The City of Nanaimo is welcoming 21 artists and designers from across the province to its Urban Design Roster for a two-year term. The artists will help beautify the city with murals on city buildings, surface treatment on play areas and spashpads, and wraps of utility boxes and kiosks. One of those artists is Sandy Pell, who along with her husband Steve are known for creating engaging murals across Canada with their company Pellvetica, including a set of wings in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbour...
Feb 07, 2024•5 min
To celebrate Black History Month, Crimson Coast Dance is bringing a month-long event to connect those to African culture. This is the fourth year Crimson Coast Dance has put on its annual African Connections event. This event celebrates and educates people about Africa and the culture of it. The event has already kicked off with a North African dance workshop this past Sunday and last night was the first-ever Celebrate Africa Fair. Held in the Port Theatre lobby, the event brought African cultur...
Feb 07, 2024•6 min
On Thursday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry released a review of the province’s prescribed safer supply program, which provides alternatives to the toxic supply of street drugs. Henry says that the review was done to better understand the impact of BC’s Safer supply program. Sarah Lovegrove is professor of Nursing at Vancouver Island University, who is a member of the Harm Reduction Nurses Association. She said that accessing safer supply in Nanaimo can be a challenge for people who ...
Feb 06, 2024•5 min
February first is the start of Black History Month and the local Nanaimo group, Nanaimo African Heritage Society (NAHS) is kicking off the celebration and honouring the history of black pioneers from Vancouver Island Shalema Gantt is the president and founder of the Nanaimo African Heritage Society. The society was created 24 years ago when Gantt first moved to Nanaimo and did not find any representation of black history. After she was able to find resources on some of the black pioneers that we...
Feb 02, 2024•6 min
BC’s housing minister Ravi Kahlon says that a recent report by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation shows that the government can’t rely on the private market to address the housing crisis. “Quite frankly, we’re 20 years behind when it comes to building affordable housing, because for almost 20 years, the government decided, hey, this is not our place, the private sector will solve it,” he said. Kahlon says that he can’t say how much of that housing will be in Nanaimo but that it will b...
Feb 02, 2024•4 min
February first is the start of Black History Month and the local Nanaimo group, Nanaimo African Heritage Society (NAHS) is kicking off the celebration and honouring the history of black pioneers from Vancouver Island Shalema Gantt is the president and founder of the Nanaimo African Heritage Society. The society was created 24 years ago when Gantt first moved to Nanaimo and did not find any representation of black history. After she was able to find resources on some of the black pioneers that we...
Feb 02, 2024•6 min
The average price for a vacant two-bedroom apartment in Nanaimo has jumped to just under $2,000 according to the latest rental market report by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The price of a vacant two-bedroom apartment in the city went up by $115 last year jumping from $1,841 in October 2022 to $1,956 a year later. Nanaimo city councillor Hilary Eastmure is part of a growing number of voices who are calling on the provincial government to implement vacancy control, which would re...
Feb 01, 2024•5 min
Victims who have had intimate images shared without their consent can now access new supports to stop the distribution and to take back control of their images. Along with the new Intimate Images Protection Act, a partnership with the provincial government and the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) has launched the Intimate Images Protection Service. This will help people quickly access resources on how to get intimate images removed and support victims through the Civil Resolution Tribunal or othe...
Jan 31, 2024•6 min
The province of British Columbia and the City of Nanaimo have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that outlines the shared responsibility for reducing homelessness in the city. The province also announced that it finalized a lease at 1300 Island Highway South and 10th Street for a temporary transitional housing project. Prefabricated buildings will be used to house up to 50 people in the Chase River neighbourhood. The minister says the new site in Chase River is still “a few months away” ...
Jan 30, 2024•4 min
Amongst the bustling downtown area, in an old bank building is the Vault Cafe. The cafe which has been known as a hub for coffee and community, is celebrating its ten-year anniversary this weekend. Amanda Scott never imagined herself owning a cafe. But, when the opportunity to buy the location came up and her friend decided to play some tricks on her to talk to the then-owner, everything fell into place “I was just caught wind that he was possibly thinking about selling it, and then one of my be...
