Cowichan This Week – The dog days of summer

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

News and announcements

• Lake Cowichan Mayor Rod Peters has resigned his post to take care of his ailing wife, the Lake Cowichan Gazette reports. A byelection is expected in the fall. 

• Construction on the new Cowichan Hospice House is nearly complete, My Cowichan Valley Now reports. 

• The First Nations Leadership Council says a member of the T’Sou-ke Nation was denied appropriate care at the Cowichan District Hospital because of anti-Indigenous racism, the Times Colonist reports. 

• The B.C. government has awarded funds to the Cowichan Intercultural Society to combat hate and racism, according to a news release. 

• The Town of Lake Cowichan is asking trouble-makers to stay home after incidents of public intoxication and unruly behaviour related to tubing on the Cowichan River, My Cowichan Valley Now reports. 

• Ladysmith’s Mr. Popper’s Sweet Shoppe is closing down due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ladysmith Chemainus Chronicle reports.

• The Municipality of North Cowichan has approved two retail cannabis locations on Chemainus Road, the Chemainus Valley Courier reports.

Community events

• Thursday, Aug. 6: 🎸 Meet outside the Lake Cowichan 50+ Activity Centre for an Afternoon of Music on the Lawn, featuring tunes from the Lake Side Good Time Band. 
• Thursday, Aug. 6: 🤝 The First Nations Health Authority and the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use are hosting a webinar on Having Difficult Conversations About Substance Use.
• Saturday, Aug. 8: 🎤 The South Island Rhythm Kings will perform two sets at Waterwheel Park in Chemainus. Seating is limited, so everyone can keep their distance. 
• Sunday, Aug. 9: 🌳 Explore The Secret Life of Trees at Wildwood Ecoforest near Ladysmith. This family-friendly adventure hike will feature educational activity stations and staggered start times to help ensure physical distancing. 
• Monday, Aug. 10 and Tuesday, Aug. 11: 🏠BC Housing is hosting online neighbourhood dialogues about planned supportive housing projects for Duncan and for North Cowichan. Registration is required, and there are additional sessions scheduled for the following week. 
• 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. 
• 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.
• SOLD OUT: 🎭 Unfortunately, the pandemic-modified sneak preview of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” performed by the Shawnigan Players is already sold out. But don’t worry, you can still catch the whole thing in 2021!

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

Photo of the week

A big thank you to Rachel Crockart, owner/operator of PawsActive Adventures, for this cute pic of some great doggos enjoying a hike in the Cowichan Valley. Showing off their sit-stay are (back row, left to right) Duke, Gypsy, Pablo, Molly, Boomer, (centre) Murphy and (front) Rowdy. Nice work, team!

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

“You feed my curiosity!” one of The Discourse’s supporters recently told us. Specifically, with stories about First Nations history and culture.

Thanks for that feedback! This work is only possible because of supporters like you. [end]