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This PULSE podcast episode showcases the Ballenas Whalers fundraiser and 25th Anniversary homecoming celebration. Featuring Oceanside Football Association President Michael Pedersen discussing the September 6th fundraising dance, plus author Brian Wilford's climate change novel and seismologist Taimi Mulder's tsunami wave analysis for mid-Vancouver Island residents.

This Episode Features:

(07:16) Oceanside Football Association President Michael Pedersen details the September 6th fundraising dance at Jensen Center featuring “Kind of Country” band. The event celebrates 25 years of Ballenas Whalers Football while raising funds for a new field house at Ballenas Secondary School in Parksville. Pedersen explains how thousands of youth have benefited from the local football programs.

(18:16) Retired print journalist Brian Wilford discusses his debut novel "Rise of the Jellies," a satirical science fiction story set in Qualicum Beach. The book uses flying jellyfish as a metaphor for climate change and environmental destruction, drawing from Wilford's 35 years of journalism experience. He explains his creative approach to addressing climate concerns through humor and storytelling.

(15:39) Sidney Seismologist Taimi Mulder speaks about recent 8.8 magnitude earthquake effects, she explains how tsunami waves continue reverberating nine days later, with different impacts on Tofino versus Port Alberni due to geographical factors.

Episode Highlights & Quotes

"This will be a field house that'll be accessible to the greater community at large and really leave a legacy for years to come in the Oceanside area." - Michael Pedersen, President of the Oceanside Football Association

"The book is a satire on the human response to climate change. We've known for a long time the planet was warming and the cause was the emissions of carbon dioxide and methane." - Brian Wilford, Author

"If you are on the outer coast when there is a tsunami warning or a watch or an advisory, I suggest that you be very careful for a good 48 hours afterwards. Many of these effects last." - Taimi Mulder, Seismologist

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Episode Sponsors: Ian Lindsay & Associates, Windsor Plywood French Creek, Thrifty Foods Parksville, & Fireside Books.

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This PULSE podcast episode celebrates Vancouver Island community arts through two inspiring local stories. Featuring Sylvia Humble of Humble Harmony community singing groups and photographer duo Dave and Kelly Hutchinson discussing their bestselling book "Vancouver Island: The Art of the Landscape."

This Episode Features:

(10:08) Sylvia Humble, founder of Humble Harmony, shares her inspiring journey from government worker to community singing facilitator. After a cancer diagnosis prompted her career change, Humble created inclusive singing groups across Parksville and Nanaimo where perfection isn't required—just joy and connection. Her Vancouver Island community arts initiative welcomes singers of all abilities, teaching harmony by ear without sheet music.

(20:04) Husband-wife team Dave and Kelly Hutchinson discuss their collaborative photography book covering 600 kilometers of Vancouver Island landscape, from Victoria to Cape Scott. Dave's nature photography spans two decades, while Kelly authored compelling stories behind each image. Their Vancouver Island community arts project has become a bestseller and headed to a second printing, with copies traveling worldwide as gifts.

Episode Highlights & Vancouver Island Community Arts Stories

"I've fallen in love with the idea of community singing — that singing together can be just for the pure joy and connection of it, rather than aiming for perfection or polishing it for performance." - Sylvia Humble, Humble Harmony founder

"I would say it's at least half or more are buying the book as a gift for somebody that has already been here, or somebody that's coming here, or they're sending it to Germany as a gift to somebody that had visited, or Australia — books are going all over the place." - Dave Hutchinson on their photography book's global reach

The episode also highlights upcoming Vancouver Island community arts events:

· Rock the Park: August 8-10 at Parksville Beach Festival

· Coombs Fair: 112th annual fair, August 9-10

· Tim Hortons Concert Series: August 15-16

· Sculpture Light-Up evenings: August 15-16

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This Episode Features:

(08:32) Gordon Maurits and Jaclyn Tereszko from Oceanside Community Safety Volunteers reveal recent losses of over $100,000 to fraudsters targeting Vancouver Island seniors. They detail upcoming safety seminars covering home security, internet fraud, and emergency preparedness for Parksville and Qualicum Beach residents. Seminar details can be found here.

