Jacqueline Ronson

Oct 4, 2023 | thediscourse.ca | Madeline Dunnett |Jacqueline Ronson

Activists rallied last Thursday outside of Courtenay-Comox MLA Ronna-Rae Leonard’s office to protest the logging of old-growth forests in British Columbia. The event was part of a province-wide United For Old Growth day of action, organized by the Wilderness Committee, Wildsight, Stand.earth, Sierra Club BC and Elders for Ancient Trees. Save our Forests Team Comox Valley(SOFT-CV) helped put on the Courtenay protest.

Oct 2, 2023 | thediscourse.ca | Jacqueline Ronson |Shalu Mehta

Photos by Jacqueline Ronson/The DiscourseA large crowd gathered on Monday, Oct. 2 on Cowichan Tribes land and walked through downtown Duncan in the third annual Every Child Matters March, in memory of the children who never made it home from residential “schools.” The walk took place on the holiday Monday following the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. Despite the rain, the gathering easily surpassed a thousand people, as a conservative estimate.

Sep 29, 2023 | thediscourse.ca | Shalu Mehta |Jacqueline Ronson

After two contentious meetings this month, North Cowichan’s municipal council voted against a property tax break for the House of Grace Pregnancy Centre, a faith-based service provider. House of Grace opened its doors in Duncan in 2022, and is affiliated with the Pregnancy Care Canada network of Chrisitan crisis pregnancy centres. Advocates raised concerns that the centre might cause harm by seeking to dissuade people from seeking abortions.

Sep 27, 2023 | thediscourse.ca | Madeline Dunnett |Jacqueline Ronson

It’s never a bad idea to invite some mushrooms to a party — they’re fun-guys!There will be mushrooms galore at Cumberland’s fourth annual Fungus Fest, which kicks off on Thursday, September 28 in downtown Cumberland, and runs through Saturday, Sept. 30.  “Once you start foraging for food in the woods, how can you be anything but enthusiastic about mushrooms?” asked Dawn Copeman, a longtime resident of Cumberland who will be leading some of the festival events.

Sep 27, 2023 | thediscourse.ca | Madeline Dunnett |Jacqueline Ronson

Dozens of times every year, volunteers with Comox Valley Search and Rescue (CVSAR) respond to calls, at all hours of the day, to look for people who are missing and rescue people who are injured or in distress.  With growing populations and burgeoning interest in outdoor recreation, demand for the team’s efforts have nearly doubled in a decade. In 2021, CVSAR volunteers responded to the call a record 72 times. This service is offered at no cost to those who are rescued and their families.