Grocery store goes to winter hours

 

Starting Wednesday, October 1, the Supermarket, Gas Station, and Oceanview Cafe will go to winter hours and be open from noon to 5:00 each day. The cafe is not open on Sunday.

Tuesday trail work

 

Tech help at the library

 Call 250-934-6621to book an appointment for help with a computer problem.

Potluck at Senior Centre

 

Fire hall grand opening

 The grand opening of the new fire hall happened yesterday in the pouring rain. Thanks to Sarah F. for the photos and John A. For recording the story.

From John “ I would argue this beautiful fire truck being pushed into our new firehall is scenic.For those of you not there today at the formal opening of our new firehall, our fire chief spoke of an old tradition when horses pulled fire wagons the firemen had to push the fire wagon back into the firehall after an outing.

To reconstruct this old firehall tradition our volunteer firemen, with a little help from the fire truck itself, pushed the fire truck into our new firehall.”

Chair yoga restarts

 

Chair yoga was a popular activity at the Senior Centre. It will restart this year on Monday, October 6. Classes will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:00 am. No charge. All welcome.

Crafterday this Saturday

 

Latest update to tax arrears

 

Food Safe deadline

 Note from Harmony:

To residents who were interested in taking their FoodSafe course- the deadline to register and be eligible for reimbursement is SEPTEMBER 30 2025. Please message me if you need more details or information. Thanks!

Fire hall grand opening

 

Tax arrears revised again

 

Writing contest

 

Note from Nicole Veerman

 Hi all! We are in for a solid downpour on Saturday so we are postponing our work party. Stay tuned for a new date.

Waste management meeting

 

New library hours starting next Wednesday

 

Mayors Report to Council Sep 16, 2025

On September 3, the North Island experienced an extensive internet outage which included cell coverage. This was an unusual outage and was traced to somebody cutting a fibre optic line beside the Island Highway. This act of sabotage was not explained to my knowledge. Having redundant internet lines will go a long ways towards mitigating these kind of acts as well as from other causes. The Connected Coast infrastructure is still not online but will help to prevent this in future.

On September 10 I was part of the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Just Like Home facility in Campbell River. The Strathcona Regional District has been working for the last five years to bring it to this point. This facility, close to the Campbell River Hospital, will provide accommodations for families from remote communities such as ours when one of the family has a hospital stay. After the ceremony, I met Anna Kindy, our recently elected MLA. We had good discussions about various issues such as the state of our road, first nation land claims and the state of health care on the North Island (she is herself a medical professional). She has promised to be a staunch advocate for Tahsis issues and is willing to go to bat for our advocacy for an extended care senior's home in Tahsis as well as paving of our road.

On the subject of seniors, there is a survey being conducted by the University of Victoria to identify research priorities on aging and technology that matters most to the community. I have included the link here:
https://forms.office.com/r/iqdBxsiDTX

I would also like to mention the recent passing of Rusty Turner, spouse of Brenda Overton. He was a longtime member of our community, working as a faller for many years. I wish to extend condolences to Brenda and his family.

Salmon collection

 The Tahsis Salmon Enhancement Society were at it this morning collecting salmon to restock their hatchery. I would like to thank all the volunteers that showed up and gave it their all.

Photos by Gabe G.

Revised notice of tax sales

 

Campfire ban lifted

 As I read this map, Tahsis is in the Campbell River forest area where the campfire ban will be lifted tomorrow.

PARTIAL Campfire prohibition lifted in Coastal Fire Centre

September 16, 2025

PARKSVILLE—The campfire prohibition in the Coastal Fire Centre will be lifted in the following areas starting at 12:00 (noon), Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), on Wednesday, September 17, 2025: the Campbell River Forest District, the North Island Central Coast Forest District, and the Sunshine Coast Forest District. A map of the areas is available online.

25 Coastal MAP S10S12 Prohibition Color Info 8X11L Sep 15

Leiner Campsite closed for work

 

Leiner River Rec Site is CLOSED as of September 15, 2025 to complete danger tree mitigation work. The site will reopen upon completion of falling activities.

Trail work party

 

Football at Westview Marina

 

New book club meeting

 

Request for survey participants

 To older adults, caregivers, care providers and others who provide care to older adults,

We need your help to identify research priorities on aging and technology that are most important in your area.

Share the most important questions (or concerns) about aging and technology in your community for future research to address.

Keeping up with services to support our aging population has been challenging. Digital technologies (such as virtual care platforms, virtual hospitals, or electronic access to health records) offer new ways to address care needs but those without the necessary digital literacy skills and technologies are unable to benefit. It is important to include people living in smaller cities and rural and remote areas in research because integrating diverse perspectives is essential for building better digital health solutions and services.

