This is Vancouver Island

The island is full of authors of all kinds: poets, novelists, children’s and non-fiction writers, and more. Many of them were honoured with literary awards this fall - including Kathryn Mockler, Raina Delisle, Ian Kennedy, Jordan Scott, and the late Darrell J McLeod. On this episode, we ask a librarian to share some of her favourite local authors.

B.C. election day is October 19, though advanced polls are already open. This week, we take a look at where the major parties stand on some of the big issues.

The Victoria Event Centre (V.E.C.) was a non-profit venue for music and arts for 21 years - but it just announced it's closing, after its landlord says it can no longer help subsidize its rent. It’s just the latest music venue to close in the city. On this episode, we’ll find out if the people behind the V.E.C. might pop up elsewhere, and we’ll get the latest on the city of Victoria’s plans to revive another venue. 

Every time the earth shakes on the island, we flock to social media to see who else felt the tremor. But did you know you can also report your experience to Earthquakes Canada, to help with future research? Seismologist John Cassidy explains how researchers like him rely on such information. Plus: the latest on the earthquake warning system.

Candidates are vying for votes in 15 provincial ridings on the Island. In recent elections, voters in their 30s and 40s have been least likely to show up at the polls - so we ask three islanders in that age category why they vote, what turns them off certain candidates, and what helps them decide who to choose. Plus, VIU professor Paula Waatainen on how to talk to kids and teens about elections.

She may live in Spain, and be competing in Paris, but wheelchair basketball star Kady Dandeneau got her start on Pender Island, population 2773. She talks to Kathryn Marlow about going for gold at the Paralympics, why she loves the game, and what it was like learning to play on Pender.

The 900-block of Victoria’s Pandora Avenue is often in the news, but it can be hard to keep track of the actions taken (or not) to manage the block where people who are homeless often congregate, and camp. On August 13, the Victoria Police Department released its new safety plan for Pandora - a plan written after a paramedic was assaulted while providing medical care. In this episode we recap the plan, and some of the reaction.

Some of Canada's first craft breweries are here on Vancouver Island - but business isn't booming quite like it used to. In fact, the latest statistics show that per capita beer purchases are the lowest they've ever been in Canada. So we meet up with the folks at two Victoria breweries - Spinnakers and Phillips - to learn how they're branching into the world of non-alcoholic beverages. 

Hey Vancouver Islanders! This week we're sharing an episode from one of our CBC local podcast friends, "Good Question Saskatchewan." Farmers in that province grow A LOT of mustard seed - and then ship it to France where it gets turned into the condiment you know and love. Why? Listen to find out. 

It’s summer on the Island! A time for beaches and forests…and tourists and ferries. Three islanders join host Kathryn Marlow to talk about what they love (and hate) about Island summer, what’s on their summer fun list, and how to find your new favourite places away from everyone else.

One of Canada's best-known drag queens, Jimbo, is based right here in Victoria. But the Victoria drag scene is more than just Jimbo. On this episode, local drag king Sylvester Stalletto talks about the differences between the glamour of Drag Race and the nitty-gritty of the Victoria drag scene. He also chats with producer Stevie Welland about what makes drag so popular here, how it’s helped him find his gender expression, and how he pulls inspiration from Chilean macho men.

When it comes to bookstores, islanders are beyond lucky. Our region has more independent bookstores than some entire provinces! In this episode, host Kathryn Marlow and her colleague Gregor Craigie dig into their love for bookstores, and share thoughts from the owners of Ivy's Bookshop in Oak Bay and Laughing Oyster Book Shop in Courtenay.

Carolyn Sutherland and Rhiannon Ware are athletes, entrepreneurs, and sports management students at Camosun College. They join Kathryn Marlow to talk about the current excitement over women’s sports (think PWHL and the WNBA), why the excitement needs to be more than just a moment, and the work they’re doing to help girls in greater Victoria develop a lifelong love for sport and fitness through their program PowHer Performance.

Vegans may be familiar with the idea of "carrot lox," but Aki Kaltenbach wants everyone to eat more plant-based seafood. She tells host Kathryn Marlow about her island-based company's carrot-based smoked salmon and jackfruit-based tuna - and her plans to expand into the U.S. market, while still keeping headquarters in greater Victoria. 

We talk about where to see live music in the Comox Valley, how you can watch it affordably, and why it’s worth getting off the couch to see something in person. Plus, why some local cultural organizations are lobbying for better public transit in the region.

Financial planner and millennial mom Courtney Castledine talks with host Kathryn Marlow about all the ways life has become less affordable - and jokes that if it weren't for the rising cost of one particular toddler-friendly food item, she might actually be able to retire. 

Longtime music fans were thrilled recently when Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder shouted out a legendary Victoria music venue. Harpo's Cabaret closed in 1995, but fans still reminisce about shows they saw there. So what made Harpo's so special? And what would the ideal music venue look like in 2024? We ask local musician, and Seaside Music Festival artistic director, Oliver Swain. 

When London Drugs closed for a week due to a cyberattack, many of us realized what a unique role it plays in our lives. Where else could you get a vacuum, toothpaste, and (once upon a time) an Atari 2600? On this episode we talk London Drugs - and other iconic brands on the Island. 

Hiking the Sunshine Coast Trail can be a transformative experience for locals and visitors alike. Learn more about the multi-day journey, its history, and things you can expect to see along it.

