august 03, 2012
DESCRIPTION
Section Z of the August 03, 2012 edition of the Cowichan News Leader PictorialTRANSCRIPT
www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 1
Cowichan: Then and NowCowichan: Then and Now
As Duncan turns 100, As Duncan turns 100, a look back as we move forwarda look back as we move forward
Special Supplement August 2012
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2012 marks a special year in Cowichan.Not only is it the 100th birthday of the city of Duncan, it is also
the 100th anniversary of Bamberton as well.And that’s why we thought it would be fi tting, in this annual
publication focused on looking forward, to also take a look back as well.
The community we call home shares a lot of qualities in common with the community that declared Kenneth Forrest Duncan its fi rst mayor a full century ago.
But it is more interesting to see how much things have changed.
Produced by: The Cowichan
News Leader Pictorial
Editor: John McKinley Publisher: Bill Macadam
Published annually by the Cowichan News Leader Pictorial, Unit 2, 5380 Trans Canada Highway, Duncan B.C., V9L 6W4
Phone: 250-746-4471 Fax: (250) 746-8529 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.cowichannewsleader.com
Cowichan: Then and Now
4 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com
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Don BodgerNews Leader Pictorial
The City of Duncan went into incorpo-ration in 1912 with 1,500 residents, but few qualifi ed to run
for offi ce.That was due to a variety
of factors, ac-cording to Tom Henry in his book Small City in a Big Valley.
“Women could not hold offi ce, nor could Chinese, Natives, Japanese, Sikhs or any other non-Caucasian ethnic group, no matter how long they had been in the country,’’ he reports in the book. “Renters could not sit on council, nor could a man who owned property valued at less than $1,000.
“Nomination day brought only one candidate for mayor,’’ historian Jack Fleetwood wrote in an article in the Cowichan Leader in 1992 on the occasion of the city’s 80th anniversary.
That man was Kenneth Duncan, elected by acclama-tion. The mere 290 eligible voters also elected W. Gidley, O.T. Smythe, E.F. Miller and J. Campbell as aldermen and James Greig became the city clerk.
It was a prosperous time in the city’s development during
1911 and 1912 when a hos-pital, a power grid, the large Cowichan Merchants building and many businesses emerged. The copper market rebounded after the bottom dropped out in 1908 and an unprecedented boom lasted until 1913.
The town’s confi guration had already been set before incorporation with three distinct neighbourhoods: the Hospital Hill area, the city centre and the area to the east of the railroad referred to as the Townsite.
Five years after incorpora-tion, a questionnaire put out by a newspaper in Manitoba revealed some interesting facts about the city. The fi ndings were published in an article in the Leader.
The population at that time was approximately 1,200 but the total number of people
who did busi-ness and trade in the city was more like 6,000.
The main nationality was English and the main
means of livelihood were agriculture and lumbering, according to the results of the questionnaire.
There was one central high school and 17 outlying rural elementary schools, with an additional eight private schools. The total number of students in the district was 700.
The community also boasted 21 churches and amenities such as a library, post offi ce, courthouse and city hall.
more on page 6
courtesy Cowichan Valley Museum and ArchiveLouis Fleetwood Norie of The Norns in Cowichan Station is one of those showing in the Duncan Fall Fair in 1910.
A small A small andandselect select companycompany
“Women could not hold offi ce, nor could Chinese, Native, Japanese, or Sikhs.”Small City in a Big ValleySmall City in a Big Valley
www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 5
Demographics, then and nowDemographics, then and now
6 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com
Cowichan has a whole new faceCowichan has a whole new faceThe population in the Cowichan Valley is continuing to climb at a steady rate.Results from the 2011 Statistics Canada Census show a population of 80,332 for the Cowichan Valley Regional District. That’s up from 76,929 recorded during the last Census in 2006
for a 4.4 per cent increase.Previous Census fi gures revealed a population of 52,466 in 1986, 60,560 in 1991 and
70,978 in 1996.At the rate of growth being seen, economic development manager Geoff Millar fore-
casted in 2006 the region’s population would hit close to 100,000 by 2020. It might fall short of that now, but there’s every reason to believe it will keep going upward.
“Compared to the rest of the province outside of the Lower Mainland, we’re growing at a faster rate,’’ Millar said at the time.
The total number of private dwellings in the region is pegged at 35,922 according to Census information, with 33,163 occupied by usual residents. With a land area of 3,474.55 square kilometres, the population density for the valley works out to 23.1 resi-dents per square kilometre.
The median age of the population is 47.2, with 84.6 per cent age 15 and older.There are slightly more females than males, with 41,135 residents compared to 39,195
in the district.The four age groups with the largest overall numbers are all consecutive from 45 to
64. Stats show 6,280 people between the ages of 45 and 49, 6,985 between 50 and 54, 6,805 from 55 to 59 and 6,775 from 60 to 64.
Those fi gures are also consistent with what’s happening across British Columbia. Three of those age groups also have the highest numbers in the province’s overall total of 4,400,055 residents - 350,600 in 45 to 49, 354, 610 in 50 to 54 and 323,335 in 55 to 59.
There are currently 2,050 residents aged 85 and older in the valley.Interestingly, seven of the 10 municipalities with the highest proportion of persons age
65 and older are located in B.C. One of the highest concentrations of seniors is located in nearby Parksville, with 38.6 per cent of the population fi tting into that category.
More Census information regarding families, households and marital status will be released in September. Language details will follow in October.
For further Census information, go to www.statcan.gc.ca.— Don Bodger
from page 5
Andrew LeongCowichan’s population is aging, with middle age now 47, and more than 2,000 people over 85.
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www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 7
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8 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com
Shopping, then and nowShopping, then and now
Don BodgerNews Leader Pictorial
Tony Irwin describes the downtown Duncan shopping environment in 1912 as more generalized than today.
Irwin brings a unique perspective as a former owner of Powel’s Men’s Wear,
a longtime downtown business that began with his grandfather and a subject he’s been looking into extensively.
“I knew a fair bit from the family history,’’ he said. “The research, I guess, is getting up to three years now.
“Looking back on it opened my eyes to things that were happening. You just see your own little part of it.’’
