Deep and Sheltered Waters

From the original inhabitants from the Tsartlip First Nation to the lost community of immigrant workers from China and India, from a company town to the development of parkland, the wealth of history in this rich area reflects much of the history of the entire province. The story of Tod Inlet and its communities spans from Vancouver Island to the BC coast north to Ocean Falls, south to California, and east to Golden, BC. David Gray draws from interviews with elders of the Tsartlip First Nation, descendants of the Chinese and Sikh workers, and the local community, and from archives held in Victoria and Ottawa. This detailed, illustrated book by an award-winning filmmaker tells the whole story of the natural area, the archaeological sites, the community of Tod Inlet, the Vancouver Portland Cement Company and cement plant (an industrial first), and the development of the Butchart Gardens.

"Only a lifelong, passionate adventurer can share so in-depth a history of a place such as Tod Inlet." —Pardeep Singh Nagra, Historian and Executive Director, Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada

"Gray brings the curiosity and observational skills of a biological scientist and the patience and thoroughness of a historian, along with an innate compassion for his fellow beings, both human and other. The product of a lifelong engagement with the subject, Deep and Sheltered Waters may be read by anyone interested in where we have been as Canadians, and where we are going." —Dr. Peter Rider, Retired Atlantic Provinces historian and curator at the Canadian Museum of History

David R. Gray is a researcher, writer and filmmaker. He has curated two Virtual Museum of Canada exhibitions and directed and produced six documentary films, including the award-winning Canadian Soldier Sikhs.