just business people

March 2011 Just Business People | 1

Matthew Talbot-KellyBringing Stories to Life in Film

March 2011 Re-launch Issue

Scott Rowland Nicole Hagedorn Secret Cove Marina

Krista and Chris CutlanTuwanek Hotel

Tracy ParkerNotary

2 | Just Business People March 2011 March 2011 Just Business People | 3


Buddy Boyd, is the founder of Gibsons Recycling Depot, the first and largest

non-government funded resource recovery park in British Columbia. Unlike taxpayer funded recycling operations, Gibsons Recycling is a business. It doesn’t take a penny from government. It employs people from the community it serves. Its employees pay taxes. The company pays taxes. And unlike government recycling efforts, this is a cost effective and efficient operation.

As Gibsons Recycling informs us, modern society has developed what can be described as cheap, transportation-based “Integrated Waste Management” systems. This has not worked as the long term (and now short term) costs become more and more obvious. Shipping increasing waste and recyclables overseas for processing is not only expensive it exports jobs and stifles innovation and new age technologies. And the carbon footprint is tough to quantify, but it is massive.

Zero waste is a whole system approach to addressing these problems. Zero waste saves money, leads to innovation, creates jobs, involves far less transportation, and solves landfill problems.

Zero waste operations are gaining broader acceptance as new technologies are developed that allow the system to be used economically on a small scale. On the Sunshine Coast, arguably one of the places with one of the most environmentally aware populations in Canada, options for recycling, garbage collection, and landfill use are being currently debated.

Zero waste is an idea whose time has come.Like any entrepreneur, Buddy has run up against ardent

and powerful defenders of the status quo. He continues to fight entrenched interests opposed to common sense

solutions to a big societal challenge. He does so with a passion and steadfastness that some of us call admirable. Others believe his relentlessness and zeal are pains in the posterior.

Well, if he is, Canada needs more “pains” like Buddy Boyd.

Gibsons Recycling is an example of a home-grown “national champion” that

we have a responsibility to support and nurture. And as an

entrepreneur, Buddy Boyd is a powerful change agent. By definition, that frightens and intimidates those with a strong vested interest in the status quo. However, governments have much to learn from front line innovators like Buddy. And as taxpayers, we should all insist that they do.

Through his example, he is showing that there’s absolutely no contradiction whatsoever between building a prosperous economy and leaving our planet cleaner for future generations.

In fact, in the 21st century, they are inextricably linked. Firms like Gibsons Recycling and trail-blazing entrepreneurs like Buddy Boyd are a fundamental and urgent necessity if Canada is to be the productive, competitive, innovative, and clean economy that we surely must become. E

by Dan Veniez

O p i n i O n C O n t e n t s

When Environmentalism and an Entrepreneur Meet

ContributorsJan DeGrass, Linsey Hulls, Kate O’Hara, Ingeborg Suzanne, Dan Veniez, Pat Wenger. Cover photo by Tim McLaughlin.

JBP Staffwww.justbusinesspeople.com

Dave Allen, [email protected]

Douglas Converse, Associate [email protected]

Darnel Street, Account [email protected]

Design by Roger Handling, Terra Firma Digital Arts

For subscription or billing enquiries email [email protected] or call 604-740-2510

Questions and correspondence should be directed to: [email protected] or write to Just Business Magazine PO Box 363, Sehelt BC Canada V0N3A0

Just Business Magazine is a registered business in the province of British Columbia, Canada for businesses on the Sunshine Coast.

All articles are the property of Just Business Magazine and the author. All photographs are the property of Just Business Magazine.

Member of the British Columbia Association of Magazine Publishers www.bcamp.ca and Forest Stewardship Council

Dan Veniez (left) and Buddy Boyd.

Opinion: When Environmentalism and an Entrepreneur Meet …

editorial: Smaller Size, Bigger Ideas

Bringing Stories to Life

Service On The Sea

A Notable Profession

Jewel at Ocean’s Edge

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by Douglas Converse

e D i t O r i a l

Smaller Size, Bigger Ideas

At the Gibsons & District Chamber of Commerce, we are a dedicated group of businesses who have been together for over 63 years. We represent a lobbying power far greater than any one business or association can have on its own. We are the Voice of Business on the Sunshine Coast.

