The year after I returned to Powell River, after more than 22 years living in various cities and countries, two very special things happened.
First, I met my partner Colin Macrae and became pregnant with my daughter Alma, who is about to turn four.
Second, I noticed on a walk in the fall down to Willingdon Beach the creek was full of salmon returning. The creek is a place I have been visiting since I was a child, but I had never before noticed salmon battling their way up its narrow channel.
The year I witnessed the salmon return, I also returned to my home spawning channel, so to speak, and it all made perfect sense to me. I always dreamed that if I was to become a mom I would be able to provide my child with the kind of surroundings that imprinted me so deeply as a kid, and influenced so much of how I lived my life.
In that moment, at four months pregnant, standing by the stream, I knew I was in the right place.
Since then, I have been thrilled to rediscover this place and provide a kind of “free-range” childhood experience for Alma that is so precious and rare these days in a society suffering from nature-deficit disorder.
From the very beginning of her life, Alma has had nature as a playground. We have explored beaches, the diversity of forests, the trails, the lakes and streams, all full of critters and fascinating objects, all there to discover, never far from where we live.
Not long after Alma began speaking, she could name the berries that came with the seasons and as soon as she could walk we planted a garden and enjoyed the food and flowers we had helped grow.
Alma and I are in no way exceptional in our appreciation and enjoyment of the natural diversity of this place. As a new mom, I began to connect with other parents of young kids through the many activities organized in town by Powell River Family Place, Success by 6, Powell River Recreation Complex and the festivals and impromptu gatherings.
I began to notice an influx of young families moving to the community and more babies being born. I also noticed the way most events were truly all ages, paying special attention to the needs of kids and their parents in the design and implementation of their activities.
This past year, I was fortunate to have been asked to help document some of the activities for young families in the community as a resource for people just moving to town. In the course of a few months, as I filmed, I was amazed at how much was going on for kids in town; music, dance, sports, nature learning, martial arts and agriculture.
There are so many opportunities to learn, explore, share and grow for young children, in formal and informal settings.
On top of it all, I began to find a tight-knit and supportive community that also created many opportunities for kids to learn, grow and prosper. I interviewed some of the recent arrivals; all echoed the same kind of appreciation I had in terms of what their kids could experience in this community.
That said, no place is utopia, and precisely because there is so much good here, I feel we must as a community find ways to ensure all kids have access to a safe, creative and healthy life. That means addressing the systemic issues behind income disparity that leads to child poverty here, and in all of BC.
In order for Powell River to truly thrive, livable wages, affordable childcare and stronger support networks are needed so all kids can benefit from and enjoy this beautiful and unique place.
