Major upgrades 30-year lease on marina includes $9-million plans. PAGE 16 Dual influences Artists fuse popular culture with aboriginal traditions. PAGE B1 Show of strength Man wins first bodybuilding competition he enters. PAGE 3
Tutoring funds trip PAGE 7
WWW.DANMORRIS.CA 250-751-1223
7 Pirates Lane
Priced To Sell: $279,900 174’ Accessible Oceanfront .46 Acres+Rustic Cabin
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Dan Morris Nanaimo’s Listing Specialist
www.nanaimobulletin.com
THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2012
VOL. 24, NO. 14
Each office independently owned and operated
Immigration office closure takes away critical assistance BY TOBY GORMAN THE NEWS BULLETIN
CHRIS BUSH/THE NEWS BULLETIN
Northern tent caterpillars (Malacosoma californicum pluviale) are hatching in huge numbers around the Island this spring.
BUGGED!
Tent caterpillars reach peak of 10-year cycle, making for worst infestation in decades
Immigrants new to Nanaimo looking for help with work permits, visas and other bureaucratic needs will no longer have access to personal assistance here as of Friday (June 1). Citizenship and Immigration Canada offices in Nanaimo, Kelowna and Victoria will close permanently, leaving immigrants with only a toll-free line or e-mail to Vancouver or Ottawa to rely upon for technical questions relating to their paperwork. That will take away much of the support immigrants rely on to complete important documents, said Hilde Schlosar, executive director of the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society. And with English as a second language for many using the service, the new system will become a source of delays and frustration. “No immigrants, no international students, no visa holder or applicant can go in and see a real person here anymore,” said Schlosar. “It also means that citizenship ceremonies, which are organized out of Victoria, now, for the whole province, have to be organized out of Vancouver.” ◆ See ‘NON-PROFITS’ /12
2012
An annual update on economic progress
Maffeo Sutton upgraded
BY CHRIS BUSH I THE NEWS BULLETIN
A
n unusually large outbreak of northern tent caterpillars in Nanaimo is putting trees to the test this spring. Northern tent caterpillars (Malacosoma californicum pluviale), are the larva of the northern tent moth, a species native to B.C. with a range extending
throughout the Pacific Northwest and as far east as Quebec. This spring they are hatching in huge numbers and doing their best to defoliate trees with their voracious appetites. Al Kemp, urban forests coordinator for the City of Nanaimo, said the outbreak is the worst he’s seen in more than 20
Quality & Service at Budget Prices
years and complaints are coming to his office from every part of Nanaimo and beyond. “The problem is when we keep having mild winters, the eggs don’t get frozen at all,” Kemp said. “It’s really bad and if it keeps staying like this, it’s not going to get any better.” ◆ See ‘DOWNTOWN’ /6
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Nanaimo to reap rewards from inflflux of junior hockey teams, coaches, parents and fans
Looking ahead Nanaimo ana mo Homeowners’ omeowners
❘ 250.758.3374
BONUS
Resource Directory Director
Construction and Home Renovations!
! d e g g u B e b Don’t 3900 ISLAND HWY. N.
COVER STORY
City hosts new Western tournament
Port P Po orrtt Auuthority thhority th horit orityy embark emba embarks embar rks ks on 10-yea 10-year 10 yyear ear voyag voy voyage
INSIDE
No need to go to ICBC, come directly to us!
We Do Screens!
usually involves a rock.
City’s spectacular waterfront park gets a few tweaks
Look for the News Bulletin’s annual update on Nanaimo’s economic progress over the past 12 months and the various things going on to help push our city forward.
❘
www.budgetglass.com