“These people should be relaxing in their senior years and not worrying about missiles coming in or, you know, no heat, no hydro, no water,” McKay says. “These people shouldn’t be going through that, but every war does this, right?”

The Campbell Riverite volunteers with an evacuation crew in Ukraine run by a group called East SOS. The group goes to the front in the eastern part of the country under occupation by Russian forces, evacuates people from small towns and villages and puts them on trains to safer areas of Ukraine.

Helping them off the bus after they’ve spent hours fleeing the Russian war machine leaving behind their homes and all their possessions in the towns and villages of the eastern Ukraine, McKay is moved by the elderly in particular.

“I was helping this elderly lady, she was very old and very little, and we had all of her bags in a pile, and she moved like 10 feet, and went back and forth with her bag,” McKay says. “And I was trying to figure out what she was doing. So she moved 10 feet, moved the bags, moved 10 feet, moved the bags … And at first it was a bit irritating, but I realized that those bags were everything she owned. That was, that was all she had now. So she was very protective of her life and those plastic bags. So seeing, you know, an 85 or 90-year-old person, when their life has just been boiled down to like, five plastic bags. It’s pretty tough to watch.”

McKay is currently in Ukraine, the ninth time he’s been there since retiring and deciding that he wanted to help the country after it was invaded by the Russian military in February 2022. This is his second trip this year, going over earlier in September. He has done a variety of jobs during his visits, but this time he is working directly with evacuees, something he had hoped to do right from the start.

“My goal when I first went over there was work on an evacuation crew,” he said. “And so, after seven trips, I made it on the evacuation crew.”

He is working with a group called East SOS in Pavlograd. The group is made up of professionals from many avenues of life. They help with busloads of people, like senior citizens or young families.

A lot of the evacuees have mobility issues and need assistance getting on and off the buses and moved to trains.

“It’s pretty tough work but it’s helping mobility challenged people. Whatever we can do. We’ve got carrying aids, we’re carrying seats and wheelchairs and stretchers and we load them up as we can and get them on their way.”

The transfer points are right in the face of the war.

“It’s getting hit by Kinzhal missiles and drones pretty well every day. Yeah, it’s active, very, very noisy but I’m working with a good crew. They’re awesome.”

McKay acknowledges the physicality of the work but says it’s probably more emotionally demanding. The psychological impact often hits you later.

“It’s not scary at the time but then when you come home and you digest it, that’s when you start. That’s when it creates a little bit more of a frightening feel to it.”

On a recent trip, he was on a train when somebody fired an exploding round into it.

“It came through probably 20 feet away from me and blew up in the train hall, right? Like right in front of us … It didn’t register until a couple days later.”

McKay draws inspiration from the people he works with. He’s worked with Ukrainian Patriot in the past and through the connections he’s developed over the last four years, he’s joined up with East SOS.

“I’ve made some amazing contacts and I tell you, the people I’ve met are just (incredible), it’s probably the biggest impact on my life. I’m 61 years old and the last four years has been pretty, pretty huge in my development and experiences in life.

“So these are people that love their life, value their life, but they also risk it by helping others. And they’re not looking for, you know, glory, or, you know, (to be) a hero … they’re just doing it because they know what’s right, and they’re available to do it. And I think some people have a thicker skin. They can deal with some of this tough stuff.”

McKay has written a book about his experiences and it reflects his feelings towards his compatriots. It’s entitled “My Time With Heroes” and he will donate the proceeds from the book to Ukraine. (Find it on Amazon or email darrellontheisland@gmail.com)

He hopes to keep the conflict in people’s minds and drive support towards the country. He’s proud of Canada’s role in the conflict and notes that Ukrainians love Canadians.

“(When) they know I’m Canadian, right away that door opens up.”

McKay believes he’s on the right side of history and he’s still fit and able so he’ll keep doing this for a while. But the plight of the elderly is a particular motivation for him.

“I think my weakness is seeing the old people. Yeah that definitely weighs heavy with me. Seeing the old people go through this. I met a 94-year-old lady. She was in a refugee center and I came back seven months later and she was in the same refugee center. So you know, she’s spending the last of her days, you know, in a room for 15 people, bunking down at night with everybody, rather than in her pretty little home.”

The Sirens’ rookie defender opened the scoring during the first five minutes of the game, making it 1-0 for the Sirens. Sirens, Sarah Fillier increased their lead with a goal in the last two minutes of the first period.

