Ian Lindsay & Associates: Ian Lindsay of Lindsay and Associates has played an active role in the local community since 1979. He has been with RE/MAX Vancouver Island's most advanced real estate business network since 1996. Marketing and selling residential, rural, strata, recreational, investment, and project development real estate, you'll find true real estate professionals at ianlindsay.ca.

Rockin' Rhonda: Here comes Peter. Here comes Dave. Oh, listen. Bringing stories, making waves. No missing, spinning tales in the hot podcast cave. So laughs and insights everywhere. What a treat.

Peter McCully: Welcome back to the PULSE Community Podcast. I'm Peter McCully, and summer is coming to mid-Vancouver Island in the best possible way, with great events, wonderful people, and those extended evenings that make you want to stay outside just a little bit longer.

Dave Graham: And I'm Dave Graham. My neighbourhood has gained a couple of young families recently, and I truly enjoy the sounds of kids at play outside during those summer evenings. But I haven't been getting out much lately. I'm keeping a low profile, watching the streets, keeping an eye on things. I've been reading a lot of crime fiction lately. I think it might have brought on a certain mindset - just a little more cautious, observant, suspicious of vehicles parked strangely and wary of shadows. When I was a child, the first hardcover book that I read more than once - not counting Dr. Seuss - was Harriet the Spy. I think some of it must have stayed with me. Look what I have in my hand right now, a notebook and a pencil. If I have to take notes, boy, am I ready.

Peter McCully: We've got a great episode for fans of crime fiction today, Dave. Sam Wiebe is an award-winning, best-selling author of Pacific Northwest crime fiction. His sixth Dave Wakeland novel, Guns Across the River, is out now.

Dave Graham: Private detective named Dave - a fictional Dave who's gritty, capable, and solves mysteries. I can relate to that. As for solving mysteries, I had one just this morning - the mystery of the missing reading glasses. Turns out they were on my head, but I had the case solved in well under an hour.

Peter McCully: We wondered whatever happened to fellow Vancouver Islander Matt Sager. Matt's from Mill Bay, and he became known for being on the History Channel's Lost Car Rescue. We found him at Queen Margaret School in Duncan. He's channeling his passion for old cars and trucks into something called Classics for Kids, creating a program for the students to learn about restoring classics, and at the same time raising money for the Cowichan District Hospital pediatric ward.

Dave Graham: A 1940 Ford. That's a car with character and a car that has a story. My first car was a used Ford, actually. Wasn't much for character - more about not moving very quickly and making some bad noises, but it taught me how to effect repairs with non-traditional components, like duct tape and coat hanger wire and bungee cords.

Peter McCully: On an upcoming podcast, we'll be chatting with Ron Thorogood about the Parksville Car and Bike Show planned for the community park in July.

Dave Graham: Cheryl Dill will be here to talk about Beach Fest and all the events that surround one of the island's favourite summer events. Did I mention I DJ for the sand sculpting competition?

Peter McCully: Well, Dave, that's the first time you've mentioned it today. Doug Picard will join us on an upcoming podcast about the value of exercise in battling Parkinson's. It's a conversation we're looking forward to as it presents some positive news regarding a disease that still awaits a cure.

Peter McCully: [Contest - Corey Friesenhan of Ladysmith wins two tickets to April Wine / Our Lady Peace / The Tea Party at Starlight Stadium, Langford, June 27th.]

Fireside Books: There's exciting news for book lovers. Fireside Books in Parksville now has a second location in Port Alberni, The BookWyrm. Used books are just $5 or less. The BookWyrm on the corner of Redford and Anderson opens seven days a week from 10:00 to 5:00. Building your personal library for less. Fireside Books at 464 Island Highway East in Parksville is a book dragon's dream come true. Browse their extensive collections seven days a week. Both locations make growing your personal library easier than ever. New and used books and so much more. Order online at firesidebooks.ca and pick up at either location. Ask about returning books for a book credit. Fireside Books and The BookWyrm - two locations, one amazing adventure in browsing.

