February 2018
- Cover Story Are you Ready for the Big One?
- VIV Cover Story GetMyKit.ca
- Celebrity Spotlight By Judy Stephan
- KIDS Conference
- Savvy Seniors By Cathy Holmes
- Letter from Cape Town From John Watmough (Yorkshire, England)
Cover Story
Are you Ready for the Big One?
By Judy Stephan
We have seen a surge in natural disasters recently, from volcanoes, wild fires and mudslides, to floods, tsunamis and hurricanes, to what we fear the most here on the West Coast - earthquakes. Vancouver Island is on the Pacific Rim, and the Ring of Fire, a 40,000 km horseshoe-shaped basin that experiences a continuous series of plate movements. 2018 could be a seismic year with a “slow-slip” event predicted for the first quarter, and a 1 in 3 chance of a damaging earthquake occurring.
Every 14 months, the Cascadian subduction zone — which runs from northern Vancouver Island to California - is affected when seismic stress shifts onto the fault area where the Juan de Fuca and North American plates lock together. This is called a “slow slip,” initiating, like clockwork, thousands of tiny tremors rumbling unfelt across the Pacific Northwest. BC is headed back into another one of its riskier seismic seasons, raising the possibility of the megathrust event known as “The Big One,” and we are now in a period when it could easily occur. It’s not if, it’s when it will happen. Tragedy comes from being unprepared! Disasters happen when you least expect them. Are you ready? Is your family prepared? It’s up to you to decide: will your story be a tragedy, or a tale of survival?
Putting the safety of you and your family first Being Prepared is as Easy as 1, 2, 3
- Get an Emergency Preparedness Kit
- Create a Plan in case of an Earthquake or other Disaster
- Educate yourself & your family
GetMyKit.ca can help you be a survivor! Sign up for a FREE Preparedness Guide from GetMyKit.ca
Prepare today. Survive tomorrow
Vancouver Island Voyager Cover Story
GetMyKit.ca
By Judy StephanGetMyKit carries 10 different kinds of high quality Earthquake Survival Kits to best suit your family size and lifestyle to ensure maximum preparedness for every member of your family. All kits are carefully put together, by hand, by GetMyKit – a family-owned and operated, local business based out of Lantzville, BC. A local family helping the Island community become more prepared.
All kits have a five-year shelf life and are of the highest quality, adhere to strict product standards and meet suggested Federal and Provincial emergency preparedness guidelines. When you purchase a kit, visit getmykit.ca/register to register your kit’s expiry information. You will receive correspondence 30 days prior to expiry advising you to replenish the food and water rations contained in your emergency kit. Purchasing a kit from GetMyKit.ca ensures that all the guess work is taken out of purchasing emergency supplies for your home, vehicle or business. Upon receiving your emergency kit, carefully go through the items, familiarize yourself with the products and read labels. Put back carefully and store in an easily accessible place.
The GetMyKit Story
Chad McGillivaryIn 2016, GetMyKit’s owner, Chad McGillivary resolved to ensure that his family was prepared for a disaster and went out to search for an emergency kit. To his surprise he couldn’t find one at any of the local retailers. This was a shocking revelation as we live in a high-risk location for earthquakes and have been witness to several cities in a State of Emergency due to other large-scale disasters.
Chad decided to ensure his family was prepared for whatever disaster could arise and, after researching and sourcing the most valuable emergency items, he developed a top-of-the-line emergency kit. Along with preparing a plan for and with his family, he knew that they were ready for anything and so GetMyKit began in 2016. Two years later it is a thriving business focussed on emergency preparedness with grab & go kits that will help you manage a disaster more comfortably and safely. GetMyKit.ca is the leading kit supplier in over 400 retailers across Canada and takes pride in offering the highest quality available to families, businesses, and non-profit organizations.