Less than a minute into the second period, Sirens Paetyn Levis scored. Ten minutes later, Sirens Kristin O’Neil scored, making it 4-0.

The Vancouver Goldeneyes responded in the third with Sophie Jaques scoring in the fifth minute of the third period. Several minutes later, Siren’s player Kristyna Kaltounkova scored, making it 5-1 for the Sirens.

Sirens Head Coach Greg Fargo said, “I thought we did a much better job tonight. In a lot of areas, but especially around their net. We haven’t been around the net in a long time, but now we know enough that if you want to score, that’s where you’ve got to go. I just think, in other words, those goals were just kind of creating some chaos in or around the blue paint tonight, I thought our players did a really nice job with that.”

Goldeneyes Head Coach Brian Idalski said the team is still working on establishing its identity.

“We can play a skill game, but we also can get pucks deep and be tough to play against down low, and so what you see is a mish-mash of the two. So, our identity is still being formed, but first and foremost we have to start with being more physical, winning one-on-one battles, and just a consistent compete, not the ebb and flow that we’re getting shift to shift.”

This was the second game the Goldeneyes have lost on the road, after losing 5-1 to the Ottawa Charge on Wednesday (Nov. 26).

Sarah Nurse was out of the Goldeneyes lineup for the second game in a row after an upper-body injury.

Vancouver’s next game is on Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. PT against the Boston Fleet.

The PWHL entered its third season on Nov. 21 with its original six teams: Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Minnesota Frost, Boston Fleet, and New York Sirens, along with the two new teams, Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent.

In Canada, Tuesday night games will stream on Prime Video, Wednesday night games will be on TSN, Thursday night games will air on TSN and Sportsnet. Friday, Saturday and Sunday games will air on CBC, TSN, and Sportsnet.

The attack took place Nov. 20 and left four people seriously injured — one adult and three children. The search for bears involved in the attack has been ongoing ever since.

Forensic evidence has ruled out the four grizzlies that have so far been captured by conservation officers, the COS said in a social media statement Friday evening, Nov. 28.

“The BCCOS received results today from a forensics lab, which analyzed evidence from the attack, including animal DNA. None of the captured bears were linked to the attack,” the COS said.

The bears will be relocated within their home range but far from the Bella Coola community in the coming days, with help from wildlife biologists and the provincial wildlife veterinarian.

Meanwhile, the search for any bears involved in the attack goes on.

“The BCCOS continues to support the Nuxalk Nation as the search for any bears involved and investigation continues,” the COS said.

The victims in the attack were among a group of students and teachers who had stopped along a trail near a river in the 4 Mile area when the attack took place. In all, 11 people were injured.

The COS said it had captured the two most recent grizzlies on Thursday, Nov. 27. The first two bears were captured Monday, Nov. 24.

Residents are asked to avoid the 4 Mile area, stay indoors, and refrain from searching for any bears themselves.

“Conservation Officers will continue to monitor bear activity in the Bella Coola area and respond as necessary to ensure public safety.”

Willis released his second book, The Pale Blue Data Point: An Earth-Based Perspective on the Search for Alien Life, on Oct. 30, following up on his 2016 title, All These Worlds Are Yours: The Scientific Search for Alien Life.

The new book draws on his research and global expeditions, from studying hydrothermal vents off the coast of Vancouver Island to searching for ancient fossils in Australia, but Willis says the local perspective is central.

“Living in Victoria, even above the surface, you can’t escape that you live on a living planet that is vibrant and alive,” he said. “But oh my word, once you go into the oceans just one, two, three metres down, it’s just as beautiful and abundant, even more so, in our local waters.”

Willis joined the Ocean Exploration Trust in 2017, expecting trips around the globe.

Instead, his first adventure began in Greater Victoria, in Sidney, heading 200 kilometres off the Island to study deep ocean vents.

“I must admit I was taken aback at that point,” he said. “I thought there was gonna be air tickets and you know something like that, but no, so I took a taxi up to Sidney, joined the ship at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Pat Bay.”

Students in his popular UVic course Search for Life in the Universe (ASTR 201) also shaped the book.

“They’re almost all there because they want to be, they’re out of interest,” Willis said.

“They’re really bright and on the ball, answering the questions they’ve had, have been a lot of inspiration for this whole process.”

He hopes the book inspires the next generation of astrobiologists, emphasizing that the search for life is often microscopic.