Irwin noted there were a lot of stores with a wide range of products appealing to the largest number of customers in 1912.
“The product selection was to try to make it pos-sible to do as much of your shopping in one stop as was feasible,’’ he pointed out. “Another reason for the broad selection was the store owner’s interests.’’
As an example, Irwin cited H.F. Prevost who had a stationery store in town. He sold stationery, of course, but also sporting goods, candy, books, toys, china, cameras and he even had an ice-cream counter and soda fountain.
Prevost’s interests in hunting, fi shing, golf, tennis, books, photography and boating were also refl ected in his inventory selection.
The big player in town at the time was the Cow-ichan Merchants that had just rebuilt after a major fi re in 1911.
“They had everything they could cram in there,’’ said Irwin.
Kibler & Truesdale, the pre-cursor to Powel’s, was one of two men’s wear stores that existed in 1912. Imperial Gents Fashions was the other.
Imperial sold only men’s clothing while Kibler & Truesdale carried clothing and footwear.
“There were a couple of other stores that had men’s departments,’’ said Irwin. “This is what my focus has been on.
“The market for men’s wear was large enough that they did not have to carry any other products. The main reason for this large market was cloth-ing was more of a necessity than it is today. People needed the protection from the elements that cloth-ing and footwear provided because they were out in the weather more than today.
“With the unpaved streets, walking was a dusty or muddy way to get around. Then cleaning their ap-parel with the harsh laundry processes of 100 years ago would wear it out faster than today’s gentle cleaning methods.’’
Conditions were certainly primitive with the
unpaved streets and limited wooden sidewalks com-pared to the way the downtown is maintained now. One of the reasons Duncan split from the Munici-pality of North Cowichan was to make the improve-ments for a more inviting shopping area.
more on page 11
Kurt KnockShae Clutesi assists Peter Stevenson to make a jacket selection.
Bits of everythingBits of everything
“(Cowichan Merchants) had everything they could cram in there.”Tony IrwinTony Irwin
www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 9
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www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 11
Unique shops and satellite stores trends for downtownUnique shops and satellite stores trends for downtownDowntown Duncan’s shopping core is continually evolving.“One trend we’re sort of seeing is actually having satellite stores coming down from Victoria,’’ said Amber Hiscock,
the offi ce manager for the Duncan Business Improvement Area Society.Outlooks for Men, Tulipe Noire women’s store and Skanda precious gems, all located on Station Street, are recent
arrivals that fi t the genre.A wine bar and more restaurants with later openings are also changing the complexion of downtown.“Downtown Duncan, believe it or not, is starting to have more of a nightlife,’’ said Hiscock. “There’s a lot of great
restaurants. Now they’re all open at night and they’re spread out downtown. You’ve got a good variety and lots of choices.’’
The DBIA promotes downtown as a place to shop, eat and play, and is pleased to report occupancy rates remain high.
“We’ve only got maybe one or two empty storefronts and that’s it,’’ said Hiscock.While new businesses have injected a different fl avour to the downtown streets, some of the old standbys are
still around and ensure Duncan maintains a past component to its present standards. A marketing research study conducted in July and August of last year determined several businesses have been around for generations, including oldtimers Dobson’s Paint and Glass (109 years), Griffi th’s Plumbing (81 years), Martin’s Men’s Wear (79 years), Whit-tome’s Travel (76 years), Ingram Pharmacy (66 years), Bucky’s Sport Shop (64 years), and Island Savings Credit Union (60 years).
Ellen Lukaitis arrived in Duncan from Vancouver in 1955 and has always utilized downtown services.“You shop where you earn your living,’’ she said. “That’s where I shopped mainly.“Eaton’s was the big department store. I just loved Eaton’s. It had everything.’’Lukaitis now takes her granddaughter, Reid Lukaitis, 13, on excursions downtown when she visits from Victoria. The
Red Balloon has always been a favourite for them.“I started taking her in the Red Balloon when she was three,’’ said Ellen Lukaitis.Belongings is another store that’s a must on the Lukaitis shopping list and the restored Duncan Garage area is also a
favourite. “I think they did a very good job there,’’ said Lukaitis.“What’s really changed now is all the thrift stores. You just did not see them at all.’’Accessibility is another big issue for Lukaitis. She lives close enough to walk downtown, but also uses the transpor-
tation system when needed.“If I’m downtown and I buy more than I can carry, I take the taxi home,’’ she said. “More people are starting to take
the buses and I think they’re great.’’— Don Bodger
from page 8The few cars around in 1912 offered little protection from the
weather. Irwin cites cars as having a big infl uence on changes in clothing styles and shopping patterns through the years since 1912.
“You can shop easily at different locations and do not need to worry about dressing for the weather unlike in 1912,’’ he indicated.
Kibler & Truesdale eventually became Powel & Christmas when Irwin’s grandfather got involved in the men’s wear busi-ness. He had various partners before taking it over exclusively in the 1930s during the Depression and the business lasted until 2004, almost 90 years in total, when Irwin reluctantly closed it.
Don BodgerEllen Lukaitis likes to take granddaughter Reid Lukaitis, 13, of Victoria shopping in downtown Duncan but dog Maggie has to stay at home.
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www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 13
Agriculture, then and nowAgriculture, then and now
Maeve MaguireNews Leader Pictorial
One hundred years ago, the early settlers in Duncan had established farms, had growing families, built businesses
and agricultural cooperatives in and around Duncan.
The Cowichan Valley was known as one of the richest agricultural areas on Vancouver Island.
With all this activity, Duncan was an attractive place for wealthy Britons
who were looking to try their hand at farming. Remittance en, as they were called, received funds from their rela-tives in the United Kingdom to help sustain their farms.
In her memoir, Mr. Chemainus, Joy Lang Anderson quotes her father, Noel Lang.
“Quite a few of the Duncan people were Remittance Men. These were young men who had come out from England and staked a bit of property, where they were supported by their English families while they played at homesteading.”
The First Nations people were
hired as labourers on the farms. In her memoir, And So They Came To Cowichan, Margaret W. Bishop recalls: “We had quite a lot of Indian labourers on our farm at Somenos, especially at haying time, and when the fi elds of potatoes were being harvested.”
