I’m writing this during a power outage, an experience befitting the winter issue of British Columbia History magazine. I’ve spent most of my life in rural areas where power outages are often measured in days, and we predict when electricity will be restored based on past experiences—far from a scientific method. Stories about the 2018 windstorm on Vancouver Island or the legendary “Blizzard of ’96” are entertaining but rarely a useful estimate of how long it will take BC Hydro to repair damaged power lines.
During the “Blizzard of ’96,” I was a first-year university student, living at home in Extension, a small rural community ten kilometres south of Nanaimo. Our power was out for the better part of a week, and the waistdeep snow was far more than South Coast residents were prepared to manage. The “Blizzard of ’96” became a core memory in my family and a shared regional experience for people who were caught in the storm.
Collective experiences, connections, and personal stories infuse the books profiled in this issue.
Possessing Meares Island: A Historian’s Journey into the Past at Clayoquot Sound by Barry Gough (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2021) $36.95
In June 2022, I interviewed Barry Gough about his award-winning book, Possessing Meares Island. Our conversation left me energized by the impact his work has had on communities and public history. Here is an excerpt from our discussion.
Aimee Greenaway: Possessing Meares Island is based on research that spans much of your
