This is Vancouver Island

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.

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.

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.