NANAIMO
Real Estate Review
Printing
Websites www.eliteimage.ca
Pot petition Political group not allowed to set up at Marine Festival. PAGE 18 Simple riff Five Years Further’s Western Canada tour includes Nanaimo. PAGE B1 Fresh start Raiders aim to hit the ground running on new season.
REAL ESTATE
REV IEW
Your Bi-Weekly Guide
to Real Estate in Nanaimo,
INFORMATION: BULLETIN.COM ADVERTISING ONLINE: WWW.NANAIMO
Nanoose, Ladysmith
PAGE 3
g Areas and the Surroundin
JULY 18, 2013 AY AT 250-734-4614 THURSDAY,
CALL LESLEY LIVINGSTONE-GR
INSIDE FEATUREY PROPERT
7103 Black Jack
1st Month FREE k & Use OUR Truc to Move In! call
Celebrating
1988
WE
BUY
Drive $444,900
Abode style rancher post and beam Pan on a gorgeous .59 This stunning log sits ly renovated and dramatic 17 ft. has been beautiful a living room with acre property. It featuresto ceiling windows, handsome maple floor offers ceiling vaults and beam detail. The kitchen & post a and eating bar. Enjoy hardwood flooring backsplash & granite striking cabinets, huge southern exposed level back yard & serene, manicured entertaining. ime summert for tiered deck mpsongodfrey.com Group Godfrey on Visit our website www.tho on of the Thomps and call Dave Thomps to view 250-751-1223.
250-758-2270
GOLD
Units • Heated & Drive-Up • Monitored Securitys • Fenced Compound • Easy Access • Prepay Discounts on Move Out • Rent Pro-rated • Open Every Day Rent • Mailboxes for Nanaimo 5 Locations in
AND FINE JEWELLERY Y
2013
Years
www.nanaimobulletin.com
THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013
Cyclist thanks city for support during tsunami rebuilding
Gratitude ride
BY CHRIS BUSH THE NEWS BULLETIN
A
cyclist from Japan stopped by to say thanks and pay a second visit to his hometown’s sister city. Ryo Ambe, 32, of Saitama, Japan, Nanaimo’s sister city, was at Nanaimo city hall Monday to meet with Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan and members of Central Vancouver Island Japanese-Canadian Society. Ambe was on the final leg of a trip up the West Coast, from San Diego to Vancouver. In 2011, Ambe cycled across Canada to thank Canadians for this country’s relief efforts following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March of that year. Ambe’s first visit to Nanaimo was especially meaningful, since it was his hometown’s sister city that raised more than $10,500 in relief funds through a local Red Cross campaign. Since his 2011 tour, he spent a lot of time on the saddle of his modified Giant touring bike with tours across Taiwan and New Zealand. Ambe said, through an interpreter, his most recent trip up the U.S. West Coast took two months and covered more than 3,000 kilometres. On the way, he stopped to help with ongoing
VOL. 25, NO. 32
Opposition mounts to coming closures of Cedar schools BY JENN M C GARRIGLE THE NEWS BULLETIN
CHRIS BUSH/THE NEWS BULLETIN
Ryo Ambe, of Saitama, Japan, stopped by Nanaimo, his hometown’s sister city, this week on the final leg of his bike tour from San Diego to Vancouver. Ambe has toured across Canada, New Zealand, Taiwan and now the West Coast with his message of thanks to the countries that helped Japan following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
beach cleanup efforts in Oregon and California where Japanese tsunami debris has been washing ashore. Ambe’s visit to the mayor’s office was followed
Kim
up with a presentation to the Central Vancouver Island Japanese-Canadian Society members, hosted at Bistro Taiyo, where he shared stories about his journeys over the past
Churchill live
Aug 3rd
from Noon - 5:30pm
at 3512 Island Highway North
two years. Ironically, although Ambe has travelled extensively, he has never lived anywhere other than his hometown of Saitama. ◆ See ‘BIKE’ /4 OPENING ACTS: Jupiter Jill, Eric Harper & The Distributors
P: 250.585.1648 3392 Norwell Drive
A group of Cedar parents are challenging Nanaimo school district’s plan to close schools in that area and a petition organized by the group is expected to go before the legislature today (July 18). Save Cedar Schools formed about 10 days ago after about 150 community members met to discuss next steps following the school board’s decision to move forward with several elements of its 10-year facilities plan, said spokesman Steve Rae. The group is reacting to the school board’s recent decision to close Cedar Secondary School at the end of next year with secondary students going to John Barsby or Ladysmith, c l o s e Wo o d b a n k Primary and North Cedar Intermediate schools in June 2015, and reopen Cedar Secondary as an elementary school in the 2015-16 school year. Trustees also voted to close South Wellington Elementary immediately. Rae said parents
have collected more than 500 signatures on a petition that calls for Education Minister Peter Fassbender to appoint a special advisor to the district to review the facilities plan, which NanaimoNorth Cowichan NDP MLA Doug Routley will take to the legislature today. “There’s thousands of people in this community who are very unhappy,” said Rae. “We understand that tough decisions need to be made. But the decision they made was a rushed judgment and it’s not the right thing to do.” Parents have concerns about the plan to move secondary students out of the community, including bullying, transportation, ability to participate in extracurricular activities, having the largest elementary school in the district and moving students from the newest high school to an older one. Where the money to renovate Cedar Secondary to accommodate elementary students is going to come from is also a concern, he said. ◆ See ‘SCHOOL’ /4
Free Event With Donations To The Hospice Society
3612 Island Highway North | 250.756.1515
newcastlenissan.com