The first time it happened, I assumed it was a one-of.
But then it happened again — a driver stopped and allowed me to merge into traffic — and waved! Having only recently moved to the Sunshine Coast from Vancouver, I was initially taken aback by these random acts of civility, but after three weeks on the “Coast,” I’ve come to realize these friendly interactions are more common than not.
Before taking the job as a reporter with the Coast Reporter I had been a journalist — and then, later lifestyle/travel editor — with the Vancouver Courier newspaper for more than 20 years. I mention this because every time I explain to someone via email that I’m the new reporter with the Coast Reporter, I suspect they’re picturing a fresh-faced newbie straight out of journalism school. I promise you, that is definitely not the case.
Unfortunately, after 112 years, the Courier closed its doors due to the economic impact from the Covid pandemic, as did so many other publications and broadcast media. At the time I was devastated, not just because I had lost my job, but also because working as a reporter offers such insight into a community and the people who live there — and I knew just how much I’d miss that.
I was also the paper’s seniors editor and through that had the honour to profile some of the most fascinating people I’ve had the privilege to write about. Just some of my other favourite beats included the LGBTQIA+ communities, park board — especially issues around dogs – stories about Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and basically, anything unusual or quirky.
After losing my job, I “rebranded” myself as a freelance writer and quickly discovered it’s a great gig, so long as clients pay you in a timely fashion — don’t even get me started.
So, when the opportunity to get back to community reporting came along, this time on the Sunshine Coast, I jumped at the chance. It was 15 days from the time I got the job offer to the day my husband and I moved to Sechelt, so to say I was excited about working with the talented team at the Coast Reporter under editor Bronwyn Beairsto, would definitely be an understatement.
Being a community reporter can be a lot of fun, but with that comes much responsibility. It’s my job to write balanced, accurate stories about the issues, events and people who live on the Sunshine Coast, including the Tla'amin, Klahoose, shíshálh, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and Homalco Nations, and, in doing so, hopefully gain your trust.
I’m excited to learn everything I can about this beautiful place I now call home. In my experience, with smaller communities comes an extensive collective and institutional knowledge, which makes it even more important to get my facts straight. As a journalist, there is no option to “fake it until you make it,” so I’m counting on readers to offer story ideas, fill me in on the history of an issue I might not yet be aware of, and be patient if I make any mistakes.
My other commitment to you is to start referring to the Sunshine Coast as a peninsula, not an “island,” despite its very island-like vibes. Now, if I could just find one of those bumper stickers.
