The Village of Cumberland

The Village of CumberlandBy Heather Colman

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HistoryCumberland was founded in 1888 after the discovery of coal.Coal mines were set up and the town grew quickly.A significant piece of the history here would be the China town that developed in Cumberland.The Chinese population in the 1800s in Cumberland was the largest Chinese settlement in North America aside from San Francisco. They largely worked in the mines.The last of the mines closed in the 1960s.

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Cumberland was originally a coal mining city

Today there are reminders all over Cumberland of its mining heritage

Cumberland how it fits in

It is known as the Village of Cumberland.It is a part of the Comox Valley, the Comox Valley includes Courtenay (where I live), Comox, Black Creek, Merville, Union Bay, Royston and Fanny Bay.The population of the Comox Valley is roughly 60,000.The landfill for the Valley is in Cumberland (it is a large source of revenue). Primary Building Block.Drinking water for the Valley is also largely provided by Cumberlands Comox Lake.

Now Cumberland is A quieter place with a population of roughly 3000The economy no longer relies upon the mines. The demographics show that Cumberland is young. The median age here is 38 years old.Major employers arent found in Cumberland, most people travel to either to Courtenay/Comox or Alberta.Three major groups of population in the Village, according to Mayor Leslie Baird.

When I was speaking with Cumberlands mayor, Leslie Baird, I learned the average age of person here is 38 years old.The average age of a person living in the Comox Valley (according to Statistics Canada ) is 53.9.The average age of a person living in BC is 41.9 years of age.

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Cumberlands Population is comprised of 3 groups

Cumberland is not interested in coal mining again (for now).There are talks to try and open up a coal mine however the Village of Cumberland is not interested. A recent National Post I found when researching my community showed how outside interests will decide that they know what is best for a community without taking the time to listen first.Cumberland is not reliant on fossil fuels anymore which brings me to the strengths that I see in this community.

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Strengths and Capacity

Community assets

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CommunityHeritageTight knit community They promote community in many ways. Small community! People say hello on the streets!Many opportunities for getting together: lots of cafes and restaurants, amazing parks (more on that soon), recreation centre that is top notch, fantastic venues for music, and the schoolAnnual festivals: Cumberland Empire Days, Taiwanese Lantern Festival, yearly music festivals, and more

The Wandering Moose cafe

The Wandering Moose Caf is located in the Post Office building. It is just one of several places to catch a bite to eat.

Funky Little ShopsCumberland is home to some very unique stores:The Patch (fabulous consignment)Polka Dot Pants (clothing)Dark Side ChocolatesDelphine Flowers and GardenThe Rusty RoosterSeeds Natural Food MarketThe Cumberland Village Bakery

There are no big box stores here.

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The Patch Big store

I dont mind the drive to come shop at The Patch. It is a delightful consignment shop. The store is very old ,the floors are wooden and they creak as your wander your way through.

A little taste of heaven-donuts from the Cumberland BakeryStill warm it took self control to snap a photo before I ate it. This is a primary building block. Seriously.

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Cumberland Health Care Centre

Includes private surgical clinic.There is also a residential care facility for elderly people. There are 66 beds and it is publically funded.

The ArtsCumberland Village WorksProduced The Big Time Outs (live music events that brought 2000+ people out to Cumberland each time). De La SoulKaNaan (Juno Award Winner)Sam RobertsDelhi 2 DublinKuba OmsAnd so many more

Kuba Oms (go find his music!!)After watching, and listening, to Kuba perform at the Big Time Out, I fell in love with his music. I have seen Kuba several times since and he was kind enough to give me tickets to a show he did last summer in Campbell River. Im slightly star struck in this photo. As a little plug for Comox Lake (in Cumberland), Kuba camps there every chance he gets.

After watching, and listening, to Kuba perform at the Big Time Out, I fell in love with his music. I have seen Kuba several times since and he was kind enough to give me tickets to a show he did last summer in Campbell River. Im slightly star struck in this photo. As a little plug for Comox Lake (in Cumberland), Kuba camps there every chance he gets.18

Epic Musicians! Delhi 2 Dublin, or D2D, I also discovered at the Big Time Out in 2008. I have seen them many times since then and I have bought all of their albums.(hint) go find them on iTunes!!

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The Big Time Out 2008

The Big Time Out at Night

Cumberland Village Works also arranges music for the Best Little Pub (by my vote).This is the Waverly Pub

Another picture of the waverly Pub yes, it warrants two photos!Weekly live musical performance by world class musicians. Excellent sound and they have a very friendly atmosphere.