Together with community partners across Vancouver Island North (including Comox Valley, Strathcona and Mount Waddington Regional Districts) and Aging Together Lab at UVic, our project aims to identify and prioritize key areas of focus on aging and technology that matters most to older adults. We want to amplify voices of older adults, caregivers, care providers and other community to drive research and research funding to address priorities that matter most to the community.

Here is a link to the survey: https://forms.office.com/r/iqdBxsiDTX

Here is information about the study: How to Take Part – Research Priorities on Aging and Technology That Matter Most To Older Adults in Vancouver Island North

Employment opportunity

 

Library Assistant – Tahsis

• STATUS*:

   
  Open

• JOB TYPE:

   
  Casual

• COMPETITION #:

   
  CUPE2025-58

• NUMBER OF OPENINGS:

   
  1

• POSTING DATE:

   
  September 8, 2025

• CLOSING DATE:

   
  Sep 23, 2025

• SALARY:

   
  $26.94 per/hr

• HOURS:

   
  Casual on Call

• UNION STATUS:

   
  CUPE

• BRANCH:

   
  Tahsis

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) is seeking applicants for a Casual-on-Call Library Assistant to work at our Tahsis Branch. 

The Library Assistant performs clerical tasks and routines assigned by the Circulation Supervisor to provide customers with access to good library service.  These tasks are carried out under the supervision of the Circulation Supervisor and within the regional library’s policies, procedures, standards and resources.  The Library Manager is responsible for all the activities in the branch.

All duties and responsibilities are directly aligned with the Mission, Vision and Values and Strategic Plan of the Vancouver Island Regional Library.

Required Education & Experience:

• Grade 12 Graduation (Dogwood Diploma or equivalent).
• Good oral and written communication skills.
• Ability and willingness to work with the public (all ages).
• Working knowledge of books and print and online informational material.
• Basic knowledge of information services technology, including the ability to use the Internet and standard electronic references resource.
• Basic knowledge of computer hardware, operating systems, applications software and interfaces.

You are required to satisfactorily complete a Criminal Record Check (Working with Children & Vulnerable Adults.)

This position closes on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025 at 11:59pm. 

Your cover letter should clearly identify how you have the knowledge, skills and experience to be successful in this position.

VIRL thanks all applicants for their interest in working with us however only those selected for an interview will be contacted directly.

Your Voice. Your Library.

APPLY NOW

Pottery on sale

 I have been cleaning out my pottery studio and decided to do something a little different for the next couple of weeks. I will have a self serve stand outside my studio during the day. Highest priced item is $15, lowest is $1.

If you want to see more, just knock on the door.

Census job available

 

Invitation to St. Joseph’s

 

Stephanie and I had a wonderful coffee this morning, sharing our hopes for church revitalization at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Our vision is to see this become a thriving faith community—a welcoming place for anyone who desires connection and fellowship, no matter your background.

Over the summer, many of you joined when Bishop Gary was here, and it was beautiful to see the church so full of life. As we move into the fall, winter, and spring seasons, we’d love to keep that momentum going. Services will now be held every second and fourth Saturday at 9:30 a.m., and our hope is that these gatherings will continue to grow into an active, supportive community throughout the off-season.

To help kick off this initiative, we invite you to join us this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. for our service, followed by coffee, tea, and snacks—a chance to connect more deeply and enjoy fellowship together.

We would love to see you there. Come as you are, and let’s build something meaningful together.

Taxes in arrears

 

Business Liaison Committee survey

 We had almost 40 people come through the Open House over the last 2 days. Thank you all for taking the time to participate.

For those who couldn't make it (or didn't want to) we hope you'll support the work of this committee in creating a vision for our community by filling out a digital survey.

Deadline to participate is Wednesday Sept 10 @ 4pm.

You can find it by going to this link or scanning the QR code below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/893KYQQ

If you want or need a paper survey, please comment below or direct message me and I will get one to you ASAP.

Paper surveys can be dropped off at the village office or returned to me.

Fruit picking program

 Read this newspaper article this morning. I think this may be a program we could use in Tahsis. If you or your neighbour has a tree you’d like picked, email me at Olson.stephanie2009@gmail and I will try to find pickers.

“It has been a fruitful season for the Lifecycles Project Society’s Fruit Tree Project, which is having one of its busiest bursts in a long time.

As of Wednesday, through its volunteer growers and pickers, the Victoria-based charitable organization whose mission is to build a resilient food system by growing, harvesting, and sharing food, had already harvested more than 20K pounds of fresh fruit—almost twice the amount collected at this time last year.

The landowners and volunteers each get to keep one-quarter of the fruit, while the remaining half is redistributed. A roster of some 200 volunteers picks fruit from June to November, starting with cherries, then plums, figs, pears, grapes, and apples.“

“

Bites On Food Truck’s September hours

 

Starting September 5th, we will only be open on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays from 11am-6pm.