Bishop explains how the duties were divided between her parents.
“Besides cooking and sewing,
Mother milked the cows (she told us of milking nine cows night and morning). She made the butter and looked after the poultry. The butter and egg money went a long way in providing the groceries. While she did the milking, Papa tended the horses, fed and watered the stock and did all the chores. It was also Mother’s job to cure the hams and bacon.”
more on page 14
courtesy Cowichan Valley Museum and ArchiveGeoffrey Baiss operates a self-binder with horses, while haying in 1912.
Providing food Providing food a family affaira family affair
“The butter and egg money went a long way in providing the groceries”Joy Lang AndersonJoy Lang Anderson
14 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com
Cowichan’s food basket growing a new kind of marketCowichan’s food basket growing a new kind of marketDuncan is the heart of the Cowichan Valley, which is still one of the richest agricultural areas
on Vancouver Island.There are 700 farms in the region, a quarter of which are large farms, which provide 84% of
Cowichan’s agricultural revenue.Duncan boasts one of Vancouver Island’s most popular and well-stocked farmers’ markets.
While most consumers buy food in grocery stories, there is a trend toward buying locally grown products, which is helping farm-gate and farmers’ market sales.
Farmers are using internet marketing and social media to promote their farms, which is also helping to increase their revenue. Agri-tourism — agricultural activities that attract visitors to the valley — is on the rise thanks to the region’s 16 wineries, and specialty farms like Merridale Cidery, Tea Farm, and organic farms.
Livestock farming is on the decline due, in part, to limited access to processing the animals. There are four government-licensed meat processing plants in the Cowichan Valley which ser-vice poultry and red meat.
Nearly half of all farm operators in the region are women, more than in the rest of the country. The average age for a farmer is 54, though the next generation is buying into the farming life.
Brock McLeod, owner and operator of Makaria Farm, explained why he and his wife Heather moved from Victoria to start their 10-acre farm fi ve years ago when they were in their 20s.
“Farming allows me to make a positive, meaningful and tangible contribution to society. I used to work in the B.C. Public Service; when I left my job, I thought I was forsaking public service, but, ironically, I feel like I do more to serve the public now than when I worked for government,” McLeod said.
—Maeve Maguire
fromn page 13Bishop also describes the role the chil-
dren played in tending the farm.“We girls, as all the others in the fam-
ily had done before, used to help in the garden and fi elds, weeding long rows of mangels, turnips, carrots, and helping to drop the seeds of corn and potatoes, to
mention only a few of the chores. Do you know that juvenile delinquents hadn’t been discovered by then?!”
In 1912, a new Agricultural Hall was built on Government Street. The Hall was the centre for all major town activities, including the Fall Fair and the Farmers’ Market, which was established in 1914.
courtesy Makaria FarmHeather and Brock McLeod operate Makaria Farm as part of a new wave of Cowichan farmers.
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www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 15
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Krista SiefkenNews Leader Pictorial
You may not be familiar with the full history of Bamberton, but you’re undoubtedly familiar with some of the B.C. icons its produced.
The Lions Gate Bridge. The George Massey Tunnel. The Peace River dam.
They were all made from Bamberton cement.
“They just poured cement out of that plant and literally built B.C. — and most people have no idea,” said Maureen Alexander, manager of the Bamberton Historical Society.
She hopes that’ll change with this year’s 100th anniversary of the historic Bamberton cement plant, which was started by H.K.G. Bamber’s com-pany, England’s Portland Cement Construction Company, in 1912.
“He came out in 1911, researched lime stone deposits and found the limestone that (Robert Pim) Butchart was using across the inlet (at the B.C. Cement Company) came under the water and up onto this side, so he bought the land and built the plant,” Alexander said.
more on page 20
The Bamberton Cement plant
began in 1912 and resulted in
an instant com-munity south of
Mill Bay.
courtesy Bamberton Historical Society
Cementing Cementing B.C.’s greatnessB.C.’s greatness
“It may be that history repeats itself.”TennantTennant
Bamberton, then and nowBamberton, then and now
Duncan Mall Administration
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www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 17
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18 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 19
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18 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 19
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The Horseshoe Bay InnHeritage Hotel, Neighbourhood Pub
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9756 Willow St. [email protected]
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Jewelleryand much more!
Owner:Bill Jameson
9870 Croft Street, Chemainus Old Town
5 years
250-246-1444
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and ‘Cider’
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ALTERATIONS &REPAIRS
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Presidentwww.chemainus.bc.ca
Chemainus & District Chamber of Commerce President,
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20 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com
from page 16Bamber brought several of his
top-level executives from England to work at the site, and those executives brought their families, prompting the construction of Bamberton village’s first six homes.
Bamber and Butchart, meanwhile, were competitors until they merged their companies in 1919.
“It was a 50/50 split, but a lot of people think Butchart moved over to Bamberton and took over the company, and that’s not the case,” Alexander said.
After that, and until 1956, Bamber-ton was the only cement-producing company in Western Canada, and one of only three of that size in Canada.
Meanwhile, the village had expanded into a small town with homes, a school and even a com-munity centre.
“They had a dance floor that was bigger than the one at the Empress Hotel,” Alexander said.
Competition from LaFarge’s main-land cement plant, and other factors, led to the plant’s closure in 1980, but it remained a cement distribution centre and left a historic legacy for Cowichan.