“The first life we encounter, especially if it’s in the solar system, it may well be microscopic. It’s gonna be things equivalent on Earth to our single-celled microbes,” he said.

The book blends science and adventure, taking readers on deep sea dives, desert expeditions, and stargazing at mountaintop observatories.

Willis describes it as “Indiana Jones meets Carl Sagan meets David Attenborough,” bringing readers along to experience both the excitement of exploration and the careful work of scientific discovery.

He hopes to leave people with a sense of wonder.

“It’s impossible not to when you’re in the water,” he said. “There’s all the different creatures… some of them, not just the jellyfish, but the comb jellies, when they flash in front of your vision with their iridescent colours and they’re pulsing, you could be in an alien world.”

The book invites readers to explore our single “pale blue data point,” the living planet we call home, and imagine what life beyond Earth might look like.

That’s the Foundry model gaining traction across Vancouver Island and Britih Columbia.

Foundry is a low-barrier integrated health model that sets out to serve youth aged 12 to 24 with access to all health professionals in one place.

“(Foundry) is a drop-in model so it is intended to provide services to youth and families within a timely manner. All services are free and confidential,” said Foundry Comox Valley manager Angie Prescott. It’s an integrated care model, so it really seeks to bring services to young people from across the mental health and wellness spectrum.”

This year, Foundry marks 10 years of operating within B.C. Each Foundry location offers the same integrated model that combines all health services into one building, making access to health care obtainable by those who may not know how else to get the help they need.

“We’ve got primary care, mental health, substance use, peer support, works and education, sexual health, along with other social services, all being offered under one roof,” explained Prescott.

The Comox Valley Foundry opened in June of 2022 and has seen many youth since opening, showing just how important the model is to a community like the Valley.

“In the last year we had about 3,250 visits. The year before it was just a little bit less than 3,200 and so far this year, our fiscal year starts April 1, so in the first six months of this year we have already seen over 1,750 youth,” added Prescott.

Foundry offers referrals to in-house doctors for those who may need more than primary care. While the centre is a drop-in model, once a youth is in the door, the options open up for them.

“You can’t walk off the street and see the psychiatrist but the pathway to see the psychiatrist is to just drop in. You would come in, see one of our doctors or counselors and you talk with them about why you’re feeling like you might need that higher intensity of service or intervention and support and we take care of the pathway and referral,” explained Prescott.

“We have drop in four days a week and when we open the door, typically when you drive down the street you will see the line up, waiting for the door to unlock,” shared Prescott.

Foundry model gets high praise from government officials, such as Josie Osborne, Minister of Health.

“For a decade, Foundry has been a place where young people can find understanding, hope, and connection,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “These centres unite communities to support youth in every aspect of their well-being. As we celebrate Foundry’s 10-year anniversary, we honour the courage of young people who reach out for help, and the dedicated teams who meet them with care and compassion every day.”

There is no cost to youth to access the help at Foundry. The goal is to get youth the support they need without them having to jump through hoops to find the care.

“It’s us creating the circle around the young person and ensuring the services they need are available to them, instead of the young person running around the outside of the circle, trying to figure out which door they’re supposed to be at,” explained Prescott.

Foundry has locations operating or pending in more than 30 B.C. locations. For more on the organization, and the location nearest you, visit their website.

That was the scenario facing the Seaton Sonics and host Vernon Panthers at the B.C. High School Senior Girls AAA Volleyball Championships at the Panther Pit Friday, Nov. 28.

Both teams started play Friday morning in the Round of 16. Vernon and Seaton were in the same part of the tournament’s championship bracket, meaning win Friday morning and they’d face each other for the first time since Nov. 15. That’s when the then-11th seeded Sonics swept the sixth-ranked Panthers at VSS for the Valley title.

Seaton tamed Richmond’s R.A. McMath Wildcats in straight sets, 25-21, 25-22, 25-22, Friday morning at VSS.

Right beside them, the host Panthers, who won their round-robin pool, dispatched the MEI Eagles of Abbotsford 25-7, 25-18, 25-10.

Rematch set.

Before a large, partisan VSS crowd Friday, the Panthers exacted their revenge on their cross-town nemesis, doing to the Sonics what Seaton did to them, sweeping to victory, 25-17, 25-19, 25-22.

