Chemainus

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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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!

 

 

 

Vancouver Island BC Canada

“BC Landowners”

August 13, 2016 — 1 Comment

Posted by Wanda and Jim

Vancouver Island BC Canada

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)

Location, location, location!

July 31, 2016 — Leave a comment

Posted by Jim & Wanda

Our lot location is in one of the newer subdivision, about 1 km north of the town of Chemainus (known as the “City of Murals”). The thing that attracted us to the Chemainus location is that it’s a small seaside town (with a population of approximately 3000) and it offers both rural and suburban living. It’s built around a working wharf but has few industries so commercial traffic in the area is minimal. A coastal town, it provides its own interesting attributes such as ocean views, a public beach, and a ferry port. Stuart Channel runs along side the town and its wharf accommodates a working harbor. Because of it’s depth, larger freighters from around the world can dock, load and unload their products. We always stop by the Chemainus viewpoint in front of the museum to see who’s in port as it’s so interesting to watch.

 Chemainus

In the 1980’s Chemainus reinvented itself from a working mill town to it’s present status as a well-recognized arts community, which supports a healthy tourism trade. Chemainus is also well known for its building’s murals (click here to read more) depicting the town and area’s history along with its Aboriginal heritage. It is a strong artistic community and has many art shops and unique eating establishments that make for a quaint, easy-going atmosphere, all within easy walking distance. The artistic aspect of Chemainus is very exciting for Wanda and she looks forward to becoming a part of it.

What we really like is Chemainus’ location in relation to other centres. While it is small, it provides all the basic amenities: There is a new shopping mall with a modern grocery store, pharmacy, liquor store, and bank. It also includes a new tap house, and the Riot Brewhouse is currently under construction (it reminds me of Regina’s Rebellion brewery). There is a fire hall with ambulance service, and an urgent care Health Centre/Hospital. There are a couple of vehicle service stations, and gas stations nearby. And of particular interest to me, is the Brentwood Golf Course and Fuller ice arena.

But even with all this, the jewel of Chemainus is beyond a doubt it’s professional theatre, which was opened in 1992. The Chemainus Theatre is an astonishingly big and beautiful complex (for such a small community) and its busy year around lineup attracts audiences from around the island and beyond.

Duncan & Ladysmith

About 15 minutes south of Chemainus is Duncan (The City of Totems) with a population of just under 5000. Despite its smaller population it has more services than Chemainus, but is still small enough to call it a rural community. It’s a town that serves the larger surrounding population of Cowichan Valley with a population of approximately 80,000. It has a full service hospital, bigger shopping centres and malls, several new car dealerships, an Island University Campus and a cool downtown area filled with heritage buildings. Duncan also has a well-attended farmers’ market, which runs every Saturday. Upon arriving in Duncan, the first hint of it being a larger centre is the Tim Horton’s and a mall complex that includes a Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, Mark’s, Home Depot, Best Buy and a large BC Liquor Store – I call it the Man-Mall!

About 10 minutes north located on the 49th parallel is Ladysmith with a population just under 8000. A pretty seaside town with many beautiful views because of the hilly terrain. While the hills create the amazing views they also make it difficult for walking in most neighbourhoods, in Ladysmith a car is your best friend! Most things can be purchased in Ladysmith. They have large food stores, drugstores, a Motorcycle and Sports centre, restaurants and even a Tim Horton’s. In 2016 we came to visit the island during the first week in January. Ladysmith had an amazing Christmas light display in which most of the downtown vendors were participating. We even had a bit of snow when we arrived which added to the festive glow.

Nanaimo 

Known as the “Harbour City” has a population of just over 83,000 (2011) and is a city about 30 minutes north of Chemainus. You can drive the entire way on the Island Highway which takes you north to Nanaimo, or spend the first 10 minutes on the Seaside Route – Chemainus Road.  The recently revitalized wharf area is beautifully done and is enjoyed by tourists and locals alike.

Nanaimo has a strong arts and music culture which put on many festivals throughout the year such as the Summertime Blues Festival and the world renowned Nanaimo Marine Festival with it’s Bathtub races, and these are no ordinary bathtubs !

There are many larger malls and shopping centres in Nanaimo where you can buy many of the things that you cannot find in the smaller centres. A lovely downtown area with plenty of restaurants and fun quirky shops to enjoy!