Tours of the heritage site continue on Sundays to this day.
more on page 21courtesy Bamberton Historical Society
As the community prepares to usher in a new era at Bamberton, it is also embracing its past, recently marked with this sign.
www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 21
New town could potentially arise in similar fashion to the fi rstNew town could potentially arise in similar fashion to the fi rstIt may be that history repeats itself at Bamberton, where a century ago this year a boom in industry generated a self-sustaining community.With the historic site’s current developer, Three Point Properties, recently securing rezoning to allow for more industrial activity on the property, that could well be the case again.“Bamberton might develop in a similar way to how it did 100 years ago, where the employment aspects of the site gave it its reason for being,” development point-man Ross Tennant said. “Once
the jobs were here, the people came to live here, and the schools and recreation facilities were established.”As it stands now, there are a handful of companies operating at the site, including timber-frame titans Macdonald & Lawrence — operating out of what used to be Bamberton’s old carpentry build-
ing — and Ruskin Construction, the heavy marine infrastructure fi rm that’s building the Mill Bay Marina and the new Johnson Street Bridge.“We’ve also got some adventure tourism companies queueing up to come to the site, and recycling companies,” Tennant said. “The rezoning gives us quite a bit more land to work with. The
dilemma for us was that of the 1,563 acres of the site, only 60 or so were zoned as industrial, and of those 60 only 20 were really usable as industrial land. So we were essentially trying to support the 1,563-acre site on 20 acres.”
Post-rezoning, however, gives the developers 270 acres to work with.“It will make the economics of running the site a lot more viable,” Tennant said.“In the long-term, I think it would be wonderful if we could have all the things happening here that made Bamberton so unique and compelling — that live/work/play (community),” he added.“It may be that history repeats itself on the site.”
— Krista Siefken
from page 20
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22 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com
Peter W. RuslandNews Leader Pictorial
Accidents to appendec-tomies were treated at King’s Daughters’ Hospital.
Ironically, Duncan’s former facility perched on Cairns-more lodge’s current site, had more beds than the modern Cowichan District Hospital, says retired KDH women’s-ward nurse Ellen Lukaitis.
“It was a great place to work,” she said of KDH that could handle at least
111 patients.“We had a men’s and women’s
ward, a maternity ward, a kids’ ward, and one ward upstairs with semi- and private patients.
Back then, family’s hired a RNs to ‘special” a patient in the hospital,” remembered Lukaitis, 82.
“We were like one big family there — KDH was old and creaked at night because we had hot-water heating.
“The kitchen had a dumbwaiter, and our cook, Mrs. Bull, made the best trifl e.”
Guys hurt in Cowichan’s various logging operations “got some terrible accidents sometimes.”
“We had an OR and a surgical ward, and ER and an X-ray department.”
“We trained in hospitals and really got to know each other and trained on the wards,” she said of when doctors
made house calls.“Doctors worked longer hours back,
and there weren’t as many doctors back then.
“You could tell who was who; nurses wore white shoes and caps, and white dresses; doctors dressed properly with suits and ties.”
KDH’s pharmacy “was a hole in the wall in the basement — there were even rats down there,” Lukaitis said of the 1911 hospital razed after CDH opened in about 1968.
Lukaitis worked at KDH from 1955 to 1960, then 1964 to 1967 before retiring from CDH in 1978. “But once a nurse, always a nurse.”
KDH was called a cottage hospital, though it treated maimed and gassed veterans of the fi rst and second world wars, noted Kathryn Gagnon, curator of the Cowichan Valley Museum housing a permanent KDH display.
“It felt like home, and people looked out for each other, but and when they moved to the big new (CDH) structure, there was a loss of that feeling that was never regained from KDH where there was a real sense of place.”
Lukaitis said CDH “made too many wards into administration offi ces — too many chiefs and not enough Indians.”
Andrew Leong, Small City in a Big ValleyNurses in crisp white cared for patients at Cowichan’s fi rst hospital, King’s Daughters’. Its replacement, Cowichan’s current hospital, is slated for replacement in about the next 10 years.
Cowichan approaching dawn of new health dayCowichan approaching dawn of new health dayHealth care quality in Cowichan remains high, but meeting demands of an aging population is the worry facing local and provincial brass.Rob Hutchins, chairman of the Cowichan Communities Health Network, said replacement of Cowichan District Hospital, opened in 1968, is being
planned by local leaders and the Vancouver Island Health Authority.Cowichan regional hospital district board is raising valley taxes to gain its 40% share of that new hospital — the board now has about $7 million —
though the price tag, site and size are still unknown.Still, Hutchins realized care quality will suffer as demand swells on Cowichan’s well-equipped and staffed community hospital that doesn’t meet
current seismic codes.“CDH was build for a regional district with 35,000 people; now we’re at 82,000.“There’s been some renovation (new pharmacy and ER) but it’s a community hospital in desperate need of replacement —it’s on the top of VIHA’s
list after construction commences on the Comox and Campbell River hospitals.”Options include renovating the current CDH, building a new hospital then razing the old one, or buying land and constructing a new facility else-
where.Either way, “we need to put this (project) on the top of province’s list,” Hutchins said, noting CDH’s chronic patient pinch.“There’s no room for more beds,” he said of the current 95-some beds.But the answer’s simply not building CDH a new patient-care wing with, say, 50 more staffed beds, to unplug its busy ER.“The length of stay in hospital has dramatically changed. We have more people going through those 95 beds, and home care and support are
growing — if the answer is to add a wing, they’d have been pushing for that,” Hutchins said.Meanwhile, CDH uses hospitals at Nanaimo and Victoria, and Vancouver’s trauma units, while patient loads on Cowichan’s 89-odd doctors is
climbing.“The ability to attract doctors is a struggle outside all urban areas. Of our 89 or so doctors, we have about 20 with capacity for more patients and
the Division of Family Practice is determining how many people are unattached to physicians — and how many of the 89 are full-time doctors.”Still, “the level and number of services at CDH meets the needs of what’s expected of a community hospital.”Services span CDH’s three ORs with specialty surgeons — from urology, pediatrics internal medicine, and ear, nose and throat, to orthopedics — to
radiology (CDH will share a mobile MRI),a six-bed ICU unit, maternity clinic, cardiac testing, cancer and mental health services, and more.“Cowichan District Hospital is supported by over 900 staff that dedicates their professional careers to this amazing and rapidly growing island com-
munity,” said site director Peter Fahey.CDH annually handles about 31,000 ER visits, 7,000 elective and emergency surgeries, 73,000 X-rays, a half-million lab tests, and 135,000 meals.
