Wildlife Photographer's Guide to Vancouver Island

In loving memory ~ August 30, 1968, Parksville, BC – November 10, 1995, disaster in Nepal It’s been 30 years since we last saw your face. We still think of you every day. Dear Kelly, We’ll see your smile in the sunshine, Hear your name upon the wind. The streams will shout your laughter, Which always made us grin. Your heart was always giving, and your spirit always free. Whenever you would cross my path I felt better, about me. You were in tune with nature, little kids and mother earth. Your currency was thoughtfulness, you knew its power and its worth. Your giving, unconditional, never asking toll or fare. Our lives will be a little poorer now, for yours, we cannot share. But as we free our hearts from pain, a richness will be there. Because you shared your life with us a load as light as air. And so, we’ll say goodbye for now, to our traveling Kelly man. We’ll try and be somewhat like you In every way we can!! Love Dad

February 5, 1928 – October 28, 2025 In Loving Memory ~ Our beautiful Mum, Lena Doreen Loor (Easterbrook) passed away peacefully, at the age of 97. Mum lived her life with a positive outlook, healthy habits, and a true joie de vivre that carried her well past her goal of 85 years. Born in Nanaimo, Mum’s family moved to Cumberland in 1937, where she met and married the love of her life, Albert. In 1951 they moved back to Nanaimo, where they rekindled old friendships and made new friends that lasted a lifetime. Doreen is survived by her son Randy (Leah) and daughter Shaun (Ray), and was predeceased by her husband Albert, parents Leonard and Florence Easterbrook, and sister Thelma Anderson. A celebration of Mum’s life will be held in the New Year. Please visit www.earthsoption.com [http://www.earthsoption.com]to read more about Mum’s life and share your condolences.

Nina Krieger’s first foray into provincial politics has been nothing short of a “wild ride.” While working as executive director of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, she decided to seek the BC NDP nomination in Victoria-Swan Lake for the 2024 election. Under the tutelage of retiring longtime NDP MLA Rob Fleming, Krieger learned about the constituency by connecting with residents and local organizations. On Oct. 19, 2024, she was elected with more than half the vote. She began her first term as parliamentary secretary for arts and film before being promoted eight months later. When Premier David Eby reshuffled his cabinet back in June of this year, he made a call Krieger did not expect, offering her the role of minister of public safety and solicitor general. “It was a true honour to be asked to take on this role,” she told Victoria News. “It was wholly surprising but also a challenge and opportunity that I agreed to going forward with, with great humility for the role, gratitude for my predecessor and with great determination to do the work to advance public safety that British Columbians are expecting.” Occupying this role for the last six months, Krieger sat down with Black Press Media to discuss her role, challenges, priorities and future goals. Central to her position, she explained, is prioritizing “adequate and effective policing” to ensure public safety for all B.C. residents. With collaboration at the core of her approach, Krieger seeks to work across ministries to improve the province’s correctional, coroner and victim services. “(We look) not only to ensure that we’re tackling crime, but also addressing some of the root causes of crime and supporting people when they need help,” she said. “The complexity of advancing public safety, which is beyond the work of any one ministry, is just such an awesome challenge.” Currently, Krieger is working with Terry Yung, minister of state for community safety and integrated services, to examine where public safety intersects with housing and health care. Krieger also mentioned working with police forces across the province to ensure they have the resources needed to address crime and local challenges. Another item atop Krieger’s list is to invest in the province’s specialized integrated units to combat specific issues like drug and human trafficking. However, enforcement is not Krieger’s only concern, adding that supporting victims of crime and vulnerable populations is also important. “In Victoria, we’re launching an initiative soon called Health IM, which is a digital tool that lets police log and capture specifics related to a mental health crisis and allows that information to be passed seamlessly to health professionals, really supporting compassionate interactions with people and ensuring they get the care that they need,” she said. Being in session since Oct. 6 in her new role, Krieger said there’s never been a dull moment. “It’s been a wild ride and it’s been really exciting,” she said. “As a minister, I have a role in that question period, fielding questions about various issues related to public safety from the opposition and from the other parties, so it’s been action-packed.” While Krieger said that “so much has happened” over the past year, she added that the foundation of her work remains anchored in the community she represents every week at the legislative assembly. “My work outside of the ministry office with community organizations continues and really fuels the work that happens in the chamber,” she said.