Become a partner with the over 200 (and growing) other businesses from all over the Sunshine Coast (Port Mellon to Powell River) who are benefiting from the strategies, initiatives and value that we are providing. Web (www.gibsonschamber.com) & print support, chamber workshops, special speakers, trade shows, Visitor Centre brochure display, networking meetings, chamber health benefits, gas & hotel discounts, and special offerings from our M2M program (member to member). All of this comes with a 90 Day Money Back Guarantee.

PLUS our current initiative, that is bringing the whole Sunshine Coast community and businesses together; is the development of the Sunshine Coast Visitor Information Park (V.I.P.). An oasis,

at the top of the by-pass after you leave the ferry where-by the traveler can orientate themselves to details, information, events in our communities, landmarks, points of interest; even a stop for the traveler or their dogs to “relax” themselves (washrooms available for both!)

Partnering with leading Sunshine Coast businesses like Wakefield Home Builders; Maycon Construction Management Ltd; Bonniebrook Industries; Judith Reeve, Landscape Architect; and Larry Penonzek, Land Surveyor; (all confirmed at press time); plus many additional companies and organizations in the process of confirming participation, this is truly a team effort.

This area will also serve as a Trail Head for the many walking paths, hiking trails and bike routes that begin here. Truly a place to meet, get organized and see what the Sunshine Coast has to offer.

Contact us (www.gibsonschamber.com) and see how we can support your business.

Voice of Business on the Sunshine Coast

Chamber of CommerCe& DistriCt

During the few months that I have been working on this magazine, I have had the

pleasure of meeting many business people here on the Sunshine Coast. I have met keen risk takers who see opportunity in remote possibilities and creative artists who can fashion something of beauty from the most unusual item or circumstance.

What they all have in common is the drive to make their business succeed. Just Business People magazine has always undertaken to tell in pictures and in words the story of business on the Coast. Time and time again your feedback has told us that our efforts are worthwhile. Not only have readers told us they find the articles informative but they also find them entertaining.

It is said that the only constant thing in life is change. Over the past few years fluctuations in the economy have changed businesses everywhere. Some of those changes have often been drastic and certainly unwelcome. Change can also bring about renewal. Just Business People magazine is also undergoing renewal, in format, in size and in content. We will keep profiling the people behind the businesses in our community, but we also hope to present, at times, the challenges those people have faced to start and to maintain their business in all types of weather. Other times Just Business People will focus on the little things that make a business unique, or how they give back to the community.

Just Business People magazine welcomes to our larger family three talented individuals. First is Roger Handling of Terra Firma Digital Arts who handles the artistic creativity of our printed project. Also we welcome Lauren Ogsten who designs and issues our e-newsletter. Finally, Darnel Street brings his sales talents to help us continue to build meaningful client relationships and deliver rewarding advertising programs. It will be my pleasure to work with superb writers to continue to “spread the word” about business ventures, opportunities and struggles here on the Sunshine Coast. Additional positive changes directed by CEO, Dave Allen, include printing on more environmentally friendly paper stock in this smaller handy format.

Good things do come in small packages. As always we welcome all your feedback.

I am respectfully yours,[email protected]


t ake one Irish-Canadian experimental filmmaker and self-described “itinerant digital troubadour” with one foot in a seaside village outside Dublin

(Na Clocha Liatha) and one foot in a seaside village outside Vancouver (Gibsons), a life partner, three children, a degree in architecture, a new animated short film, and a fascinating iPad 3D animated-storybook application and you’ll get a sense of Matthew Talbot-Kelly.

Born in Dublin in 1963, this self-taught artist grew up in Toronto with his mother, six siblings and the city itself, which he says, “exposed me to a wide variety of film, theatre, literature, politics and social conventions.”

