Tracy and Richard

In 1993 the call of the West Coast sounded and its chord resonated with Tracy and Richard. They left their Edmonton homes to start anew on the Saanich Peninsula. Leaving behind the mosquito repellent, Richard’s luggage held his degrees in Physiotherapy and Dentistry, newly strung tennis rackets and steadfast golf clubs. Tracy’s luggage held her violin, Team Canada Volleyball uniforms, a degree in Business Administration, laser manufacturing experience, and mild apprehension at leaving family, friends and snow behind.

In 2015 a new chord sounded over the waves from Sooke: “cohousing”. Tracy was intrigued. After reading & discussing, workshops, visits to cohousing communities, and working alongside other members and our professional team, she found that it offered a balanced, empowering and efficient process that creates resilient, safe, connected all-age communities where privacy is honoured and people can thrive.

Over the years we’ve explored much of the island, enjoyed sunsets and fireworks, splashed around on the water, cried and rejoiced, worked and played, raised a family, and opened our eyes and our hearts to those around us and to this wonderful Peninsula we now call home.

barb

Picture West Saanich Road, 4 acres, 3 raised up sons, camas, Garry oaks, and more. I feel at home on the Saanich Peninsula with the 3 small town centres, my indigenous neighbouring communities and all the land to roam. I also love that we are so close to Victoria, to health care, universities, the airport and nightlife, not in that order. I thank the Coast Salish people and am working to be a better neighbour.

While I am still associated with the University of Victoria where social justice and social issues were my passions, I am putting more energy back into my Saanich Peninsula community now, especially in the area of restorative justice and cohousing. I have had the good fortune of travelling and working in many different countries and see the need for community as a common denominator.

How does cohousing fit with all this? I am interested in both the idea of cohousing and the realities of creating a more vibrant, environmentally responsible community, with people of different ages and different interests. Having seen other communities in BC do this, I thought, like Tracy did “Why not?” and “Why not here?” Many people are interested in the idea of cohousing but you also need to be interested in joining together to make it happen. I know that a group of committed compassionate people will make this idea a reality. For that I have moved into Ravens Crossing Cohousing from my Garry Oak meadow.

Pat and Griff - 50th wedding anniversary

griff and pat

Griff and Pat have been west coasters since 1989. They started in Ontario, then did stints in Northern Manitoba and in Winnipeg, had a short stay in Vancouver then found Vancouver Island and you won’t get them to leave.

Life has been kind, adventurous, interesting and rewarding. Griff obtained his Chemical Engineering B.Sc and a B.Ed. from Queen’s and an MBA from Western. This education has taken him from mining in Northern Manitoba to Real-Estate Development in Southern Ontario to Restaurant owner/regional partner with The Keg based out of Winnipeg to teaching Hospitality Management at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo. Pat graduated with her RN from Kingston General, her Public Health Nursing from Ottawa U. and Hospitality Management Diploma from Camosun. She has been an inveterate volunteer all her life and equally committed to being a great Mother and Grandmother.

With a surname name like ‘Tripp’ travel experiences have been a big part of their life. The most extensive travel being a year of travel with their 11 and 13 year old children along a fine line around the world. Retirement found them purchasing a small farm raising sheep and chickens and lots of good fruit and vegetables. Farming is a very grounding experience and puts one face to face with Mother Nature and the cycle of life. She does not hesitate to let you know you are servant not master.

Pat and Griff are ready to move to the next chapter in their life. The idea of an intentional community where people enjoy shared experiences, support each other, make decisions on a consensus basis and participate in caring for their environment is very appealing especially when you also have your own private dwelling. We enjoy reading, cooking, planning and executing events, being in nature, walking, working on projects and having the time to do so.

Nancy and Terence

Nancy and Terence were long-time colleagues as family violence counsellors in Calgary. We married nine years ago and moved to Victoria in 2011 after a year of backpacking in South-and South-East Asia. While overseas we did volunteer work with marginalized groups such as Tibetan ex-political prisoner, street children, and Burmese (Karen) refugee children, and child slaves.

We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and living as sustainably as possible. There are many social circles to which we belong in which we love to relate beyond the superficial. Music, dancing, and playing are important to us We believe that healthy communities best support healing and happiness, and hence our commitment to Ravens Crossing Cohousing.

darlene

I‘m an Island girl, always have been and probably always will be. Water has always drawn me, and I love feeling the rhythm of the earth “watching the tides roll in” like my favourite Otis Redding song. I am currently single, but thru the last four decades raised 4 wonderful kids and enjoy 4 grandkids.

I gained a strong work ethic from my father, who grew a small logging company into a large integrated forest company. During the 15 years that I worked in the family business, I experienced all the transitions as it grew to building a mill, purchasing Sikorsky 61 helicopters for heli-logging, then fire fighting with the Martin Mars Water Bombers. The newest additions are C130 Hercules, and 737’s that are currently being converted to fight fire around the world.