Dave Graham: Stay tuned to the podcast and our website and social pages for our upcoming giveaways. We have a summer of outstanding prizing planned.

Peter McCully: Head to our website or social pages for links to enter our April Wine contest giveaway. There's tickets for two, two folding camp chairs, and a $100 Thrifty Foods Smile Card.

Dave Graham: And that, my friends, is what we call a prize package. In 1977, The Rolling Stones were planning a secret show at a small club in Toronto. They chose April Wine to be billed as the headliners. It was billed as a show with April Wine and some opening band called The Cockroaches. When the people arrived at the club that night, they learned that The Cockroaches were The Rolling Stones.

Peter McCully: Enter for a chance to win tickets to April Wine, members of the Canadian Rock Hall of Fame, through our website, thepulsecommunity.ca, and watch for contests for Beachfest Rocks and Blue Rodeo. Here's Marilyn.

Marilyn: Sam Wiebe is an award-winning, best-selling author of Pacific Northwest crime fiction based in New Westminster, BC. His Dave Wakeland series has earned him the Crime Writers of Canada Award and the Kobo Emerging Writers Prize. His sixth Wakeland novel, Guns Across the River, is out now.

Peter McCully: Welcome to the podcast, Sam. We're happy to have you back.

Sam Wiebe: Thanks so much for having me, Peter.

Peter McCully: Perhaps you could give us an overview of Guns Across the River.

Sam Wiebe: It's the sixth book in the Wakeland series. Private eye Dave Wakeland is out on False Creek on the deck of his houseboat when he sees someone jump off the Granville Bridge. After rescuing this teenager named Nicola, it turns out she is connected to the disappearance of a crate - a shipping container full of ghost guns - these kits which companies in the States make that you can buy and assemble into an assault rifle with a couple of extra parts and some tweaks. Because they're not technically guns, they're not covered by the same laws. Dave not only has to find Nicola and find the guns, but figure out how to stay alive in the bargain.

Peter McCully: You've been writing the Wakeland series for about 10 years now. Where do you find new things to learn about him at this point?

Sam Wiebe: The ideas are always a cross between something that's going on in Vancouver or the Lower Mainland or the Pacific Northwest in general - how much it's changed - and my love of detective stories, trying to find ways to update that and bring that Philip Marlowe, Rockford Files feel into the 21st century.

Peter McCully: Nicola Havok is described as someone who might hold the key to a billion-dollar scandal, but she's also just a kid in danger from her own family. How do you balance the big crime plot against that very personal human story?

Sam Wiebe: The human story is always really important in these books. For Wakeland, it's not knowing about her and why these people are after her and what her connection is to the disappearance of the guns that draws him in. Pairing someone who's been through the wringer and is very much a lone wolf with a teenager who's in danger, but is also capable of violence and going down the wrong path herself - I thought would just be an interesting challenge to Dave, a neat spin on the mismatched partners kind of thing.

Peter McCully: This case leads from Vancouver's back alleys all the way out to the Fraser Valley. What did moving the geography let you do that staying inside the city wouldn't?

Sam Wiebe: Vancouver is where Dave feels comfortable, and it's also where I feel comfortable. Moving out to Abbotsford and the more rural areas lets me look at some of the differences and put Dave in a place where he's a little off-kilter. But also to focus on the similarities. The stereotype is that Vancouver has a Starbucks on every block - more or less true - and that Abbotsford is the right-wing farming community. There's an element of truth to both, but there's sushi places in Abbotsford. There's one of the oldest gurdwaras in the Lower Mainland. It's a much more diverse and interesting place than it gets credit for.

Peter McCully: Do you scout locations on foot before you write them?

Sam Wiebe: Both. Some places I've been already. Barnston Island, which is in the middle of the Fraser River, was one I went to for walks. You take a very small ferry over - it's very rural, roosters and chickens and cows - and you can walk around it in a few hours. But it's right next to Surrey Central, five minutes away. I love finding these places and rediscovering areas I thought I knew.

Peter McCully: I remember reading the book and coming across that island, stopping, and asking Siri if it was real - and sure enough, it was. In the story, Wakeland has made a career shift - he and his partner Jeff are now international security consultants. What opened up for you as a writer when you moved him out of the PI role?

