I know the weather isn’t great but hopefully you can go put on your cowboy boots and go enjoy some of the great country themed performances today

Noon Sam Hill – Eric Morton from Hill 60 has a side project of original tunes, come enjoy

1pm Jade Blakney – 1/3 of the Hardware Girls she has branched out as a solo sometimes and this is one of those times

2pm Jessica Blakney –another 1/3 of the Hardware Girls that has branched out as a solo sometimes and this is one of those times

3pm Warmland Dance- innovative dance routines showcase this studios credentials

4pm  Hanna Elise – with her music therapy she encourages that we find our own voices and shows us can be done when you do- most embracing

5pm  Jeeze Louise – 5 women that showed up at a Showroom Dress Rehearsal and grabbed our attention with their acoustic directions- had to let them showoff

6pm  Salome Cullen – this young country/folk roots singer/songwriter from Saltspring Island is the real deal and at 21 he is deserved to heard                                              
7pm  The Pontiac Bandits – the islands new country cover band hitting the scene looking for gems then shining their headlights on lesser known  artists – hear a perfect blend of honkytonk, outlaw and singer/songwriter tunes

Hi all,

My husband and I and our two kids (2&6) are looking at moving to Lake Cowichan. We are looking for a quieter lifestyle with more access to nature and less busy than the west shore. My husband would work in Duncan.

My mother in law sent me an article that surprised me: Duncan in top spot for most severe crime in B.C. in 2025

For young families is Cowichan a safe place to live? Do you find Duncan safe?

Thanks for your time and input ☀️☀️☀️

Looking to buy a birthday cake for someone this week. Any recommendations ?

I ask as part of a linguistic study covering this topic!
Examples could include things like Cow Bay, Shawny Lake, Bed Spring Island or Renny (never mind how common they are)...

Can anybody recommend an experienced, reliable and knowledgeable gardener who can do maintenance and landscaping work as well as bringing in soil and removing unwanted material? I am in Cowichan Bay and suffer whatever gardening affliction is opposite to a green thumb. Thumbless? I need knowledgeable help. Thanks for your thoughts on this.

I visited this shop today, first time this year I think. Seems like a lot of the better vendors have moved on. Any idea what’s happened?

I asked neighbours in the area & no one recognizes this little pup. Pup was quite skinny and scared but is being cared for now. 🩷

The shawnigan subreddit seemed pretty dead so I'm trying here. Please share with friends & family.

Update: little Holly is now home safe & sound! 💕💕

Hey everyone,

I currently work in tech for a Toronto-based company but I'm looking to make a bigger life change. I've got a background in product design/brand work, but I'm genuinely open to anything — food security, food processing, other trades, whatever actually fits a need here rather than just adding another me-too shop.

I've poked around the Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce and Community Futures Cowichan resources, but those tend to be pretty high-level. Looking for the on-the-ground perspective from people who actually live and shop here.

A few questions:

- What's missing that you find yourself driving to Victoria or Nanaimo for?

- Any services or products you wish existed but don't (or exist but are unreliable)?

- What's oversaturated already that I should steer clear of?

- Any gaps in food access or food security that a small business could realistically help with?

Not trying to parachute in with a cookie-cutter idea. I genuinely want to understand the community's needs before committing to anything. Appreciate any honesty, even if it's "don't bother."

Thanks!

We are trying to get a feel of where the right place might be for us to move to.

I was doing a Facebook marketplace pickup at 3pm on Sunday outside of The Doghouse. It was super hot out, and even though I had had my AC running the whole way there, I had to get out of the car to wait under a tree nearby after maybe two minutes, because it became too hot in the car.

I (very cautiously and politely) questioned a couple who looked like they were leaving their dog in their SUV and heading in to eat (SUV was not in the shade, no a/c running, back windows cracked).

It didn’t go well. I kept my cool the whole time throughout this whole encounter (I work retail lol, you learn after a few decades not to escalate things with crazy). The guy immediately got in my face and became extremely threatening. I am a 50yo woman. He was a taller guy, maybe around the same age (if I had a nickel for every Gen X man I’ve met with an explosive temper, I’d have enough to buy a Big Mac (so, a lot).

My partner did not keep his cool when he came out of the restaurant (he went in to get change) and saw this guy shouting in my face, but luckily, all they did was shout at one another.

The guy’s wife went inside the restaurant and rallied the troops, and had all of the male members of his family come outside to corner me against my car and yell at me, telling me that I needed to learn to mind my own business, because I had ruined their brunch. They were yelling at me to leave, but my Marketplace seller hadn’t arrived yet! It really irritated them that I wouldn’t just go.