Being the only daughter (had 3 brothers) in a family of entrepreneurs, I dreamed of having my own company, so finally started an event company aptly named Fantastic Events and Party Rentals which specialized in weddings and corporate events. Though I never could say no to any event, so did everything from birthday parties, to funerals!

After selling that business, my youngest daughter and I bought an Equestrian Centre and have been operating it for the last 5 years and currently offer boarding, lessons, training, breeding and house 36 horses on site. That creates mountains of manure believe me!

I love music of all types, enjoy singing though I usually only know the chorus or the first line, am addicted to creativity and love to laugh and dance.

Now it is my time. Currently I am a gypsy, trying on different life styles from a motorhome, to house sitting and now are designing a tiny house being built in the forest on our 17 acres. I think it has been great practice as we work in making our dream of Cohousing a reality.

Zeporah

Zeporah’s lived her first twenty five years in Ontario, followed by a year in the Middle East, then came to Vancouver to attend the MFA program in Creative Writing at UBC. Somehow, she found herself married and settled on the West Coast, career bound as a college instructor at VCC for the next few decades.

She still had lots of free time to travel the world, attend extensive meditation retreats, and have many wild adventures, so the wisest, boldest parts of herself braved white water rafting through the Grand Canyon, endured malarial infested mosquitoes and military coups in West Africa (while studying hand drumming), and trekked eighteen thousand feet, not without altitude sickness, up the Himalayas to Ladakh, dragging the less courageous parts of herself, kicking and screaming the whole way.

She also had opportunity to reinvent herself as a Feldenkrais teacher, ferrying back and forth for four years of professional training in glorious Oak Bay, so she is no stranger to Victoria, where for her, personally, good things tend to happen.

Now, recently retired from VCC, she is finally writing with less distraction, offering Feldenkrais lessons, and doing her best to stay balanced on high heels in Flamenco class.

After many engaged, happy years, in Vancouver, she is finding a missing link - living community and meaningful day to day connections with friends and neighbors. Cohousing has been calling loud and clear. Her wisest, boldest parts have answered the call to cross the great ocean; this time, those other parts (still alive and well) are not kicking and screaming quite so much.

Stephanie

I am a retired family physician. (No prizes for guesses about whether or not I like people!). I have lived and worked in BC, the US and Brazil. Cohousing, civic development and sustainable living have interested me since I was in my '20s. I am also very interested in home design, in particular in making smaller spaces work harder. I've designed two medical offices and a house using these concepts.

Now that my three children are mostly raised and I am more or less on my own, living in a mutually supportive community is even more important to me. Much of my childhood was spent on Vancouver Island and I have been trying to get back there for some years. So. . . Ravens Crossing holds great promise for me. I particularly like the concept of multi-generational housing as I feel strongly that each age group has much to offer within a community and I don’t want to lose my connection to the young.

David and Kathy

David & Kathy English have lived on the Saanich peninsula for 35 years, watching it shift from farms to a retirement and high tech haven. But, who wouldn’t be attracted to such a beautiful, temperate place to live? We originally came here to raise our two daughters and work – Dave as a hydrographer and Kathy as a social work researcher. We found this to be the perfect place to indulge in our favourite activities, namely long-distance running and cycling. Our family also kept chickens and ducks on our small farm as pets but enjoyed their eggs! Having downsized five years ago to Sidney, we believe co-housing is the ideal setting to share a green lifestyle with friendly, supportive and aware neighbours.

Zosia and Bryan

Zosia and Bryan are island folk. Zosia was born and raised in Port Alberni while Bryan has been here many decades. We know this is our home especially after many amazing travels abroad. Our life here includes sailing, running, walking, biking, and enjoying the outdoors.

We're both creative but in different fields. Zosia enjoys painting, drawing, knitting, rug hooking and enjoys working with others on community projects. Bryan's creativity is expressed as he develops software. He likes to find what developers call "elegant solutions" to problems. In the past, Bryan created custom wooden furniture and before that he administered a non-profit dance company (and even was on stage). Bryan is currently learning Spanish. We both are beginning to learn how to play the ukulele.

We love travel and, in particular, we've walked the Camino de Santiago several times. We also enjoy exploring our inside coast by sailboat or by kayak.

We're members of a food cooperative where, as a group, we make bulk purchases of healthy food from a local natural food supplier. It takes work but the effort is worth it both in the money saved and the sense of community we feel.

We want to live lightly in this time of climate change and we want to contribute and help grow our local community. As members of Ravens Crossing we enjoy living in a energy efficient home within an intentional community, a community where we know our neighbours share similar intentions. We like living with a diverse range of people so we can experience many perspectives, abilities and backgrounds. We look forward to sharing as part of our daily lives, yet we also will value our privacy too.

