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Trio Magazine, Courtenay, BC (2025)

12/14/2024

.mag has a new look! We have officially join ! We are now part of boulevard central island, we have a section called “North Island Boulevard “

11/16/2024

10 QUESTIONS
WITH 19 WING COMOX COL. CHRIS SHAPKA

In 2009, Shapka was promoted to major and posted to the Maritime Directorate of DGAEPM where he was the deputy weapon system manager for the CH-124 Sea King. While in this position he served as a member of the Joint Task Force Games for the 2010 Olympics as a liaison officer to the Washington National Guard in Camp Murray, Washington. Shapka has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada, a master’s degree in leadership from Royal Roads University, and a master’s degree in defence studies from the Canadian Forces College. Away from the forces, Shapka has been a Canadian Football League official for a decade, officiating games which include the Grey Cup and most recently Touchdown Pacific in Victoria.

What is a random fact about you that few people might know?
I own a beautiful Harley motorcycle that I never ride. Shortly after my kids were born, I stopped riding – it just seemed too risky. I could sell it, but I still love the bike and I know I’d never be able to replace it if it were sold.

If you could have a conversation over dinner with one person - living or dead - who would it be?
That’s a hard question, there are so many options in many different categories. Since the theme of this article is the Comox Valley, I’m going to go with ‘Stocky’ Edwards. During my last two postings in 19 Wing, I enjoyed each interaction that I had with Stocky. His stories were incredible, and I had the feeling that what he told me was only the tip of the iceberg

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11/12/2024

A LIFETIME OF HELPING OTHERS

Glen Greenhill meticulously recalls the first birth he assisted with, and conversely, some of the more tragic moments of his 40-year career. There have been many more incidents in between - too many to count - but he provides detailed examples as though they all happened within the past few days. Greenhill is the Comox-Strathcona district manager for clinical operations for BC Emergency Health Services and celebrated the milestone anniversary - July 20, 1984 - in parallel with BC Ambulance Service’s 50th anniversary, which began in British Columbia in 1974. His desire for a career as a paramedic began after he took a first aid course suggested by a friend. The course was taught in Courtenay by a woman whose two sons were original members of BCEHS.

“I remember that very first night I went home and did five hours of homework and I was just lapping up everything that I was taking in and I just got bitten by the bug…and then in March I started the process to get hired and I got hired in July of 1984.” When Greenhill began his career, paramedics were not paid for their shift unless a call came in, however, it took up until the early 2000s for that to change. “You didn’t really get any money for carrying the pager but you committed to the shift. It wasn’t until 2001 that it started at about a dollar an hour, then a $1.50 an hour, and then $2 per hour for carrying the pager. Sometimes back in the day when I started, it wasn’t as busy, and there were many times you would go buy a coffee and you’re already in the hole for the shift.” Throughout the decades, he reflects on how the service has changed. The goal has always remained the same: to provide the very best pre-hospital care without judgment, but other factors have changed dramatically throughout his time with the emergency service.

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11/06/2024

BUILDING A FAMILY
30 years of working at Vancouver Island MusicFest

Mo Nordstrom and Mike McNamee have been friends for 30 years, but they only see each other for two weeks per year every summer. The two are some of the longest-running volunteers with the Vancouver Island MusicFest, the annual in July event that brings thousands of music fans to the community. They are also part of a well-oiled machine, one that essentially builds and dismantles an entire community throughout the course of two weeks. The volunteers at the festival handle everything from first aid to making sure the plumbing works, to checking ticket stubs and cleaning up garbage. And the results are evident, simply by looking around during the festival it is shocking to see that not a scrap of garbage is left out.

Nordstrom runs the screw crew, which assembles most of the stages, ticket booths, tents and more, but she has run the gamut of working everything from feeding the volunteers and performers to working backstage before getting brought on to the carpentry crew. “I worked my way up into co-ordinator. Not that I wanted to but I was organized and a good communicator and the lady said come on we want you to be with us on the co-ordination,” Nordstrom says. “So now it’s called the screw crew and we put together all of the stages … we start Monday morning at 7 a.m. and then we do the takedown which is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday next week. So it’s a 10-day commitment.” McNamee’s job is to keep all of the water flowing in and out of the event. He and a crew of 25 lay pipes for the commercial kitchens, and anywhere else water is needed on site. It’s a job he’s had for the last three decades, and started when a friend of his, who was one of the early carpentry co-ordinators, asked him for a hand.
musicfest

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11/04/2024

LUSH VALLEY COMMUNITY GARDEN

The diversity of plants, herbs and vegetables are nearly as vast as those who utilize a community garden in downtown Courtenay, located at the corner of 6th Street and Harmston Avenue. The Share the Harvest Community garden is part of Lush Valley, a community organization whose goal is to support the Comox Valley to gain food-systems tools, engage in resilient local food systems and receive equitable access to nourishing food. From March through October, Lush Valley provides gardeners with learning and mentorship opportunities, food-growing resources and access to urban agriculture at the garden, explains Carley VanOsch, urban agriculture manager for the organization. “Our goal with Lush has always been for community education. So what comes out of the garden is kind of secondary to helping people learn how to grown food. It’s meant to be a community resource, and any (food) that’s in excess, we’ll take home to Lush and it’s used in programs such as the hot meal program or the Good Food Box.”

