Taking it slow in Cowichan Bay
If you’re heading up Vancouver Island this weekend, you might want to slooow down at Cowichan Bay. This small seaside community on the Island’s southeast coast is North America’s first certified Cittaslow—Italian for “slow city.”
To qualify as a Cittaslow and join an international network of like-minded communities, Cowichan Bay had to excel in six categories related to quality of life: environmental policy, land use and infrastructure, strength of urban fabric, encouragement of local products, hospitality, and Cittaslow awareness.
“Lots of fundamentals of Cittaslow are already engrained in what Cow Bay does,” commented Cittaslow Cowichan Society president Bruce Stewart in a Cowichan News Leader article. “We actually scored higher than other Cittaslow cities.”
Less than an hour’s drive north of Victoria, the quaint village (pop. about 1,300) has earned a reputation as a food and wine destination in recent years, featuring artisan cheeses, breads, ciders, even old-fashioned ice cream. As writer Brian Payton revealed in our Fall 2006 Destination article “Cowichan Bay,” it is also a place rich in history and outdoor opportunities.
The community will celebrate the Cittaslow designation with an official ceremony this fall.
Info: Cowichan Bay