Do you remember the ParticipACTION Community Challenge in 2025? I sure do.

I remember the spring fresh air on my face as I biked around the island running errands. I remember the early summer heat on the softball field and the tennis courts as I played sports with students from Mayne Island School. I remember running laps around the track at Home Hardware on opening day when Steve and Olly were working out how many laps it would take to run a kilometre. The sock hop, the dawn to dusk bike relay, Taiko drumming at the finale. June 2025 was amazing.

I also remember the thrill of seeing the community pull together and hold top spot for almost the entire month of June. Although we finished third overall, after jostling with Richmond, BC and Hay River, NT in the final days, it was still a huge win and a lot of fun. We showed Canada that a tiny island community, run by volunteers, can compete with a big city like Richmond – with millions of dollars in municipal budgets.

Truly the best parts of Mayne Island exist because of the hardwork, kindness, and generosity of the volunteers here.

In June 2026, let’s show Canada that it wasn’t a fluke. The community centre is hosting some special events to help get us started. We will also be posting on Facebook as new events are added so stay tuned!