Cumberland Community School societyPrimary building block, connected to the school, a secondary building block.

Before I did this project, I hadnt heard of the Cumberland Community School Society. This society exemplifies what we should be striving for in our communities. They have opened up (very recently) a youth drop in centre for younger teens with plans to include the older teens in the upcoming months.The society offers many free programs for the community, including a healthy lunch program, fitness classes, biking classes, massage, and employment skills.The society is connected with the Cumberland Community School and operates largely out of the school but they have their own board.

The Library

Its nice and modern inside the library. When I poked my head in, I saw several people enjoying the library.

Churches

RecreationComox Lake Campground and Park is a beautiful place that is popular for swimmers, campers, and boaters. The scenery is breathtaking and the coffee they serve at the concession (after a night of tent camping) is like the nectar of the gods. Comox Lake is also the main water source for the Comox Valley.Cumberland Recreation CentreBMX ParkMountain BikingHiking

Village Park

Fun park and it has the bouncy rubber material which makes it even better for the little ones.

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More of Village park

Destination for camping

This is photo I took while camping at Comox Lake. Comox Lake is a popular place for camping, swimming, hiking, and boating.

Another view of the lake

Hiking (or biking) the trails of Cumberland

It is truly magnificent out here.

Cumberlands Recreation Centre

It is an older building but well utilized by the community. There is a fantastic climbing wall inside that is very popular . In front of the recreation centre, you might be able to see the rough road. This leads me into the challenges Cumberland faces.

The challenges Cumberland facesRoom to Grow

The challenges Reputation of being a rougher areaNo high schoolNo grocery storeTraditional social services are not in the communityMajor employers are not within the communityLack of police presenceRough roads

Rough roads ahead

Cumberlands roads are in dire need of some maintenance. This is supposed to be happening soon. It does appear in the budget, so here is hoping!

Lack of Police Presence

Due to the low population in Cumberland, they dont pay for policing. The police come when called but that can take a while. This becomes and issue when there are situations requiring a quick police response. It is over 10 kilometres from Courtenay where the RCMP are stationed.

Employment isnt going to be here

Most employment is found in Courtenay, Comox or even Alberta. It is about 10 km away from Courtenay but a bit far to cycle or walk.

Social Services

Not in CumberlandThis is a definite issue. I sat down with Cumberlands mayor and I asked her about this specifically. The Village is in the process of applying to a provincial program to get some services in Cumberland. The Village will provide free office space to ministry offices in order to facilitate services coming to Cumberland.A vulnerable person needing services right now would have to get on a bus or get a ride from someone in order to access traditional social services that are all located in Courtenay (10km away) or Comox (15 km away).

Grocery stores are all located in other communities.Like the social services, this is an issue that I would assume would be an issue for vulnerable populations in Cumberland. For someone with money and a vehicle, making the trek to the grocery store isnt a huge deal.

It also adds to the general expenses per month having to drive a distance in order to purchase food.

Cumberland has/had a bad reputationHard to measure but it is there. I grew up in the Comox Valley and Cumberland has carried with it a reputation of being rough. It was the place people joked about although I dont hear it as much now.My mother, who was born there, didnt like telling people where she was born as it wasnt deemed to be a good place.These are hard things to shake, especially with the older generations. My hope is that this is a thing of the past. With more digging, I am hoping to get a better idea of what the bias is like now.

High schoolsOn the bus with you Unfortunately Cumberland doesnt have the population to have its own high school. This means the kids need to leave their community after the 9th grade. They go by bus to Courtenay (that would add an easy half hour on either side of their school day).

Weighing out the strengths and challenges:I have really enjoyed getting to know Cumberland a little bit better. In speaking with residents and politicians, Id consider moving there. The sense of community is what brings it all together for me. The incredible music that comes to Cumberland regularly is a draw for me as well.I have 3 teen daughters though and wouldnt relish the thought of sending them to another community to go to school.

CitationsInterview with Mayor Leslie Baird on April 1, 2015Statistics Canada. 2012.Cumberland, British Columbia (Code 5926014) and Comox Valley, British Columbia (Code 5926)(table).Census Profile. 2011Census. Statistics Canada Catalogueno.98-316-XWE. Ottawa. Released October24,2012.Hopper.T. (2015, February 15). In B.C.s 19th century coal mining epicentre, residents push hard against plans for a new coalmine. National Post Retrieved from http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/opposition-mounts-to-block-new-b-c-mine-as-town-shuns-its-coal-mining-heritage