Robert Hainsworth is spending 16 weeks in Powell River as a summer student with Fleming and Associates. He is writing a story for the Peak each month from a newcomer’s perspective about living in the area.
I did not start with the question: why Powell River? Two years ago I did not know this little seaside city existed. But, for some reason, I find myself here and in awe.
I have taken a summer work term in Powell River. I was born in South River, a small town in Northern Ontario. My parents were owners of a small business and I knew everyone in town. It was nice to be able to speak with anyone on the street and feel the connectedness that can only be gained by living in a
small community.
However, I was also ambitious, I wanted to change things and make a difference. So, at 19, I went to university. I didn’t know where to go or what to study but both happened to work out wonderfully. I was working behind the cash at my parents restaurant, taking orders and collecting money, when someone came in wearing a UPEI (University of Prince Edward Island) sweater. I thought to myself, “PEI, that sounds like a good place to go to school. After looking at its website I began the application process and within a few weeks was moving east, halfway across the country, to begin an adventure that would lead me to Powell River.
I was a general arts student and excited to learn. I found most courses to be interesting but one that was terribly hard to understand. It was philosophy; I was drawn deep into the logical and intellectual quagmires that make up the discipline. For the next four years I devoted myself to its study and mastery graduating as valedictorian.
That all sounds wonderful, however, philosophers are notoriously hard to employ. We are cantankerous, critical and lazy (we need time for constant reflection). So, I knew if I was going to make a life for myself, I had to choose something different. I chose the law.
I was very excited about my acceptance to Osgoode Hall Law School, one of Canada’s oldest and most prestigious education institutions. It is located in the big and bustling city of Toronto and has churned out prime ministers and Supreme Court justices. I thought I had made it and would be swept away with all that a big city life and social privilege afford. Reality came quickly crashing down. My school was expensive, my commute was a killer and my classmates were some of the country’s brightest young people; I was poor, stressed, tired and lost. However, it wasn’t all bad. I was in law school and I would one day be a lawyer.
The best part of being a lawyer is our mobility. Every village, town and city needs at least one lawyer. My attention turned to getting out of the city. I was free to choose where I wanted to go.
But where? I turned to my most trusted ally and advisor, my partner Tabitha. She is from a small town on the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia so she needed to be near the ocean. Salty air and fresh seafood power her soul. I was a bit different, growing up in a small mill town in Northern Ontario. I enjoy the outdoors, snowboarding and mountain biking. I had never seen a mountain. I decided I wanted to be in the forest and have access to the mountains. These little bits of information narrowed our search dramatically.
The east coast offered some—Newfoundland has beautiful seascapes, mountains, forests and ocean but it also has awful winters. After being on the east coast and in Ontario, we were done with shovelling snow and braving 40 degrees below on a regular basis. We turned our sights to the west, the sunshine coast to be specific. It had mountains, ocean, outdoor fun, short winters and a need for lawyers.
As lawyers do, I began to research. I looked at Courtenay, Nanaimo, Salt Spring Island, Duncan and Powell River. All were so wonderful but just like Goldilocks, only one was just right. Powell River was the right size, had the right economy, was wonderfully isolated and culturally unique. We had found our home.
I lacked contacts, connections and family heritage or this enchanting town. But, through some resourceful Googling, I found the Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch’s Rural Education and Access to Lawyers Program. It places second-year law students in small BC communities that need young lawyers to renew the legal population. I thought it could be my ticket to paradise and it was.
I began to contact the lawyers in Powell River. Many were familiar with the program and one firm decided to give me a chance. I was offered a summer position at Fleming and Associates, a firm on Marine Avenue with two lawyers and strong staff. I was on my way to Powell River.
I have been here for four days and fallen head over heels for this little slice of heaven. The people are wonderful, the air is fresh and the sunshine is warm. I knew it was the place for me when I was walking to work and a couple ladies shouted good morning to me from across the street. I knew I was blessed to find this place and hope to make it my home. So, to all my new friends, that is why Powell River. It was reason that brought me here and kindness that will keep me.
