It started with a $10 can of Coke, recalls Sandi Knighton in the newly released documentary B次元官网网址楥hez MoniqueB次元官网网址檚: a burger on the edge of the worldB次元官网网址� produced by Pink Buffalo Films.

B次元官网网址淚t was a hot day. There was a hiker that came down the ladder and he saw us with this pop and he comes running up and sits down and heB次元官网网址檚 sweating and heB次元官网网址檚 got a big backpack and he says IB次元官网网址檒l give you 10 dollars for just one of your pop. And from there it just grew,B次元官网网址� Knighton says of her familyB次元官网网址檚 restaurant Chez MoniqueB次元官网网址檚 located on Carmanah beach on the West Coast Trail.

Over the last 25 years, the legendary off-the-grid establishment fed and hosted hikers from all over the world.

Vancouver-based director Chris Lorenz first encountered Chez MoniqueB次元官网网址檚 while he was hiking the West Coast Trail.

B次元官网网址淟ike so many others, I was taken aback by the hospitality and persistence exhibited by the Knightons and amazed at how they had made such a harsh environment feel like home B次元官网网址� not only for themselves but for their guests,B次元官网网址� wrote Lorenz.

B次元官网网址淭he story we are trying to share is of the loving haven they created and sustained for decades, and all the hearts they touched,B次元官网网址� said producer Joaquin Cardoner.

B次元官网网址淲ith the passing of the restaurantB次元官网网址檚 founder, Monique, in January 2018 followed soon after by the unexpected death of her husband, Peter, the film depicts their daughterB次元官网网址檚 struggle to keep the business afloat without them, while also sharing the restaurantB次元官网网址檚 origin story and its impact on visitors,B次元官网网址� said Cardoner.

Due to the passing of KnightonB次元官网网址檚 father, a Carmanah or kwaabaaduw7aa7tx First Nation, this is the first year in which Chez MoniqueB次元官网网址檚 has not opened.

B次元官网网址淸Chez MoniqueB次元官网网址檚] is all I know. IB次元官网网址檝e been out of place,B次元官网网址� Knighton told the Westerly from her base in Duncan. B次元官网网址淚f they said, B次元官网网址榯his is your legacy and you can go backB次元官网网址�, I would be there in a heartbeat.B次元官网网址�

Her parentB次元官网网址檚 ashes remain in the cabin they built on the West Coast Trail. Knighton said she is not allowed to go back to the area because she is not a member of Ditidaht First Nation, the tribe that governs the territory within the West Coast Trail, which is part of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.

According to Parks Canada, approximately 7,500 hikers take on the West Coast Trail per year. Knighton said Chez MoniqueB次元官网网址檚 was B次元官网网址渁lways for the hikers.B次元官网网址� She said her family was there for the people in dire need.

B次元官网网址淐ome get a warm drink, come get something to eat. Come to the fire. We gave them tea, coffee, put them under shelter. The best gift you can ever give someone is to help them,B次元官网网址� said Knighton.

Karen Haugen, superintendent of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, addressed the issue.

B次元官网网址淧arks Canada does not own the land where Chez MoniqueB次元官网网址檚 restaurant is located, however the Agency respects the Ditidaht First NationB次元官网网址檚 land management decisions,B次元官网网址� wrote Haugen in an email to the Westerly.

The 21-minute film B次元官网网址楥hez MoniqueB次元官网网址檚B次元官网网址� was released online and on VOD by Telus Originals on July 16.

nora.omalley@westerlynews.ca
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