Amazing Places

According to Wikipedia, Tao is “the natural order of the universe, whose character one's intuition must discern to realise the potential for individual wisdom… Its name…came from Chinese, where it signifies the way, path, route, road, or sometimes more loosely doctrine, principle, or holistic belief’.

Sometimes we choose the path, and sometimes our path is chosen for us. For those with a disability, one’s path can veer drastically ...

One year ago this week, on November 15th 2021, Dean Murdock recorded an episode with Michele Sealey, introducing her as the new (temporary) Host of the Amazing Places Podcast. As Dean had decided to run for Mayor of Saanich he wanted to step back, and asked Michele to fill in for the coming year.

Well, it has been quite a year since that day! The main event has, of course, been Dean's successful bid for the Mayoralty.

So on the ann...

In this episode we’re having a quick chat with Alix Link, at Mahon Brook in Saanich. Alix is the Manager of Urban Forestry, Natural Areas, and Community Stewardship for the District of Saanich.

We’re here for Saanich’s annual Tree Appreciation Day. The first Saanich Tree Appreciation Day was held in November of 1995. In 2019, the Municipality committed to increasing the number of trees in the District, through a number of different...

Our episode this week comes to you from Quadra at Rock in Saanich, at a road safety rally organised by Sustainawave owner and local road safety advocate, Philip Marciniak. This rally was arranged after a vehicle ran a red light and struck a woman crossing in the crosswalk here - the second pedestrian-struck-in-a-crosswalk incident in the past week.

The group gathered was conducting an exercise in civic critical mass, constantly cyc...

In this episode, we asked local government candidates what is amazing in their respective municipalities.  

For background, we did an open call - some candidates chose to post their amazing nominations, whilst others agreed to come on the podcast. The idea was to have some fun, while encouraging elements of harmony and positivity to the election.  

We thought it would be easy to find time to record, bu...

"An emotional day, but also a day of hope."

Every year on the last Sunday of September, police and peace officers from agencies across the province, gather to honour the 129 peace officers who have died in the line of duty in the province of British Columbia.

Sgt Noelle Wilson, from Vancouver Police Dept, is the Chair of the BC Law Enforcement Memorial Organising Committee, and joins us to explain the background of this an...

Jess Gibbard is changing the world around her, by helping others. As a trans woman, she's taking the lessons she's learned about her voice, and turning them into lessons for others facing a similar situation. Jess launched TransVoiceCoach.com to help others change/train their voice to better suit their new selves.

She gives us a peek into the science behind our voices, and a training demonstration. She's going back to school f...

This week I am very honoured to have my friend Solomon join me. He became a Canadian citizen in a citizenship ceremony on the day we recorded. His pure joy and happiness touched me, a Canadian by birth.

We met for tea shortly after the ceremony was done. He had stopped on the way at the Dutch Bakery to pick up some of his favourite treats for a celebration. He didn’t stop grinning the entire time we talked! Although he has lived he...

Hearing “Gaming Branch” may cause different reactions in some, but for non-profits across the province, it can mean the difference in what programmes and services they are able to offer.

Ryan Painter, Executive Director of Charityworks.ca, is here to explain what the Community Gaming Grant Programme (dispersed by the British Columbia Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch) is all about, as well as what charities, organisations, and a...

What’s amazing in the world of a Member of Parliament? Her riding;  the people, the places, and the events that are happening in Victoria, Oak Bay, and part of Saanich.

MP Laurel Collins joins us to talk about what she enjoys/has enjoyed doing this summer. We hope you are inspired to get outside or get involved, and enjoy what's on offer!

Here are some of the events, places, and organisations that we discuss:

Beacon Hill ...

What did you do for your summer holiday last year? Meaghan McDonald of Salt Legacy, spent 8 weeks with a team, working to clean 300kms of remote and "pristine" beaches on the West Coast of BC. Cleaning up 210 tons of garbage and waste to be exact. Almost half of the 210 tons was fishing ropes and nets. Approximately 60% of the total items recovered were able to be recycled.

That's what Salt Legacy is all about - recycling as upcycl...

Taking a deep dive - or a beginner’s dive if you prefer - into local scuba diving sites, is PADI Master Instructor and Course Director, Larry Wedgewood. Born and raised in Greater Victoria, little did he know that his first class years ago, at Frank White’s in downtown Victoria, would change the course of his life.

He has traveled and dived all over the world, owned his own dive business in Thailand, and now splits his time between...

We’re very happy to welcome the Honourable Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food, to this week’s episode!

If you’ve learned anything by now, you’ll know that since Michele became the Podcast Lead on Amazing Places, she doesn’t really “do” politics, even with a government minister on the show. Instead, she wants to talk about what is growing in Lana’s garden this Spring!

Lana’s roots (pun fully intended) stretch back to grow...

There's been a lot of talk in the news lately regarding noise, and specifically about gas-powered garden and landscaping equipment. The District of Oak Bay Council recently voted to phase out the residential use of all gas-powered gardening tools, over the next 3 years. The whir of lawnmowers, leaf blowers, and grass trimmers are just one type of noise pollution that we face. This episode we have Dr Teale Phelps Bondaroff to talk a...

A few weeks back, Langford’s Mayor, Stew Young, sat down with us to talk about a specific park. As these podcasts do, the discussion wound around to other subjects.

This episode brings you all the rest of the conversation - some reminiscing about the Langford of old, and the actions and visions shaping Langford of the future.

The City has bold plans for housing, education - secondary and post, environment, traffic, jobs, and econom...

This week we welcome Cora Hallsworth, Senior Associate with One Earth, and Lead on One Planet Saanich. She joins us to talk about the One Planet Student Challenge. 

One Planet BC helps communities across the province understand sustainability priorities – and take action. Speaking of action, you need to take action too, to get in on this Challenge, as it ends May 20th!

The Student Challenge is an invitation to any Mi...

This week’s episode started as a conversation at the memorial service for the late Langford Fire Chief Al LeQuesne (Ret’d). Langford Mayor Stew Young mentioned a new park being named in the Chief’s honour, in consideration of his 44 years of service to the community.

As someone who worked next to the Chief for a few of those years, I was happy to hear about the park, and wanted to learn more, and even happier to learn that what mak...

Introducing Week on Wednesday with Amazing Places.

Sometimes there’s interesting events happening in the region that we’re interested in, but aren’t able to turn into a podcast, or a representative isn’t available. So we thought we’d round up a few each week and let you know some highlights.

Emergency Preparedness Week   until May 7th

Federal, provincial, regional, and many municipal governments have information and ...

Museums are not dusty relics of the past - they are us;  reflecting our history, showcasing what we value, helping us understand and appreciate the past. They give us a sense of our place in the world, and help us learn lessons of those who have gone before.

International Museum Day is coming up on May 18th, so this episode we have archivist Sonia Nicholson from the Saanich Pioneer Society & Log Cabin Museum.

The Society h...