We look forward to many years with Ravens Crossing.

kay and Barry

While attending university in California, Barry and Kay met and were married in 1970. They decided to leave the culture of California and look for a “place for us”. Returning to Canada with a sigh of relief they discovered Vancouver Island. They found a quite and safe place to bring up their children, Chris and Kim. Building and creating healthy community has been a major part of their lives. Between Kay and Barry, they have worked with Chicano (Mexican) itinerant farm workers in California, prison staff who were at war with each other and disadvantaged youth who needed a second chance. Barry has worked in a psychiatric hospital, a small city and a large computer manufacturing corporation.

They settled in Sidney where Barry worked with Children and Family Services and was the founding director of the Saanich Peninsula Guidance Association that later became Beacon Services. Kay and Barry worked with building community and teaching the fine art of child rearing.

Barry received his M.Th in 1984 and ordained as an Anglican priest. With parish work they continued working with communities on the Island also with people in trauma in Puerto Rico, Kosova refugees, a medical clinic in a small village in Kenya and abandoned children in Hondurus. Although they have been thinking and working with various community building initiatives since their early days together, there has always been a strong interest in co-housing. Following an information session in 2016 they waited until the Ravens were conceived and land was purchased.

Barry and Kay bring to Ravens varied knowledge and practice to the art of group process, meaningful discussions and community building. Both Kay and Barry are people persons and love the interactions that co-housing brings. They are look forward to the richness of life, caring and support that co-housing brings to all our lives as neighbours.

Bill and Eleanor

Eleanor and Bill met when they were teenagers. Eleanor was born in Vancouver and Bill moved with his family from Winnipeg to Vancouver, then Richmond, as a small child.

Eleanor graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Science and Bill also graduated from UBC, but with a Bachelor of Commerce. Bill has been helping clients with their real estate needs since 1984. Eleanor has had a variety of jobs, including testing water samples, working in a hospital lab, legal secretary, medical office assistant, taking in homeless autistic people, and caring for family.

We have lived and raised our two children in the Steveston area of Richmond for over 30 years. Sidney calls to us, as it has similar characteristics, such as a charming, relaxed atmosphere, location by the ocean and nearness to the ferries and airport, and a village feel while still being close to big city amenities.

We have often holidayed on Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands. Bill spent many a summer bombing around on Zodiac inflatable boats with his buddies and having hair-raising adventures in the waters of BC and Washington state. He has also done a lot of hiking and camping trips, most notably the West Coast Trail and Bowron Lakes. We hope to continue these activities in the embracing arms of the Ravens Crossing Cohousing community.

Carol and brian

Both Brian and Carol have had careers in art conservation. They met in England through a mutual friend, when Brian was studying archaeological artifact conservation at the University of London, and Carol was passing through the city on her way to a conference in Stockholm. After continuing to meet for a number of years at conferences in Europe and North America, they decided to get married and move to Italy when Brian was offered a position at an international conservation centre in Rome. To her surprise, Carol discovered that American museums were willing to bring her back to the U.S. to undertake special projects. That continued to be true when they returned to Great Britain, where Brian took a job in Edinburgh to evaluate the conservation needs of museum collections in Scotland. Since the late 1980’s Brian and Carol have been based in Baltimore, Maryland, working as self-employed art conservators.

Carol’s family lived in different parts of the U.S. when she was growing up. Brian grew up in Brantford, Ontario. In his early twenties he traveled to British Columbia during a cross-country road trip. Remembering the beauty of the province, he always thought he would like to return on a permanent basis. Participation in a cohousing workshop on Vancouver Island provided an introduction to the Ravens Crossing Cohousing community. Having been aware of the concept and benefits of cohousing for several years, we recognized that Ravens Crossing offers an ideal match for us. We are looking forward to living in Sidney and exploring our new surroundings, and being active participants in the community.

John and Kim

John first came to Vancouver Island to Bamfield to teach at the elementary school in that remote west coast community. After falling in love with living on the west coast but desiring a less remote life he moved to Ucluelet and eventually Tofino where he continued to teach. Meanwhile, Kim, an accountant, had moved to Tofino where she eventually met John. We fell in love and decided to make a life together. Although leaving Tofino was difficult, we chose to relocate to the Comox Valley, where Kim teaches at North Island College, which has been our home since 2004. Looking to plan for our future, we began to consider how important community was to us and where we could live to be closer to family. We also wanted to have a gentler environmental footprint. We were familiar with co-housing as there is a wonderful co-housing community in the Comox Valley where several of our friends live. When we discovered that a co-housing community was being planned in Sidney we realized that this opportunity was what we had been looking for. After meeting the members of the community, we just knew it was the right fit for us.