Sam Wiebe: I feel like that's the modern-day version of the PI. Consulting and security was a way to show the more modern form of that job, and also to show an aspect of the job that Dave really doesn't like. He's fundamentally someone who likes working for the underdog. Working for a giant corporate client means working for the overdog. It shows why he's so drawn to the case surrounding Nicola - it's not only his humanist drive to help, but also that he hates his job.

Peter McCully: The Downtown Eastside shows up in almost every Wakeland book. What keeps drawing you back there?

Sam Wiebe: It's the center of Vancouver - the heart of Vancouver - and also a place with so many misconceptions. It's seen as poor and run-down and violent. I was going there as a teenager because all the pawn shops were there - as a musician you'd go buy cheap gear. So it was never scary to me. It is a poor neighbourhood with a lot of addicted people and a lot of social services, but it's also a place of a lot of diversity and liveliness. Post-pandemic, it's been hit very hard, and the fentanyl crisis is very disturbing. But there's also a lot of good and a lot of really cool stuff there.

Peter McCully: Where's the line for you between social commentary and story?

Sam Wiebe: The books are entertainment. If they fail as entertainment, they fail completely - nobody wants to read my social studies report on Vancouver social issues. The stories are grounded in those issues because there's a lot of drama and conflict and fascinating twists to that kind of stuff. The social commentary is baked in, and if you're reporting honestly on a place you care about, it comes out quite naturally.

Peter McCully: Let's go back to the ghost guns. Where are ghost guns in our society today?

Sam Wiebe: I'm not even sure where they are today, but I have a fear that they're going to be much more common tomorrow. Being able to 3D print weapons is terrifying. Those untraceable, unlicensed assault-style weapons - they're not the kind of thing you use for hunting or target shooting or home defence. It's another facet of society that might be getting out of control.

Peter McCully: Dave Wakeland has a relationship in this book. Eden Lang - a multimillionaire he half loves. Why half and which half?

Sam Wiebe: Eden has her life together in a way that Wakeland doesn't, and that's very alluring to him. But she's also someone who has been damaged in the past, and they have that in common. She's a bit of a gambler and a little reckless, and that's something he notices in himself. I think that's the attraction and repulsion - noticing something in someone else that you totally identify with but are maybe not totally comfortable with.

Peter McCully: Has your writing process changed from book one through to book six?

Sam Wiebe: When I started writing, I was still in grad school, snatching time on the bus or at the SFU library. Nowadays it's much more of a job. My wife goes to work at five-something, so we're up at 4:30, and the second she's gone and the cat's fed and the coffee's in the mug, it's time to get to work. With Guns Across the River, it was the bridge. Hearing from multiple people that if you live around False Creek, you'll see people in the water - I've talked to people who have witnessed that. That's where the story came from.

Peter McCully: Is there a Wakeland TV adaptation in the works?

Sam Wiebe: The Wakeland novels have been optioned twice. Currently I have the rights back, and we're going out with them again. The TV world is even crazier than the literary world. We've been very close, and the strike of a couple of years ago set things back. I feel like a Wakeland TV series would be a no-brainer - CanCon that's actually good, which is very rare in my very biased opinion. I'm in talks, but nothing definite yet.

Peter McCully: What's next?

Sam Wiebe: In between writing Guns Across the River and now, I've written a nonfiction book called Shot in Vancouver, about all the movies and TV shows - some terrible, some great, some underrated - that have been shot in BC. I just handed that in in March, and I haven't started a new project yet. I'd love to do another Wakeland book, but I think I'd like to write another standalone like Ocean Drive before I do that.

Peter McCully: Speed round. The last book that genuinely surprised you.

Sam Wiebe: News of a Kidnapping by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Very surprising - very different from his fiction.

Peter McCully: Vancouver in 10 years - better or worse?

Sam Wiebe: Probably half and half. The real question is: for who?

Peter McCully: One thing readers consistently get wrong about Dave Wakeland.

