Buzzwords for the Sunshine Coast

Coasters
Not just for holding drinks (though we're good at that too) - Coasters have an innate grasp of the ironies of life, are accustomed to living well on very little, and have a philosophy that combines the avarice of city life with the inevitability of living in a place where we'd all rather be fishing and actually can.

sidewinder
Small boat used for sorting logs. Riding in one is likened to hopping on a mechanical bull. Anyone running one is liable to be spouting a lot of unmechanical bull. Just ask my kid's grandfather.

WhistlePunk
Now, in the city, these guys would be the fellows that haven't washed, and are working on the construction site just to get a chance to eyeball the chicks. Up on the Coast here, however, this is term that comes out of the logging industry to describe the operator who signals the okay for moving cut trees that have been rigged with heavy chains for dragging off the hillside.

Also known as Peninsula Paralysis or the Munana syndrome. A northern strain of the famous Mexican mañana disease... as in "I'll get right on it... tomorrow!" Infection occurs so gradually and painlessly it usually takes someone recently arrived from the Big Smoke (see below) to notice it.

Jack Salmon, Dog Salmon
Hey, do you really think someone stands around the net pen naming all the salmon Jack? C'mon. Jack salmon are salmon in their second year of life, and just short of being legal for size limits. Okay, a lot short. Maybe there's some truth to "I didn't get Jack!"? To mix metaphors, they're the "eager beavers" or the UberFish - they come back early to spawn, and by doing that these early returners help to keep that particular generation of fish alive.
Dog salmon are sporting fish that chase lures and retrieve them on command - and sometimes tourists can even see them sleeping on the beach with the local snipe. Tough to catch but easy to collar. Hah. Dog Salmon is another way of saying Chum, pal, and that's a type of food salmon.

creeker type
Welcome to the Nation of Roberts Creek, also known as the Gumboot Nation, whose residents proudly call themselves Creekers. This coastal community is an enclave unto itself, complete with organic markets, the Gumboot Cafe, a wild array of musical groups entertaining at the local hall, an unofficial dress code beginning with gumboots, and the annual Earth Day celebrations. Hey, they even have a national animal - the garden slug - and their own flag.

Quality-of-Lifers
Refugees from the Big Smoke and other metropolitan areas who arrive looking distraught and on the edge of sanity, who are soon seen shopping for expensive health foods, great books, hemp clothing and personal massage appointments. Hey, we welcome you, man, aren't you glad to be here?

You heard Richard (c'mon, who's that guy off LA Law - the head dude?) say it at the Emmy awards... as in "This is a really skookum award." It's a First Nations word that means 'strong and powerful'. When combined with the word for water it ends up as "skookumchuck" - the name of the tidal rapids at the north (and very narrow end) of the Sechelt Inlet.

Ladies of the Inlet
No, it's not a red light district accessible only by boat, it's a far out lifestyle that attracts the hardiest of pioneering spirits, including two stellar Sechelt personalities, Minnie and Bergie, along with a host of other less noticeable frontier women who aren't afraid to heft an axe or tell a cougar to scram, eh.

saltchuck type
Duh...our word for the big salty stinky smells-like-heaven Pacific Ocean. Going down to the saltchuck is a favourite activity on the Coast, and almost no one goes alone... there's always a kid or dog in tow.

the big smoke type
Also known as "the Van", ie. "I'm getting in the Van".
What we call the metropolis of Vancouver with its 1.5 million people cluttering up the roadways with all those single occupant vehicles. Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but it's not home, and the sigh of relief upon returning home to the Coast is just as literal as it is figurative. Note to newcomers: if someone says they're "going to town" that means the Big Smoke, so don't expect to run into them at the mall. Shh. Your city patina is showing.