We love to travel, learn from others, dance on the grass at music festivals and spend time with friends and family. Hiking in the summer and snowshoeing in the winter with our dog, Finn, are just some of the outdoor activities we enjoy. Past adventures have included spending time sailing, mainly in the Gulf and San Juan islands. Future adventures have us spending time camping in our updated 1973 Boler trailer. Whether at home or traveling, we seek out unique activities, delicious food, quality beer and good coffee. Our connections with our family and our friends are very important to us. We look forward to living with our new community at Ravens Crossing and discovering all there is to discover on the southern end of Vancouver Island.

Bill and Heather

Bill and Heather presently live in Calgary with our new-to-us Yorkshire Terrier, Lewis. We're both working part-time and call ourselves "Semi Retired"; Heather with 33+ years nursing, now working at a Hospital Outpatient Clinic; Bill with 40+ years engineering in the Oil and Gas Industry, now working for a Surrey Engineering company, who needed a 'seasoned set of eyes' in their Calgary office.

Heather has enjoyed crocheting, quilting, swimming, canoeing and golfing with Bill, and doing big cooks and/or canning salsa with friends. Bill has a passion for music and plays guitar for a Choir and also in a Band with 3 brothers. We've made some great memories volunteering with different groups in Edmonton in the late 80's, then in Calgary and Guatemala.

We're blessed with four unique adult children, living in Calgary, Kelowna and Jasper and 3 active grandchildren. We've been looking into cohousing off and on, for around 10 years, not quite finding the right fit. We've always enjoyed visiting Sidney, where one of Bill's sister's and family lives. We're excited to now have all the pieces come together for us with Ravens Crossing Cohousing.

Janet

I haven’t lived on Vancouver Island since I was a young child and I still find it difficult to believe Sidney will become my home within the next year-and-a-half.

My adult life was spent in Alberta until moving to the small community of Eagle Bay, in the Shuswap region of British Columbia, in 2013. I have a beautiful home high on a hill overlooking Shuswap Lake, where I watch eagles and ospreys soar, deer introducing their fawns to my hostas (!), and ravens playing. Eagle Bay will always have a very special place in my heart, but Sidney is calling.

When looking for a new place to call home it wasn’t specifically Sidney that drew me, but the Ravens Crossing project. I have known about co-housing for about 5 years and was looking for a co-housing development in a location that appealed to me. Once I read about Ravens Crossing it didn’t take long to decide this was where I would like to be.

Travel has been an important part of my adult life and I have been fortunate to have explored many parts of our world, but it’s now time to start exploring places closer to home. I have a lovely little travel trailer called an Alto (her name is Soleil!) which I hope to use to explore Vancouver Island and coastal BC. When I’m not out-and-about with Soleil you will likely find me sitting at my loom weaving, curled up with a book, hiking a local trail or planning a dinner for friends. I am looking forward to many dinners with my new neighbours at Ravens Crossing!

Vicki and Barry

Vicki and Barry are relatively new to cohousing, but they have previous experience in a variety of co-operative intentional communities in Ottawa. Their involvement in two cohousing projects before Ravens Crossing was not successful, due in no small part to the shortage of skills with which CDC has blessed the Ravens.

Vicki was born in West Vancouver (when there was still a toll on the Lions Gate Bridge) studied at UBC, became a librarian, and moved to Ontario to work in reference, art and, for a while, a library on co-ops. She has sisters, nieces and nephews in Vancouver and Salmon Arm. Since retiring, she has been leading a walking group, volunteering in an English conversation group for newcomers, supporting the community association and neighbourhood environmental group, trying to control invasive plants. She is a member of two book clubs.

Barry, originally from Peterborough, Ontario, studied at the University of Waterloo (mathematics) and Carleton (international affairs). He mostly worked on Canada-US energy, trade and economic issues, including with Global Affairs and Health Canada, with occasional forays into energy supply and demand modelling. He was on the board of the student co-op in Waterloo, a credit union in Ottawa, and a camp/retreat co-op in rural eastern Ontario. He has a sister in Sointula, and nieces and cousins in Ontario. He is a fitness instructor for (mostly) older adults, a cyclist, guitarist, and breadmaker.

Vicki and Barry have wintered in Victoria for the past eight years, and spent part of their summers in BC for much longer. Their time together in Ottawa included three kinds of shared living (once with a shared car; they are otherwise mostly self-powered) and they are excited to join the Ravens in flight on the Pacific coast. Their lives do not include their own children, pets, cars, or televisions.

Leo and Lynn

Lynn grew up on the slopes of West Vancouver and as a child in the summer ran wild on Cortes Island. After completing her BA in English she found love in the Arctic and then worked her way back to Vancouver where she completed a journalism degree. When Multiple Sclerosis made life difficult, she discovered travelling (where there’s a will there’s a way) and published a newsletter for fellow wheelchair travellers.

