice I wish you could have stayed with us longer and had a better life with less struggles.

I love you.

Wanda

Janice Otten – Obituary

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“One step closer”

July 29, 2016 — 3 Comments

Posted by Wanda and Jim

We finalized the Offer to Purchase on the lot in Chemainus today. It’s a done deal, now we just need to finish the paperwork which is a little more challenging as we are completing this transaction out-of-province. While we are looking at a year or more time line we are still one step closer to making Vancouver Island our home. Exciting and scary at the same time!

Now to get to work on getting our house ready for sale in Regina. Besides a general clean up we have a few more big jobs: windows, painting and flooring upstairs. We are also continuing the purge, it’s amazing how much stuff one accumulates over the years!

“Beautiful Victoria” – Haunted Walk

July 26, 2016 — Leave a comment

Posted by Wanda

They say that Victoria is the most “haunted” city in British Columbia! Ghostly Walks have become one of the most popular evening activities in Victoria and has been offered to tourists year around for about fifteen years now. During the summer there is a Ghostly tour offered every evening and each night of the week offers a different tour. They also offer private tours and tours in French. No reservations are necessary, just meet outside the Visitor Information Centre on Government and Wharf Street at 7:30 PM, in the summer months there is also an extra tour at 9:30 PM. Tours on Halloween night are very popular so reservations are required. If you love storytelling and a bit of horror you’ll love the Ghostly Tours in Victoria! They have since added other historical tours to the ticket which we haven’t yet checked out.

We took in the walk a few years back and it was not too scary but enjoyable (a little humour is always thrown in amongst the story telling). A great way to explore the city after dark while learning about some of the its more sordid historical events.

No reservations are needed for Ghostly Walks. Except for the tours around Halloween, all Ghostly Walks start outside the Visitor Information Centre, corner of Government and Wharf Street. Adults $14, students and seniors $12. Private tours by request.

https://discoverthepast.com

Boo!

Chemainus – Summer Time (Part One)

July 23, 2016 — Leave a comment

Posted by Wanda

Most of our time on the island we found ourselves touring, trying to find that perfect place to spend our retirement years. There are so many beautiful places on VI, but the more we explored the more our thoughts kept coming back to Chemainus. We found ourselves always comparing the places we explored across the island to Chemainus. Once we realized this, the decision was made. I would like to share with you the first in a series of posts featuring just a few of the highlights attracting us to the area and this wonderful community .

The Summer season and Canada Day!

In the summer this town is abuzz with tourists and Chemainus welcomes them with open arms. The season is full of events attended by both locals and their tourist guests. On our last visit we were lucky enough to be here to participate in the July 1st Canada Day celebrations. It was well attended by young and old alike!

Chemainus Events 2016

Interesting VI Facts: “A Divers Dream”

July 22, 2016 — Leave a comment

Posted by Wanda

January 14th, 2006 a retired Canadian Airlines Boeing 737 200 was sunk in Stuart Channel just off the coast of Chemainus, British Columbia. It is now an artificial reef for marine life and in use for divers to enjoy. Rescue teams are also seen practicing at the site.

Links:

Boeing 737 Artificial Reef

Artificial Reef Society of BC

Divemaster.ca

Video Links:

You tube 2006 News story

2010 Dive showing the marine life inhabiting the plane

“The Island” – Links to learn more

July 21, 2016 — Leave a comment

Posted by Wanda

There is so much more to Vancouver Island than most people realize. The majority of the population live on a relatively small “slice” on the island’s east coast that stretches from Sooke and Victoria in the south to Comox in the Nanaimo region.

Population Density Map. This map does not represent the current population which is over 765,000 people but it illustrates the approximate distribution.

Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast

While visiting VI we have ventured out of this “slice” only a few times and what we didn’t know is the amazing geographic diversity on this island that’s just waiting to be explored. As we did our research we began to learn how much there actually is to see here and we have added quite a few more travel items to our “bucket lists” in the process!

To learn more, here are a few of our favourite links!

Travel Vancouver Island

This webpage is chock full with information on Island events, things to see, beautiful rides (car or motorcycle), day trips, and links to other VI travel organizations.

There’s even a section on Pet friendly accommodations !

Our Jax

Take a Hike Vancouver Island (FaceBook Page)

This group page on FaceBook has been set up for people who enjoying hiking in VI. So many of them upload beautiful pictures and there is always discussions about the places they have discovered. Anyone can join and it’s certainly worth checking it out. We have learned so much about the island from this page alone!