A non-profit wants to start filling shoeboxes with gifts for women in Nanaimo who are experiencing homelessness. In a press release, the Nanaimo chapter of the Shoebox Project announced it will hold a collection drive from Monday, Nov. 17, to Dec. 8, seeking “shoeboxes full of essential items and special gifts for local women impacted by homelessness.” Items such as toiletries (toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap) and gloves, journals, pens and dark chocolate are sought, the press release noted. Donors are also encouraged to include a card “with an inspiring message,” the release added. Island Crisis Care Society, Risebridge and Pacifica Housing will distribute the shoeboxes, which can be dropped off at Nanaimo North Town Centre’s administration office, Thrifty Foods at Port Place Shopping Centre, CurVa-Voom, Serge and Sew and Lobelia’s Lair. The goal is 210 shoeboxes this year. The project has collected more than 650 shoebox gifts since 2021. “We are so grateful to the community for their generosity,” said Laura Kelsey, Nanaimo Shoebox Project coordinator, in the release. The drive has expanded to include gender-neutral shoeboxes as well. For more information on the Shoebox Project, go to www.shoeboxproject.ca/chapters/nanaimo [https://www.shoeboxproject.ca/chapters/nanaimo].

For Aysanabee, working hard is a fact of life – whether it was in his early days doing manual labour, or later creating digital content for news outlets, or spending years shaping his music into something entirely his own. That drive has paid off. At the 2024 Juno Awards, Aysanabee became the first Indigenous musician to win both Songwriter of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year, breaking barriers with his Here and Now EP. “It threw me for a loop,” he admits. “Winning Songwriter of the Year really messed up my writing for a while – I kept thinking, a Songwriter of the Year wouldn’t write that garbage. Then I looked at who’d gotten it before – The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, Alanis Morissette, Gord Downie – and I thought, wow, I can’t believe I get to be part of that room full of giants. In a way, that just makes me work a bit harder.” Now he’s taking that momentum on the road with his first-ever headline run, The Way We’re Born Tour, which kicks off in Edmonton on Nov. 6 and makes six B.C. stops — Lake Country (Nov. 11 with Sheri Marie Ptolemy), Burnaby (Nov. 13), Vancouver (Nov. 14 with Nimkish), in Victoria’s Wicket Hall (Nov. 15 with Zerowhonnock), Campbell River (Nov. 17 with Hasaatuk) and Vernon (Nov. 19 with Francis Baptiste) — before continuing east. Each date features a different local Indigenous opener, chosen from a flood of applications he personally reviewed. “It’s important to build community,” he says. “Create the music industry you want to be in — one where people get included and share what they know instead of guarding it. It isn’t about that scarcity mentality anymore. We rise and fall together.” The tour supports his sophomore album Edge of the Earth (Ishkodé Records), a collection of reflections from the last two and a half years. “The through line is, this is the first time I have an album that isn’t an album based off the stories of my grandfather. It’s the first time I’m kind of offering people a window into who I am as a person and an artist.” Among the many things Aysanabee brings to the stage are powerful, rich music and a compelling voice — without gimmick or affectation. In our conversation, where Aysanabee spoke to Monday Magazine from Berlin, he talked about hard work, but also learning to take time: “My grandmother used to say, ‘You’re gonna have to work ten times as hard to get half as much.’ I think on social media you see the wins — me on a big stage, or getting an award — but underneath that are thousands of hours of work. I’m trying to dial that back a bit and take the blinders off, because I’m always looking toward the next mountain, the next goal. I’m really making a bigger effort to just appreciate what’s happening around me in the moment.” If the album looks inward, the live show turns that reflection outward. “We’re building a big show for it,” he says. “Presenting the songs the way they were meant to be presented – when it comes to sound, when it comes to lights, when it comes to the production behind the show and the intent. It’ll be lights and it’ll be storytelling, sharing extra stuff as well. You can go to Apple or Spotify and listen to the track, but to be there and hear something really special about the song — that only comes from live.”