Thank you for an amazing summer and for all of your continued support

Camping sites application

 The applicant has applied for a licence of occupation over 77 individual sites that will be used as overnight camping locations for guided kayaking adventures. The marine campsites have been selected from the BC Marine Trails network and are scattered across the West and East sides of Vancouver Island, and the Central Coast area. Each site is proposed to be used 3 or less times per year and leave no trace practices will be in place for the guided trips. No structures will be built at the camping locations. 

 

Several of these sites are in the Tahsis inlet, Nootka Island and Esperanza Inlet.

 

This application is currently accepting comments for the next 32 days. Commenting will close on October 5, 2025.

 

The applicant, U.S- based National Outdoor Leadership School, is listed as “Commercial Recreation – Guided Saltwater Recreation”. 

 

The link below shows the locations and provides a means for submitting comments. 

 

Applications, Comments & Reasons for Decision

 

Last Rock the Dock of 2025

 

Rec Centre back to regular hours

 The Rec Centre is returning to our regular hours of 2:00 PM – 7:30 PM, Friday to Tuesday.

Mayor’s report Sept 2

 I hope everybody has had a good summer. Once again, the road to Tahsis started the summer in good condition but was allowed to deteriorate to a dangerous state that is always harmful to our economy as it is the chief deterrent to tourism. There have also been a few accidents this summer. We have always heard the same excuses as to why it isn't maintained regularly: too dry, too wet. We know that dry roads can be graded in concert with water trucks. This has been done in the past, but the contractor is unwilling to do this. I have said it before, but maintaining roads for profit is a failed model and will never lead to maintenance levels that we used to enjoy before it was passed to the private sector. The Union of BC Municipalities Convention is coming up in September, a time to meet with provincial ministers and ministries regarding our local issues. We have once again been turned down by the Minister of Transportation and Transit for a direct meeting. At the last Strathcona Regional District meeting I brought forward a motion for the SRD board to provide support in advocating for a direct meeting with Minister Farnworth; it passed unanimously. This is not necessarily tied to UBCM and is in fact a better option in my opinion, given our poor history there in regard to road advocacy. If this works, I believe our best strategy is to use the history of this road and its politics, along with the growth in tourism and other economic activity to advocate for full sealcoating and other improvements. I personally spent $1000 last week replacing a spring and shocks due to pothole damages.

As an update to our wharf plan, the revised tender is going out to rebuild our boat launch to the proper grade and to build a launch float beside it. 
Our old airplane dock was recently closed due to safety concerns. Repairs will be quite expensive and we will be meeting soon to discuss our options. In the meantime, it is fenced off. Please do not attempt to use it as we don’t want anybody getting hurt or worse.

The museum rebuild is proceeding with replacement of rotted sections, strengthening foundations, replacing wiring and plumbing, new windows and interior renovations. It will be reopening next year with new displays that will include first nation history, mill history, natural history and an expanded display of the unique cave resources of the region.

It’s pleasing to see the uptick in tourism in our area as it expands beyond sport fishing to include growth in cycle tours, kayaking and hiking, primarily of the Nootka Trail. Water taxi use is expanding rapidly with more boats entering service. While US tourism may have decreased due to political instability south of the border, we have seen a flood of European and Canadian tourism to Tahsis. The opening of new meal services provide more choice and are popular new additions to our community.

Last week I attended the ceremonies in Gold River around the launch of the 'Explore Nootka' water taxi, a recent acquisition of Mowachaht Muchalat First Nation.  It will be used to provide direct access for MMFN members to Yuquot and other communities in the region. It was good to meet again with Chiefs Maquinna and Jack and to keep those paths of communication open. The MMFN have recently begun land claim negotiations over their traditional territory. This will not impact municipalities or privately held lands.

A boardwalk has been built on the south side of Malaspina Lake, with a small landing platform to be built soon.  A composting toilet is also under construction nearby. 

Our wastewater upgrade project is nearing completion but there are still a few bugs in the system that need working out. One interesting finding is that decommissioning the north plant produced a massive amount of wetwipes which caused huge problems for the plants and prevented their proper function.  They were removed and landfilled.  Now we can extract wetwipes before treatment. It’s notable that wetwipes generate 1-2 garbage cans full every day, which public works has to landfill. This takes them away from doing other work and increases costs. Wetwipes are garbage; they are not recyclable or biodegradable. They should be banned or redesigned to be biodegradable as this is a problem wherever they are sold. The city of London, UK is currently removing an 'island' of wetwipes from the Thames River!

One more item of note: starting last year I participated in a radon detection program, as part of a national study. I placed it in my basement and it showed radon gas there to be almost double the safe limit. This is a common problem and there are ventilation strategies to mitigate it. It can cause lung cancer over time.

Business Liaison Committee public meeting

 

Power outage on Sunday

 

Posting from Bites On Sept 2

 Unfortunately, due to a staff member taking ill we will be starting our reduced hours this week.

We will be open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11-6.

Thanks for your understanding.