The staff at Copper Coast are fresh of another successful BC Home show - this time in Nanaimo. is always, we would like to thank those who came by the booth to visit, chit chat and learn more about our hidden gem of a project! No matter the visitor - young or old - everyone seems to be getting geared up and excited for the upcoming fishing season.

Besides the excitement surrounding the fishing season there is also a real buzz around the Village of Port Alice. On February 11th of this calendar year, Zhejiang Fulida (China’s largest producer of rayon fabrics) purchased 100% of Port Alice’s Neucel specialty mill which produces a specialty cellulose pulp product. This outright purchase from private equity investors Wellspring Capital doubles the investment by Fulida as they previously owned a 50% stake in the mill. You can read more about the acquisition by clicking here

This bodes well for not only the Village, but for the entire North Island. With global economies rebounding back to firm footing we are seeing more foreign investment and the North Island definitely has it’s share of commodities to offer. Anyone currently experiencing the recent gale force winds on the North Island can attest to the fact that investors looking at wind generation projects are on the right track!!

We sincerely hope February was a great month for you all and have a great March.

Good Day!

Since we are fresh off a great and exciting Chilliwack Home, Leisure & Expo this past weekend we thought we would talk about our experience there as well as touch on some of the frequently asked questions from the show.

Firstly, we would like to take the time to thank all those who visited the Copper Coast booth as we were able to catch up with old friends as well as meet new acquaintances who seemed to share the same excitement about the project. While many folks still think that Port Alice is too far north on the island to develop such a project there were just as many who agreed with us, in the sentiment that it is only a matter of time until similar such developments start sprouting up in the next 5-10 years.
Remember, it was only a short decade ago that people thought real estate in Ucluelet and area would never work…

Secondly, we would also like to thank the organizers (Evergreen Exhibitions - Website Link) of the Chilliwack Expo for putting on a great show as the attendance and atmosphere for all three days was outstanding!! Well done.

Now, a little FAQ time!

The number one questions as it relates to the Copper Coast project was:

1) do they (housing on lots) all have to be the same?

Answer: NO! There are some general guidelines that need to be followed but folks that purchase lots are able to use their own plans and builders as long as they are built within the 3 year window.

2) What kind of fishing and rental packages do you have?

Answer: Entirely up to the customer! Our standard fishing and accommodation package is four nights and three days (8 hours on water) of fishing for $1775 per person. However, we are very flexible and always keep your needs front and center when making our bookings provided it doesn?t interfere with other guests plans. We have the luxury of being able to make changes as necessary as a result of our great relationship with the expert fishing guides in the area.

3) Is the road to Port Alice paved the entire way? This was a question asked quite frequently as many of our booth guests had been to the area, but not for some time?

Answer: Absolutely. The village of Port Alice is situated 30km off of Highway 19 (the main island highway) shortly after you pass Port McNeil. Visitors take the Highway 30 exit off of Highway 19 which again, is fully paved. Although it is 30km off the 19, it will take you a full 30 minutes as it is not only scenic but windy as well!!! From personal experience by the time you hit Highway 30 you are ready to be at your destination but the patience it takes to get to “the Alice” is well worth the wait!!!

We sincerely hope 2011 is going well for all our newsletter readers and have a great February!

We sincerely hope you have had a great holiday season and wish you all the very best in the upcoming year. 2011 should be another exciting year for Copper Coast and the village of Port Alice. Because of ongoing construction to the creek bank adjacent to the vacation home we won’t be booking any rentals until the spring, just in time for another stellar year of fishing on the West side of the island!! Stay tuned for more details!

For those folks on the mainland and island wanting more information or an in person visit we are going to have a booth at several home shows in the New Year. This will be a great opportunity to learn more about the project, the village of Port Alice and the north island in general. The dates and locations of shows we (my son Ryan and I) will be attending are listed below, click on the home show name for a link:

January 28th-30th - Chilliwack Home Show

February 25th-27th - Nanaimo Home Show

April 8th-10th - Comox Home Show

April 15th-17th - Victoria Home Show

If you are in the neighborhood please stop by and say hello as we are always excited to chat about what is happening at Copper Coast!!

Again, have a great 2011 and enjoy any festivities you might have planned to bring in the New Year.