The McMillan Arts Centre in Parksville is hosting three new exhibitions, including works by award-winning blind artist Ruth Bieber. Bieber’s exhibition Feel Free, Touch the Art is on display in the MAC’s Nemeth Gallery. “As a blind artist, it might come as a surprise to most viewers, that I have a close and treasured relationship with colour,” said Bieber, who experiences Charles Bonnet Syndrome. “Not all blind people see vibrant colour swirling around them, however it is safe to say, that blind people normally do have a rich sense of haptic.” Bieber said her goal is to create art that is both pleasing to the eye, as well as to the sense of touch. Visitors are encouraged to touch her artwork. She holds a master’s degree in education, from the University of Calgary, with a specialization in rehabilitation. Prior to obtaining this degree, her professional focus was as a counseling therapist, working with clients with disabilities. In the early 1990s, she founded InsideOut Theatre, which was a reflection of her own evolution from therapy to theatre; from the therapeutic arts, to the power of performance for people with a wide range of mixed abilities. Bieber was the artistic director of the theatre company for 17 years. Bieber has received numerous awards for her specialized work including the Donald Norman Award for contribution to the Theatre Arts (2008) and The Spirit of Kelowna for inspiration in promoting diversity within the visual arts community (2011). OCAC and the MAC are providing a new technology for blind or low-vision visitors to the galleries. “Be My Eyes,” through specialty glasses will connect, in real-time, visual assistance from volunteers all over the world. With thanks to the City of Parksville for this specialty accessibility grant, Be My Eyes glasses are now available for visitors to the MAC. “Be My Eyes started with a simple idea: to make the world more accessible for people who are blind or have low vision through the power of connection,” the MAC said in a news release. The idea came from Hans Jørgen Wiberg, a Danish craftsman with low vision. While working with The Danish Association of the Blind, he noticed how often people needed a little visual assistance for everyday tasks. A friend shared how video calls with family helped him get that assistance, and Wiberg saw an opportunity: what if people who are blind or have low vision could connect with a global network of volunteers, ready to lend their sight? In 2015, the Be My Eyes app was launched and, within 24 hours, 10,000 volunteers had signed up. Today, millions of volunteers support users in over 180 languages – proving that a little help goes a long way. Also on display in the MAC’s Concert Gallery are works by Michelle Nyberg, and Melinda Wilde.

Mosh the Rock Island MetalFest is now accepting band submissions for its 2026 lineup. The festival, organized by Royalty Entertainment, will take place Aug. 9 at Fred Milne Park in Sooke. Applications are open until Nov. 30, with organizers encouraging bands from all subgenres of metal to apply by sending their electronic press kits, including photos, music links and bios. The open-air, all-ages festival celebrates metal and hard rock in a family-friendly atmosphere. Following the success of its inaugural year in 2025, organizers say next year’s edition will be “even bigger and louder.” Founded by Royal Savoie, a music manager, promoter and host of Thrashcan on 101.9 FM CFUV in Victoria, the 2025 festival featured acts from across the province, including Torrefy, Thirteen Goats, Yegg, Mutual Trauma, Dead After Dark, Burnt Lung, Pharm, Cybörg, Joker’s Revenge, Blacktop Social and Wolf Venom. For all those interested in applying, contact [email protected] [/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection].

Colin Mochrie has made a career out of thinking fast, and soon he’ll be doing it live in Victoria. The Whose Line is it Anyway? star will join longtime collaborator Brad Sherwood for their improv show, Asking for Trouble, at the Royal Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 20. The show thrives on audience participation, with no two nights ever the same. “Everything starts with the audience. They yell out suggestions, we bring people on stage for about half the show, and then we just try to survive it. It’s sort of a live version of Whose Line without the dead weight,” joked Mochrie. The tour begins this month in Ohio and runs until October 2026, with Canadian stops in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Kitchener. For Mochrie, who calls Toronto home, it’s a chance to perform closer to his roots. “Canadian audiences just love to have goofy fun,” he said. “We get such a great range of suggestions up here. It’s nice not to have to cross the border and just focus on having fun.” Mochrie found a passion for improv at a young age and honed his craft with Vancouver TheatreSports. “When we first started there, way back when, we used to go to the McDonald’s next door and say, ‘Come see our show’,” Mochrie recalled. “I don’t know what I would be doing without improv, honestly. I’m so grateful for how things have turned out.” Mochrie and Sherwood first met 35 years ago through a show at The Second City in Toronto, which Mochrie’s wife, Debra McGrath, produced, before teaming up on Whose Line just months later. It was there that their quick wit and chemistry quickly turned into a lasting partnership. “Brad’s the younger, really irritating brother, and I’m the older one trying to keep him in line,” Mochrie said with a laugh. “He loves words, I’m more surreal and weird, but it somehow works.” Their live act has evolved into a mix of classic improv games and unpredictable audience moments. No scripts, no safety nets, just two comedians trying to outwit each other and the crowd. “It’s the most death-defying experience that I’ll ever get in my life,” Mochrie said. “I’ll never jump out of a plane, but there’s something really relaxing about standing in front of an audience who have paid money to see a show that we don’t have at that particular moment.” Victoria isn’t new territory for Mochrie, who has performed in the city twice before and even attended his nephew’s wedding here in 2024. “It’s a beautiful city,” he said. “I’ll probably head over to the Empress for afternoon tea just to feel classy for a bit.” As for what to expect, Mochrie said the show will feature a few familiar Whose Line-style games, a musical nod to Victoria, and plenty of moments that can’t be replicated. “Every show is a one-time thing,” he said. “Nobody will ever see that exact show again. The audience gives us everything, and we just try to make it funny.” The show begins at 8 p.m. on Nov. 20 at the Royal Theatre.