Hi there,

I hope you were able to enjoy a lovely fall weekend! I really enjoy going for walks in the forest at this time of year with my dog — it’s never too hot or too cold and the rain can be so refreshing!

Eric is still away so I have a slightly shorter newsletter for you this week with some news and events from the Cowichan Valley. I’m also taking some time to review our reporting and editorial goals at The Discourse as we inch closer to the end of the year.

If there are any stories you want us to tell, issues you’d like us to look into or questions you’d like us to answer, please drop me a line! I always love connecting with our readers.

Local news and updates.

• After successfully fundraising $850,000, the Ecoforestry Institute Society has bought and added about 8.5 hectares (21 acres) of land to the Wildwood Ecoforest in Ladysmith. According to a news release, the land was originally part of the Wildwood Ecoforest but was sold at one point. It will now be part of public domain again, protected by the Wildwood land trust and its trustee, the Ecoforestry Institute Society. Keep your eyes peeled for a story on this from The Discourse soon.

• The public input period for Ladysmith’s first ever draft Accessibility Plan has been extended to Oct. 29, 2025. The plan is focused on town-owned properties, public spaces and facilities and has a goal to ensure all residents and visitors can “fully participate in community life” by identifying, removing and preventing barriers. The plan can be viewed online and hard copies are available at Frank Jameson Community Centre and City Hall. Residents can share feedback by creating an account on Let’s Talk Ladysmith or by emailing info@ladysmith.ca.

• The off-leash dog park in Chemainus Baseball Park’s Field 3 will be relocated to a new site on Elm Street following a North Cowichan council vote that was meant to resolve tensions between dog park users and the Chemainus and District Baseball Association. Some regulars at the current dog park are disappointed by the decision and say the new site’s size, layout and usability do not meet their needs, Cowichan Valley Citizen reports.

• Nominations for the City of Duncan Awards are being accepted until Oct. 15, 2025. You can nominate an outstanding community artist or art supporter for the Arts Award or put someone’s name forward for the Scroll of Honour, recognizing outstanding volunteer service to the community. Visit the City of Duncan website for more information.

• The joint council meeting between Duncan and North Cowichan scheduled for Oct. 9 has been rescheduled to Nov. 27, 2025 at 4 p.m. at Duncan city hall.

Find The Discourse on Bluesky and TikTok!

We’re not able to post to or engage with readers on Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) due to the news ban in response to Bill C-18, but we love seeing responses to stories on Bluesky and LinkedIn! Have thoughts on a story? Want to connect with our reporters and check out our latest work? Follow us on Bluesky @thediscourse.ca. Head to our starter pack and hit “follow all” to keep up with all Discourse Community Publishing outlets and reporters.

Also, check out The Discourse on our new TikTok page! Follow us to hear from our reporters about the stories they cover and catch videos from events across the Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo and  the Comox Valley.

Photo of the week.

Check out these beautiful artist-painted nest boxes that are part of the WildWings Nature & Arts Festival show and auction! Here we have a nest box painted by Luke Marston on the left and a box painted by Jan MacKirdy on the right. There are a total of 27 nest boxes to bid on in the auction and all proceeds will go toward building Malcom’s Place, an extension of the Somenos Marsh Open Air Classroom. The auction ends on Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. and bidding takes place online. Photos courtesy of Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society.

Do you have a great photo from the community? Share it with us for a chance to be featured in an upcoming newsletter. We’d love to see the Cowichan Valley through your lens. 📸

Community events.

• Now until Oct. 19: 🧦 The Malahat Legion is collecting donations of new and gently used socks for Warmland House Shelter and Mischa Lelum Youth Emergency Shelter. Drop off socks any time before Oct. 19 at 1625 Shawnigan Mill Bay Rd.

• Saturday, Oct. 11: 🎶 The Cowichan Folk Guild’s monthly coffee house is set to be a musical party at the Duncan United Church hall featuring a house band and one-song performances from several artists. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the evening will begin with an open stage at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for members and $10 for the public.

• Saturday, Oct. 11: 🧥 Donate a gently used coat and receive a delicious Thanksgiving pie in return. Kaiser & Associates, located at 472 Trans-Canada Hwy., is collecting coats to donate to Cowichan Women Against Violence Society, Warmland Shelter and School District 79. Donate between 10 a.m. and noon in the back parking lot off Whistler Street. RSVP and find more details here.

• Oct. 17-21, 24-26 and 28-30: 👻 Tickets are still available for early and later departures of the BC Forest Discovery Centre’s Halloween Train. This annual event is full of family fun including crafts, train rides, trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and more. Tickets available online.

• Friday, Oct. 17: ⭐️ The Cowichan Community Centre and Cowichan Intercultural Society co-host the annual Cultural Connections Activity Night from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Cowichan Community Centre Heritage Hall. This free event is an opportunity to build community while trying out activities such as henna, origami, Chinese calligraphy, cultural dancing and music, activity stations and more.

• Saturday, Oct. 18: 🧶 The Cowichan Valley Fleece and Fibre Fair takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the HUB at Cowichan Station. This is the oldest fair on Vancouver Island and brings people together over all things fibre. Nanaimo author Liz Hammond-Kaarremaa will also be there with her recent book, The Teachings of Mutton, A Coast Salish Wooly Dog. She will be joined by Coast Salish artist and storyteller from Lyackson First Nation, Andrea Fritz.

• Saturday, Oct. 18: 🌲 B.C. author Heather Ramsay will be at Volume One Bookstore signing copies of A Room in the Forest, a coming-of-age novel that follows a young woman from Alberta who travels to Haida Gwaii in the 1990s for a tree-planting job. This is a free event and takes place from 11 a.m to 12:30 p.m.

What did you think of this newsletter?

⭐️    ⭐️⭐️    ⭐️⭐️⭐️    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️