Media
From the July 2002, Edition of Backpackers News
Reporter: Steven Canning
As I walk down the main street of Alert Bay, it becomes obvious that this north-island town is decidedly un-alert. Two cars are parked in the middle of the street while their drivers chat, totally unaware of the cars lining up behind them. However, no one honks a horn or looks angry at the delay. The town seems to be on a different schedule than the rest of the world. Most of the buildings have been basically unchanged for fifty years. They hug the coast, many of them on stilts over the ocean. They're brightly painted, but peeling and moss grows thick on the roofs of many of the older buildings.
"Day to day life in Alert Bay has largely been unaffected by tourism", says Scott Bonner, owner of Midnight Sun Adventure Travel. "It hasn't seen any significant change in fifty years, since the second world war."
Although the town hasn't changed much in fifty years, its residents have. At the end of town, an old brick building, the tallest on the waterfront, leers over the ocean. This is the old residential school. Native children were once forced to attend school here, and banned from practicing their culture. Now, with the paint peeling and lawn still brown from winter, the building stands as a grizzled reminder of the past. However, in 1955 a law banning traditional First Nations ceremonies was lifted. Since then, local culture has been coming back. Now, this building that seems to represent the suppression of First Nations culture, has been reclaimed by local artists. In the basement of the building, seven carvers share a studio where they produce some of the most amazing work on the coast. The door is open and they welcome me into their studio.
"You have to find what you were put on this earth for and go for it," says, Bruce Alfred, one of the carvers, as he works on a carving. He passionately tells me how the community is trying to hold onto their culture and how they are succeeding. "Alert Bay is the Mecca," he says of Northwest Coast art. "We are reviving the language; I'm in a dance group."
Suddenly Alert Bay seems less sleepy. Beneath the quiet exterior, these people are driven.
The guest house operated by Midnight Sun was once the United Church for the island. The fact that it is now rented out during potlatches and dance ceremonies shows the change that has occurred in the town. It sits on the waterfront on the main street of Alert Bay and serves as a warm and homey base for exploring the town and the ocean surrounding the area.
The town also seems to be waking up to the potential for amazing wilderness experiences surrounding the town. Alert Bay is also known as "the home of the killer whale." The area surrounding the island is world famous for the large groups of killer whales that gather to rub their bellies on the beaches of smooth pebbles in Robson Bight. Dave Towers, owner of Seasmoke Whale Watching uses a sailboat to sail with the whales at Robson Bight. This is a unique way to experience killer whales and seems to be in line with Alert Bay s laid-back atmosphere.
A great way to immerse yourself in the local culture is to paddle a traditional native canoe with Jackson of Waas Eco-Cultural Adventures. Jackson is a living encyclopedia of the history of the area and will interpret ancient village sites or organize traditional dances.
The Broughton archipelago and Johnstone Strait also offer some of the best sea kayaking around Vancouver Island. There are miles of coastline, uncrowded waters, marine protected areas and lots of wildlife.
Alert Bay's sleepy exterior reflects a slower way of life. It's not that the town isn't exciting and vibrant, it s just not over-hyped. "Alert Bay is for people who want to get away from the neon lights and chain malls and restaurants and really have an interest in the community. You feel all of a sudden that you've joined the community, and it happens very quickly," says Scott Bonner. "It's very easy not to be a tourist in Alert Bay."
Alert Bay accommodation on North Vancouver Island