My sister Laura and her band MIINA are currently on a Canadian cross-country tour in their beloved tour bus. Unfortunately, half way through the tour - and about as far away from home as it could get - the bus' transmission blew, leaving the band scrambling to get to their next shows, and making arrangements for major repairs.

The bills for repairing such a vintage vehicle are piling up, and when Laura said to me yesterday, "We're not even sure we'll ever be able to bring it home", I said, "It's time to reach out to our community."

This is a special bus. It's a 1972 GMC that was bought by Laura and her husband Pat after having served for many years as the Islander, the iconic coach that daily travelled the length of Vancouver Island. Pat and Laura rescued it and meticulously transformed it into a beautiful tiny home/tour bus (click here for a tour!). They modified the old diesel engine to run on used veggie oil. The story is really cool and you can watch a Telus Storyhive video by Paper Heart Films here: Tuned Up

The MIINA bus now creates very little emissions due to the veggie oil conversion, and the tour has largely been carbon neutral! Pat estimates that they've been running on veggie oil for about 75% of the mileage so far, having had to drive stretches on diesel due to lack of veggie oil scores along the way.

The bus is currently sitting in a heavy duty mechanic shop in rural Ontario, and Pat and Laura and the rest of the band need help bringing it home. While they have seriously considered cutting their losses and just walking away from it, leaving such a beautiful bus to rust its final days away in a salvage yard just doesn't seem right.

A new transmission has been sourced across the border but between the cost of the transmission itself and the fees at the border, this will be expensive. Being a musician isn't easy, and musicians typically tour for the love of music and their audiences more than for money. Repairing this beloved bus goes far and above what the band had budgeted for this tour.

Pat and Laura understand that touring in a vintage bus is an added risk but they love how the MIINA bus connects them with people, turns heads, and sparks cool connections. They've met so many amazing folks as a result of this unique and carbon-neutral bus. It is emblematic of all they hold dear - the arts, the Canadian music scene, and most importantly, the environment.

Here's a cool recent post about the bus on Reddit!

If you know Pat and Laura, then you know about this bus. It has been their passion project, it is their tour bus, and it belongs back on Vancouver Island. If you can help with that, it would be greatly appreciated. Your donation will go towards the approx. $5500 transmission and it's currently-unknown fees at the border, the shop costs, and any labour above and beyond what Pat is capable of himself. On behalf of myself, my sister, and her band MIINA, thank you for helping to bring the bus home.