— Peter W. Rusland
Health, then and nowHealth, then and now
Royal treatment at Royal treatment at King’s Daughters’King’s Daughters’
“Nurses wore white shoes and caps and white dresses; doc-tors dressed prop-erly with suits and ties.”Ellen LukaitisEllen Lukaitis
www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 23
Fishing, then and nowFishing, then and now
Peter W. RuslandNews Leader Pictorial
Two crossed fi sh illustrated on a plate from Duncan’s former, fancy Tzouhalem Hotel are proof of Cowichan’s sports-fi shing glory days.
“What intrigued me,” said Kathryn Gagnon, Cowichan Valley Museum’s curator, “is the sportsfi shing promotion of this area.
“Those two crossed fi sh show how strongly the Tzouhalem promoted itself as a fi shing mecca during its heyday in the early 1900s when visitors stayed at the Empress in Victoria.
“When they wanted to do some fi shing, and wanted to go north, they recommended the Tzou-halem for comparable quality.”
Luring fi shermen and women here also happened through postcards, letterhead and ads, images the museum cherishes from when the Cowichan River was revered for its salmon and trout, a staple of the Cowichan people for millenia.
“These three hotels in particular drew people — Alderlea (nears Sands Funeral Home), Tzouhalem (Canada and Trunk roads, razed in 1990), and The
Quamichan Hotel (The Commercial, now The Phoenix).”
The Cowichan River earned national heritage designation in 2004 for stewardship with the community, and to recognize First Nations folks as
its traditional stewards, she said, noting the river’s degradation by over fi shing, logging, pollution and other factors.
“Whatever the Natives did, it didn’t harm the river, and when remittance men came, they could fi sh from a pristine river.
“When escaping London, this was God’s coun-try.”
Remittance men — primarily men receiving family funds from Britain — arrived in Cowichan around 1900 as its fi sh and game, and farmland resembled those in the old country.
“Cowichan became a mecca for remittance men, but that started to disappear after the Second World War, when logging was full-speed in the 1940 and ‘50s, and a train arrived here every 10 minutes,” said Gagnon.
more on page 24courtesy the Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre
In the middle of the 20th century, Cowichan Bay was a world destination spot for its salmon fi shing.
The lure of The lure of anglingangling
“The Tzouhalem promoted itself as a fi shing mecca during its heyday.”GagnonGagnon
24 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com
Opportunities still there, but bounties hard to fi ndOpportunities still there, but bounties hard to fi ndFly fi shing for trout , and some salmon species under certain circumstances, still lures anglers to the Cowichan
River.But Andreas Berglund of the 110-member Valley Fish and Game Club said rules about fi shing the once-abun-
dant river are complex, spanning provincial and federal jurisdictions.“Basically, the rules are fl y fi shing only for trout — and chum and coho salmon when in season and in abun-
dance.”Berglund became familiar with fi shing fracas after joining the Lake Cowichan-based club in 2004.In 2007 he became a member of the sports-fi shing advisory council for the Cowichan-Port Renfrew-Duncan
area reporting to the sports fi shing advisory board of B.C., a private anglers’ organization.He also sits at the Cowichan Harvest Roundtable with federal Fisheries, Cowichan Tribes and different organi-
zations fi shing for salmon in Cowichan Bay or surrounding areas and the river.“We discuss levels of fi sh in the river and oceans, and come up with recommendations for our local area.Muddying the waters is provincial jurisdiction about river trout — mostly brown and rainbow — and federal
control of salmon in the ocean.Sport fi shing for salmon — especially chinook — is hit and miss in a pool of rules.“There’s been considerable improvement of stocks of chinook in the river, but we’re certainly not out of danger.“Coho and chum, in most years, are in good abundance. The issues about fi shing levels in the river are about
chinook.”Fishing regulations concerning the river are “a source of great frustration for sportsfi shing.”“The river’s been locked down to fl y fi shing only. People try to fi sh for trout. It’s a complicated set of rules of
where you can and can’t fi sh,” Berglund said.“You have to know the river exactly, and we want the province to simplify this.“We want to come up with a set of gear that also protects the chinook, and that the Tribes are also comfortable
with.”He dispelled romantic notions of older anglers teaching new ones. “They can’t even teach kids to fi sh with a
hook and line.“There’s no question things have turned to the worse because of overfi shing. We’re trying to fi nd a happy medi-
um and trying to be good neighbours,” he said, saluting the 100-member Cowichan Fish and Game Association.“Things seem to be looking up for the Cowichan chinook, and the hatchery’s producing lots of eggs.“Trout higher up in the river is still world class, and that’s where fl y fi shing come in, but there’s no data saying
fl yfi shing helps the chinook stocks.”— Peter W. Rusland
Andreas BerglundBill Bergen teaches his granddaughter the proper technique during the Family Fishing Weekend at Mayo Lake, Skutz Falls.
from page 23
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www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 25
Giving your Middle School Child the Tools for High School
Moving from middle school to high school can be a big step for many students, and guiding them through that transition can be a challenge for parents and guardians.
During the middle school years, you can help your child learn skills to build their con dence, manage their time, and be socially aware—skills that will contribute to their independence and success in high school, and life after school. Deputy Head of Education at Queen Margaret’s School (QMS), Sharon Klein and QMS Junior School Principal Susan Cruikshank have many years’ experience helping young teenagers prepare for high school. They offer the following list of steps you can take to prepare your child:
Organizational SkillsEncourage your child’s regular use of electronic
and/or stationary calendars and agendas.Promote systems for organizing their personal belongings at school and at home.Suggest ways to structure their school work by subject and content.
Technology SkillsSupport your child’s use of technology in a safe and positive manner. Their technological know-how is vital in high school.Educate yourself on digital citizenship (how to use technology as a tool for learning) and Internet safety to support your child’s technological development.
Extracurricular SkillsEnrol your child in community-based sports teams, theatre groups, or activities to build organizational and communication skills for high school.
Encourage participation in groups, clubs, and teams to assist your child in building a supportive social network for their future.
Leadership SkillsGet involved! Volunteer together for a local not- for-pro t organization. Involvement in community activities and events builds your child’s social skills, emotional intelligence and respect for diversity.
CommunicationConnect with your child’s teachers and advisors. Two-way communication is important.Become involved with and attend school events. It is a great way to stay informed and have a clear picture of the activities taking place at your child’s school.