Jan 26, 2024•6 min
B.C.’s Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe announced on Wednesday that 2,511 people in the province died from unregulated drugs in 2023, including 112 people in Nanaimo. Unregulated drugs are now the leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 59 in British Columbia, accounting for more deaths than homicides, suicides, accidents and natural disease combined. “This week, I lost three people that were close to me,” said Beverley Plane is the executive secretary for the Nanaimo Area Network of Drug Users....
Jan 26, 2024•5 min
January 24th is Bell Let’s Talk Day, a day started by the telecommunications company Bell to bring awareness and support to those experiencing mental health problems. For the day, Thrive was on campus at Vancouver Island University (VIU) to bring awareness to the day and give students options to find support for their mental health. Brie Mcnevin is a Student Wellness Promoter with Thrive and an Education student at VIU. She said along with all the events Thrive does throughout the school year, B...
Jan 25, 2024•4 min
Amélie Blanchard, a registered art therapist, is facilitating a drop-in vision board session for teens at the Nanaimo Art Gallery on Wednesday, January 24. Her workshop on Wednesday will help teens focus on their goals for the year. “A vision board can help us get clear on our goals, but it can enhance relaxation, and play,” she said. “Everybody needs some sort of creative play in their life so that we get a break from our brains.” Blanchard moved to Nanaimo two years ago where she now operated ...
Jan 24, 2024•4 min
The Green Party of Canada’s Indigenous affairs critic Angela Davidson, also known as Rainbow Eyes, was convicted of seven counts of criminal contempt of court on January 18 for her participation in an anti-logging blockade near Fairy Creek on West Vancouver Island in 2021 and 2022. In his judgment, Chief Justice Hinkson wrote that “Ms. Davidson’s conduct was defiant, repeated and public, and certainly not minimal.” Davidson is a Kwakwaka’wakw person and a member of the Da’naxda’xw First Nation. ...
Jan 23, 2024•4 min
Pickleball has been a hot topic over the last couple of years for council members on Vancouver Island. From both the growth in popularity and the noise it can cause, towns like Qualicum Beach are finding ways to embrace the sport. On Wednesday, January 17th Qualicum Beach Council designated a proposed new location for a pickleball court. This comes after members of the community and the Qualicum Beach Pickleball Club spoke to the council in March 2023 about the need for more community courts. To...
Jan 20, 2024•5 min
The City of Nanaimo is holding an Alternative Approval Process starting on January 18 to seek approval from voters for a $48.5 million loan for the first phase of the Nanaimo Operations Centre. ★ Support this podcast ★
Jan 19, 2024•5 min
It’s a snow day for students in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith, Qualicum and Comox Valley School Districts as all classes are cancelled today. ★ Support this podcast ★
Jan 17, 2024•1 min
Paige Pierce, 21, is Nanaimo’s new Youth Poet Laureate after being appointed to the position by Nanaimo city council for a two year term. An education student at Vancouver Island University, Pierce is working towards being a high school teacher. Pierce says she plans to facilitate poetry workshops for youth in the city, host poetry cafes and poetry slams. “The main goal is going to be just to start a bit of a community and do some outreach of young writers and young poets and introduce poetry to...
Jan 17, 2024•6 min
At a Nanaimo city council meeting on Monday, January 15th, council voted in favour of writing a letter of support to Habitat for Humanity Mid-Vancouver Island for a future project in the city. Jeff Krafta, executive director for Habitat for Humanity Mid-Vancouver Island, spoke to council about the request for the letter. He said the letter would be to support a 26-until muti-family affordable housing complex at 5915 Metro Drive on the newly purchased land. “This is going to be the largest projec...
Jan 17, 2024•3 min
This week was the start of hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as South Africa alleged that the state of Israel is violating the Genocide Convention during its military operations in the occupied Gaza strip. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Friday that Canada supports the International Court of Justice, but does not agree with South Africa’s case against Israel. “Our wholehearted support of the ICJ and its processes does not mean that we support the premi...
Jan 13, 2024•5 min
Gabriola Islanders will want to double-check how they will be commuting to Vancouver Island and back starting next week, as BC Ferries starts night work on both terminals. Deborah Marshall, Executive Director of Public Affairs for BC Ferries said commuters can expect water taxi-only service on certain late-night and early morning sailings starting January 15th to January 19th. This will allow for overnight geotechnical work on the marine structure at the Descanso Bay terminal on Gabriola Island ...