Like many others, Talbot-Kelly and his family – partner Jacqueline Rogers, whom he describes as “my muse, advisor and mentor,” and their three children, Isabel Maeve (16), Nolan (14) and Madeleine (11) – were drawn to the Sunshine Coast by “the seaside, fresh air, small-town vibe, the community and the possibility of living in a house. We were renting a 700-odd >

by Kate O’Haraphotos of Matthew by

ingeborg suzanne

A still frame from Talbot-Kelley’s production The Trenbling Veil of Bones.

Bringing Stories to Life


talbot-Kelly applies his talents to visual effects, animation, design and direction.

Bringing Stories

square foot, one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver, with two kids and a third on the way, a dog and a cat in a building that had a ‘no pets’ policy and a view of dumpsters in an alleyway. Then 12 years ago we bought an old 700-odd square foot worker’s cottage in lower Gibsons, with a garden and an amazing view of the sea and mountains, and felt like we had all the space in the world!”

Talbot-Kelly studied architecture with an interest in the breadth of the training, rather than any particular vision to practise as an architect, and graduated in 1990. “My interest in spatial and temporal movement, combined with the rise of dimensional digital tools, is the basis for my animated excursions,” he says.

Since 1996, his skills have been in demand for visual effects, animation,

design and direction in more than two dozen feature films and television productions in Toronto, Vancouver, Dublin and London, including I, Robot, Stargate SG-1, Rome, Fido and Slither. Recently he’s been busy developing his own projects with a toolbox full of cameras, sounds, paper, found objects and computers, aided by Maya, Final Cut Pro, After Effects and Photoshop software.

Recently completed, The Trembling Veil of Bones – a co-production between Talbot-Kelly’s own company Glimpse Digital Ltd., the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and the Irish Film Board – combines live action and computer-generated imagery to create a densely layered world of intrigue and revelation. In this 12-minute short, Bones, a lone clockmaker, sits inside a darkened studio filled with the sounds of ticking clocks, until the arrival of a mysterious package propels him to leave his refuge. As a convergence of events forces the clockmaker to confront the past, fate has plans for him. Filmed in Ireland, with the main animation work done in BC, The Trembling Veil of Bones features a live-action actor in prosthetic make-up and virtual digital sets. The trailer can be viewed on the NFB website, with festival screenings in London, Dublin, Derry and San Francisco.

“Having lived in more than two dozen places, I now accept that I am a nomad,” Talbot-Kelly reflects. “Though comfortable in both Canada and Ireland, I’m a bit of an immigrant in both countries. This ‘outsider’ status is fundamental to my creative search, which is ultimately about finding a sense of place.”

Where he lives depends on where his work takes him. Having travelled back and forth between Ireland and Canada for the last six years, he says that his home and family are settled here and that he plans to stay in Canada for the foreseeable future.

But Ireland – his “ancestral and psychic home” – lures him back. “When I’m in Ireland, I feel like my cells relax and settle in a way I don’t feel in Canada. Six years ago I returned to Dublin and started a small studio. From there I got support for my first film and so decided to carry on.”

That film, Blind Man’s Eye, (a journey into an old man’s memories and aspirations) was completed in June 2007, was an Official Selection of the prestigious Venice Film Festival that same year and went on to screen in festivals around the world.

When Apple introduced the iPad in April, Talbot-Kelly took a good hard look at it and decided there didn’t appear to be any content that “looks at this new platform in an imaginative and, dare I say it, intelligent way,” he says. “So I set out to take my directing, animating and storytelling >

Beuys; and musicians Radiohead, Nick Cave and Tom Waits, as well as locals John “Tenbear” Thompson, Stefan Smulovitz and the late Oliver

Schroer.When asked what he

enjoys about his work, he responds: “I simply don’t think of it as work! I find immense satisfaction in all of it. There are frustrations as well, but all in all it’s a fantastic way to engage with the world. I’m inspired

in my career by my experiences, surroundings, intuition, fears and curiosities, and in life by Jacqueline and our children, for their grace, intelligence, unbridled love and humour. I love the fact that my family and I have had so many adventures while still managing to keep a roof over our heads.” E

skills, combined with Jacqueline’s writing talents, and some pure selfish interest in the timeless art of storytelling and a respect for literacy, and we came up with the idea of Moving Tales.