Celebrity Spotlight: Kent Flint
By Judy Stephan
We have all heard of Real Estate Webmasters (REW), with its three buildings on the Church and Chapel intersection in Downtown Nanaimo, helping drive the local economy. REW employs approximately 150 people between their local Nanaimo campus and a smaller office in Vancouver’s iconic Canada Place. But what do we know about these employees? I popped over to meet Kent Flint, REW’s Chief Operating Officer, to find out more about his work within this ground-breaking company.
Kent grew up in Peterborough, Ontario, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Guelph and a Bachelor of Education from Brock University. Kent has many years’ experience in workforce development and human resources management, and spent nearly a decade as Vice President of HR at Tech Insights, a global company located in Ottawa.
When Kent’s parents retired to Nanaimo, he visited often with his family and quickly fell in love with island life. During one of these visits, Kent’s father showed him a clip from Dragon’s Den in which Morgan Carey presented a unique pitch for Real Estate Webmasters: instead of looking for funds, he wanted advice on building a management team. Kent knew this was his destiny. Leadership recruitment and development was his area of expertise, and he gladly moved to Nanaimo to become REW’s VP of HR in March 2016.
Not long after, Kent was promoted to Chief Operating Officer, responsible for driving the company to achieve its business goals and objectives, and guiding a leadership team that mirrors the core values of the company: always be awesome, customer success, and innovation. Kent’s own vision is to establish the right processes, platforms and practises to help REW grow further and scale with ease.
In a nutshell, Real Estate Webmasters makes websites and online technology for Realtors. The company targets the top 5% of the 1.2 million real estate agents across North America, catering to both individual agents and franchisees, and currently serves over 60,000 real estate professionals. REW helps these real estate agents establish their business presence online, get visitors to their websites, and then convert those visitors into actual clients.
Kent is married with three children who keep him very busy with their various sporting activities. An avid sports fan, he continues to cheer for his beleaguered Ottawa Senators. He loves living in the central island, with its great natural heritage and outdoor opportunities. We wish him every success with this revolutionary company right on our doorstep.
www.realestatewebmasters.com
flint.kent@realestatewebmasters.com
Kids Conference
Calling All KIDS!
2018 Nanaimo KIDS Conference
KIDS: Knowledge. Inclusion. Discovery. Support
If you are a kid, have kids or are interested in the well-being of kids, you are in luck because The Kid’s Conference is back!
The Kids Conference has quickly become a must do event in Nanaimo for families and it’s back this year on March 10th at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre. The Kids Conference features a tradeshow to showcase support services available to all families, interactive learning sessions and Children performances and speakers. And that’s not all! There will be face painters, a dress up booth, animal balloon creations, as well as roving entertainers who will complete the fun!
Join us for a great day of fun, discovery and education.
Savvy Seniors
Sailing into a Better Home
By Cathy Holmes
Seven years ago, I moved to this amazing rock and bought a boat that I didn’t know how to sail. I learned quickly to depend on the experience of the seasoned sailors on the dock. Their lessons always remind me to pay attention, watch the wind, and bring aboard a trusted crew.
Well, the wind swooped through me alright… and for the last four years I’ve been the Program Coordinator at Nanaimo Family Life Association’s (NFLA) Better at Home Program.
The program is designed to help seniors over the age of 65 to stay in their homes longer by providing essential non-medical support services which facilitate independence.
All of our services are designed to suit the individual needs of the client and are delivered by a combination of volunteers and contractors who have been carefully screened to ensure professionalism and safety to our clients. Services are not free but are based on income.
Last year, NFLA Better at Home provided 4900 service moments to elders from Nanaimo to Ladysmith including Gabriola. We did all kinds of things to help older adults including a bit of housekeeping, some transportation, and we supported seniors with minor errands. Sometimes, we helped them get to the food bank.
While this Provincially funded program is managed by the United Way of the Lower Mainland, and hosted by Nanaimo Family Life Association, we couldn’t have succeeded without the help of our community partners.
In the last 4 years, your ongoing support and friendship has truly been the strength behind all that we have accomplished. You are an amazing crew. Thank you!
