Celebrate Pollinator Week with an exclusive expert panel and film screening of The Guardians, a feature-length independent documentary, Tuesday at Cinecenta.
Pollinator Partnership Canada, Habitat Acquisition Trust and Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary Society have come together to present a screening of Eidolon Films’ The Guardians to Victoria just in time to celebrate Pollinator Week.
The film takes viewers on an awe-inspiring journey into the beauty and intimacy of our connection with nature. The film has won 10 awards, including Best Special FX, Maverick Awards, Audience Award, Best Documentary and Indie Spirit Film Festival.
“When Pollinator Partnership Canada asked the sanctuary if we wanted to get involved, it just made sense. The way the plight of the monarch story is told in the film will stir amazement in viewers,” said Kathleen Burton, of the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary Society. “I am excited the film is coming to us to celebrate Pollinator Week. It is not only a hot topic, it is a very important cause and concern for our own community.”
The screening will be followed by a panel of pollinator experts and conservation enthusiasts to discuss the film and threats to pollinators locally.
Tickets are $13. Doors open at 7, the event runs 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., June 19 at Cinecenta, Student Union Building, University of Victoria. For more information, or for tickets, go to eventbrite.ca.
Students help with science study
Last week, students from Reynolds Secondary School assisted Lora Morandin of Pollinator Partnership Canada in conducting baseline studies on pollinator species inhabiting a B.C. Hydro field that will be restored this summer.
The project also involved the Peninsula Streams Society, Saanich Native Plants, B.C. Hydro and the North Quadra Community Association.
Current baseline studies on existing plants and pollinator species will be used over the next five years to gauge the success of this summer’s restoration of the former Garry Oak meadow.
The project involves site preparation, planting hundreds of native plants and a variety of native-plant seeds. Fencing and interpretive signs will be installed to make this demonstration project a community asset. Local farmers in the nearby Blenkinsop Valley will benefit from the increase in pollinator species that the meadow will attract and support, while students will learn about pollinators and their associated plant species.
The project is made possible by an in-kind donation from Don Mann Construction, as well as funding help from B.C. Hydro, Victoria Real Estate Board, B.C. Community Gaming Grant and others.
For more information, go to peninsulastreams.ca.
Sample She Sheds on Salt Spring on Sunday
Take a tour of a collection of 14 creative, funky, skilful and fascinating backyard sheds at She Sheds, on Salt Spring Island on June 24.
The primary purpose of a She Shed is to serve as an escape from the noise, projects and other distractions in the house. Whatever hobbies, work or leisurely activities a woman enjoys, she can do them in peace in her She Shed.
Learn the vision behind each shed by hobnobbing with women behind these pocket palaces.
The event is a fundraiser for the Salt Spring Women Opposed to Violence and Abuse Community Development and Research Society, a non-profit society and registered charity. The group endeavours to deliver education programs that help equip young people with the skills to thrive, and to promote violence-free communities.
Tickets for this self-guided tour are $20. The event runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 24 at various venues on the island. Tickets available from Salt Spring Books.
Please leave your pets at home. Please ask permission before taking photos. Small children and people with mobility issues might find this tour challenging. For more information, go to swova.org.
Take a summer garden ramble
Take a relaxing summer’s-day ramble down country roads to tour seven unique gardens at the Whiskey Point Garden Ramble and Silent Auction fundraiser, June 24 just north of Mill Bay.
While at the gardens, take time to enjoy local art and music, sampling Syrian delicacies and mingling.
Whiskey Point is a neighbourhood in Mill Bay fronting Saanich Inlet.
The seven gardens are within easy walking distance of one another and cover a vast spectrum of horticultural design and artistry. They range in interest from a Czechoslovakian crevice garden, an established garden with more than 50 works of art interspersed among the plantings, a former day-lily and exotic-grasses nursery, and creative solutions on how to grow vegetables and flowers with deer nearby.
This is a fundraising effort for the Warmland Rojava Sponsor Group and its plans to bring a young Syrian family from a refugee camp in northern Iraq to Duncan.
Tickets are $30 per person and children under 15 are free. The event runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, June 24.
Tickets are available online at 7GardenTours.com or at Dinter’s Nursery, Volume One Books, Mill Bay Community Policing office at Mill Bay Centre and Buckerfield’s. Please contact Nancy Buan at nancybuan@shaw.ca or 250-743-6510 if you would like more information.
Ride Don’t Hide for mental illness
Join thousands of Canadians from coast to coast to walk and cycle in plain sight to put an end to the stigma of mental illness at Ride Don’t Hide, June 24 from Windsor Park.
Canadians from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia will take part in the largest mental-health bike ride in Canada, raising funds for mental-health programs and services in their communities.
“When we hide, mental health stays hidden. When we ride, we create change,” said the Canadian Mental Health Association, which is hosting the event.
This is the seventh year of the annual fundraising bike ride, showcasing the fundraising efforts of more than 7,500 riders in more than 30 communities.
Proceeds from the ride will go toward providing essential programs and services that change and save lives.