Photographer Carmen Walsh “Take a Hike Vancouver Island”

I Love Vancouver Island (FaceBook Page)

This page highlights many of the events and places to visit during a stay on the island. The picture below is an example of some of the things you will find on the page. The photo is taken in Chemainus, behind the Hansel and Gretel Candy Co in a beautiful little court-yard that you could easily miss if you are not one to explore a bit off the beaten path. It’s filled with greenery, birds and plenty of places to sit and take it all in! You can sneak in a bit of ice cream too as one of the best ice cream vendors around can also be found there! Cute place to take your little ones!

Photo credit: Toad Hollow Photography

If you have a favourite link with info on the Island please share as we would love to explore it too!

Comparison: Living in Sask vs Vancouver Island – Health Care

July 20, 2016 — Leave a comment

Posted by Wanda

MSP Premium Changes

MSP Premium Rate Changes effective Jan. 1, 2018

In January 2018, MSP premium rates and the Regular Premium Assistance program are changing.

Click here for more info.

Health Care

Overview

One of the main health care plan differences between Sask and Vancouver Island is BC’s requirement to pay a monthly premium by those eligible for the services.

The cost is 2016 $136.00/couple but it is going up to$156.00/couple in 2017. If the age of you or your spouse is over 65 you can claim a $3000.00 yearly tax exemption.

The second difference is the overall health care “Report card ranking” which ranks BC an “A”. This makes it the top ranking province in Canada and in the top three ranking globally (on par with Sweden and Switzerland).

Saskatchewan ranks a “D” which puts it second from the bottom (along with Manitoba and just one above the US).

BC/Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island Health Authority is responsible for health care on the island. Unlike Regina, those we talked to had no trouble finding a family doctor, and dentists are plentiful (13 in Duncan alone). There are modern urgent care centres in Ladysmith (10 km away), Chemainus and a regional hospital in Duncan (18 km away).

There is an extensive system of laboratories in BC and a province wide electronic system to deliver lab results to doctors directly. In most cases results are available the same or next day.

MSP Medical Services Plan

MSP has a website that does an excellent job linking residents to the most current information regarding the plan.

MSP Medical Services Plan – Click here to view

Overview PDF of BC MSP – Click to view

Waiting period – Click to view

How to Apply (online link to application) – Click to view

eHealth

eHealth – BC has been transitioning since 2009 toward an online record administration system, which will allow authorized health professional access to an online lifetime personal electronic health record of every individual in BC.

PharmaCare

PharmaCare Assistance (extra coverage for catastrophic drug costs, no premiums are paid for this) and all eligible British Columbians are encouraged to register for the plan.

BC’s Fair PharmaCare plan provides B.C. families with coverage for eligible prescription drugs and designated medical supplies, based on their net income. Fair PharmaCare also ensures that B.C. residents, regardless of income, are protected from catastrophic drug costs.

Saskatchewan

Sask Health Services

Saskatchewan offers residents universal health service with no premiums, however wait times for surgery and tests in this province are notoriously long. It is more difficult to keep doctors and nurses in this province so hospitals and health centers are quite often short staffed. Finding a new physician is challenging as many Sask doctors are no longer accepting new patients.

Sask Health Benefits – Click here to view

Saskatchewan eHealth (Sask’s online record administration system) is in the works but the province has only been transitioning to this system since 2011.

For more Saskatchewan eHealth information – Click here

	wgfraser on Halloween and Markets on the…
	colleendm on Halloween and Markets on the…
	colleendm on Building a Basement/Trip to th…
	colleendm on Heading for the Island!
	wgfraser on Heading for the Island!

The Neighbours Basement Garage goes in…

And an update on where we are at…

Posted by Wanda

Hansel and Gretel’s Candy Company

Posted by Wanda

More Links:

Posted by Wanda

Posted by Wanda and Jim

We are BC Landowners!

Update:

Posted by Wanda and Jim

Posted by Wanda

Boo!

Posted by Wanda

Posted by Wanda

Posted by Wanda

Posted by Wanda

MSP Premium Changes

MSP Premium Rate Changes effective Jan. 1, 2018

In January 2018, MSP premium rates and the Regular Premium Assistance program are changing.

Health Care

Overview

BC/Vancouver Island

MSP Medical Services Plan

eHealth

PharmaCare

Saskatchewan

Sask Health Services

Other Comparison Links