After an eventful October here in Port Alice as heavy rain and a few minor mudslides temporarily disrupted life for people on the north end of the island, it was back to business for Copper Coast. As many of you know the rental property was adversely affected by the slides and some damage was done to one of the units. At the end of the day the damage was minimal and quickly repaired which means we are back in business for last minute Christmas ventures!!

For those looking to book well in advance it’s not too early to start thinking about the 2011 salmon run as we expect July, August and September to be great fishing months this upcoming year. This last year was, by all accounts, an excellent year for both Coho & Spring (Chinook) and we look forward to another stellar western shore fishing season. Don’t believe us? Check out the photo below of former Port Alice village mayor and active guide Larry Pepper who caught a 46lbs + Chinook one fine August day this past summer!!!

Weather in Port Alice during the month of November was mild with lows at only around -5 but hovering around the 0 mark and as high as 10. As many folks on the island and greater mainland can attest: you don’t have to shovel snow in stark contrast with our friends from the Prairies who deal with the painstaking daily job for greater parts of November through March!!

Also, attached is a great view of Friggin Island and the awesome natural beauty the property offers.

Here is wishing everyone a Merry Christmas season and we look forward to wishing you an excellent 2011 in the December letter. Where did 2010 go??

Happy Thanksgiving or Columbus Day for our American friends,

I’m sure by now most of you have seen the news out of Port Alice about the mud slide which caused some damage to our vacation rental home. We were very fortunate that the guest staying on the main floor had checked out that morning and no one was injured or frightened.

The mud slide from the heavy rains occurred about 1/2 mile to the south of Copper Coast but a portion of the slide found it’s way down the creek beside our property and it appears that one of the timbers in the swollen creek caught a column supporting the deck and spun around breaking 2 windows and the frame of the garden doors (both doors were still fine including the glass). The wall has since been re-framed and the windows and door frame are on order.

The good news is that the Geotechnical Investigation that was completed before purchasing the property (conducted by an engineering firm with offices from Victoria to Toronto) found that “there are no apparent slope stability concerns” and that “the granular soil encountered over the till or bedrock will provide good foundation conditions for low or high rise buildings”. A rock retaining wall will
now be built between the creek and our vacation home. Another upside is that the already fantastic oceanview is even better as a result of a few trees between the road and inlet being washed out.

We will be open for guests on the main floor as soon as the rock retaining wall is completed and will reopen the 2 bedrooms on the walkout floor after the windows and doors are complete along with minor drywall repairs even though neither bedroom was affected.

Now is the time to take advantage of me for good deals on the main floor. We will send out another newsletter when the rock retaining wall is in place.

A special thanks to my sister Fern and her husband Harv Willems for helping in the clean up.

From the photos you can see the minimal amount of damage and how close it was from missing us completely.

As always please feel free to call or email me if you have any questions.

We are extremely excited to announce the availability of our first Vacation Rental Home. For those of you interested in this area, whether it is exploring the beauty of the Port Alice area or just looking to catch a couple Tyee’s, we now have a great place for you to stay whilst doing so.

Our first Copper Coast Vacation Rental Home is literally steps from the ocean and could potentially sleep 10 people with 5 bedrooms, including an exquisite loft bedroom. The unit has an open kitchen, living and dining room as well as an expansive view of the inlet and a great view to he infamous Frigon Island from nearly every room.

Many locals who have been watching the progress over the past several months are amazed at the views from each floor as well as the overwhelming feeling of spaciousness inside.

If you’re in the area please come to our opening celebration on the afternoon of Friday August 6th starting at 1:30 PM for some punch and a burger.

The finishing touches on the Coho Streamline house are being brushed on the house as these words are being written!! Exciting times for Copper Coast, indeed. Of course that means we will welcome our first residents of Copper Coast arriving later this week. We welcome them ALL THE WAY from beautiful Beaumont, Alberta!! Congratulations on your retirement.

The push is now on to complete the Tyee model which is slated to be ready August 1 - this unit will be available for nightly rentals upon completion. The electrical and plumbing roughins are complete and the insulation/poly will get under way this week. Drywall is scheduled to begin next week and we will be right on cue.

