Cowichan This Week – Did you hear the news?

Welcome to Cowichan This Week, your source for the latest local news and events. Sign up to get this in your inbox every Thursday.

Did you hear the news? Shalu Mehta has joined The Discourse team. She’ll be telling community-driven stories in Cowichan and launching West Shore This Week, a newsletter for the communities of Langford, Colwood, Metchosin, Highlands, View Royal and Sooke. 

Right now, she’s focused on telling stories about food security in the face of COVID-19. You can support this work with a contribution to The Discourse. We can’t do it without you.

News and announcements

• The province has extended funding for temporary tent sites in Duncan and Ladysmith to shelter people without housing through the pandemic, My Cowichan Valley Now reports.

• Youbou Lanes has reopened for “family bubble” bowling bookings. 

• Penelakut Tribe has closed Tent Island to the public because of campers lighting unsafe fires and leaving garbage behind, the Chemainus Valley Courier reports. 

• The Cowichan Valley Regional District is reopening ice rinks at the Cowichan Lake Sports Arena, the Cowichan Community Centre, and the Kerry Park Recreation Centre this month, according to a news release.

• RCMP Investigators are asking for tips in the 2015 homicide of Delores (Deedee) Brown of Penelakut Island, the Chemainus Valley Courier reports. 

• The B.C. government has delayed the return of students to schools in September, CBC News reports. Teachers and staff will return as planned on Sept. 8, and students will follow on Sept. 10.

• Family and friends are fundraising to support Cowichan man Wayne Christopher Lee Charlie with costs of addictions treatment and recovery.

• Two people died in an incident off the coast of Victoria that sank the Arctic Fox II, a fishing boat registered in Shawnigan Lake, Victoria News reports.

• Vancouver Island University has appointed Judith Sayers, a prominent Hupačasath First Nation leader, as its chancellor, Ha-Shilth-Sa reports.

Community events

• Thursday, Aug. 13: 🌱 Meet at the Kin Park Youth Urban Farm for a “SusTEENability” workshop on seed saving, for self-identified girls ages 13-18. 
• Thursday, Aug. 13: 🌎 Join MLA Sonia Furstenau for an online town hall meeting on her newly released Strategy for Climate and Resource Resilience.
• Sunday, Aug. 16: ✌️ Special Woodstock, an annual festival celebrating performers of diverse abilities, is going online this year. Join the fun by joining the Facebook group. 
• Sunday, Aug. 16: 🎨 Check out art and performances by local youth at the CVYS Art Show at the HUB at Cowichan Station. The artwork will remain on display through Aug. 21.
• Tuesday, Aug. 18 and Wednesday, Aug. 19: 🏠 BC Housing is hosting online neighbourhood dialogues about planned supportive housing projects for Duncan and for North Cowichan. Registration is required.
• Wednesday, Aug. 19: 👔 The Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce is offering an online Q&A on navigating the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy. 
• This month: 🚜 The legendary Cobble Hill Fair has gone virtual! Submit contest entries through Aug. 18, and winners will be posted to the website. 
• This month: 🍷 Celebrate the Cowichan Valley Wine Festival by tasting your way around 13 wineries across this region.

What did I miss? Let me know what events are coming up near you by sending me an email.

Photo of the week

Ann Perry-Smith (Mountain Sessions With Ann on Instagram) shared this great photo of a gull with a starfish in its beak. Ann was kayaking towards Genoa Bay Marina and startled the bird into flight. “I was snapping shots wildly while trying not to tip my kayak & send myself into the drink,” Ann writes. The moral of the story? “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Thanks, Ann, for taking this one!

Do you have a great photo of life in Cowichan? Send me an email, I’d love to see what this place looks like through your lens.

In your words

“Thank you for your wonderful presence in our community, and your great reporting on real issues by real people,” Diana wrote to us recently. Thank you so much! The Discourse is possible because of community members like you. [end]