Enter Leo, an easterner computer geek who swept her off her wheels, and then later carried her kicking and screaming to Toronto, where winter and bad sidewalks, and roads from the 1500’s cramped her style. Leo, the eldest of seven, is looking forward to being part of a BIG family again. Recently retired from programming and system administration, he once built his own computer from chips and is more than capable of helping people set up computers and software — a geek yes, but Leo also loves using his hands. With the tricks he learned from his father he keeps Lynn’s wheelchair running, dabbles in electronics and anything else he can lay his hand to.

Lynn and Leo continue to travel and Lynn publishes her adventures as well as her latest interest, poetry. Ravens Crossing gives Leo a chance to return Lynn to her first love (the sea)) and to a much better climate for the wheelchair.

Margaret A.

Growing up in a small farming community in Saskatchewan, I have always lived “in community “, learning that life is gentler, when we lend a hand, as able and take one, when needed. My career, as nurse/nurse educator took me to many communities across Canada. My all-time favourite was Bella Bella, a First Nations community, where I played a part in setting up a home care program for the elders and disabled. I learned so much about connection with one another and with our fellow creatures, the whales and wolves, the eagles and the ravens.

I have been blessed to have had 43 years with a loving and adventurous partner, (who died 5 years ago), three dear children and now six much loved grandchildren. These kids and grandkids and nine more adored, adopted grandkids, are central in my life. They teach me Presence and are constant reminders of the Awe, the Wonder and the Humour that surrounds us, in this crazy world. We bike and hike, plant gardens and travel, dance, sing, tell stories, laugh, cry and imagine together. With an elementary school across the street from our new home, in Sidney, I look forward to playing the grandma role for a long, long time. Maybe some little people will even move in with us.

Though I’ll be sad to say farewell to dear friends, a large garden, river walks and cross country skiing in Red Deer, Alberta, I welcome the opportunity to get to know my new neighbours, enjoy ocean walks and replace long winters with long springs!

john and heather

When John and Heather traveled together to explore British Columbia, they fell in love with the islands west of the mainland. So when shortly thereafter a business opportunity presented itself in Vancouver they accepted and moved from Ontario, bringing with them many years of practicing law together, plus John’s first two books on the art of dispute management. Once in the west they focused their work on teaching and providing conflict resolution and dispute settlement services, including working in various capacities as arbitrator, corporate ombudsperson, investigator, fact finder, and mediator.

Heather has been interested in Cohousing for many years and has closely followed its development in Canada. She spent her early years in a small town in southern Ontario where children roamed freely in and out of each other’s homes and where “everybody knew your name”. As a child John lived in many countries and towns as the family moved with his war correspondent and journalist father who went wherever and whenever he was needed. John has fond memories of one particular location, a small town in Ontario, where everyone knew and interacted with their neighbours.

When we heard about a cohousing group forming in Sidney BC, a beautiful, walkable community with all the facilities one could possibly want, a great climate, and close to an international airport, we had to investigate. What we found was extraordinary; diverse, interesting, caring members, all creating an intentional community together. Just the place to be for the next chapter of our lives.

Godfrey

I have been attracted to cohousing since I visited the Windsong Cohousing Community in Langley, B.C.

I used to live in the Hintonburg area in Ottawa, and quite enjoyed the vibe and walkability of the neighbourhood. So when I found out that Raven’s Crossing is creating a cohousing project in the walkable community of Sidney, I jumped at the chance to join. I see this as a new adventure to me, to spend my life in beautiful British Columbia, and I finally get my chance to live by the ocean again.

Since joining the Ravens Crossing Cohousing community the members I met have been very welcoming, genuine, and full of life. I have seen this community deal with complex and difficult issues with open communication and care for each other. I am excited!

I was born in Shanghai, but spent my childhood in Hong Kong. I came to Canada at 18, and have immersed myself in the Canadian culture ever since. I enjoy travelling, photography, food, especially combination thereof, in the company of friends. I drive an electric car. Not only do I believe it is the future, it is also fun and relaxing. I am immensely interested where technology intersects life, especially when it fundamentally improves our world.

Lynn

Born in Toronto, Lynn moved with her family (parents and brother) to Cuba in 1959. Her childhood years in Cuba left her with a lifetime longing for the sun, sea and the warmth of human connections! Moving back to Canada in 1963, the family settled in Ottawa.

Lynn has always had a love of the visual arts and has practiced as a ceramicist, videographer, painter and photographer. This love eventually led her into the field of Architecture. After completing her professional degree in Architecture, Lynn moved to Boulder, Colorado in 1996, where she worked with Barrett-Steele Architects and other local architects. In 2003, she began a freelance practice as an architectural designer working on residential projects in Boulder.