Sam Wiebe: The name. People come up and say, "I love that Dave Wakefield series." I've even started putting that in the book.

Peter McCully: Writing - with music or silence?

Sam Wiebe: Definitely music.

Peter McCully: Morning writer or night writer?

Sam Wiebe: Morning.

Peter McCully: Best crime film ever made?

Sam Wiebe: Casino. People love Goodfellas, but I love the first hour and a half of Casino - all the stuff about how the casino works and the skim. And Thief by Michael Mann - also great.

Peter McCully: A Vancouver landmark that Wakeland hasn't visited yet but probably should.

Sam Wiebe: UBC. The endowment lands, all the changes out there. Maybe a creepy UBC professor or an ombudsman up to murder.

Peter McCully: If Wakeland walked into a bar on the Downtown Eastside, what's he ordering?

Sam Wiebe: Alberta Premium rye with no ice. It used to be bourbon, but with the embargo and everything, it'll be Crown Royal, something like that.

Peter McCully: The author you'd most want a blurb from.

Sam Wiebe: Ian Rankin would be great. Patricia Highsmith would be great.

Peter McCully: If someone's never read crime fiction before, what's the one book you'd hand them?

Sam Wiebe: The Big Sleep. You're not going to do much better than that.

Peter McCully: Who would you cast as Wakeland in a TV or movie series?

Sam Wiebe: Most of the actors I picture are from the '70s and '80s. Don Johnson, 1985, isn't available. It'd be neat to see somebody local play him.

Peter McCully: Wakeland in a crossover with any other fictional detective.

Sam Wiebe: Hawk from Spenser for Hire. Forget Spenser - just Hawk.

Peter McCully: The review that's meant the most to you.

Sam Wiebe: I got a copy of Cut You Down to my dad before he died. He caught a couple of little typos in the review copy. I have that with his notes in it. That means a lot.

Dave Graham: Sam Wiebe - what a craftsman. The Wakeland series has earned its place among the best crime fiction being written in this country right now. And Guns Across the River is out now. You'll find links in our story notes.

Peter McCully: We welcome your input - hit the contact link at thepulsecommunity.ca and leave us a voice or text message.

Dave Graham: I respond to criticism if it's dressed as a compliment. We also have Vancouver Island webcam links on our website, plus all our podcasts, events listings, and contests.

Peter McCully: The PULSE Community Podcast can also be found on Apple, Amazon, iHeart, Spotify, YouTube, and TikTok. We're also on Facebook and Instagram.

Thrifty Foods Parksville: [Sponsor read - Thrifty Foods Smile Card bulk program for nonprofits, charities, and schools.]

Peter McCully: Here's Marilyn with our second guest.

Marilyn: Mill Bay's Matt Sager has made a career out of rescuing forgotten automotive history, hunting down classic cars from remote barns, ravines, and forests as the star of the History Channel's Lost Car Rescue. Now he's channeling that passion into Classics for Kids, and the impact will be felt for generations on Vancouver Island.

Peter McCully: Hi, Matt. It's great to chat again. We learned a lot from you from the television show Lost Car Rescue. One thing we didn't learn was that you have a family background in philanthropy and volunteering in healthcare in the Cowichan Valley. Tell us about that.

Matt Sager: I am only here today because at a Rotarian meeting, at a fundraiser, at another hospital gala, at some point when I was about six years old and first aligned with the Hospital Foundation, I was convinced that charitable work is important and is compulsory to having a full and well-rounded life. I'm lucky enough to have caught the addiction to give back.

Peter McCully: Could you tell us why we're sitting here at Queen Margaret's School in the backdrop of this 1940 Ford five-window coupe?

