"Send us a text about this episode!"

Why You Should Listen to This Episode: Major Sergii Kachanov has watched need at the Mount Arrowsmith Food Bank climb toward last year's total in just five months, and he explains exactly what's driving it and how the community can help. Then novelist C.C. Humphreys, fresh off two brand-new books, talks about trading Salt Spring Island for the English countryside, writing a career's worth of thrillers, and why research is the springboard for imagination.

This Episode Features:

(07:08) Major Sergii Kachanov, corps officer and pastor of The Salvation Army Mount Arrowsmith in Parksville, joins the podcast to talk about the growing need at the food bank he and his wife, Major Tatiana Kachanov, have run since arriving back on the island in 2016. In the last five months alone, the food bank has served 4,591 families, already closing in on all of last year's total of 8,200. Sergii walks through what a first visit looks like, the volunteers who make it all possible, and what the food bank needs most right now. parksvillesalvationarmy.ca

(24:57) Chris Humphreys, known to his readers as C.C. Humphreys, is a playwright, actor, and award-winning author of more than 20 novels. Born in Toronto and raised in London, he spent thirteen years on Salt Spring Island before moving back to England, where he now lives in Devon. He joins the podcast with two brand-new books, One London Day and The Double Life of Eve Sinclair, and talks about research, reinvention, and why story is always king. authorchrishumphreys.com

Episode Quotes:

“They do work, and they simply can't cope with the rise in prices and the big increase in rent.” - Major Sergii Kachanov

“Research is the springboard for the imagination - but story is king.” - C.C. Humphreys

LISTEN: We have had the chance to talk to many authors from across Vancouver Island and beyond - explore more stories and interviews on our Vancouver Island Authors page.

Voice message and be part of the podcast!

You'll find all episodes of The PULSE Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, TikTok, YouTube, and ThePulseCommunity.ca.

Click here to learn how to Support the show

Episode Sponsors: Beachfest, Fireside Books, Tablet Pharmacy & Ian Lindsay & Associates.

Check out Skookum Kid's Stories on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter of new podcast releases and contests!

“Like, Share & Listen!”

#FoodBank #SalvationArmy #CCHumphreys #Author #VancouverIsland #Parksville #QualicumBeach #PULSECommunityPodcast #VancouverIslandPodcast #ParksvilleNews

Support the show

"Send us a text about this episode!"

Every spring, property tax season brings the same wave of confusion, and Parksville City Councillors Joel Grenz and Sean Wood are digging into it head-on in this episode of Non-Partisan Hacks. Using the City of Parksville as a case study, they break down why a single property tax bill is actually a bundle of separate charges from multiple levels of government - the city, the regional district, the regional hospital district, the school tax, the library board, and BC Assessment - all rolled into one invoice.

Joel and Sean tackle the question they hear constantly: if the City of Parksville raised taxes 5.8% this year, why did some residents see their total bill jump 12 or 13%? The answer, they explain, comes down to how each of those other agencies sets its own rate independently, and how BC Assessment values shift the share each homeowner pays. A bigger jump in your property's assessed value compared to your neighbours can mean a bigger slice of the tax bill, even if the municipal rate barely moves.

The conversation also covers the BC homeowner grant, which hasn't kept pace with rising costs since it was introduced decades ago, the property tax deferral program and its recently increased interest rate, and the ongoing debate over taxing property value versus income. Joel and Sean close with practical advice: if your tax bill feels out of step with what you expected, appealing your assessment is an option, but sitting down for a coffee with your local councillor or mayor may be the more useful first step to understanding exactly where your money goes.

Listen for:

• Why your property tax bill bundles charges from the city, regional district, hospital district, school tax, library board, and BC Assessment into one invoice

• How BC Assessment values, not just the municipal tax rate, determine how much of the total bill lands on your property

• What the homeowner grant, the tax deferral program, and a coffee with your local councillor can (and can't) do to ease the pinch

Visit the NonPartisan Hacks website: nonpartisanhacks.com

Voice message: https://thepulsecommunity.ca/contact/

You'll find all episodes of The PULSE Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, TikTok and YouTube podcasts, as well as PULSECommunity.ca.

Special Thanks to our Sponsor Ian Lindsay & Associates for supporting ThePulseCommunity.ca.

Check out Skookum Kid's Stories on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, YouTube Podcasts, and SkookumKids.com

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to stay up to date on all things The PULSE Podcast: https://bit.ly/PulseNewsletterSignup

Click here to learn how to Support the show

Like, Share & Listen!

#PropertyTaxes #ParksvilleBC #QualicumBeach #VancouverIsland #LocalGovernment #NonPartisanHacks

Support the show

"Send us a text about this episode!"

Shannon Bergstrom joins Cindy Thompson on A Resilience Project to talk about perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the cost of chasing impossible standards. A teacher, wife, and mother, Shannon shares how childhood loss shaped her instinct to keep the peace - and how two experiences of burnout finally taught her to listen to her body.

After losing her younger sister as a pre-teen, Shannon found herself internalizing emotion and quietly managing everyone else’s comfort - a pattern that followed her into adulthood. It took two significant episodes of burnout for her to connect the dots between that early experience and the way stress was showing up in her body. In this conversation, she talks candidly about setting boundaries, releasing the need for external validation, and trusting her body’s signals as part of her resilience practice.

If you’ve ever sought your worth through other people’s approval, this episode offers a path back to yourself.

The PULSE Community Podcasts can be found at: ThePulseCommunity.ca

Cindy Thompson’s website: cindythompsoncounselling.ca

You’ll find all episodes of the PULSE Community Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, TikTok, and YouTube.

Episode Sponsor: Tablet Pharmacy

Check out Skookum Kid’s Stories with downloadable colouring pages on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, and YouTube.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter of new podcast releases and contests!

“Like, Share & Listen!”

#ShannonBergstrom #ResilienceProject #VancouverIsland #ParksvilleQualicum #ThePulseCommunityPodcast #CindyThompson #whenthebodysaysno #perfectionism #VancouverIslandPodcasts

Support the show