WHO IS SEED?
WHAT IS SEED
Join SEED and be part of a cooperative of neighbours who decide together on how we want our neighbourhood to look and feel, and then who work making it happen! Our boundaries lie within 5th and 7th street, Park Ave and Victoria Rd. As a cooperative we work with the city, Snuneymuxw Nation, the school district, and other stakeholders. We are based on the principles of caring for the land, caring for those who live here, and sharing the benefits of working together.
BENEFITS
As a cooperative we have sway in the decisions affecting our neighborhood at different government levels. We can apply for grants, organize ourselves to improve community resilience, infra-structures for emergency preparedness, food security, communication all to create a stronger sense of safety and care. We work with the city, Snuneymuxw Nation, the school district, and other stakeholders.
PRINCIPLES & VALUES
We are based on the principles of caring for the land, caring for those who live here, and sharing the benefits of working together.
SEED Board Visioning Workshop 2025
Grace Boutlier
Who are you (professionally or personally)?
My name is Grace and by a huge stroke of good fortune I ended up purchasing a home in the neighborhood in 2019. I work as a community occupational therapist in the public healthcare system. I identify as a cyclist, but am probably more of a taxi driver lately….I value neighbors supporting one another, keeping life affordable and protecting our beautiful natural environment.
What’s something unique you bring to the board?
As an OT, I am extremely passionate about making low barrier community spaces accessible for everyone to enjoy. I am committed to lending my voice to improve transportation initiatives in the area, including advocating for safer pedestrian and cycling access along the school corridors for able bodied people as well as for individuals who rely on mobility aids and devices and those with sensory impairments and challenges.
What’s one thing you love about this community?
This neighborhood is such a force of goodness in the world! I feel so lucky to be part of a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens with a vision to make meaningful changes that will benefit so many. I look forward to the many social gatherings, work parties, and potluck campfire singalongs that bring us together in mission and fellowship.
THE BEGINNINGS OF SEED
The beginnings of S.E.E.D started when seeds were sown throughout the neighborhood, literally.
And from them, big sunflowers bloomed.
Fruit trees began sprouting up along the rail road tracks.
MyCDC Cooperative helped plant a food forest around Bayview School. Then, a special birthday boy celebrated his 65th birthday and planted 9 fruit trees along the street, followed by the Khalsa Aid Society donating another 22 fruit trees to create another food forest.
Neighbors began talking; talking around fires, around kitchen tables, in the school field. They wanted more!
Bigger dreams started to seed, which seeded the need to start S.E.E.D. the South End Ecological Development. We are now on our way to forming a formal Cooperative, to provide structure for our visions to materialize. We like to say we are becoming a legitimate Agrihood – a food abundant neighborhood. We are striving to become an Urban Ecovillage within the next decade. For now, we are tending food forests, caring for the Catstream, organizing community events, and making our neighborhood a rocking place to live!
Les Malbon
My name is Les Malbon. I live on Columbia St. This is my second year on the SEED board. I am on the Education Committee and part of the Work Party Team for revitalizing the Agri Hood. I have been a professor for many years at VIU in the Kinesiology program. My academic interests include Human Wellness, Nature Education and Human Spirituality. My motivation to serve on the board stems from the desire to live in a vital connected community that supports the next generations to come. As a permaculturalist I fully see the value of working with nature to maximize harmony with all living things.I was raised in the Harewood area and appreciate the concerted effort of the neighbourhood in making it a joyful nurturing place to call home.
Shelby Drope
Coming soon…
SEED Neighbourhood Cooperative
In November 2023 we started a not-for-profit community service cooperative to enhance our ways of organizing neighbourhood activities.
WHO IS ON THE BOARD IN 2025
Grace Boutilier, Les Melborn, Tracy Vandermolt, Michael Geselbracht, Becky Thiessen (resigned), Shelby Drope,
Jenni (pronounced Yenni) Ottilie Keppler, Cait Lepla.
Board term goes until November.
WHAT ARE THE COMMITTEES /
WORKING GROUPS &
THEIR COORDINATORS
Land Care Committee |
Shelby, Michael, Les, Grace
Education / Indigenization |
Les, Michael
Communications / Neighbour Relations |
Jenni, Cait
Library of Things (LoT) / Tool Share |
Cait, Tracy
Culture / Events/Art |
Grace, Michael
Grants / Governance / Planning / Finance |
Tracy, Cait
Treasurer
Tracy
GET IN CONTACT
BECOME A CO-OP MEMBER!
To sign up as a member you have to live within the geographic area outlined on the map. If you do, then please fill in this Membership Signup Form. The membership fee is 5–15$/year and can be paid through E-transfer to seedncoop@gmail.com or talk to Tracy.
Donations outside of memberships are always welcome, too!
Tracy Vandermod
I have lived in several places around Nanaimo and across Canada, but when we moved to Princess Street four years ago I knew this was it. I joined the board to help keep this unique mix of community, neighborliness, green space, and “real life” going. While I do a lot of admin work in my day to day job, I wanted to put these skills to better use on the SEED board. You’ll find me out on the field with my two little boys, walking in the Cat Stream, or working in our garden.
Cait Lepla
What is your name and your current role on the board?
My name is Caitlin and my role is primarily split between the Library of Things borrowing network and the Communications team. I also help out with grant-writing and workshop facilitation.
What is your professional background or area of expertise?
I’m a Product Designer in the tech sector, so I design software and give the blueprints to engineers to build it. I have lived and worked all across Canada, as well as Australia, Sweden and France. I have a certificate in permaculture, and like to keep one foot in the soil and the other in innovation. Currently I’m doing a Masters in Business (MBA).
Why did you join the co-op board or what motivates your involvement?
I love to create infrastructure that will make people happier and healthier over time. As a returning Islander, I want to bring what I’ve learned from other places to improve the “happiness index” and quality of life we have in Nanaimo.
Jenni Ottilie Keppler
My name is Jenni pronounced Yenni. I live on Princess Street and moved to the neighbourhood in 2022. I hope to contribute to a more fluid communication channels within the SEED as well as find forms of governance. My heart is invested in creative ways of community building while connecting with nature. My professional background is social and visual art, working as a visual scribe where I do live graphic recordings during conferences, gatherings, meetings. You can find more about me and my work here: www.ottilie.cc
Michael Geselbracht
Coming soon…