Matt Sager: Simply put, because over 100 donors stepped up to prop up a dream that I had and that my brothers had to bring this to life. We would not be here today without a massive lift by the Cowichan Valley community. Queen Margaret's School fit every single one of our bills - the team here is extremely forward-thinking and innovative. This building was created solely on the backs of professionals in the Cowichan Valley - over 100 donors, everything from windows to concrete. Everything you see here was donated to create a space I like to call an ATM. The goal was to create an ATM physically, which is metaphorically what we're going to do with this '40 Ford and a car every single year after this. The program is about restoring one car - out of the barn in rough shape, right through to show-ready condition over a 10-month school year. This year, two classes and 35 kids. We'll transform this car together on behalf of the Cowichan District Hospital Foundation. The car is owned by the foundation, and all pieces that go into it are donated by sponsors. The ultimate goal is to have the kids have this amazing well-rounded experience about using their hands to create something greater than themselves, for the greater good of other children. When we're done and the car is featured at our July 5th car show, that'll be the first day you can buy a raffle ticket on a one-year tour to raise up to a million dollars. All those funds go to the pediatric ward of the Cowichan District Hospital.

Peter McCully: Tell us about this chassis.

Matt Sager: This car was found in Langford. A friend reached out, said he knew of a car kept for many years by a gentleman named Rod. We took the kids down, took a look, and our passions aligned. It had been in that garage for 30-plus years - it was waiting for us. The kids wanted this old car, but there was a catch: they wanted a 1940 Ford body with brand-new Corvette running gear. Something old with something new. This car is a '40 Ford five-windowed coupe - your typical two-door coupe - but with full modern everything in the chassis and running gear. The kids are finishing off the metalwork, and we'll be pivoting to the running gear very shortly. We have a July 5th target for our car show.

Peter McCully: Who are these kids? What will they learn here?

Matt Sager: What I love about Queen Margaret's is the kids are super real. They're not detached from the realities of everything happening outside in society. They're very grounded - almost all have a job, they all drive their own car. They've already begun an adult life. Grade 11s and 12s this year, and we're hoping to open it to younger grades next year.

Peter McCully: It has an old shop class feel to it.

Matt Sager: I'm definitely a nostalgic kind of guy. Donors Jim and Linda Cummings donated a beautiful old '50s gas pump and an old 1940s motorcycle, strictly as colour for the shop. Being surrounded by the old as we're bringing things into the new is really cool, and the kids love it too.

Peter McCully: Above and beyond being a shop class, you're also filming documentary-style. Are the kids' stories being told as well?

Matt Sager: That's very much in the works. We're covering what we do here in a documentary series style. The building was designed in all glass so that anyone could come to campus and look through the window - no appointment needed, you can just show up and observe. Filming kids is a super sensitive thing - I don't want filming to take away from their experience. This year has been extremely investigative about how to capture their excitement and growing confidence without them even knowing it's happening. A full-blown series will come, but we still have some things to work out.

Peter McCully: I'm looking forward to seeing what the kids produce and how this benefits the Cowichan Valley Hospital Foundation.

Matt Sager: As much as the kids at the school benefit, this program is about one focus - to benefit the kids at the hospital to the absolute highest degree. In the summer we're hoping to have summer camps and have other schools and classes overlap. It's not just meant to be a privileged space. If you take the charity piece out of it, this is just another shop class. But we're building it for an amazing, focused cause - we can take our donors' generosity, put it to work, and create an actual product that will generate tens of thousands of dollars. There is no greater circle. It's kids helping kids on every level.

Peter McCully: Have you been able to follow any of the cars you've found through restoration?

Matt Sager: Never to an auction - that wouldn't bring me joy. I much prefer the father-son, mother-daughter groups that build these and keep them and use them. We've seen many of the cars restored - I can think of 10 or 15 now. It's a euphoric addiction. You're in the center of such a cascading butterfly effect of love and enjoyment. When you know a car is going to find its way into the center of a family - patch a hole in a loss - you know it's going to do so much good. Being able to be the connective tissue with that person is very addicting.

Peter McCully: When this car is finished, will we bump into it at a car show?

Matt Sager: It'll be featured at our car show, July 5th, here at the school. Then it'll tour every major town or city in western Canada - Prince George, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, through Alberta. The idea is to make it so big that there is no one who does not know about what we're doing here.

Peter McCully: What will the million dollars do?