The Panthers now draw the tournament’s top seed, the Point Grey Greyhounds of Vancouver, in a Saturday morning semifinal at 10 a.m. at the Panther Pit.

The other quarterfinals were played at Fulton and Kalamalka secondaries, with Surrey’s Holy Cross Crusaders taking on the College Heights Cougars of Prince George, and the Notre Dame Jugglers facing the Crofton House Falcons in an all-Vancouver match.

The Okanagan’s three squads in the 16-team field all advanced to the quarterfinals. The 11th-ranked Valleyview Vikings of Kamloops, who won their round-robin pool, knocked out the York House Tigers of Vancouver 25-21, 25-19, 25-23 to advance to the Elite Eight, where their tournament ended Friday with a loss to Point Grey.

The Sonics can finish no higher than fifth. They will play Valleyview at 8:30 a.m. at Kalamalka Secondary.

The provincial semifinals go at 10 a.m. Saturday at VSS, followed by the bronze-medal game at 1:30 p.m., and the title game at 3 p.m.

SENIOR BOYS A

Vernon Christian School Royals, the second seeds, took on the seventh-ranked Unity Christian Flames of Chilliwack in the quarterfinals in Abbotsford late Friday afternoon.

The Royals won their preliminary round pool, and advanced out of the Round of 16 Friday morning with a 25-20, 25-19, 25-16 win over the 15th-ranked Duncan Christian Chargers.

According to the judgement published on Nov. 27, Norlene Dale White, 66, was sentenced on Oct. 17 in Penticton court after being found guilty in 2024 by a jury of four charges of fraud over $5,000, two charges of use of a forged document and one charge of attempted fraud.

White used her sisters, for whom she was caretaker, in her scheme to defraud the government. She herself was also supported by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction and received benefits from them, including some that were fraudulently claimed.

Out of the total, $72,000 of the fraud was attributed to claims that specialized vehicles were required to transport White’s sisters to medical appointments beyond the normal costs of mileage between 2014 and 2021. Out of the 79 approved requests for Ministry funding for the special vehicles beyond the normal mileage, 75 did not actually use those vehicles.

The second fraud involved claiming moving expenses from Osoyoos to Nanaimo, based on White’s landlord, David Johnson, providing a false letter to submit to the Ministry.

A year later, White claimed expenses for moving her sisters from Osoyoos to Penticton, with Johnson once again providing a letter claiming the home the sisters were living in was slated to be demolished. This time, there was no evidence the Ministry paid the claimed expenses, which led to the attempted fraud charge.

White claimed the sisters had to move a second time, this time from Penticton to Okanagan Falls in 2015, claiming their residence had been sold and claiming $9,660 in expenses.

The last and most extensive fraud, which lasted from 2004 to 2021, involved White claiming support and benefits while failing to inform the ministry that she was living with Johnson, failing to inform the Ministry that they were in a marriage-like relationship and failing to disclose any of his assets.

That led to $261,000 in benefits being disbursed to her by the Ministry over those 17 years.

Defence for White sought to have her receive a two-year conditional sentence that would be served in the community, followed by three years of probation.

A maximum sentence for the fraud was 14 years in jail, with 10 years the maximum for the forged documents.

None of the case-law presented for the sentencing had amounts similar to White’s fraud. The only other one that came close, R. v. Oliynyk from 2002, involved spouses who pleaded guilty to defrauding the Department of Social Services of approximately $157,000.

“As noted, the amount appears to be unprecedented when viewed against other welfare fraud cases,” said Justice Giaschi.

The length of time of the various schemes, the deliberation and planning involved and the use of her sisters in the frauds were also noted by Giaschi as aggravating factors.

After considering the aggravating factors and the mitigating ones, including the letters of support, Justice Giaschi sentenced White to serve a total of three years in jail, which he reduced to 30 months after considering the Crown’s position and White’s age.

Defence had also sought a smaller restitution order than the full $350,000, but Justice Giaschi rejected the claim that paying the full amount would bankrupt her where a $150,000 order would not.

“The very nature of the offences of which she has been convicted means that her assets are hidden and her financial means is unclear,” said Justice Giaschi.

The Justice gave White until April of 2026 to pay the Minsitry of Finance the restitution.

Vitali Stefanski is accused of murdering his ex-wife, Lumby mother Tatjana Stefanski, in April 2024. He appeared in Vernon Supreme Court Wednesday, Nov. 26, for a hearing in which his lawyer requested the change in the location of his trial.

