Meteoric event Astronomy society planning a night for meteor shower. PAGE 21 Stunt double Nanaimo man discusses career as Schwarzenegger stand-in. PAGE 29 Fastball final Wheatsheaf claims league championship in rubber match. PAGE 4
School site up for sale PAGE 3
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2012
VOL. 24, NO. 43
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Another option eyed by city in attempts to expand water supply
BOAT BASIN BROUHAHA
BY TOBY GORMAN THE NEWS BULLETIN
ROY OSTLING PHOTO
A private company’s proposal for a 30-year lease on Nanaimo’s aging downtown Boat Basin and a $9-million investment to revitalize the facility is drawing concerns and criticisms from some users. For the full story, please see page 7.
Nanaimo is exploring a third option to expand drinking water storage capacity in an effort to ensure supply meets demand by 2020. Last winter, council entered into talks with Harmac mill to tap into its supply as one option. Nanaimo Forest Products, owner of the mill, operates the Fourth Lake Dam through licences granted by the province decades ago, and is entitled to 330 megalitres of water a day, almost seven times Nanaimo’s daily water demand. Those negotiations are continuing. A second option is to build a new dam at a cost of around $60 million in the city’s watershed, where up to four sites are being considered. Bill Sims, manager for water resources, said geotechnical drilling was underway last week at the Jump Creek Dam, Nanaimo’s current water storage reservoir, to see if it is possible to increase capacity by raising the height of the dam, instead of building a new one. “We’ve got a number of questions that demand some pretty serious study,” said Sims. “And there is some urgency to it.” ◆ See ‘WATER’ /4
Film advocates aim to reconnect with city Economic development officials and the film commission are back talking about Nanaimo participating in marketing the region to potential filmmakers. The Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation is set to meet with local film industry representatives on Friday (Aug.
10) to try to continue discussions halted at the exit of former CEO Susan Cudahy. The City of Nanaimo ended its support of the Nanaimo Film Commission in 2006 and refused to contribute financially to the regional Island North Film Commission (InFilm). “We were encouraged this year,” said Joan Miller, film commissioner for InFilm.
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directors, said any agreement would have to fit with the corporation’s goals and objectives. “There’s a lot of people who think the NEDC is a bank,” Hustins said. “InFilm is no different – they’re looking for funding.” Although the city doesn’t contribute to its funding, InFilm will assist with Nanaimo shoots if clients request it, said Miller. arts@nanaimobulletin.com
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ST OF THE CI BE E
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ways. Miller said the film commission got a short letter from the corporation that it was not interested in working with them. Local representatives took up the issue in the hopes to restart the relationship. “We’ve been trying to respect their process,” Miller said. A.J. Hustins, chairman of economic development’s board of
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She said the commission had “really good conversations” with Cudahy, and hosted a forum for Cudahy in February with film industry representatives from the Island and Lower Mainland. “She assured us she would be speaking to the board on our behalf,” Miller said. That ended when Cudahy and economic development parted
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THE NEWS BULLETIN
NANA IMO NEWS BU LLETIN
BY MELISSA FRYER