Registration is $45 adults and free for children 12 and under. There are a number of events to join: A five-kilometre walk, seven-kilometre family ride, 18-km beginner ride, 28-km intermediate ride, 52-km advanced and 100-km extreme ride. The start times are staggered between 6:30 and 9:10 a.m. Sunday, June 24 from Windsor Park in Oak Bay. For more information, go to ridedonthide.com.
Ann Mortifée speaks at fundraiser
Hear singer, composer and author Ann Mortifée at the Bethlehem Centre’s gala fundraiser in Nanaimo on Saturday.
The Order of Canada recipient will be the keynote speaker at Bethlehem Alive 2018, with a reading from her best-selling book In Love With the Mystery. She will also sing a capella on her sacred drum, which was built with Indigenous elders from Saskatchewan.
Mortifée will share meaningful stories of her life — from growing up on a farm in South Africa to her extensive travels. Her life journey has included volunteering in Calcutta with Mother Teresa and the Sisters of Mercy, dining with Queen Elizabeth and studying with the head of the Sangoma Zulu nation.
Tickets are $65 or $125. The evening begins at 5 p.m. with arrival and mingling. Dinner starts at 5:30 and the evening program starts at 7 p.m. Mortifée will give her presentation at 7:30 followed by music at 8 p.m.
A charitable receipt is available.
To reserve tickets or a table, and for further information email info@bethlehemcentre.com, 250-754-3254 or go to bethlehemcentre.com.
bc211 marks first anniversary
bc211, a gateway to community, social, non-clinical health and government services, celebrated its first year in operation last week.
Funded by United Way, the portal offers free, confidential help 24 hours a day by calling or texting 211 or online at bc211.ca.
It is also a convenient resource for people to get non-emergency help on a wide range of topics from employment and financial support to mental health and addiction services to supports for seniors.
The Street and Shelter Helpline, also operated by bc211 and funded by United Way Greater Victoria, tracks bed and mat availability in the Capital Regional District for people struggling with homelessness and for frontline officers to provide assistance to people on the street.
In the past year, there were 12,237 web searches and 1,757 phone calls. The top reasons given for contacting the service include: Housing and homelessness; mental health; health; income and financial assistance; and substance use.
For more information, go to bc211.ca or uwgv.ca.
Art for sale in the vineyard
Watch artists at work and choose from about 1,000 pieces of donated art at Art in the Vineyard at Starling Lane Vineyard, June 23.
This is a fundraiser for the Prospect Lake and District Community Association for improvement of the grounds around the heritage Prospect Lake Hall in the heart of the Saanich Peninsula.
The hall, used for programs and community events, is owned by the community association and maintained by its members.
At the event, about 40 artists and artisans from southern Vancouver Island will present their work on the lawns and under the trees around the historic farmhouse. Their offerings include large original paintings, pottery, prints, photography, clothing, fabric art, decorative accessories, body care, gourmet food, jewelry and wood.
Art lovers will enjoy browsing among 1,000 pieces of previously enjoyed artwork, including quality reproductions and original works in oil, watercolour and multimedia, as well as a wide selection of posters and collectibles.
Guests can enjoy a glass of wine or beer to go with their country lunch in the rustic setting of the old winery building.
The Starling Lane Winery is located on the site of the original Thompson Farm, built about 1916. The farm was considered a model in its day, boasting the first indoor bathroom on Old West Saanich Road.
Admission is $3 for adults and free for those 12 and under. The event runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 23 at Starling Lane Vineyard, 5271 Old West Saanich Rd. Parking is available in two fields accessible from Starling Lane. For more information, go to pldca.ca/Blog/events.
Senior Circles program earns grant
Volunteer Victoria has been granted $7,500 to fund the Senior Circles program, which helps senior volunteers stay connected.
The grant is one of 16 endowed by the First West Foundation, through its Island Savings Community Endowment. In total, the foundation is distributing almost $75,500 to programs on Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands.
Senior Circles is a year-long research project working with vulnerable seniors living in targeted neighbourhoods in the West Shore.
The project looks to map the informal volunteer habits of up to 30 seniors, identify home-based volunteering activities in their neighbourhoods and host a series of informal volunteering events to connect seniors and their neighbours to the projects.
The initiative will help reduce senior isolation, develop intergenerational connections, and create new and meaningful volunteer activities.
“Neighbourhoods are more than bricks and mortar, they are spaces where people of all stages of life come together to belong, connect, and make a difference,” said Lisa Mort-Putland, executive director of Volunteer Victoria. “We know seniors play such an important role in the volunteer community, but we also know that as they age, their capacity to travel can be limited. This is why we are so thankful to the First West Foundation for helping us launch Senior Circles — a new program for older adults looking to volunteer on their own terms, close to home, and in their own neighbourhoods.”
The First West Foundation cares about the well-being of the communities served by First West Credit Union and its regional divisions, Envision Financial, Valley First, Island Savings, and Enderby and District Financial.
For more information, go to volunteervictoria.bc.ca.