“Our inaugural publication, The Pedlar Lady of Gushing Cross, available on the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad, has been a great success, a bestseller around the world. And we are overjoyed with the critical reception. Due to the wonders of the digital age, we collaborate with people in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Dublin, London, Berlin, Mexico, Milan and Johannesburg.

“This is the first in a series of stories using sophisticated 3D animation, original music, professional voice-over and evocative sound effects to present imaginative interpretations of classic folk tales, archetypal yarns and age-old legends from around the world,” Talbot-Kelly enthusiastically explains.

The Pedlar Lady is tri-lingual (French, Spanish and English) and features voice recording, dynamic typographic layout that can be animated using the iPad’s accelerometer, randomly selected alternate perspectives to ensure that no two viewings are alike, film-quality sound effects and music, and a compelling, poetic narrative.

For the second in the Classic World Tales series of “storybooks,” Moving Tales created an adaptation of a traditional Jewish folk-tale called The Unwanted Guest.

“Each story uses a state of the art digital mash-up of methods from the worlds of e-book publishing, graphic novels, film and interactive media to create a truly original innovative world of storytelling,” he further explains. “We started Moving Tales so we could expand and explore that world on the iPad / iPhone platforms. Using new, interactive media with filmic 3D animation and sound, the world of text-based storytelling has been transformed into something much greater than the sum of its parts.”

Saying that he is “in love with film for its larger-than-life, limitless, possibilities,” Talbot-Kelly finds inspiration in many fields. “I was at the world premiere of Apocalypse Now as a 16-year-old, and that affected me profoundly. In terms of animation, the films of Norman McLaren—I saw a retrospective of his work in the ‘70s and was completely captivated. And seeing the films of the Quay Brothers in the late ‘80s was also enormously influential.”

Others whose work he admires include architects Frank Gehry and Louis Kahn; filmmakers Peter Greenaway, Julie Taymor and the Coen brothers; writers Michael Ondaatje, Rohinton Mistry and J.G. Ballard; artists Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, Mark Rothko, Andy Goldsworthy and Joseph

Bringing Stories

A still frame from The Pedlar Lady of Gushing Cross shows Matthew’s stark style.


t he tides flow in and the tides flow out of the sheltered Secret Cove Marina north of Halfmoon Bay. The docks, a grocery store and a restaurant on the water rise 14

feet on average each day during the summer, then settle down again. It’s a way of life for Scott Rowland and Nicole Hagedorn who live in a float home on the site with their children and are now in their twelfth season of running the family business.

Secret Cove Marina is a mecca for vacationers travelling by ocean. Year-round covered moorage is provided for some sleek yachts and power boats, transient moorage for day trippers, a grocery store that stocks everything from Aspirin to vintage vino for residents of the watery communities in the area, and a 45-seat restaurant open for lunch and dinner six days a week during the season.

“It’s like operating a hotel,” Scott says, “only the guests bring >

by Jan DeGrassphotos by linsey Hulls

Service on the Sea


their own rooms.” Most people stay one night or two days on average. They come from all over: about 60 percent are Canadians and 40 percent from the US or other countries. It’s a natural place to stop overnight on the way from Vancouver to another popular destination, Princess Louisa Inlet. Cottage residents on nearby Thormanby Island also stop in for groceries and to socialize.

“We see a lot of people year after year,” says Scott. “Customers become friends.”

The marina is open from Easter through to Thanksgiving, with about 90 days of very hectic activity. A typical day starts at 7 a.m. with freshly baked bread in the store, then it’s time to take care of the check-out procedure for overnight visitors until a new batch of boaters arrives in the afternoon. Throughout the day the staff attend to customer needs, which might include organizing a shuttle to take boaters to the golf course or to nearby Sechelt for an event. Then it’s a daily round of

maintaining the facility and serving meals until it’s time to cash out at 10 p.m.