(27:04) Powder Blues frontman Tom Lavin reflects on his remarkable 47-year music career, from playing Vancouver's Hastings Street strip clubs in 1969 to creating timeless hits like "Doin' It Right", (Contained in the Podcast). He shares insights about Vancouver's vibrant 1970s music scene and his diverse entrepreneurial ventures between tours. The Powder Blues will be performing at Parksville’s “Beach Fest Rocks” event.

Episode Highlights & Quotes

"I never wanted a band that folks could dance to. What I always wanted was a band that folks would find it difficult not to dance to. And to me there's a difference." - Tom Lavin, Powder Blues

"There have been a lot of cases of residents of our community losing money, and just recently a resident reported losing $30,000 to a call that came in claiming that it was a relative that was involved in an accident." - Jaclyn Tereszko, Oceanside Community Safety Volunteers

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Episode Sponsors: Ian Lindsay & Associates, Windsor Plywood French Creek, Thrifty Foods Parksville, & Parksville Beach Festival.

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This Episode Features:

(28:42) Sylvia Campbell, co-founder of North Island Wildlife Recovery Center in Errington, shares the incredible 40-year journey that began on Christmas Day 1983 with rescuing a great horned owl. The Vancouver Island Wildlife Rehabilitation Center now helps 700 animals annually with 100 volunteers, addressing the reality that 90% of wildlife injuries result from human interaction. Campbell emphasizes their crucial educational mission for Vancouver Island communities.

(11:14) Connor LaCouvee, professional goaltender from Qualicum Beach, discusses his impressive career spanning junior hockey, college, AHL, ECHL, and European leagues. The Vancouver Island native shares invaluable advice for hockey parents, emphasizing that supporting young athletes without pressure protects family relationships while fostering genuine athletic development. LaCouvee operates his own goaltending school across multiple locations.

Episode Highlights & Quotes

"Your kid will ultimately end up where they should be. Guidance is great, but no amount of pressure or telling your kid is gonna help them. They need to do this on their own... That's a hundred times more important than your kid's hockey career." - Connor LaCouvee, Professional Goaltender

"I want people just to go away from here and be really aware that they are part of wildlife. And that we need to be stewards of it." - Sylvia Campbell, North Island Wildlife Recovery Center

Community Stories That Inspire

Both featured stories highlight how Vancouver Island residents can create extraordinary impact through dedication and community support. Whether through wildlife rehabilitation or youth sports mentorship, these examples demonstrate the power of passionate individuals making lasting differences in their communities.

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This PULSE podcast episode celebrates Vancouver Island's incredible artistic talent. Featuring blues musician Brandon Isaac ("Yukon Slim") discussing his latest album "Walking with the Blues" after 37 years of touring, plus Qualicum First Nation artist Jesse Recalma sharing insights into traditional Coast Salish art and his stunning Qualicum Beach waterfront totem pole installation.

(09:26) Vancouver Island blues music takes center stage as Brandon Isaac discusses his latest album "Walking with the Blues" and reflects on 37 years of touring including 13 European tours and performances across China. The Juno-nominated artist shares insights about maintaining traditional blues authenticity while connecting with modern audiences, emphasizing why he considers blues music a celebration of life rather than depression.

(32:58) Indigenous Coast Salish art comes alive through Jesse Recalma's passionate discussion of traditional carving techniques and contemporary applications. The self-taught artist reveals the philosophy behind his work, including his spectacular metal totem pole installation at Qualicum Beach waterfront and his upcoming paddle carving demonstration at the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere's 10 Amazing Places Project.

Episode Highlights

"'Walking with the Blues' is just really about my journey of music... For the last 37 years, I've been walking this journey with the blues. Not saying I've been depressed for 37 years—some people think the blues is a depressing thing. It's not. It's a celebration of life." - Brandon Isaac

"I was told before that a tree's been sitting there for 500, 600 years, has had a lot of time to think about what it wants to be. So you're just helping it now." - Jesse Recalma

Upcoming Vancouver Island Arts Events

Brandon Isaac Performance: Parksville Museum concert series, Thursday, July 24th. Jesse Recalma Live Carving: Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere's 10 Amazing Places Project at McMillan Art Center, weekend of July 19th. Beach Fest Rocks: August 8-10, Parksville Community Park. Village Sidewalk Music: Qualicum Beach, Saturdays.