Features of the Tyee are:

A walkout level (see attached photo’s) with 2 bedrooms in opposite corners for privacy

• each with their own full bathroom
• 32′ covered patio
• laundry
• shared mini kitchen
• large (16′ x 16′) shared lounge/living room

Main floor with 3 bedrooms including the large loft

• full kitchen
• huge living room with gas fireplace and 19′ ceiling
• tub/shower on the main floor bath
• amazingly relaxing soaker tub in the loft bathroom with a window that peers up the inlet
• 32′ deck at the front
• large windows that capture the stunning views: from bald eagles to eager fishermen or maybe a tug towing a barge on it’s way to the mill
• laundry

For more details and photos of the rentals, we will be adding this to the website shortly.

For those of you that have inquired about a one level cabin at a much lower price rather than the full home plans please feel free to call!!

This is the summer to come see what we have been doing, exciting time indeed!

By now I am sure you have all been enjoying the 2010 Winter Olympics from Vancouver. Since we have readers from the USA, Germany, Netherlands, Great Britain, China, India and other parts of the world we wanted to share our congratulations to those countries who helped make these games so special. For many Canadians the games have centered around the hockey and now that the women have completed their mission the entire country is eagerly anticipating the men’s semi-final action tonight AND hopefully a birth in the final Sunday!!!

Building is rapidly progressing on schedule at Copper Coast and we would enjoy sharing reports from the work site with you all:

1. The first home is at the drywall stage with the taping and sanding to be completed early next week followed by the painting/finishing.
2. The power in the second place is up and running which means we can now put the generator away and actually get to the shop and turn the lights on!!!
3. We are framing the roof on the second house and we will shoot for a completion date of July or early August - IT WILL THEN BE AVAILABLE FOR NIGHTLY RENTALS.

We have been very fortunate to not only find trades in the area but to have tradesmen that put their heart and soul into the project which is evident by the quality of work (see pictures for proof!) Also a photo of a group of students (out for a morning row) from Vancouver Island University who shared their ideas with the village to bring more people to this beautiful part of the world.

Watch our newsletters for specials on fishing packages!!

I am back in Port Alice for about 10 days.

Copper Coast is excited to have listed the remaining available lots with Ed Handja and his BC Oceanfront team at Coastal Realty Group based out of Campbell River, BC. We decided to make this move, as Ed is not only an excellent Realtor but he also has a wealth of experience on North Vancouver Island making him and his team the obvious choice. You can check out his website at: http://www.bcoceanfront.com

This allows me the time to concentrate more on what I do best - building quality homes! As an added bonus, we have temporarily reduced our lot prices to continue to stimulate activity, so if interested please contact Ed and team about our pricing. Now is as good a time as any to pick up a piece of paradise!

Even with the November rains we have had on the island lately, construction is still moving in the right direction. We are close to drywall stage on the first home and will now shift more focus to getting the second house into shape!

Provided the weather cooperates, I might even drop a trap over the holidays so that we can enjoy some fresh prawns with our turkey!

Wishing all our readers a great holiday season and an excellent Olympic year ahead!

The good people at the village of Port Alice have completed their portion of the sewer and water along picturesque Marine Drive. This includes a fire hydrant at each end of the property along Marine Drive. This is huge for potential owners as most insurance applications include a mention of fire hydrants.

Several weeks ago there was a whale about 75 yards off the shoreline right in front of the property. This is not an uncommon scene in the inlet as many end up in the calm waters to feed or nurse their young. The picture below is of a humpback whale that my son, his wife and I saw in 2007 coming back from the ocean after a day of fishing. That was also the day my son caught his first Tyee (Salmon weighing 30+ lbs.) when he reeled in a 31 pound Chinook. Of course, I had to better his efforts a year later with a 32 pounder in a similar location!!

The house on lot #8 is coming along well. The deck is built, the roof is complete, and the siding is approximately half finished. The walkout level (where the whales can be spotted!), which has floor insulation and piping for under-slab heating, is complete ready for concrete as we speak.

Everyday, things keep evolving into the beautiful location that is Copper Coast. Ten years ago people used to say: “Real estate in Comox/Campbell River will never work - it’s too far north”. We are hoping that five years from now people are saying the same thing about the North End which is truly the LAST frontier on the paradise of Vancouver Island.