Naniamo has an airport with flights from Regina (via Calgary) and two Ferry terminals to get you across to the mainland (Vancouver City). The cost to cross one way in a car with two passengers is approximately $80.00.

Fares – BC Ferries 

BC Ferries

We always visit Nanaimo when we are on the island and a walk on the wharf just as the sun is setting is the perfect end to the day!

Victoria

Victoria “The Garden City” is in the top twenty cities of the world for quality-of-life. It’s located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island and has a population of about 80,017. The metropolitan area of Greater Victoria has a population of 344,615. A trip south to Victoria from Chemainus is about a 1-hour drive (during normal traffic times, it can be considerably longer if you’re in high traffic). The city has a large population of non-local students attending the many universities and colleges and art programs in the community. Victoria bustles with tourists during the high season, as it is a popular tourist destination. There is so much to see in Victoria with an amazing array of places to shop! They even have a haunted walk you can check out. If your not into scary they also have historical walks which are a popular and entertaining way to learn about Victoria’s past. Here there is an international airport and ferries to get you over to the mainland.

Vancouver

Totem pole / Stanley Park

The city of Vancouver has a population of 603,502 with 2.4 million in the Greater Vancouver area (2011 census). A trip from Chemainus would take around three and a half hours including a ferry crossing from Duke Point BC to Tsawwassen BC.

Duke Point to Tsawwassen BC

Duke Point to Tsawwassen BC

The city of Vancouver is consistently listed in the top five worldwide cities for livability and quality of life.

Vancouver is one of the youngest cities in British Columbia only incorporating as a city in 1886. Today the city of Vancouver truly has something for everyone and is a great get away with so much to see. It also has an international airport for easy access to international flights worldwide.

A great place to go for a weekend get away as there is so much to see and do.

Tourism Vancouver

Location, location, location!

So as you can see we’ve put a lot of thought (and research) into this and we are pretty confident that setting up our home in Chemainus gives us the best of all worlds; living in a lovely slow paced seaside community within 2 minutes to three hours from shopping or sight seeing…perfect!

“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!

Comparison: Living in Sask. vs. Vancouver Island – Driving

July 27, 2016 — Leave a comment

Posted by Jim

Driving on the Island

Speeding – A speeding infraction of more that 40 kph over the limit results in fines, charges, and vehicle impoundment totaling more that $1000. So we have to be on our best behaviour on the Island!

Even though the Island Highway (Hwy 1) is mostly double-lane, the speed limit on much of the south island is 90 kph which adds to the laid back style here, and feels somewhat safer. This makes sense for the busier tourist season too. The speed is well monitored as we’ve seen cars pulled over a few times by un-marked police cars. There is an inland section of the Hwy 1 north of Nanaimo where the limit is 120 kph.

The old highway, Chemainus Road, runs behind our lot, with a 60 kph speed limit. Although road noise is sometimes noticeable, because of a forested natural berm, it is mostly quiet.

The highway around Victoria gets quite busy at rush hours, so it’s advisable to avoid traveling there during those times. Tourist season also makes for busier traffic, particularly around Victoria.

The temperate climate reduces the damage to paved roads caused by the freeze-thaw cycle. All highways we’ve driven on were in very good shape and the lines highly visible. Since winter sanding is not required, roads are clean all year long. This helps keep vehicles cleaner, too, especially during the wetter season, which is like having a regular free car wash.

Prairie winter driving – Saskatchewan 2016
Vancouver Island BC – January 2016

Vehicle Registration and Insurance

For comparison we are using the licensing of Wanda’s car which is a 2007 Subaru Impreza Limited Edition

Wanda currently pays $1130 per year in Saskatchewan, which includes a $266 discount for no accidents

We also pay $185 per year for a Package Policy providing liability insurance of $1M and collision deductible of $350, comprehensive deductible of $100 (including windshields)

In BC, Wanda would receive a 40% discount for no accidents which would cost $1223 per year, providing $1M liability and $300 deductible for both collision and comprehensive coverage (except windshield deductible is $200).

Sask

$1130+$185 = $1408

BC

$1223  (cost is $185 less for comparable coverage)

Notes on BC Coverage:

British Columbia has a one-time charge of $36 when a vehicle is first registered in the province

Insurance works on a sliding scale premium for accidents and is not  a “no fault accident” system. This adds about $500 per year to the premium, but is reduced by an annual accident-free discount of 5%, culminating in a 40% discount over 8 years.
Example: the Impreza would cost $1704 with a 15% discount (3 yrs accident-free) – difference of $481

Links:

Registering a vehicle in BC

Driver Licensing

Moving to BC

Everything you need to know about transferring, licensing and registering your vehicle when moving to BC from another province.