- Nanaimo Family Life Association’s Staff, Volunteers, and Contractors
- Barbara Grubb, and Residents of Origins at Longwood
- Joan Ryan, Lifeline
- Nanaimo Senior Services Network
- Pam Edgar, CHLY 101.7
- Connie Paul, Snuneymuxw First Nations
- Daniella Cousins, Lakeside Gardens
- Ken Grieg, Cedar Valley Memorial Gardens
- The Lion’s Club Volunteer Builders
And so many others...
If you’d like to get involved or can help, call NFLA 250 754-3331 (202).
A Letter from Cape Town
From John Watmough (Yorkshire, England)
Dear Voyagers,
My second visit to South Africa was primarily to attend my aunt’s funeral in Benoni, near Johannesburg. Previously, she had said that if I ever travelled to South Africa again, then I should visit Cape Town. The first impression on arrival in Cape Town was a considerable drop in temperature: It was barely 15°C and I noticed that Table Mountain was covered in cloud, a frequent occurrence, apparently, and aptly called The Tablecloth. I took a taxi to my hotel, located in the pleasant suburb of Fresnaye, just below the Lion’s Head peak and several hundred yards from the Atlantic coast. After unpacking my fleece jacket, I ventured out under grey skies before purchasing a “My CiTi” card, necessary to use the local buses. One swipes the loaded card on entering and exiting the bus, your fare being automatically deducted. I used the small, modern and safe My CiTi buses several times, finding them really useful.
My number one objective was to hike up Table Mountain. Thankfully, the weather was much warmer the next day, with clear skies over the city, though again cloud was swirling around the upper slopes. I headed past the long queues at the lower cableway station and slogged up Platteklip Gorge. Once away from the crowds congregating near the top station, it was eerily quiet and I reached Maclear’s Beacon, the highest point, hardly seeing a soul. As the skies cleared there were great views over Cape Town, Robben Island and north towards the Cederberg Mountains. After a knee-jolting descent I travelled back via Camps Bay, where a bus change offered an opportunity to see Atlantic surf pounding the beach.
The next morning, I walked four miles into the city along the busy promenade which stretches from Bantry Bay to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. It was Sunday morning with hundreds out for a stroll. I passed Cape Town stadium, where the 2010 World Cup final was played before wandering around the popular Water Front with its many old and new attractions. I then headed into the centre and visited the Castle of Good Hope, parts of which date back to 1666, and said to be the oldest structure in South Africa. Afterwards I walked past the cathedral, parliament building and into The Company Gardens enjoying the warm sunshine before returning to the hotel.
My number two objective was to include a trip to Simon’s Town. I’m quite interested in naval history and I knew the UK had a base there until 1957 before it was handed over to South Africa and became their headquarters. I travelled via train, using the only Metro line on the Cape network which is considered safe for tourists. Unfortunately, the weather was overcast but there were still views across False Bay as the train trundles along just yards from the sea after it reaches the coast at Muizenberg. Actually, there wasn’t much to see at Simon’s Town, though I did visit the interesting Naval Museum. I headed for the Boulders Penguin Colony, which is a mile to the south. Here African Penguins can be viewed by using two boardwalks and it’s fascinating to see the birds close-up.
On my last full day, I visited the renowned Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, travelling by taxi as its outside a My CiTi route. Luckily, I was able join a free tour of the extensive gardens. Then it was another taxi to the Lion’s Head car park before hiking up the 670m summit along the spiral path, using staples and chain ladders. More great vistas awaited. After descending, I walked along the ridge to Signal Hill which is above the city before back to Fresnaye via bus as darkness fell at 7pm. The flight back to London was not until late afternoon, so I was able return to the lower slopes of Signal Hill and witness the traditional firing of the Noon Gun. A cannon is fired at noon precisely, making a huge bang which is heard all over the city. I then headed through the brightly coloured houses of the Bo-Kaap district to the excess luggage point on the Waterfront, before catching the My CiTi airport bus.
So ended a hectic, but hugely enjoyable visit to a remarkable city. My aunt was certainly right!
If you have travelled somewhere interesting, send us your letter to NanaimoMagazine@shaw.ca
