by Matthew Coutts | Aug 3, 2026 | From Our President
I’m writing this on a park bench in downtown Vancouver, surrounded by people and feeling completely anonymous. It’s mid-July. We came into the city to visit family and catch a game. I’d been staring at large screens at a busy brewpub in a quickly-gentrifying downtown...
by Matthew Coutts | Jun 30, 2026 | From Our President
I’m writing this shortly after running the inaugural Pender Pursuit trail race and taking part in the Pender Island Foundation’s first Walk for Wellness in late June. I’ll do my best not to dwell on the aches and pains and instead focus on the immeasurable good that...
by Matthew Coutts | Jun 4, 2026 | From Our President
Something always seems to be happening on Pender Island, and sometimes it can feel like those things have been happening forever. Traditions dating back to when Pender was only known as SDÁ,YES, others established with one wave of settlers or another. The Pender...
by Matthew Coutts | Apr 30, 2026 | From Our President
Good Morning, Pender Island! It is a distinct pleasure to watch Pender Island wake up from its winter slumber. As the sun stays longer and the air gets warmer, so too do the hiking trails become more attractive, the shops and markets more active, and the hubs that...
by Matthew Coutts | Mar 30, 2026 | From Our President
I had a very Pender moment last month while my family was preparing to leave the island for Spring Break. After the standard prepping and packing and re-packing (not to mention the last-minute debate about which morning ferry to target), it was time for me to drop my...
by Matthew Coutts | Mar 2, 2026 | From Our President
This was going to be a message about beginnings. About fresh starts and exciting paths forward. It still will be, but I must admit that the month of February took its toll. The tragedy in Tumbler Ridge – a community of comparable size and scope to the one I recently...