It’s a 16- to 18-hour day for Scott and his staff, many of whom are college students who return each year for summer employment. There could be up to eight employees in the summer plus one full-time maintenance person, Scott Brooks, who lives aboard with his wife Linda and keeps an eye on the place when Scott and Nicole are away. The pace is intense until the autumn when the work involves cleaning up after storms and making buying decisions about what to offer in the store: local arts and crafts, marine-related items, books, clothing and gourmet food products.

One of the most difficult jobs is stocking supplies for the store and restaurant since both of the facilities are floating. Groceries arrive by road and each box must be laboriously trundled down the ramp to the dock. That amounts to a ton

of packing, especially for the most popular item – ice.“Once, we went through 600 bags of ice in two days!”

Scott recalls. The restaurant and store could have been located on land, he muses, but it has been more convenient for boaters who are fuelling below to have all of their needs met at one stop. Besides, there would be no right to claim the “Sunshine Coast’s only floating restaurant.”

Chef Peg Montgomery (formerly of Delilah’s in Vancouver) and her business partner, Anne Manning, are in their second year of operating the Upper Deck Café. The menu is west coast with flair, involving seafood and locally grown produce. Montgomery and Manning also run a restaurant in Mexico during the winter months. In one of those small-world situations, several of the boaters who visit Secret Cove travel south with the seasons and have also enjoyed eating at their Mexican café.

Living on-site in an attractive floating home, as Scott and Nicole do, makes it easier to be on hand to cope with problems or to welcome visitors. Their children have never known another home and play happily on the patio surrounded by a sturdy railing.

In the 1950s there was a simple float at Secret Cove and a general store on land. Boaters used this largest of the three arms of the cove for shelter, but it wasn’t as busy a spot as it is today. When Scott and Nicole took it on in 1998 they were newlyweds who needed the financial backing and hands-on support of Nicole’s parents, Blane and Henny Hagedorn. The young couple continued at their full-time jobs for another three years while Blane did a lot of the work.

The families reinvented the marina. “It was stuck in the 1980s’ fishing era,” Scott says, with small slips and not enough moorage for the demand. They rebuilt it, incorporating bigger docks and facilities and it’s now the second-largest marina on the Coast with room for 150 vessels full-time and 30 overnight boats. Covered moorage protects the privacy of the wealthy or well-known clientele who return each year.

Naturally, the marina has a waiting list. But many factors can affect its economics: stormy weather for one, but also the stock market and the strength of the Canadian dollar. In a recession, a boat will be the first luxury item to be sold. That hasn’t stopped Scott and Nicole from putting money into servicing their customers.

“If we do a good job providing service for travellers on their way up the Coast,” Scott points out, “they’ll stop in again on their return.”

It’s been a successful business for the family and one they like. “Boaters, by nature, are great people,” says Scott. E

Service on the Sea Service on the Sea

Scott Brooks, and his wife, Linda, provide full-time maintenance for the marina.

The floating restaurant serves fresh seafood with flair.

Scott Rowland, Nicole Hagedorn. and their young family.

it’s a 16- to 18-hour day for scott and his staff but over the years they have reinvented the marina and built it into the second-largest on the coast.


W hat is a notary public? Most people couldn’t define the role other than to say it’s the person who signs and impresses a seal on a legal document.

Obviously there’s a lot more to the centuries-old tradition than is first apparent. Sechelt notary public Tracy Parker is happy to describe the full range of services that notaries offer and to explain how many years are spent in legal education in order to serve her clients.

Admittedly the duties are a little dry, but when Tracy describes their application to our lives, it’s easier to see the human side.

Real estate transfers and mortgages are the most well known of her services. As a notary, Tracy acts as a legal agent for your home purchase, sale or refinance. She makes sure that you receive the property title that you paid for; she can pay out >

by Jan DeGrassphotos by linsey Hulls

Tracy and assistant, Jane Doe, provide a full range of notarial services.


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mortgages and clear title to property you are selling, act on your behalf with your mortgage lender or insurance agent and will ensure that documents are in order.