The judge presiding over the hearing granted the move to the Kamloops courthouse on the basis that Vitali would not be able to reasonably participate in his trial if the trial was held in Vernon, according to the BC Prosecution Service.

Vitali’s trial was scheduled to commence in May 2026, and the Prosecution Service says the original trial dates have been preserved. A three-week voir dire, or trial within a trial, will begin on April 13 — the two-year anniversary of Tatjana’s death. The trial proper is set to commence on May 25 and last for five weeks.

Jason Gaudreault, Tatjana’s partner, said he was blindsided by the decision to move the trial. He told The Morning Star he hadn’t been made aware that Wednesday’s court hearing was taking place until minutes before it began. He was even more surprised to learn the court had acquiesced to the demands of Stefanski’s lawyer, Tony Lagemaat.

Gaudreault said he was informed that the trial would be moved because Stefanski is unable to access files related to his trial in Vernon and would be able to do so at the correctional facility in Kamloops, where he is being held. That the trial would be unfair to Vitali if he were unable to take part in it by reviewing files with his lawyer was the reason behind the decision to move the trial, Gaudreault said.

The prevailing precendent in the B.C. court system is to hold trials in the community in which the offence took place.

The decision poses the question: if Vitali’s trial would be unfair because he couldn’t access documents while in Vernon, could any trial located in Vernon be deemed unfair on the same basis?

The relocation of the trial is a frustrating decision for Gaudreault, who said he and his family, as well as likely more than a dozen witnesses, will now have to commute to Kamloops for the lengthy trial.

Gaudreault has tirelessly attended most every hearing in the case to date. He’ll have to drive nearly two hours to Kamloops to do so now.

“I am outraged,” Gaudreault said, while wondering why the court wouldn’t commute Vitali to and from Vernon during the trial instead of having scores of witnesses and family members do the commuting.

He’s incensed by what he called a lack of communication from Crown counsel about the possibility that the trial location could be moved.

“This was a huge impact on Tatjana’s case and they never notified me at all what was happening,” he said.

By the time Vitali’s trial begins in May, it will be roughly two years since he was arrested on a charge of murder. Around that time, it came out that police had released Vitali from custody the day after Tatjana was killed, a decision that sparked fear and anger in the community.

The milk testers collect samples from about 175 dairy herds across B.C. and bring them for testing at the Lactanet Canada’s Pacific Milk Analysis lab in Chilliwack.

“These workers are demanding that Lactanet reconsider how it’s using the fees it charges farmers for testing and cover the actual current-day costs of travelling to farms to gather samples,” said BCGEU treasurer Maria Middlemiss in a release Nov. 28.

The dairy milk testers started this job action on Nov. 25 after being about 26 months without a contract. The union says the they only started withdrawing services after 20 months of bargaining without an agreement on compensation for expenses.

“This work stoppage was a tough decision for us because we’re passionate about the dairy industry and we’re dedicated to the farmers,” said Jack van Dongen, a milk tester, former dairy farmer and chair of the workers’ bargaining committee.

“Many of us milk testers work second jobs to make ends meet,” he added. “We’re not trying to get rich doing this job, but it’s not reasonable or sustainable for us to pay out-of-pocket for travel expenses, especially since that’s not the industry norm.”

They’re seeking increases to the compensation they receive for mileage to offset costs from driving their personal vehicles, sometimes up to 100 kilometres from their home bases. Those costs range from fuel, business insurance, and tires, to maintenance, depreciation and repairs.

The dairy milk testers, also known as dairy production technicians (DPTs), who work for Lactanet are currently paid $0.41 per kilometre. To compare the Canada Revenue Agency uses a $0.72/km rate for work travel when using personal vehicles.

The union says the withdrawal of the milk testers’ services mean that farmers will not receive the data needed to prove the quality of their milk to the BC Milk Board, the body that determines how much the milk is worth and how much revenue the farmers receive.

The are calling on Lactanet to return to the bargaining table.

Lactanet Canada is a national body serving dairy farmers that performs milk analysis, including milk recording and special genetic testing to provide data for herd management.

“Balancing finances on the backs of workers is not a way to help the dairy industry thrive,” said Middlemiss.

The Lactanet milk testers in B.C. voted 89 per cent in favour of strike action on Nov. 18, 2025 and have been working without a contract since Sept. 30, 2023, according to the release.