PRMOTIONAL FEATURE
Con dence and problem solving are key attributes for success in high school. Building skills in the middle years leads to high school students who;
are actively engaged in their classroomsare comfortable asking questions embrace opportunities to try new thingsparticipate in public speaking nd balance between personal and
academic demandsare able to initiate and develop social and working relationships with peers, teachers, support staff, and beyondenjoy a vibrant high school experience.
26 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com
Krista SiefkenNews Leader Pictorial
The creation of Duncan a century ago this year means 2012 also marks the 100th anniversary of big changes in local education.
Prior to 1912, explains Cowichan Valley Heritage Schools Society pres-ident Bob King, local schools were all administrated by North Cowichan. But when Duncan became its own city, it also became the overseer of all
the schools within its new boundaries.“It meant some sweeping changes
for schools in the Duncan area,” King said.
Students in Duncan attending Somenos School, for example, sud-denly had to pay tuition because they were no longer living in the school’s jurisdiction.
The changes also meant Cowichan High School, built in 1911, was sud-denly in Duncan’s jurisdiction, and was therefore renamed Duncan High School.
“That was the one that burned down in 1946,” King said.
But 100 years ago, that school meant Cowichanians studying past Grade 8 could stay in the valley.
“The kids wrote exams after the eighth grade, and anyone who needed to go on to school past Grade 8 had to go elsewhere until 1911,” King said. “Mostly it meant boarding in Victoria or Nanaimo.
“There were two private schools, though, that would take some students in the upper grades,” King added.
The fi rst of those private schools was Quamichan Lake School, built in 1905.
Students studying up to Grade 8, meanwhile, were usually housed in a single, all-grades classroom.
“We haven’t got copies of any texts they were using around 1912, but I think it was basically slate-board writing — a black slate with chalk — with not much in the way of notebooks and that sort of thing,” King said. “There were a few pencils, and of course ink and ink wells, and pen nibs, and their lessons basically came off a chalkboard produced by the teacher.”
Students worked mostly in groups, with older students helping the younger ones.
“And the teacher sort of worked in between,” King said.
Studies include reading, writing and counting, and perhaps some British history.
“But I don’t think very much of it,” King said. “There wouldn’t have been much in the way of textbooks. All the fi rst textbooks came from Britain, and a lot of them were supplied by various churches.”
“This was close to a period of time when there were some very big changes coming from the Ministry of Education,” King added. “The word was consolidation — they were trying to group various schools together and build larger schools.”
courtesy Cowichan Valley Museum & ArchivesWhat is now Duncan Elementary School was built in 1913, and was called Duncan Consolidated Public School (shown here in about 1920) until 1946.
WipingWiping the slate the slate
Today’s teachers teaching fewer facts, more about how to learnToday’s teachers teaching fewer facts, more about how to learnTo the untrained eye, schools today might not appear very different from schools a century ago.But that’s before you step into a classroom.“Today schools still look and feel a lot like they did in the past,” says Joe Rhodes, superintendent of the Cowichan Valley School District, “but
inside in the walls, things are beginning to rapidly evolve as the shift of control for learning is moving away from the teacher and on to the student.”The teacher’s role, says Rhodes, is shifting to more of a facilitator of knowledge acquisition, rather than the traditional deliverer of knowledge.“Driven by technology changes, kids have the ability to learn what they want, when they want to, with whomever they want, as long as they have
access,” Rhodes said.“This creates an enormous push against a system of education that is steeped in time-and-place learning.”And, in turn, this creates a tension for teachers to let students create their own learning experiences while still delivering the expected curriculum.“Hence the motivation to move to a more personalized learning experience for kids, instead of the industrial model that was pervasive for the past
100 years,” Rhodes explained.“It requires a different skill set for teachers, learning to be comfortable with uncomfortableness. Instead of having total control of the learning that
takes place in the classroom, they need to be much more fl exible and adaptable to the learning needs of the students, and how they may demon-strate that learning.”
Rhodes said it may be a challenge, but he’s confi dent Cowichan can transition to the place it needs to be “to ensure our kids reach their potential” going forward.
— Krista Siefken
Education, then and nowEducation, then and now
“It was basically slateboard writing — a black slate with chalk.”Bob KingBob King
www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 27
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28 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com
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From one oldtimer to another: “Happy Birthday!”For Royal LePage, it all started in 1913 with an innovative REALTOR® by the name of A.E. LePage in Toronto. 100 years later, we have grown to a network of over 17,000 Royal LePage REALTORS® across this vast country, serving the needs of our clients.
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www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 29
Politics, then and nowPolitics, then and now
Krista SiefkenNews Leader Pictorial
Mud and dust were likely factors in Duncan’s separation
from North Cowichan in 1912.
In his book, Small City in a Big Valley, local histo-rian Tom Henry explains the genesis of Duncan’s creation is obscure, but it’s
not unreasonable to assume the differences between farm and city folk played a role.
“Certainly Duncan’s merchants were grousing about the municipal govern-ment’s apparent favouritism of rural constituents in the early years of the century,” he wrote. “By 1907 they were indignantly threatening full-blown independence if North Cowichan did not start providing more services.”
Taxes were an issue, says
Henry, as was sewage, but dust and mud may have been the proverbial last straw.
“For a town that was boast-ing of its verdant setting, Duncan in the early 1900s produced a fantastic amount of dust,” Henry writes.
That dust didn’t include just dirt. It was a pulverized mixture of feces from crea-tures big and small — in-cluding “indiscreet humans.”
And in the winter, that dust became mud so deep locals
described a small lake at the corner of Craig and Station streets.
According to James Greig, “’It was no uncommon thing to get a liberal douching of mud when passing along the old wooden sidewalks.’
But Henry fi gures that had the winter between 1911 and 1912 not been so wet, the tension between Duncan and North Cowichan may have remained on a perennial low-boil.
As usual, says Henry, the streets turned to slime.
“Unending mud hole” was one description. “Slough of Despond” was another. But the addition of nearly pure sewage pushed even the fence-sitting Cowichan Leader to call for action.