Jan 12, 2024•3 min
Better prevention and detection for cervical cancer is now possible as BC becomes the first province in the country to launch at-home self-screening kits for the human papillomavirus also known as HPV. Starting January 29th women and individuals with a cervix aged 25 to 69 can choose to order a free kit to self-screen for HPV. The province government will transition to this self-screening model to test for HPV as the primary method from the cytology Pap smear method which is currently the primar...
Jan 12, 2024•6 min
With temperatures forecast to drop to -10C overnight and a special weather statement for significant snowfall, two of the three warming centres funded by the City of Nanaimo will be extending their hours to help keep people out of the cold. The warming center operated by Island Crisis Care Society at 2025 Bowen Road will be open 24 hours a day for the duration of extreme cold and has space for 60 people at a time. The Risebridge Society will operate an overnight shelter for 30 people identifying...
Jan 12, 2024•2 min
Environment Canada has issued a special weather report for East Vancouver Island, stating that it expects “significant snowfall” to start on Thursday afternoon over the Malahat Highway and Duncan area. The band of snow is then expected to move north and stall over the Nanaimo area tonight and could continue over the Fanny Bay area on Friday. There is still uncertainty regarding expected snowfall amounts and exact locations that will be affected. The snow could impact commuters tonight and on Fri...
Jan 11, 2024•2 min
Jen Gerson, national commentator and co-founder of The Line , will be speaking at Vancouver Island University on Wednesday, January 10 on “Free speech in the digital age.” Last month, regulations for the Canadian government’s Online News Act , which seeks to regulate tech giants Meta and Google in Canada, were published outlining how the new law would be implemented. While Google reached an agreement with the government and will be paying $100 million to news organizations in Canada in exchange ...
Jan 10, 2024•5 min
Starting tomorrow Tuesday, January 9th, MP for Nanaimo-Ladysmith Lisa Marie Barron will host mobile office events for those unable to see her at her Nanaimo office. Barron and her team will be hosting these events in Lanztville, Ladysmith, Gabriola Island, and Cedar. This will allow people in those areas to get assistance with any challenges they may be experiencing with federal services and programs. Her mobile office event will be in Ladysmith at the Eagles Hall on January 9th from 4 p.m. to 6...
Jan 08, 2024•4 min
Passengers looking for a ride to the Hullo Ferries and Helijet terminals in the Nanaimo Port Authority will have a public transit option starting on Sunday January 7. BC Transit’s #25 Ferry Shuttle will be extending its service to the port three times a day, at 10:35 a.m., 3:17 p.m. and 6:59 p.m. The new route does mean that the bus will no longer be serving Vancouver Island University and to help keep the buses running on time they will no longer wait for delayed ferries. Maps and schedules for...
Jan 06, 2024•2 min
The late Craig Evans, known for his work in sustainability and food security in the Nanaimo community, is being honoured with the Medal of Good Citizenship. This year, 21 people throughout the province are being honoured with the medal, recognizing their generosity, service, and acts of selflessness in their communities. Evans was a longtime farmer who played pivotal roles in founding the Nanaimo Community Gardens and the Growing Opportunities Farm Community Cooperative. Additionally, he took on...
Jan 05, 2024•5 min
Vancouver Island University has reached a deal with its faculty association. The three-year contract will last until March 31, 2025 as faculty have been working without a contract since April 1, 2022. The tentative agreement covers approximately 688 VIU employees who are members of the faculty association. ★ Support this podcast ★
Jan 05, 2024•1 min
According to the RCMP, shortly after 7 a.m. on Monday, police were called to check on the wellbeing of a man on the 300 block of Tenth Street with serious but non-life threatening injuries who had allegedly been assualted. Paramedics took the man to hospital. The RCMP’s serious crimes unit spent Tuesday executing search warrents at DBL Disposal Services and continues to investigate. Police would not say what the suspect or victim’s relationship to DBL Disposal Services is, if any weapons were in...
Jan 03, 2024•1 min