All assistance is completely confidential. “This is a small town,” she says. “I make every effort to avoid having clients meet one another at the office door.”

Preparing basic wills or power of attorney documents is also classic notary public work. Other transactions performed by notaries include business asset transfers, travel letters (sworn letters of consent for a child to travel with

a parent or guardian), and the preparation of a covenant on land; for example, a restriction to tree-cutting on your property. Lost your vehicle registration or passport? There are forms for that and a notary can help you through them. Need to swear that you are who you say you are to a foreign jurisdiction? A notary can assist with this too as a notary’s signature is recognized and trusted by foreign governments.

British Columbia is one of the few provinces, along with Quebec, that recognizes notaries, although with limitations. They cannot undertake probate, nor can they advise on family law or other potentially conflicting matters.

The BC Notaries program, taught through Simon Fraser University, is regulated by The Society of Notaries Public of BC. Tracy studied for two and a half years to receive her Supreme Court Commission in 2000, and says that the entire program was horrendously challenging. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” she recalls. “I used to love taking courses but after that – never again.” (In fact, she has had to keep her knowledge fresh; the Notary Society imposes mandatory continuing legal education requirements each year.)

The whole process of becoming a notary is a little like salmon swimming upstream. Typically, 1,800 candidates might apply but few are chosen. Many drop out along the way. In the year that Tracy was commissioned, those who graduated faced the final obstacle in their career path. By law, they could offer their practice in certain regions only – in this case, there could be only two notaries (or two seals) in operation in the Sechelt area. A new notary would either have to wait until someone retired or buy >


although “horrendously challenging,” tracy completed the BC notaries program at sFU, followed by her supreme Court Commission.

an existing practice. Tracy bought in Sechelt and has been operating on Cowrie Street ever since with her legal secretary, Sheila James, in a delightful cottage-turned-office with a comfortable working atmosphere and a garden patio that allows for fresh-air breaks. For many years she shared the space with her dog, Amber, whose canine popularity attracted clients bearing dog biscuits.

In 2009 the former restrictions were lifted and notaries are now free to live and work anywhere in the province. The Notary Society continues to ask that applicants have at least five years work-related experience following their university degree and that they have financial backing to sustain them in their business challenge.

When restrictions were lifted, Tracy began working one day a week, on Wednesdays by appointment, out of her home office in Madeira Park and she is gathering clientele in that area.

“People are loyal to their notaries,” she says. That could be because of the sense of trust that is engendered. Tracy has also taken a special course as a certified seniors’ advisor to administer to her elderly clients.

“They listen; they trust you,” she says and then adds, “Our Society is very disciplined, and ‘conduct unbecoming to a notary’ is reported.” With only 298 notaries in the province, no one wants their professional insurance premiums to climb higher because of one irresponsible practitioner.

A single signature for a notarization costs $25, while the preparation of a simple power of attorney would be closer to $150 and includes advice, document preparation, identification and safekeeping of records.

Real estate transactions can be very stressful, Tracy says, particularly when the market is hopping and transactions must be completed by deadline. But after 10 years in the profession it’s just a part of the business, and she doesn’t let that interfere with her objective of having happy, satisfied clients who will return to use her services whenever the need arises.

The work keeps Tracy busy without much time for community activities. As a wife and mother of five in a blended family, she laughs that her service to the community is concentrating on turning out decent kids. E


tracy finds her work rewarding, her clients trust her and with that trust comes a sense of pride.


t he Tuwanek Hotel and At the Waters Edge Spa might possibly be the Sunshine Coast’s best-kept secret. Situated on Islets Place just north of Sechelt, along a

winding road overhung by the foliage of big-leaf maple, fir and western red cedar in a charming rural landscape, the hotel and spa sit like jewels at the ocean’s edge.

The hotel looks like an elegant beach house with an English-style garden greeting guests. The Waters Edge Spa, nestled slightly below the hotel, gives the appearance of a small beach cottage. But the spa experience is like a breath of fresh air, delighting the senses in its tranquil surroundings.