“The rhetoric played to the hand of the merchants who had been lobbying for a mu-nicipal split,” Henry writes.
W.H. Hayward solicited special legislation to allow Duncan to leave North Cowichan. Realtor Islay Mutter collected the neces-sary signatures from eligible voters. And Kenneth Duncan negotiated the new boundar-ies.
“Once set in gear the machine of independence moved swiftly,” Henry writes.
“On March 4, 1912, Let-ters Patent were issued and 345 hectares were severed from the southern portion of the municipality to become the City of Duncan.”
The Duncan of fi rst Mayor Kenneth Forrest Duncan wrestled with the issue of mud, while the Duncan of current Mayor Phil Kent battles questions of chickens in people’s yards.
Mudslinging Mudslinging made it happenmade it happen
“It was no uncommon thing to get a liberal douching of mud.”James GreigJames Greig
A bigger Duncan very much a topic of interestA bigger Duncan very much a topic of interestIt was 100 years ago that Duncan said so-long to North Cowichan, and took 345 hectares with it.A century later, those boundaries haven’t changed.And only time will tell if Duncan’s bicentennial will celebrate a larger city, or the amalgamation of Cowichan’s urban core into a larger municipality.But Duncan Mayor Phil Kent says there’s defi nitely room — and reason — for Duncan to grow its borders.“I think the missed opportunity might have been when the regional district systems were being established,” he said. “The city might have tried to capture
areas outside of its existing boundaries for the future.”Many outside Duncan’s offi cial border receive services from the city, not to mention shop in its stores and spend time in its parks, but don’t have a say via
political representation.Kent said it’s hard to say what new boundaries could look like, but the city has been looking at expansion into some of the Cowichan Valley Regional
District areas in recent years.“We’ve done some work toward getting feedback on that, working with the province on what would be a reasonable structure for expansion, and at this
point from a technical perspective the province sees no issue with what we would be pursuing for restructure, but there’s the whole public portion of it,” Kent said.
Citizens of both the city and the impacted areas would have to be on board.“In the past when there were talks about amalgamation or (restructure) they did not receive assent from the public, but that’s not to say (that will be the
case in) the future,” Kent said.“When we talk about things like transit and other services, can we gain better effi ciency by having a larger city? Is amalgamation or partial amalgamation
with North Cowichan part of the answer? What about restructure with the regional district?”Those are questions that would need public input, Kent stressed.“For any community to make progress — and that’s the motto on the crest of the city: unity and progress — people have to be actively engaged,” he said.And as Duncan celebrates its past for its centennial, it also should be looking toward its future.“I’m not suggesting Duncan will be a metropolis any time soon, but if you look at cities like Victoria or Vancouver, even 50 or 60 years ago, you see the
differences,” Kent said.“We often tend to plan too short-term. We’re trying to look 50 years into the future and see where we might be heading.”
— Krista Siefken
30 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com
Leisure, then and nowLeisure, then and now
Maeve MaguireNews Leader Pictorial
In 1912, most people were employed in farming, forestry or mining work, which offered few opportunities for recreation.
Margaret W. Bishop in her memoir And So They Came To Cow-ichan explains.
“While their days to relax were not many, they were enjoyed to the fullest, and the few days in the year when large district gatherings brought friends together still stand out in the memory. I can think of three such days: The 24th of May picnic at the
Riverbottom (Sahtlam); the 1st of July celebration at Cowichan Bay; and the September Fall Fair.”
Bishop describes a winter wonder-land we only sing about now.
“Those were the days when we used to look forward to snow and sleigh rides every year. Either in the one horse cutters with sleigh bells jingling or better still in the big bobsleighs, when the wagon box was fi lled with fresh clean hay and we, well wrapped in wool toques, muf-fl ers, our big winter coats and warm blankets (even hot bricks) piled in with a party of our friends (old and young).
“A real old-fashioned sleighing party. The sleigh bells jingled, the moon shone brightly and we sang all the popular songs of the day.”
Cricket, basketball, fi eld hockey, tennis, and golf were sports enjoyed by men and women. Young remit-tance men, sons of wealthy British families who came to Cowichan to farm, were a new class of resident that attracted wealthy visitors who enjoyed fi shing and shooting, polo and regattas.
In Memories Never Lost, com-piled by the pioneer researchers, the authors describe how these Euro-pean settlers enjoyed a high-society
lifestyle.“Young remittance men who
spent their days in overalls, doing labourer’s chores while suppos-edly learning farming, turned out to the formal dances wearing correct evening dress and “smelling of cows and mothballs’.
“The society, which amused itself with balls in full evening dress, yachting, tennis, teas with damask cloths and silver tea service, existed side by side with the other older society which continued in its ac-customed way, laboriously improving the farms year by year.”
more on page 31
courtesy Cowichan Valley Museum and ArchiveAbove is the Maple Bay Regatta as it looked in September 1913. At right, W.A. McAdam, after whom McAdam Park is named is shown at the Recreation Grounds in 1912 with cricket club he helped to form.
Old-fashioned fun and gamesOld-fashioned fun and games
“Young remittance men who spent their days in overalls turned out to the formal dances wearing correct evening dress.”Memories Never LostMemories Never Lost
www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 31
Entertainment and recreation choices are moreEntertainment and recreation choices are moreplentiful than ever before in the Cowichan areaplentiful than ever before in the Cowichan areaMany of the same activities remain from 100 years ago.Maple Bay Yacht Club, in its new location in Bird’s Eye Cove, still holds
an annual regatta, tennis players still volley balls on the grass courts at the South Cowichan Tennis Club, and golf is so popular there are now seven courses in Cowichan.
Now though, recreational activities in Duncan abound; residents and tour-ists are provided endless opportunities to play. You can watch national and local productions in one of four performance arts theatres, delight in the Islands Folk Fest and other outdoor musical festivals at Providence Farm, or cycle from Shawnigan Lake to Cowichan Lake on the Trans-Canada Trail, crossing historic bridges like the Kinsol Trestle.
Water activities are prolifi c, with 20 marinas and several fresh-water lakes from Shawnigan to Ladysmith. On a hot summer’s day, you can ride a tube down the Cowichan River or swim at Maple Bay beach.