Hey Vancouver Islanders! This week we're sharing an episode from another island: Montreal. Enjoy this exploration from our CBC local podcast friends, "Good Question Montreal." Every July 1, many Montrealers find themselves on the move, not just with their tables, chairs, couches and beds, but with their fridges and stoves too. Apartments here are often rented without appliances included, which does not seem to be a common practice elsewhere in Canada. We’ll explore some of the reasons this might be, and what this says about Montreal’s unique (but changing) rental culture.

This spring, a few dozen people gathered in Oak Bay to say goodbye to a tree. The 200-year-old Garry Oak was cut down because of safety concerns. It's not the first time Islanders have mourned a tree - and it won't be the last. But we're also still a region that relies on forestry for thousands of jobs. So how do we reconcile a love of trees, with a need to cut some down? 

Nearly six years ago, voters in Saanich and Victoria said yes to an independent study of the pros, cons, and costs of amalgamation — after decades of debate and discussion of the idea. Now, invites are set to go out to join the citizen’s assembly. The body of randomly selected residents will spend eight Saturdays studying the matter, and then come up with a recommendation: to become one city, or not. In this episode, we hear how organizers are trying to make sure everyone has a chance at joining the assembly, including people who are unhoused. We’ll also get some of the arguments for and against combining Victoria and Saanich.

The waters between Vancouver Island, mainland British Columbia, and Washington State are known collectively as the Salish Sea. The flora and fauna that live in that sea face similar threats, regardless of which side they're on. The Biodiversity Action Network is working to increase collaboration between researchers on both sides of the border - something they say is crucial for building resilience in the face of climate change.

In the qathet School District on B.C.’s north Sunshine Coast, a group of Indigenous high school students attend a special land-based learning program. They get many of their required subjects covered, while also learning traditional skills like hunting, fishing, and preparing community meals. Kathryn Marlow headed out on the water with the GIJE (Land) Program.

Over 10,000 people immigrated to Greater Victoria between 2016 to 2021. But why did they come here, over other Canadian regions? And what makes them stay - or move on to other cities? This is Vancouver Island host Kathryn Marlow speaks with two immigrants, Hostion Ho and Andrea McCoy (who also co-host a podcast about immigration called “Canadian Salad”).

Right now on Vancouver Island there are several projects underway to turn urban or industrial spaces back into natural places or parks. But what does it take to go from asphalt and buildings, to water and plants? In this episode, host Kathryn Marlow dives deep on one such project in the Comox Valley: Kus-kus-sum.

Things are tense at the council table in the tiny village of Sayward. It's not the first time things have gotten ugly in a small community's government, and it won't be the last - leaving one resident asking if the village council should disband. CBC reporter Justin McElroy walks us through what this could look like, and if it's something the people of Sayward even want.

Debut novelist Giselle Vriesen read fantasy books as an escape when she was a teen on Salt Spring Island, but she never saw her heritage reflected. Young adult fantasy is a popular book genre, but it’s often rooted in Greek, or other western mythologies. On this episode of This is Vancouver Island, she talks about building worlds based on mythology from her own Jamaican, Chinese, and European-Canadian backgrounds — and how she couldn’t help but include some rainforests and oceans too. Her first book, called Why We Play with Fire, is out now.

This year, a fifth of the wheelchair basketball players at the B.C. Winter Games are from Pender Island — but Pender has nowhere near a fifth of the province’s population. Kathryn Marlow looks into the basketball boom for the latest episode of This is Vancouver Island.

As an islander, you may dabble in painting, or photography, or poetry, because you just can’t help but be inspired by our gorgeous surroundings. But what happens when you’re in a creative industry on the island, making stuff here to sell elsewhere? Does island living create an added layer of complication? Aunalee Boyd-Good, co-director and designer with Ay Lelum: The Good House of Design in Nanaimo, and Victoria-based Faisal Sethi, founder, CEO and creative director of game company Frosty Pop, weigh in.

We know rain is a fact of life here on the Island — but in the depths of winter, it can still get you down. So on this episode of This is Vancouver Island, host Kathryn Marlow seeks inspiration from people who appreciate and rely on the rain.

Two local transit advocates talk about plans for a new regional transit body in Greater Victoria — plans the mayor of Saanich says could one day lead to an actual, funded plan to build light rail. Plus: they tell us about their favourite bus stops. Yes, they have favourite bus stops.

Did you know that when you drive from the ferry terminal on Mayne Island, into its village centre, you're driving past reserve land held by the Tsartlip First Nation? You might not. Because of colonization there have been very few signs of the W̱SÁNEĆ people's long history on the island, even though it's part of their unceded territory. But that's changing. In this episode, host Kathryn Marlow meets a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people working together to put W̱SÁNEĆ culture back on the island. The project is called “Walking Forward with the Past” and has a list of upcoming events on its website.

Ferries - we love them, we hate them, but we can’t live without them. We dive into the ups and downs aboard ‘the people’s yacht.’ From the food to the signage to getting a spot on board. And will the ferries ever get good WIFI? Host Kathryn Marlow is joined by colleague Rohit Joseph this week.

This is Vancouver Island is a short, weekly podcast hosted by CBC Victoria reporter Kathryn Marlow. Every Thursday, she brings you something local: from a look into an island-based news story she’s been covering, to a conversation about something unique to our region. From ferries to bus strikes, power outages to local politics, she’s got you covered.