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(10:39) Clinton Nellist, local podcaster and graduate of Qualicum Secondary School, discusses his TELUS StoryHive-funded project "Branches Between Generations." This innovative Vancouver Island podcasting initiative pairs students with seniors at Berwick Parksville to create intergenerational dialogue content, addressing the gap in family-friendly programming that speaks to multiple generations simultaneously.

(29:54) Margot Holmes, CEO of Vancouver Island Symphony, explains how their Summer Sizzle Festival brings classical music directly to Vancouver Island communities through backyard concerts and winery performances. Holmes discusses how these intimate Vancouver Island Symphony concerts attract first-time classical music audiences by creating casual, approachable experiences just feet away from world-class musicians.

Throughout the episode, discover upcoming Mid Vancouver Island events including Parksville Beach Festival, Coombs Fair, and Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region art exhibitions, highlighting the vibrant cultural landscape connecting Parksville, Qualicum Beach, and surrounding communities.

Episode Highlights & Quotes

"What they'll get is an opportunity to meet musicians up close. Musicians talk about the music, they talk about themselves... it's not something stuffy in any way. We're not even serious in any way." - Margot Holmes, Vancouver Island Symphony CEO

"The biggest piece—and I know it sounds cheesy—I want people to call their grandma after this. I want people to pick up the phone and have a conversation with either their own relatives or people in their own network." - Clinton Nellist

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Episode Sponsors: Tablet Pharmacy, Oceanside Cweed, Windsor Plywood French Creek, Ian Lindsay & Associates & Parksville Beachfest.

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This PULSE podcast episode explores Vancouver Island private healthcare innovation and supernatural folklore. Jordan Schley of Care2Talk discusses expanding private medical clinics across Vancouver Island, including ambitious MRI machine plans for Central Island. Plus, author Shanon Sinn shares eyewitness accounts from the island's most haunted locations.

This Episode Features:

(08:36) Jordan Schley founder of Care2Talk, provides updates on recently opened private healthcare clinics in Qualicum Beach and Oak Bay. Schley outlines ambitious plans to bring an MRI machine to Central Vancouver Island, potentially reducing wait times from six months to one month. He discusses the ongoing private versus public healthcare debate in British Columbia.

(21:59 ) Shanon Sinn, author of "The Haunting of Vancouver Island: Supernatural Encounters with the Other Side," shares spine-chilling stories from three prominent Vancouver Island haunted locations. Featuring detailed eyewitness accounts from the former Qualicum Heritage Inn, the Schooner Restaurant in Tofino, and the Heriot Bay Inn on Quadra Island, including floating dishes, mysterious apparitions, and unexplained supernatural phenomena.

Episode Highlights

"We want to start doing more brick-and-mortar, but in small towns where towns don't actually get maybe the notice they get... go in these towns where just no one really has a voice." - Jordan Schley, Care2Talk Founder

"The accounts are wild—like multiple people seeing full apparitions sitting at a table beside them. There's two people I interviewed who both saw at the same time a crate of dishes hovering several feet and then dropping and smashing." - Shanon Sinn, Author

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Episode Sponsors: Ian Lindsay & Associates, Windsor Plywood French Creek, Oceanside CWeed & Parksville Beachfest.

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This special summer solstice PULSE podcast episode captures the essence of Parksville summer activities through authentic community voices. Recorded live at the Parksville Food Truck Festival, hosts Dave Graham and Peter McCully gather local insights on the best Vancouver Island summer experiences, from Rathtrevor Beach camping to Sooke Potholes swimming.

This Episode Features:

Live interviews from the Parksville Food Truck Festival showcase authentic summer memories from locals aged 18 to 67. Community members share everything from Burton Cummings concert memories at Black Mountain Boogie in 1978 to modern-day paddle boarding adventures and family beach experiences.

The episode features music spanning from classic Beach Boys summer anthems to contemporary Morgan Wallen tracks. Local residents connect specific songs to Vancouver Island summer experiences, creating a soundtrack that captures the region's laid-back coastal lifestyle.

Episode Highlights & Quotes

"We live in the most beautiful place in the world, and I think if you don't have a boat, find somebody with a boat and drop a line." - Clinton

"You know, the area has so much to offer... the ocean, the mountains, nature, and honestly, it's just tranquil. Like you don't have all the hustle and bustle of the mainland. So it's real serenity." - Tammy

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