It was in Boulder where Lynn was first introduced to the concept of cohousing while staying in Nyland Cohousing. While in Boulder, Lynn also began to study and practice Buddhist teachings, which she continues to this day. After several months of living in a Buddhist Urban Retreat Centre, her love of community living was confirmed. On the lighter side, while in Boulder, she also developed her love of dance by joining a middle-eastern dance group.

On her return to Ottawa in 2007 she accepted a job to develop the Higher Education Program at the Canada Green Building Council of Canada. After successfully launching the LEED program at colleges and universities, she turned to teaching in the BAA Interior Design program at Algonquin College. In 2015 Lynn decided to pursue a post-professional degree in Architecture, completing a Masters in Architectural Studies (M.A.S.) in 2018. The focus of her thesis research was the challenge of creating cohousing for seniors.

Lynn enjoys swimming, yoga, life-drawing and painting in her personal time.

Ellen

I lived in North Vancouver for many years and moved from there in 2019, shortly after retiring from a career in social work. Until Ravens Crossing is complete, I am between homes and plan to use some of this time to travel and explore. I have always loved the experience of new people and places.

I grew up in Newfoundland and visit there regularly. My daughter and her partner live in North Vancouver. I love hiking, biking, and swimming; a good book is always within reach. One of the first things I do in a new community is join the library!

I was thrilled to discover the co housing project in Sidney. I can't imagine living anywhere else. It's the opportunity for connection that draws me to this kind of housing. The community of Ravens Crossing is forming long ahead of the actual building. Come join us.

Donald

Don lived in an intentional community as a young man in his 20’s and early 30’s and is delighted to join the wonderful community he has found at Raven’s Crossing. He looks forward to discovering Sidney, Victoria and the surrounding territory.

Born and raised in Toronto he has also lived and worked in Alberta and Quebec. He likes to travel and explore new landscapes and cultures mostly enjoying the out-of-doors. He spent his summers swimming, canoeing and sailing at camp, then worked as a camping consultant and program and camp director for the YMCA-YWCA. His relationship with nature remains vital to him as a space in which to centre, discover and appreciate beauty. If he can’t get out, he gets grumpy.

Don is looking forward to his four granddaughters getting old enough to learn to love nature. With luck he will able to participate in their introduction to and learning about the natural world in B.C. His son’s family is in San Francisco and his daughter’s family is in The Netherlands so he envisions bringing them to visit Ravens Crossing and explore the natural beauty surrounding the community.

Don is an idealist and pragmatist at the same time. His work as a consultant, educator, researcher and writer has been about democratizing – the workplace, governance, and other domains of direct participative democracy. He believes strongly that not only do people have the right to be involved in the decisions that affect them, but they also have the psychological need. That kind of involvement and engagement can be formally and legally structured rather than being left to chance. To accomplish this he has worked on organizational transformation and community development projects in the private, public and social sectors of our economy. Most recently, he retired as a Professor Emeritus, Concordia University in Montreal where he taught a Master of Arts in Human Systems Intervention program. In retirement he is developing a new method of organizational innovation and design called “People Powered Innovation.” It keeps him thinking and doing, he says with a smile.

Liz

I have found my way to Sidney and Ravens Crossing Cohousing from Ontario: Sioux Lookout, Port Arthur (later Thunder Bay), and Ottawa. In that journey, I gained three children and five grandchildren who live in Thunder Bay and Ringstead, Denmark; education starting with a diploma in nursing and ending with a PHD; worked in hospitals, a nursing home, and home care; and taught community health nursing in Thunder Bay and Ottawa. My passion is health promotion through community development.

I admit to being a health nut. Healthy for me means doing things with friends such as enjoying the outdoors; preparing and eating good food and learning about foods from other countries; regular exercise music and dancing; and conversation involving books, equity and social justice, and saving the environment.

In the third phase of my life, I have reignited an early interest in acting and improv classes. I have also been tutoring immigrant mothers in English, taken up gardening, and doing volunteer/charitable work. I look forward to working with others in the community.

My decision to become a part of Ravens Crossing Cohousing occurred very quickly, almost as soon as I learned about it. I realized that I had previously seen a documentary on cohousing in Denmark and feel that the approach is both a healthy and rational way to live, especially for me. I suffered major loses in 2019 and was feeling rudderless. I had already committed to Ravens Crossing before I read the bios of the other members. After reading them, my thoughts were “I am going to have amazing conversations and fulfilling projects with these people in the years ahead”.

Ulrich and Rosanna

Even though we lived in Ontario for six years during our university days where we made some life-long friends, British Columbia has always been home for us. Growing up on a farm in the Okanagan, Ulrich loves being outside, hiking, puttering in the garden, kayaking, sailing etc. Having access to the mountains, the ocean and the lakes is important to him. Being a city girl, Rosanna was not introduced to “country/small town living” until Ulrich took her camping, visiting in the “country”, staying on a farm etc. Now this appreciation grows everyday.

