If you live in Sooke, or have ever driven through town, you may have seen a man sweeping the streets, pulling up weeds or picking up litter.
That man is Koshin Sifu Moonfist, who has been doing this bit of community service since 2009.
He is well known in the community, often the recipient of waves, smiles and the occasional small donation from community members for his efforts. Now Moonfist is receiving recognition for his work from a higher authority – the province of British Columbia.
Moonfist has been named one of 18 citizens throughout the province to receive a Medal of Good Citizenship, which was created in 2015 to celebrate individuals who have “acted in a generous, kind or selfless manner for the betterment of their communities, without expectation of reward.”
“This year’s honourees exemplify what it means to be a good citizen by selflessly stepping up to help their fellow British Columbians with kindness, compassion and commitment. Thank you to all the Medal of Good Citizenship recipients for inspiring everyone around you,” said Premier David Eby.
Moonfist is involved in a number of other community groups, including the Sooke Moon Community Wellness Society, where he organizes his Tidy Sooke on Sundays campaign – an evolution of his original litter collection efforts. He is also involved with the Sooke Multi-belief Initiative. Raised Catholic, he eventually left the church, later becoming interested in Judaism and is now a Zen Buddhist, which has guided his efforts.
“The concepts of compassion are the things that made me most directed towards Zen Buddhism, cleaning litter and sweeping in Sooke, to be there if someone is asking me to.”
Despite his efforts, he’s remained extraordinarily humble upon receiving the award and called it a surprise.
“I feel happy that the essence of what I am doing – which is to improve community and make people smile a bit here and there – is evidenced by it," he said. "I’m just glad that it has enough of an effect that people can smile.”
This is not the first time his efforts have been recognized. Moonfist won the Sooke Spectacular Senior contest after raising $8,300 for the development of the Sooke Senior Centre. In 2024, he was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal by former MP Randall Garrison, and he was dubbed “Broomfist” in 2017 by the District of Sooke for his tireless efforts keeping the community clean.
He arrived in Sooke 18 years ago to retire, after a career with Bell Security Solutions. As the son of a man who worked in a water filtration plant, water quality is a big deal for him and led him to choose Sooke over Victoria, as it was the only municipality in the area with its own sewage treatment plant.
“I came to Sooke, and that was it. I looked at the wife and said, ‘You can go back home and pack and move out in a month, I’ll be here,’ and she said, ‘Nope.’ So I had to go back and pack everything up, and came back out.”
Now he says Sooke is his favourite place, with the climate and the people keeping him here for nearly two decades.
“Coming and getting the taste of the flavour of the people – that was it,” he said.
After a few years of living in Sooke, he saw a letter in the Sooke News Mirror saying drivers were frequently getting flat tires as the road was littered with nails and screws.
Upon reading the letter, he marched down Sooke Road from his home in Cooper’s Cove to the centre of town, picking up the discarded materials that caused his peers such trouble. He collected 39 nails and screws and brought them to the Sooke News Mirror office, where he left them placed upon a copy of the letter he had read in the paper. His tradition had begun.
Over the years, his efforts and his reputation grew, as did support from the community and the district itself.
“Koshin is a true embodiment of what it means to care deeply for community,” said Sooke Mayor Maja Tait in a statement.
“Sooke is a better, more beautiful and more connected place because of people like Koshin Moonfist. His quiet leadership, unwavering generosity and deep love for this place and its people remind us that acts of goodness, no matter how small, can grow into movements that uplift an entire community.”
Langford-Juan de Fuca MLA Ravi Parmar nominated Moonfist for the citizenship award and congratulated him on Facebook.
“Koshin Moonfist – to most, just Moonfist – is a community hero. For nearly two decades since he first arrived in Sooke, he’s been working to leave it a better place than he found it.
“But more importantly, to me and so many others, Moonfist is a friend. A true friend. He’d give you the shirt off his back, but not without ironing it first. He is selfless and caring – he wants to see his neighbours and friends thrive, and he does whatever he can to make it happen.”
Moonfist is spurred to act when he feels he can make something more beautiful or more comfortable through a specific and often simple act, like pulling weeds or picking up trash – although he ensures he never crosses any “civic boundary” and always stays within what is acceptable in the eyes of the powers that be.
“If you can appreciate a scene or a bit of urban beauty, the more you appreciate it or like it,” he said.
"For me, the most important thing is to feel like I am doing something for the benefit of others."