Lactanet officials have not yet responded to a request for comment.

The Knotty Brew is a unique creation from the mind of Beatriz, who goes by Bea and is taking a big leap from her former career as a teacher.

This cafe combines a love for caffeine and crocheting, with these crafters being one of the fastest-growing communities.

According to a 2025 report by research company Technavio, the worldwide crocheting and knitting market is expected to grow by more than $10 billion (US) between 2024 and 2028.

With such a recent spike in interest, Bea hopes that this is the perfect time to launch her new business venture, which is the first of its kind in all of Canada.

The idea for this unique business was born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is when Bea began exploring the art of crocheting.

“When I started crocheting, I really found this happiness in doing it,” said Bea.

The more that she did it, the more that she began to think that this could be the key to something more than just a fun hobby.

“Throughout my entire life, I’ve always been a big creator and enjoyed creating stuff,” she said. “I felt like I was always in search of my purpose in terms of what my passion is and what I would really enjoy doing with my time and my life.”

It was when she visited another themed coffee shop that she was inspired to turn her newfound love into a full career.

“It kind of clicked in that moment where I realized that it would be so cool to have a creative cafe,” said Bea. “I wanted to create a community where people could come together and create.”

@theknottybrewcafe

Opening Canada’s First Crochet Café

♬ original sound – The Knotty Brew

With the idea of a crochet cafe firmly planted in her mind, she took to the internet to look for other similar venues that could inspire her own creation.

But to her surprise, there were only a handful of other similar places in the world, none of which were located in North America.

The opportunity to create Canada’s first-ever crochet cafe was something that really appealed to her.

It also apparently appealed to the public as well, with Bea and her team receiving a massive amount of positive feedback after announcing the project on social media.

“It’s been mind-blowing how supportive people have been,” said Bea.

“Whenever you’re starting something new, especially when it’s a vision or a dream, it can be kind of scary to bring it out to the public because you don’t know how people are going to react to it.”

In only two months, The Knotty Brew had already amassed more than 11,000 followers on Instagram, 1,900 on TikTok, and 200 on Facebook.

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It’s not just the crocheting community that has been voicing its support, with Bea saying that knitters and other hobbyists are also expressing interest in the new cafe.

While the business is primarily focused on providing products for crocheters right now, Bea said that The Knotty Brew’s doors are open to all types of creatives.

“Right now, we do have some yarn that would be good for knitters, but hopefully in the near future, we’ll be able to provide tools for knitters and expand outwards with other hobbies,” she said.

Another service that The Knotty Brew is looking to add in the near future is themed after-hours workshops, such as sip ‘n stitch nights and movie nights.

The cafe has been looking for the right type of crocheting enthusiasts to lead these workshops, with Bea using her teaching background to help pick the perfect candidates.

“I think it’s so important to have a teacher who can really demonstrate the excitement of creating,” she said.

“A bad teacher can really make you hate the hobby or subject, but if you have a great teacher, you’re going to want to come back and do it again.”

In the meantime, the team at The Knotty Brew is focused on getting everything ready for the grand opening on Sunday, Nov. 30.

The cafe recently held its soft launch, during which it invited a small number of customers in to check out the new space for an hour.

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This time was a major learning experience for the team and allowed them to work out a lot of the wrinkles before the official opening date.

“We’re almost three businesses rolled into one, so the amount of work it’s taken to bring up every single aspect of this business has been a lot,” said Bea.

She hopes that the crochet cafe is welcomed with open arms, not just for her sake or the sake of her team, but also for the other local vendors that the business helps support through the local seller program.

Bea explained that in exchange for a flat fee for the month, local vendors are able to get their products displayed at The Knotty Brew, with 100 per cent of the sales going back to the creator.

Some vendors have already taken advantage of this initiative, with The Knotty Brew having several crocheted purses from a Vancouver creator for sale on day one.

“We pride ourselves on being able to promote other local small businesses so they can also share their talents and get a chance to sell their items,” said Bea.

With the grand opening right around the corner, Bea said she and the rest of The Knotty Brew team are looking forward to welcoming everyone into their unique space starting at 9 a.m. on Sunday. The first 50 customers will even receive a free custom tote bag.

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“We hope to create a community that can come together, be supportive of each other, be positive, and just be excited to learn, create, and craft.”

The Knotty Brew is located at 33723 Essendene Ave. and will be serving customers until 6 p.m. on opening day.