The garden works by offering allotment beds that people can rent generally between $20-$40 a growing season. One person or a small group is responsible for a bed and can grow produce or flowers in which they can take home. There are also a number of communal beds, adds VanOsch, where many people can pitch in with their gardening skills, and the harvest from the community beds is shared. Every Wednesday, Lush hosts work parties at the garden – from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - where everyone is welcome (no experience needed).

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Photos by’ Lia Crowe

11/01/2024

VALLEY GOALIE SCORES SCHOLARSHIP TO ITALY

Comox Valley’s Chiara Le Vesconte won a $100,000 soccer scholarship to Italy’s Rome City Institute in 2023. Vesconte was the recipient of the scholarship due to her soccer skills as a goalie. This past year has been a world wind for her - new continent, new country and new city. The athlete student has little time to be homesick. Between practice, the gym and her academics, her days are full. “It almost just felt like I didn’t have time to be homesick, I was always on the go, just trying to focus on soccer. Focus on academics and focus on just like my schedule. So, it felt like I didn’t have time.” In Italy, Le Vesconte balances her time between three teams, her school team of Rome Institute, Lazio and the semi-professional tea called Ladispoli. She shares that attending Rome City Institute makes her as an athlete student, rather than a student athlete as more of her time is spent playin soccer versus in classrooms. Le Vesconte is studying sports management and hopes to continue to get a master’s degree in international business. She describes the move to Italy as initially a culture shock, citing the differences between the Valley that she still calls
home and Rome.

“A highlight has just been honestly, obviously the soccer part, but the self growth as well. Just getting out of my comfort zone and exploring, seeing parts of the world and playing at a higher level. My first year as a player was extremely successful,”
said Le Vesconte. Her busy schedule has her working out three times a day, being on the field twice a day plus going to the gym at least once a day. With all that practice, it is inevitable that her skills would improve within the first year of her degree.

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10/29/2024

BRIDGING GENERATIONS

The Ancestral Echoes podcast is a joint program between the MIKI’SIW Métis Association, Comox Valley Arts and CVOX Radio that aims to educate by partnering Elders with Métis youth in the Comox Valley by engaging in the tradition of oral storytelling while producing a high quality podcast. Ancestral Echoes was born from an idea that Myrna Logan of the MIKI’SIW Métis Association had and brought to Jennifer Casey, executive director of Comox Valley Arts. Logan had asked to borrow a tent from Casey and while carting it to Logan’s truck, a discussion took place about completing some storytelling through the Digital Creation Hub through Comox Valley Arts. Logan also wanted to use her skills in radio broadcasting to help share the stories of local Métis Elders with Métis youth.

Through the podcast project they could share storytelling which is important to the Métis culture. “As with most Indigenous cultures, a lot [of history] was transferred orally. Sometimes it’s a detriment because sometimes the stories get lost,” says Logan. “In today’s world of technology a lot of the youth will learn from the internet. To tie the stories to a real person that is outside of their own family is important.” To start the process, there were two community engagement sessions with all 12 participants. The first was held at the Digital Creation Hub to get everyone involved comfortable with being recorded and asking questions.

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Photos by: Lia Crowe

10/26/2024

Impresso Cafe opens in former Komox Grind space

For years, the Komox Grind Espresso & Smoothie Bar was a mainstay for coffee lovers and residents in Comox. For the Ievgrashyn family, it was one of their favourites. They would visit the Island from Manitoba and make a point of stopping in at the cafe. “When we would visit, even so many years ago, we could come to this place all the time” said Vlad Ievgrashyn. “This was our favourite coffee shop.” However, in July of 2022, that all went up in smoke as a fire went through the building. Though nobody was injured, it ended up signaling the end of the coffee shop in that iteration.

Thirteen years ago, Peter and Tanya Ievgrashyn and their family landed in Winnipeg. It was May, and in their native Ukraine the temperature sits at an average of 18 to 20C. Peter and Tanya were in the airport dressed in their shorts, both sore from their long flight and travelling with two young boys - Vlad and Dima - they were in for a bit of a shock when the man who would drive them from the airport to their new home showed up. “We were in shorts and t-shirts,” said Peter. “ We came to Manitoba … and the guy who was meeting us was in the winter jacket, because it was minus one and snowing.”