Owners Krista and Chris Cutlan are warm and inviting hosts. With tanned, smiling faces they make their guests feel at home in a place that holds much history for them. As a child in the sixties, Krista spent enchanting summers in the Tuwanek area, where her family owned a cottage. On weekends, her dad would fly in from the city to visit his vacationing family. After she met >

by pat Wengerphotos by ingeborg suzanne

At The Waters Edge Spa, clients can relax under the skilled hands of Jane Doe.

Jewels at Ocean’s Edge


Chris, they too spent weekends at the cabin, visiting frequently as a respite from their high-stress lifestyles.

“We both worked in businesses people love to hate,” laughs Krista. She was a dental assistant and Chris held a high-profile position as a marketing manager with Esso. Juggling city living, a career and motherhood proved challenging for Krista, and Chris’s life had become a cycle of airplanes, hotels, restaurants and meetings. He was away from home 180 days of the year. “On weekends, I’d feel like hot dogs for dinner after eating in restaurants all week,” he says. “I wanted to spend time at home.” But Krista, after cooking at home with the kids all week, says, “I’d want to go out, enjoy nice dinners.”

Yearning for a lifestyle change, the Cutlans semi-retired in 1997. The Sunshine Coast proved to be a great place to raise their girls, Lisa and Katelyn. They envisioned becoming business owners, but it had to be something fun. Familiarity with the area’s history as a vacation destination for celebrities and city professionals influenced the couple’s decision to establish a bed and breakfast facility. “We knew absolutely nothing about B&Bs, though,” Krista chuckles.

The couple purchased the waterfront property at Tuwanek in 2002. A lot of work went into the terraced construction of the land but the gem now known as the Tuwanek Hotel finally emerged in 2005.

Chris designed the accommodations to resemble a rustic Old World inn. Inspired by the history of Princess Louisa Inlet as an attraction for Hollywood’s stars, Krista created

Ocean’s Edge Ocean’s Edge

Krista and Chris Cutlan.

At Tuwanek, Krista and Chris have found just the lifestyle they had yearned for when working in the city.

Access to the waters of Sechelt Inlet keeps the Cutlans active and fit.

themed suites such as The African Queen, Casa Blanca and Bogey’s Beach Suite. All are tastefully decorated with king-sized, canopied beds, wood-burning fireplaces and claw-footed bathtubs. Private verandas offer serene ocean views and spectacular sunsets.

Wildberry Cottage, Creekside Log Cottage and the Tree House Cottage – extremely popular – are all self-contained. Accommodation includes a full two-course hot breakfast served in-suite and features an oceanfront hot tub, fire pit and barbecue.

Terraced below the lodgings are patio areas where a lovely gazebo sits, furnished with lounge chairs. The Club Room has a movie theatre, games room – with pool table – and small business centre. For outdoor enthusiasts, scuba diving, hiking, sea kayaking and golf are abundantly available. Winter weather permitting, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are accessible just minutes away at Tetrahedron Provincial Park.

Established in 2007, At the Waters Edge Spa is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week, and is not only for hotel guests. The setting is perfect for locals and the array of experiences is tantalizing: warm stone massages, wraps, facials, pedicures, manicures and body scrubs. Eminence Organic, a natural product line from Hungary, is used in the treatments.

The Cutlans love to share all aspects of their creation and joy with others. They delight in meeting people from around the world, some famous, all of them interesting. A

few visitors who have fallen in love with the area are now neighbours.

Recommended by TripAdvisor as one of the Best Places to Kiss in the Northwest, the Tuwankek Hotel has great reviews. One guest was so impressed that when she recalls her holiday she thinks of “sitting on our private balcony in fluffy white bath robes… drinking coffee… surrounded by the ocean and lush greenery looking down to watch the resident bald eagle having his breakfast on the beach.”

The Cutlans’ philosophy is to offer a casual, relaxed environment, so that people “come as guests and return as friends.” They consider their lifestyle, new neighbours and returning guests as the best measure of their success. E

the Cutlans knew nothing about B&Bs when they embarked on their tuwanek Hotel endeavour. Despite the hard work, they don’t regret a moment.

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