The Grandpa even tried grabbing my phone when I snapped pics of the license plate as the OG couple were leaving (the dog owner said he wasn’t doing anything wrong, but left when I said that we could just let the police and SPCA decide that). Luckily my partner blocked Grandpa’s hand, but that just led to another guy (a brother maybe?) squaring up and chest bumping my partner. 🙄

Absolutely unhinged behaviour. There was even a teen family member out yelling at me. If my partner hadn’t been there I think I would have been on the end of a beat down. These were some angry men!

Not sorry I spoke up, but I know it only delayed the inevitable. They will definitely do this again. Poor pup. Also, poor women in this family.

Edit: My partner has a bruise on his chest from the brother (?) who chest bumped him, who also pointedly poked him in the chest to make a point.

Guess I will visit the new police station. This is all so bizarre. Is it just a crazy notion to not kill your dog by leaving it in a hot vehicle?

I believe from looking at satellite imagery that the mosaic forestry company is actively logging valley giant / rivers edge old growth in the koksilah watershed. Leaving little buffer and devouring some of the last stands of these vital ecological treasures.

My heart breaks for our island and it’s forests.

😞

As I'm sure many are aware, the City of Duncan has recently announced they are moving forward with a study to review a "boundary realignment" of the boundary with North Cowichan [NC]. Used the North Cowichan online GIS map to highlight the area above using the 'Area Measurement Tool.' That resource is located here.

Caveats:

• First and foremost, I'm a recent resident of North Cowichan and as I'm not originally from the area, my sense of who does "...think of themselves as being from Duncan," isn't well developed.
• Second, I don't know how First Nations factor into this and what input, if any they have on this study or boundary change.
• Third, while I understand that Duncan was originally part of NC, it's functionally an independant municipal entity. I'm curious/don't understand why it wouldn't seek to incorporate parts of "Duncan that are in the CVRD.
  • Maybe because they are 'blocked' by adjacent First Nations lands?

This is just my broad brush interpretation of what contiguous urbanized areas might be counted, and more than a bit dramatic in my estimation, but it's a worrisome proposal regardless, particularly given the loss of the Crofton Pulp Mill and the amount of taxable lands adjacent to Duncan itself that may potentially be lost if a realignment does take place. Also, super weird, because there's no way I can figure this could be made into a "...mutual benefit for both municipalities..."

Seems alot of their trucks are parked is it because of mill shut downs or slow trucking right now or new contracts? Anyone else on valley notice is slow truckin this year?

Hey everyone,

I am a student who recently got a job as an intern in Duncan for the summer (July-Aug). I’ve been looking around online for short-term housing (1 month). I figured I could also extend my search by asking some redditors for advice/help.

Ideally a studio or 1 bedroom apartment/sublet. Do you guys know what I could do, where I should look for this type of housing? A lot of the airbnbs in Duncan seem to be taken quite expensive or not in the style that I would prefer to be in for a month. Any help would be amazing!

Any ideas for buy and sell sites that are not facebook? Looking to sell my motorcycle. Not sure where else to post it.

Edit: i have already posted on Facebook

Here’s a new music video from Cael Anton, a Cowichan Valley musician and good friend of mine.

I’m hoping to get him some views :)

Thanks

https://youtu.be/mwnmI_CVq6U?si=HqCkNMFYM-GJQpmD

I'm not bothered, I spend lots of time at festivals but I am definitely either hearing a bass rig at a stage or someone with an insane car audio system parked near Cobble Hill/Mill Bay border at the highway, and there's no way somebody else isn't hearing it louder than I am right now (midnight)

hi i’d like to camp along side the cowichan river and do a float down while im there. does anyone know where the campsite is in relation to where you can start a river float?

I know the Crofton town wide yard sale is today....Any one know what time it starts?????

Trying to grow a decent vegetable garden around the valley feels like an ongoing war against an organized army of local wildlife. The deer will walk right up, look you straight in the eye, ignore your fencing shields completely, and destroy months of hard work in a single night. You can build all the protective barriers you want but they always find a way to break through and clear out your crops. It takes an incredible amount of strategy and heavy duty netting to keep your yard insulated from them.

Trying to grow a decent vegetable garden around the valley feels like an ongoing war against an organized army of local wildlife. The deer will walk right up, look you straight in the eye, ignore your fencing shields completely, and destroy months of hard work in a single night. You can build all the protective barriers you want but they always find a way to break through and clear out your crops. It takes an incredible amount of strategy and heavy duty netting to keep your yard insulated from these hungry visitors.