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Photos by: Lia Crowe

10/23/2024

GROCERY STORE AS ART INSTALLATION

The Buckley Bay ferry terminal is the launching point for travellers heading to Denman and Hornby islands. It is the place where Islanders land when they come to Vancouver Island to visit, explore or even do things like get groceries. It also happens to be about half an hour from the nearest grocery store, depending on traffic, no matter which way you decide to go.
So, Leah Weinberg and Gerald Richardson decided to do the reasonable thing and open a grocery store.

Well, that’s not exactly the case. The operation that would eventually come to be known as Weinberg’s Good Food started as a buying club in Vancouver where Weinberg and other like-minded people would order larger amounts of specialty food. After Richardson’s work situation changed, the couple had the chance to move to F***y Bay and the idea took off from there. “initially, we just wanted to sort of be a place that people in our local area could get essentials,” Weinberg said. “We live in F***y Bay, and it’s a pretty long drive if you just need an apple or an on-ion. The original idea was to be a basic kind of place for people in the neighbourhood.”

07/31/2024

10 QUESTIONS

Junyi Liu moved to Canada in 2015 from Tianjin, China. Initially residing in Vancouver, he later relocated to the Valley and acquired a gas station in Comox.
On the afternoon of May 20, 2023, a vehicle collided with a fuel pump, igniting a fire at the gas station. Without hesitation, Liu rushed outside to rescue a 76-year-old woman trapped in her vehicle. Comox Fire Chief Gord Schreiner described Liu's actions as "remarkable" and credited him with saving the woman’s life. Nearly a year after the incident, Liu was awarded the Carnegie Medal, also known as the 'highest honour for civilian heroism in North America.’
�
On March 26, you were awarded the Carnegie Medal, also known as the ‘highest honour for civilian heroism in North America’. How do you feel about that?
I'm honoured… but I still don't think I deserve this.

What is the best piece of advice you were ever given?
One of my friends told me to forget about the small details if something isn’t going well. Just keep focusing on what's important, work hard and always try to do your best… everything will be better someday. (Problems) are temporary.

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07/24/2024

‘Octopus Whisperer’ unveils mysteries of giant Pacific octopuses

Deep beneath the cold, oxygen-rich waters off the Pacific coast, a solitary creature roams the sea bed, captivating the imagination of those fortunate enough to encounter it. The giant Pacific octopus is the largest of the 300 species of octopuses, with an arm span that can reach up to nine metres across. This elusive cephalopod spends its life in dens nestled in caves and crevasses when it's not exploring the sea floor, hunting for mollusks, shellfish and crustaceans. Krystal Janicki, dubbed the "octopus whisperer” by the diving community of the North Island, spent nearly a decade befriending and learning more about these creatures.

Though the diver now boasts more than 1,000 dives, her unlikely journey started nine years ago, in the waters of her hometown of Campbell River. Initially apprehensive about the ocean and completely unfamiliar with diving, Janicki recounted how her perspective shifted on one particular weeknight. “At first, I thought the ocean here was full of slippery, gross, and creepy. I didn't really think much of it,” Janicki explained. “But as I was getting older… I wanted to understand what (was going on beneath the surface.)

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07/17/2024

From Guadalajara to Dublin

When Bernardo De La Torre came to the Comox Valley 12 years ago, he never imagined he would be representing the Valley playing soccer in Dublin, Ireland. Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, De La Torre is a member of the Rainbow Warriors Street Soccer team, a program co-ordinated by Grant Shilling, a residential support program worker at the Dawn to Dawn Action on Homelessness Society. The team is an opportunity for anyone unhoused or at-risk individuals to come out to exercise, socialize and have fun with the goal of social inclusion.
De La Torre joined the team shortly after arriving in the Valley. He camped at Maple Pool Campground for awhile after facing some personal difficulties in his life, and eventually met the soccer team and Shilling, who provided him with a trailer.

“I had enough of Mexico and I was getting in trouble,” explains De La Torre prior to a Rainbow Warriors practice at Lewis Park. “I was always around soccer and coaching and strategies (growing up).” Being consistent with the team and showing up - part of the slogan of the team (‘If you’re playing, you’re winning’) - were all factors in Shilling approaching De La Torre about a month ago about the opportunity to go to Dublin to represent the team in the European Street Soccer Cup in June. “I’m just here for the ride. I want to enjoy and not see it as a competition, but more like a friendly connection - that I can make some connections and meet some people.”

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