National Network for Equitable Library Service

The ghost of a scuba diver who still haunts the former British Columbia powerhouse where he met his death. An Alberta theatre where entities have been seen, heard, and even felt so often that it deserves to be called one of the most haunted sites in North America. The spirit of a dapper young man who is willing to share the second floor of a Saskatchewan museum—as long as the employees don’t linger after working hours. The ghostly nun who still occupies the third floor of a former Manitoba convent and has a strange way of making her presence known.

Join beloved storyteller Anny Scoones as she sets out to discover the quaint and quirky charms of Victoria, BC. Not just a book of facts, Hometown is a gentle stroll through a diverse region with a fascinating and layered history. Observe, pause, ponder, and have what Anny likes to call “a little think” on the various characteristics and personalities of these areas. Consider not only how public art, beach creatures, monuments, heritage and historical features create a neighbourhood and contribute to a larger city, but also how they make us feel, how they move us.

Roderick L. Haig-Brown welcomes us onto his lush farm for a year of insights and observations. In this eloquently written account, Haig-Brown, his wife Ann and their four children tour us through each season, and teach us the ways in which the Earth governs the events in our lives. Haig-Brown observes salmon, blue grouse, blacktail deer and robins, with a soft eye and gentle appreciation for their trials. He discerns how the weather interacts with the land, and how the land interacts with our attempts at civilization.

It’s no secret that Canadians love beer, and in the western provinces, the large number of successful microbreweries continues to prove that distinct beer—high-quality beer—is important to our national pint-lovers. Beer Quest West is for homebrewers and beer aficionados alike: this is your guide to the best of the west. Alberta and British Columbia are host to over seventy microbreweries, and that number is increasing every year.

Frances Barkley was just eighteen when she became the first European woman to set foot on the west coast of North America. After a sheltered upbringing in England, Frances found herself boarding the Imperial Eagle in 1786 to set sail on an adventurous, round-the-world voyage with her husband, Captain Charles William Barkley.

For well over a century, the bright seas of the Sunshine Coast have been attracting visitors to the waterfront resorts, fishing lodges and beaches that rest between Howe Sound and the spectacular Princess Louisa Inlet. These coastal hotspots and communities were settled by a few courageous and daring pioneers whose names are still familiar today: Gibsons, Roberts, Whitaker, Donley, Silvey, Griffiths.

In 1845, Sir John Franklin set off from England to locate and chart the elusive Northwest Passage. He and his crew of 129 men never returned. Over the following decade, forty expeditions were launched in an effort to establish the fate of the missing men. But it wasn’t until 1854 that traces of their demise were discovered along the western shore of King William Island. However, without proof, Franklin’s wife, Lady Jane, refused to believe that her husband was dead. And so, in 1857, she sponsored a final expedition.

The West Coast has an abundance of produce and natural food resources, and some of the most talented and influential chefs in the world. In this colourful cookbook, British Columbia's top restaurateurs, chefs, and foodies share signature dishes that will inspire cooks everywhere. Meet the province's well-known and up-and-coming culinary stars as they reveal recipes and stories from their kitchens. Inspired by the popular television program Flavours of the West Coast, the cookbook aims to support the farmers, chefs, and food producers who make the local food scene possible.

Who was this skipper, this mother, this writer? These questions motivated Cathy Converse to re-trace the route of famous pacific seafarer M. Wylie Capi Blanchet, and write a biography in the process. Widowed in 1926, Blanchet cruised the coast with her five children and their dog in a 25-foot boat that had been rescued from the seafloor. The Curve of Time, Blanchet's resulting book, remains a bestseller and a classic in the annals of nautical literature, but little is known about the rest of her life.

Ghost stories from Canada’s most haunted city, including tales from iconic sites such as the Empress hotel, Hatley Castle, and Ross Bay Cemetery. Beautiful, charming Victoria is world renowned for its seaside attractions, flourishing gardens, and breathtaking ocean views. But looming behind its picture-perfect façade is a city shrouded in mystery, with restless, disembodied beings that whisper ghastly tales of mystery, violence, and horror. Known as British Columbia’s most haunted city, Victoria is teeming with a plethora of spirits.