As Canadians prepare to celebrate Canada Day, many Indigenous Canadians, whose ancestors have been here for centuries, reflect upon the negative impacts of colonization during the past 150 years. Join us at 7 pm on Wednesday, June 28th at the K’omoks Band Hall for a free film screening of Birth of a Family about the infamous“ Sixties Scoop” of Indigenous children.

Three sisters and a brother, adopted as infants into separate families across North America, meet together for the first time in this deeply moving documentary. Removed from their young Dene mother’s care as part of Canada’s Sixties Scoop, Betty Ann, Esther, Rosalie and Ben were four of the 20,000 Indigenous children taken from their families between 1955 and 1985, to be either adopted into white families or to live in foster care.

As the four siblings piece together their shared history, their connection deepens, bringing laughter with it, and their family begins to take shape. Tragically, for a myriad of reasons, these reunions don’t always go as well as the one shared in the film.

Filmmaker Tasha Hubbard, also scooped in the 1960s, talks about witnessing the siblings as they hugged one another when they first met at the Calgary airport. “ It was a victory, a thumbing of the nose to the Canadian and provincial governments that decided to extend the residential school system to a more pervasive policy of permanently removing children from their families, which intended that children would never go home, never know their Indigenous history, culture, and language…”

World Community is pleased to join with The Immigrant Welcome Society and the Comox Valley Transition Society to co-sponsor this free informative event.

A panel discussion will follow the film. Everyone is welcome to attend. See the film trailer at www.worldcommunity.ca
FMI: (250) 897-0511

A guided tour around the Meadows loops identifying the subalpine flowers in bloom. It will be a leisurely 2+ hours walk, dogs on leash with permission. Meet at the Wilderness Centre, Paradise Meadows.

FMI and to register, email Alison: strathconawilderness@gmail.com.

The Big Yellow Merville hall is gearing up for the first Wine & Cheese, Chocolate & Beer festival on Sunday, July 2nd, in celebration of 150 years of the Canadian confederation. Vendors are being lined up and the hall will be welcoming visitors to sit in comfort, listen to jazz music, view artwork and sample innovative food pairings from local sources here in the Comox Valley, Land of Plenty. From 1pm to 6pm there will be representatives from Valley vineyards and breweries as well as an in house chef who will conjure up some exciting offerings for the hungry palate. Local farmers and artisans will also be setting up their colourful tents so that you can do all your weekly grocery and gift shopping in one place.

With the help of the community, the worker bee board members are upgrading the hall and grounds and are on the way to creating a heritage tourist site that will recount Merville’s past and encourage, through community demonstration garden plots, sustainable living for the future. The main hall interior has just received a fresh coat of paint, thanks to the help of Anne Davies who wished to make it a more presentable space for her husband’s recent celebration of life. Other community members have gathered at the 102 year old church and manse on the site to gleefully strip them out and reroof the buildings with durable metal. These historic buildings will help to give the site a sense of “antiquity” and even the main hall will be celebrating its 65th anniversary next year. Whoa! Another gumboot senior in Merville!

The July 2nd Wine & Cheese, Chocolate & Beer festival is the first of its kind in the Valley and is sure to become an annual tradition, so set aside some time on Sunday afternoon to attend. Bring your appetite, a lawn chair and some doubloons to spend on local fare in country air. For vendor information, visit the Merville hall website (http://mervillehall.ca) or call Dawn at 250-941-2064.

Meeting: Starts at 1:30 pm
Key note address: Ronna-Rae Leonard, MLA report
For more information please call Rick Dobson, President at 250-336-8944 or email dobsonccf@shaw.ca

Catch Me If You Can is a fast, rollicking musical based on the hit film and the incredible true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., one of the world’s most famous and charming con artists.

Performances from July 18th-22nd @ 7:30pm-9:30pm with a Matinee on the 22nd @ 2:00pm.
Ticket prices are 27$ regular and 25$ for Matinee.
For all ages.