We have been contemplating cohousing of sorts for over 10 years, we didn’t have a name for it them, but we had ideas, especially among Rosanna’s siblings. But is was all talk and no action, until now. We’ve come to appreciate the idea of living in community, aging in place, and being engaged, independent and active for as long as possible. Cohousing certainly fits the bill.

Both of us are still working, although not full time. We each have our own consulting business, which we suspect will likely start winding down as time goes on. Ulrich worked and specializes in the field of Li-ion battery research and development. Rosanna changed her career a couple of times, moving from geology to disaster management, and over the past decade or so, she has been working mostly as a Certified Professional Facilitator and a visual coach.

Family holds the highest value and place in our hearts. Fortunately our families are not too far away. We love family gatherings and we enjoy travelling and dancing together. One of our retirement projects will be to organize the boxes of our family photos and translate available family records into English for the future generations. Ulrich enjoys hiking, sailing and reading; Rosanna loves dancing, learning new things and become a better creative.

We are looking forward to growing into the Ravens family.

Heather

I came across the Ravens Crossing Co-housing web site through serendipity last fall and was immediately interested. After attending the workshop ‘Is co-housing for you’, I knew it was. I have lived in Victoria for more than 30 years and on the Saanich peninsula on a small hobby farm for the past 20 + years. My husband, who was the stay-at-home dad, had a passion for llamas and I had always wanted to grow our own food. We had many happy years on the farm where we raised our son, although with neither of us having had any farm experience, the early years were very much a Green Acres experience with many misadventures.

I trained and worked as a psychologist before coming to work at the Ministry of Health when I moved to Victoria. I thought it was a temporary job – I just wanted to live in Victoria – but I found working for government, allowed me to work with interesting and committed people on issues that matter. It has been a great, though demanding career, especially as I moved into more senior positions.

Now that my husband has passed away and my son, a young adult ready to go out on his own, I am ready to start a new chapter of my life. I don’t know what the future, post retirement, will hold but I do know it will be as part of a community and for that, I am very grateful.

Marian

I was born in Finland. When my family came to Canada, we landed first in Toronto but eventually made our way to Vancouver where I grew up. I have also lived in Toronto for many years where I went to the University of Toronto. I have worked in the financial services industry as a financial planner for many years. For fun I have done many triathlons and marathons. Running has become difficult, but I can still ride a bike which is a great passion.

I have traveled to Europe on a number of cycling trips. I have cycled in some lovely places in Italy, France and Spain and raced in Germany. I am also a big film fan and have attended the Toronto International Film Festival every year for many years and the Vancouver Film festival before that.

I have been thinking about Cohousing for a number of years. I’m planning to retire, and the timing and location of Ravens Crossing was perfect for me. I wanted to come back to the west coast and Sidney seems like the ideal location. I’m looking forward to becoming part of a brand new community, getting to know all my new neighbours and exploring our corner of Vancouver Island.

Jan

My adventure with Ravens Crossing Cohousing started early in this Covid19 isolation period. I have been following cohousing for a few years, and upon checking projects again, I came upon the Ravens. It was an easy decision for me to come on board, and live amongst an intriguing group of people whom are building a new community and home together in Sidney.

A little bit about me …. Growing up in Ontario, as a young adult I spread my wings to end up in British Columbia, spending ten enlightening years working in different places around this beautiful province. Two years were in Victoria studying at the university. After moving back to Toronto for graduate studies at the University of Toronto, I decided to live and work in the city and other areas of Ontario for my career in healthcare and aging.

Truly an enthusiast of our natural world and the outdoors in all four seasons, an explorer of remote places, and a lover of the arts in all forms of expression. With years spent discovering rivers and lakes on canoe or kayak excursions with friends, bird watching, hiking, and road trips around the Central and Atlantic Provinces. And some very memorable travels to Scotland and Orkney; kayaking through Gwaii Haanas; traversing Nunavut, Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland on a small expedition ship. With more remote and special locales yet to experience.

Also known to seek out live theatre, galleries, festivals and whatever catches my eye, while bringing friends to share these events. More recently with Corky, my second Dandie Dinmont Terrier, both learning agility and scent detection sports that will continue from Sidney. And stemming from my interests, I back a variety of organizations that protect land, provide food security, promote emerging artists, and give leadership opportunities to indigenous youth.

So I am really excited for Corky and I to be part of Ravens Crossing Cohousing, and continue exploring as we grow our community together.

Lyse

I first heard the waves crashing on Vancouver Island when I came in 1996 to do research, and from there I was hooked. I loved the outdoor paradise I found here.