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“Winters on the island”

July 25, 2016 — Leave a comment

Posted by Jim

We spent January 2016 on the Island enjoying the hospitality of our good friends Carl and Janine and their lovely suite. Although we were greeted by a wet snowfall on arrival, it was minor in volume and only lasted a day or two before the green grass became fully visible again. It was unusual to see Palm trees (which grow here) weighted down with the wet snow. This was the only snowfall we experienced during our stay here.

The climate is quite temperate here with the temperature range quite narrow in the winter. We experienced high temperatures of 5-10 degrees C in January, but the lows rarely went below 0.

While many days were cloudy and drizzly, the scenery was so different than what we are used to at this time of year. I have a simple saying to describe it: green and clean, vibrant and alive! With the wetter conditions, the flora and fauna always looks its best, giving everything an effervescence that’s a joy to experience over the winter season. The roads and vehicles are always clean, and with the mild weather people are out and about, compared to the hibernation effect provided by a Prairie winter. In Sask. I don’t see my neighbours for 4 months!

As we mentioned earlier snowfall is rare in the low coastal areas of the island, so driving is seldom inhibited by road conditions, or visibility concerns, except for, at times, some foggy conditions. Winter travelling in most of Canada usually requires caution and pre-planning, along with a winter survival kit on the Prairies. On the island we found that we were able to enjoy the outdoors or travel in the dead of winter without the typical concerns of driving on dangerous roads, or being subjected to freezing conditions. “Bundling up” on VI is simply putting on a sweater or rain jacket.

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Winter activities are much easier in the mild climate. Walking and hiking are possible every day, and on sunny days we saw people golfing in shorts. Cycling, motorcycling, sailing and boating are year-round pleasures.

Cycling is especially prevalent on the island as in can be done year around. This also applies to motorcycling too so Wanda and I really look forward to an extended season of riding.

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If I could only use one word to describe winters in VI, it would be “gentle”. While we may get nostalgic and miss the beauty of a fresh snowfall, an enjoyable Christmas trip back to the prairies or a short trek to the mountains will remedy that.

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 House”

July 16, 2016 — Leave a comment

Posted by Wanda and Jim

We just spent a considerable amount of time looking into the type of house we would like to build on a lot on Vancouver Island. We came up with a very high level plan which would probably work well on this property. We are hoping to keep the square footage down to below 2500 square ft. and we would like to have a main floor level entry from the garage on the upper level of the lot. Here’s what we came up with.

Coming from “flat land” Saskatchewan we do however worry about living on a sloped lot, but having a sweeping view of the ocean (Stuart Channel) makes it a compromise I believe we could probably live with.

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We also would like to build a suite with kitchenette in the lower level to accommodate all the visitors we hope to be getting from Saskatchewan, Alberta and beyond. 🙂 Yes, and what a great holiday for our family and friends! We will supply the accommodations and a car for you to explore the Island, what a great deal! (More about that later, you might notice it becoming a bit of a reoccurring theme in our future postings!)

“The Markets”

July 15, 2016 — Leave a comment

Posted by Wanda

We love the Markets on the Island! The first thing we do when arriving here is pick up our fresh produce from the farmers market. Our favourite market to shop is “The Old Farm Market” on the Trans Canada Highway between Duncan and Cobble Hill. The smells, colours and the friendly people add so much to the shopping experience. I always love shopping there but it’s truly special during the Autumn season when great piles of orange pumpkins and multicoloured corn are found amongst the leafy fall decorating and colourful seasonal produce. This market is just one of many that can be found locally and has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. If you ever get the chance to stop by, don’t forget to treat yourself to an ice cream before you head back home with your bags of farm fresh goodness!

There are so many markets on the Island to check out, but every Wednesday the town of Chemainus has one you’ll really want to check out. A busy place as many tourists along with the local community stop by to purchase not only the fresh food, but to browse and chat with the many artisans selling their wares. A great place to shop for unique and locally made gifts!

Saturday is the big market in Duncan; held in the pretty downtown area and it’s well attended by both vendors and local shoppers. Come early though as they sell out!

The Old Farm Market