Hey how’s it going, I’m gonna be coming out to the Cowichan valley area from Manitoba this march and will be staying till the end of November here to attend viu in Duncan for the hvac trades program, might stay after as well but it just depends on where I can get an apprenticeship going for myself. So I’m looking for a place I can rent that’s gonna be under 1300 per month, I have a vehicle so I’m willing to drive under 20 mins to uni from the place. If you know of anything that could work for me or any ideas of what I could do for cheap accommodation I would really appreciate that. I don’t know much about the Duncan area either so if there’s some place to steer clear of do let me know as well, thank you.

I’m a Canadian (47F) who has lived in Australia with my Aussie husband for the past 19 years. We have two kids (11M & 13M) who are dual citizens but who have never been to Canada due to a combination of financial and circumstantial constraints. One of those constraints was being diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2019, followed by covid lockdowns etc. It was always my dream that the whole family would come back to Canada and I could show my sons my home and the places I’ve told them about. This became much more urgent for me once I beat cancer. I’ve been cancer free for 5 years now.

My husband is a teacher and there exists the opportunity to look at a teachers swap with another teacher in Canada. Basically it would be swapping jobs but also your home and car. We’ve looked into this before but the timing wasn’t right and we’re now looking at it again in 2027. He works in a well respected private school here in Melbourne and as such will likely swap with someone from Brentwood or Shawnigan Lakes. But our kids would be attending whatever the local public school is.

I went to high school in Ontario and BC and it was rough back in the day. Issues with drugs, smoking, disrespecting the teachers pretty brutally, fights, bullying etc. I’m hoping someone can advise I’d much has changed in general or if the Cowichan region, being more rural maybe, is a bit more tame?

My boys have had a pretty cruisey Aussie childhood. Bullying is just not really a thing here. And kids are generally kept busy and behave well culturally. You just don’t have the youth issues at all that I remember growing up.

I’d appreciate any genuine insight into the cultural of schools in the region by parents, teachers, and any current or recent former students out there. While I’m not looking to keep my boys in a bubble forever, and I do want them to have a genuine Canadian experience for a year while they’re still kids, I also don’t want them to hate their time in Canada because school feels unsafe, or to have a big negative impact on their teen years, if bullying, violence, drug use etc is a common part of teen culture there still. My boys will be in grade 8 & 10 at the time.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

OK people, you have the good and bad experiences with local Duncan vehicle repair shops. Online reviews of the big dealerships are pretty grim. Does anyone know of a reliable shop or mechanic to service a vehicle In the Duncan/Cowichan Bay area?

Edit: Thank you all for your recommendations. I will feel much better trying these places out thanks to your experiences and recommendations.

For the past couple years I’ve rarely had outages but this last week has been terrible. I’m just wondering if it’s something on my end or if any others are having the same problem.

I'm trying to find a banjo teacher in Cowichan. Is there anyone out there teaching banjo here?

Seen near Sunrise River access. Lots of birds in the same spot as well, must have been chasing the fish? Pretty far from the ocean, hope he makes it back okay!

I am not a big fan of crazy development or the 1.5 billion new hospital BUT it did not make sense to me why we would cut off properties ( for development ) north of herd rd bc of some line we had voted for in the past. If big $$ wants to develop near by they should be allowed to help fund the LOC too ! 👍

Hey. I live in Cowichan and am going through quite severe mental illness after a bad reaction to some medication. If anyone is going through something similar, like anxiety, depression, or withdrawal from SSRI/benzodiazepines, and wants to join forces to help each other recover, please message me. I'm a 33-year-old male if that matters to you.

Duncan is officially the smallest city in CANADA area wise. Look it up!

5 rifle/gunshots 2:30 this morning. Cow Bay / Koksilah area. Can anyone explain? Pit-lamping? Predator control? Something more nefarious?

Does anybody else notice the amount of terrible driving that rlly started a month ago, I’ve had to use my horn at least once a day from getting hard cut off/ someone gliding into my lane etc etc. I barely drive and I’m getting rlly annoyed by this, are they just handing out free licences?

I keep hearing about a park or forest behind the NC hall. Where is it and can I walk my dogs there? TIA

Hi, just wondering if there's a good spot to go look at salmon spawning with young kids? We could do Goldstream, but I've heard at the fish ladder at Skutz it can be good. I'm having trouble imaging that with how wide the river is there so I guess it would depend on river level. Any recommendations?

My husband and I moved here in June. We went to the Westfalian bakery today and the woman in front of me ordered a fancy croissant then turned to me and said ‘might as well just stuff it up my ass, cause that’s where it’s going’. I’m still laughing 🤣 I love Duncan.

What are people's opinions on getting from Duncan to Nanaimo in the early morning to make a flight? The reviews on the local taxi companies are pretty bad.

What was it and where did you hear/feel it?

My thought is meteor/sonic boom and I'm by Trunk and the Highway.

Hello, I am a local journalist who has been in conversation with a few of Dr. Sapozhnikov's patients in the Cowichan Valley. I am hoping to find more people to speak to, hopefully Indigenous, People of Colour, and 2SLGBTQ+ people, who could share their experiences with me? Both positive and negative, or whatever else you would like to share.

Hey everyone! I was looking to compile a list of a few "open mic night" type events around Duncan but I'd go as far as Chemainus or Mill Bay for a good one. My 15yo is an upcoming musician and the next step for their music is gigging so I thought we would start small with open mics until we get back into music festival season.

I know about Tuesday nights at the Duncan Showroom but if you know of any coffee shops or anything that also have them, drop it in this post. Thanks in advance!

Wonder why hasn’t the muni done anything about it yet. On Sherman rd