Food lovers have their pick from fi ve weekly farm markets, including the well-known and well-stocked Duncan Farmers Market. Oenophiles can taste wines produced at 16 wineries. Others can sip cider from Merridale’s orchard, and let a beer quench their thirst at the Craig Street Brew Pub in downtown Duncan.
Duncan is home to many national athletes who have competed internation-ally in fi eld hockey, softball, and para-alpine skiing, to name a few. At this year’s London Olympics three athletes will represent our region.
Michael Braithwaite, who learned to row at the Maple Bay Rowing Club, is a fi rst-time Olympian participating in the men’s double sculls event. Veteran Olympian Emily Zurrer will defend Canada’s honour as a member of the na-tional women’s soccer team. Three-time Paralympic medallist Richard Peters will represent Canada as a member of the national wheelchair basketball team.
— Maeve Maguire
from page 30
Andrew Leong/fi leThe Maple Bay Regatta is still a community highlight every September, it just looks a little different than it did in 1913.
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32 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com
Industry, then and nowIndustry, then and now
Don BodgerNews Leader Pictorial
There are obvious things that have changed in the past 100 years of sawmilling in Chemainus.
Then again, some of the past practices are still refl ected in how
the mill operates today.
Manager Mike Shew-chuk of the current Western Forest Prod-ucts mill pointed out he can only imagine what condi-
tions were like 100 years ago by look-ing at the pictures in the Chemainus Valley Historical Society’s museum.
But Shewchuk has a fair idea being a third generation sawmiller, remember-ing stories from his childhood, as both his dad and grandfather worked for MacMillan Bloedel in Port Alberni.
“The basic principles of sawmilling here at Chemainus have not changed much over the past century,’’ Shewchuk indicated. “The current mill, and its predecessors, have always consumed large, high-grade logs with a focus on recovery of the highest value products as effi ciently as possible.’’
Today’s mill naturally has the luxury of technological advances to attain those objectives, making lumber
production safer and more effi cient than in the past.
“The one thing we do share with the sawmills of the past is a reliance on our people,’’ added Shewchuk. “Technolo-gy has certainly helped us to advance to where we are today, but the importance of people and the decisions that they make during the sawmilling process is key to our success.’’
He stressed sawmills are defi nitely much safer places to work today than yesterday.
“We have a keen focus on safety and we provide all of our employees with a thorough safety program that has the necessary resources provided to ensure its success. Safety, in fact, is one of our key performance indicators and is measured as such. I do not believe that this would have been as prominent in the past.’’
The fi rst mill in Chemainus dates back to 1861 and many signifi cant events occurred in the industry pertain-ing to the site as the years went by.
The book Water Over the Wheel by W.H. Olsen depicts some of these events.
The Victoria Lumber and Manu-facturing Company was operating the mill 100 years ago and hired H.R. MacMillan as assistant manager of the company in 1916.
MacMillan had already become well known as head of B.C.’s Forest Service at the time but, of course, turned out to be a huge player in the lumber industry in later years. He spent one year in Chemainus before moving on and is but one part of a colourful history of sawmilling in the district.
Chemainus Valley Historical Society, submittedThe deep-water port has always been key to Chemainus’ constant presence as a West Coast sawmill town
150 years of Chemainus milling150 years of Chemainus milling
“The basic principles of sawmilling here at Chemainus have not changed much over the past century.”Mike ShewchukMike Shewchuk
Surviving with the timesSurviving with the timesThe Chemainus sawmill’s survival during the global economic downturn can be attrib-
uted to a strategic plan by Western Forest Products to reposition the company and hard work by everybody to stick with the plan.
“All the mills and all of our Timberland operations, the changes the crew and the staff had to make is incredible,’’ said Makenzie Leine, communications manager for Western Forest Products.
“The reason for this mill’s ability to remain sustainable in today’s economic climate lies entirely with its workforce,’’ pointed out Chemainus mill manager Mike Shewchuk. “We focus on what we can control, that is safely and effi ciently producing as much lumber of the highest value that we can from each log that enters the mill.’’
According to Leine, Western’s repositioning began in 2004 and ran through 2006 when acquisitions were made to increase the scale required of global lumber markets. From there, acquisitions were integrated, non-core assets sold and costs reduced.
The plan was put into place just in time, as it turned out, since global conditions wors-ened after that.
“We don’t want to see another 2008 that almost bankrupted everybody,’’ said Leine. “To tell you the truth, the markets haven’t really gotten any better.’’
The result of Western’s hard work was realized at the end of 2009 and the company has continued to move forward. “If you’re standing still, you’re getting behind,’’ reasoned Leine.
Western has now produced 10 consecutive positive quarters despite little to no improve-ment in market conditions and is now positioned for its next evolution — a refi ned focus on margin. Leine indicated a capital investment plan and commitment to the B.C. coast of $200 million in investments will be a big part of that focus.
Investments will increase the competitiveness of the Chemainus operation and West-ern’s other facilities, making them more resilient to market fl uctuations while maintaining the ability to be a reliable supplier to customers, provide returns to shareholders and remain a stable economic contributor and employer on the island.
The current Chemainus sawmill, the fi fth on the site, was built in 1984 at a cost of $22 million. It runs three shifts and employs 160 people.
Western considers Chemainus one of its most critical facilities because high value prod-ucts are extracted from multiple coastal species..
— Don Bodger
www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 33
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34 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com
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www.cowichannewsleader.com Friday, August 3, 2012 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan 35
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36 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial / Vision Cowichan Friday, August 3, 2012 www.cowichannewsleader.com
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21
Arthur McKinlayDuncan Volunteer
Fire Department,
Duncan Jr. Baseball
Association
Kevin SmithMesachie Lake
Fire/Rescue
Dave AndrewsMaple Bay
Fire Fighter
Tanya ThompsonIsland Rallysport Club,
Cowichan Valley Social
Media Club
Cowichan Valley
Amateur Radio Society
Steve VatcherLake Cowichan
Volunteer Fire Dept.
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South Cowichan Rotary Club
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