I guess co-housing is a natural choice too – I was born and raised in Abitibi, in northern Quebec, in a family of eight children, so I really like the idea of living with a group of people as a real community. My parents fostered in me a love of learning, travel, and curiosity. This has guided me through my university studies at the U. of Montréal (B.Sc.), University of Waterloo (M.Sc) and McGill University (Ph.D. ecology) and onwards in my working life.

My work has taken me from James Bay in northern Quebec, to West Africa as well as time in Tennessee and the wilds of the Finnish archipelago. These experiences have offered me a wonderful opportunity to see and experience, first-hand, diverse environments, cultures, and societies. BC has been also been part of my adventures and I have visited many tucked-away locations through my research work and personal travel.

I feel very grateful to have those travel experiences and to have explored all these places as part of my professional life. Now that I am looking to wind my career down – I am thrilled to find Ravens Crossings and being in such a vibrant community with such interesting people and forging new connections and friendships.

Reena

Reena joined the Raven flock in May 2021. She has for many years and increasingly so, felt drawn to Cohousing and its heart of hearts - a deep sense of community. Ravens Crossing’s walkable urban location, proximity to Victoria and Vancouver, and the availability to a direct flight to Calgary and family are a bonus. Not to mention the great bunch of Ravens she has got to know!

Reena hails from Central Alberta but has spent four decades in New Zealand. Now she is heading home, a Canadian/Kiwi hybrid.

She has had what is often generously called a ‘portfolio career’ across many sectors, from running a child injury prevention NGO to dabbling in communications, arts marketing and television; from community development to shepherding national sustainable transportation policies and initiatives through government. Her last project, running a small Lodge in the Far North of New Zealand allowed her to combine her passion for eclectic design with a love of meeting and finding out about people. She did not, however, like making beds.

In between the hard yards, Reena has sung in choirs and been a Playbacker in Playback Theatre. She has also studied photography, travelled, and sought out interesting food - often combining the three in memorable trips to places around the globe. That said, sadly, she has never been to the Maritimes. Go figure.

Siang and Hiro

Siang and Hiro have lived and travelled extensively around Asia before moving to Canada several years ago. They are fans of outdoor living and enjoy hiking, camping, canoeing and cycling. As nature-lovers, they appreciate beautiful landscapes as well as a wide variety of world cultures.

They are excited about being part of a Cohousing community on the Island where they live very close to nature and enjoy the community lifestyle.

Siang has been attracted to the concept of living in community for more than a decade while working in the sustainable development field in different regions. Hiro worked as a newspaper reporter in various cities before making his career change to a language translator. Both Siang and Hiro are committed to a socially and environmentally healthy lifestyle.

David H.

To quill my tale, I left Lake Erie tobacco lands for a UMontréal PhD, then to northern BC to teach, write, and ski, learning indigeneity, until retired 2017, summers in Victoria with daughter (Kate Brooks-Heinimann, rising Victoria painter). Engineering left early for lit and phil, my work now geopolitics. Our reading us, my main are The New Yorker, Foreign Affairs, Le Monde Diplomatique. Radical ecology, no apology. Arborist, cineaste, walker and casual cyclist, café and pub habituant, writer (you may enjoy my article on the trickster concerning Raven and Coyote). Near future may trade land for water. Laconic, ironic, irenic, disciplined to church, military, and academy, aspiring to grace, humility, and mettle. Dual citizen, to Switzerland regularly. Ravens Crossing a welcome interlude.

Eliza and Stan

One of our newer families in Ravens Crossing will share their story shortly.

Rosabella

I'm a mother, a grandmother, a former educator at the post-secondary level, a widow, a friend and neighbour.

I have a passion for food and gardening, playing pickle ball, cycling, walking, scrabble, reading - especially history, current affairs and restorative and social justice.

I have lived in a variety of countries and houses: student housing, rental, co-op housing, strata and single family. After considerable thought and research, I have come to the conclusion that I want to spend the next phase of my life living in an intentional community. I am looking forward to contributing in whatever way I can to building the Ravens Crossing community and in being able to have access to knowledgeable neighbours who can teach me skills that they are adept at.

The twin ideas of sustainability and sociability promoted in co-housing are attractive features for me. The former has been a living principle and for the latter I hope to contribute opportunities to gather and celebrate community.

Gabriela

Miracles do happen. My fortuitous landing at Raven’s Crossing is a most beautiful segue into this special time of life. I hail from Calgary and before that Ottawa. I’ve worked in the education sector all my life and find joy in teaching, facilitating and learning.

I especially enjoy contemplative walks and swimming in the ocean year round. Words, poetry, dance and film inspire me.

I’m familiar with Sidney as my mother lived here for a few years and I’m finally answering the call of the ocean. Looking forward to new experiences in community and connections.

Since I’ve retired, I’ve become a practitioner in transformational dance facilitation and equine experiential learning. I look forward to deepening my practice and creating a dance community.