Matt Sager: I've reached out to all the pediatric doctors I can find in the Cowichan Valley. They're the people seeing firsthand what is most needed with children in healthcare - everything from awareness to equipment, more efficiency, hopefully a shorter line. Who knows best about anything? The person that's doing it. So I'm following the lead from the pediatric doctors.

Peter McCully: Matt, I wish I were 16 again.

Matt Sager: We get to work on a car, and it's not always glamorous - sometimes it's just hard work. I like to think of the program as a mixture of Magic School Bus meets Bill Nye the Science Guy. We do field trips almost as much as we work on a car. Just last week the kids learned how to weld, and their welding exam was to weld two pieces of sheet metal together, only one inch wide. To test the weld, we took that up to a helicopter base in Parksville - connected one side to a vehicle and the other side to the helicopter. The helicopter lifted that vehicle up to about 500 feet. If the weld held, they passed. Luckily, all the welds held. A couple were close, but it was a very fun day.

Peter McCully: Who donated their vehicle for this test?

Matt Sager: We found a vehicle at a local tow yard that was destined to be crushed - so no vehicles were injured that weren't destined to be. Kestrel Helicopters donated the helicopter because he believed that anything exciting that causes children to think outside of the box might make an imprint on them they will never forget.

Peter McCully: Matt, thanks for your time here at Queen Margaret's. Best of luck with Classics for Kids.

Matt Sager: Thanks for coming out. I'm so happy to show you the space and I'm excited for more of these as time goes on. I think we're going to make some pretty amazing stuff.

Dave Graham: Matt Sager. And what a project. That's a win-win-win with a 1940 Ford Coupe brought back to life by students at Queen Margaret's School, ready to roll out July 5th. That's a story about craftsmanship and patience and what's possible when somebody believes in another enough to hand them a set of tools. Raffle tickets go on sale as of July 5th. All proceeds going to the Cowichan District Hospital Pediatrics Department. You'll find links to Classics for Kids in our story notes.

Peter McCully: The PULSE Community makes room for the kids with our Skookum Kids Stories featuring Captain Dave aboard the Mellow Submarine and Peter and Gracie the Eskimo dog. The stories now come with colouring pages for each new episode.

Dave Graham: In this week's story, Peter and Gracie meet an 800-year-old cedar tree in Cathedral Grove. Isn't it amazing to think of a living thing that has been standing since before the printing press, before mechanical clocks, before someone decided to put pineapple on pizza?

Peter McCully: The PULSE Community also includes A Resilience Project with Cindy Thompson of Parksville. The latest episode has Henry McKay speaking of his experience with childhood trauma, poverty, oppression, gangs, crime, and more - and sharing the critical elements that have made him transition from a life of alcoholism and violence into one of healing, hope, and purpose.

Dave Graham: Parksville City Councillors Joel Grenz and Shawn Wood host Non-Partisan Hacks, a behind-the-scenes look at municipal politics. This week's show includes the mayor of Burlington, Ontario, Marianne Meed Ward, on an initiative called Elect Respect.

Peter McCully: And then there's our Radio Archaeology classic radio series, bringing you original episodes of Dragnet featuring Sergeant Joe Friday, and Gunsmoke with Marshal Matt Dillon.

Dave Graham: You'll find these podcasts and more at thepulsecommunity.ca. While you're on the website, do sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Peter McCully: That's a wrap on another episode of The PULSE Community Podcast. Thanks for spending part of your day with us. We genuinely appreciate it.

Dave Graham: Between a private detective named Dave solving crimes in the rain and a man pulling a 1940 Ford out of obscurity for a new generation, this episode has had kind of a theme going. I think it's about making this world a better place. That makes for good stories, and that is what we're all about.

Peter McCully: You got that right. See you next time, folks.

Dave Graham: Unless I'm out in the field watching, making sure that nothing suspicious is going on, taking notes. Peter, have you seen my phone?

Rockin' Rhonda & The Uptown Blues Band: Here comes Peter. Here comes Dave. Oh, listen. Bringing stories, making waves. No missing, spinning tales in the podcast cave. So laughs and insights everywhere. What a treat. Peter and Dave, they're on the mics. Join the ride - it's gonna feel just right.