Rock star Scott Weiland talks STP, Velvet Revolver ahead of Nanaimo gig. PagE 27 Let up Timbermen lacrosse team fails to pull off win after strong start. PagE 28 Coastal Living Kelp reforestation program documenting first results.
H STUFF SERVI CE HEALT ENTER TAINM ENT KIDS’ PING RECRE ATION RESTA URANT S SHOP
Best of the City
Bofest
INSIDE
the
PagE 11
er: pedal pow paths allow cyclists
2014
Trails and to navigate through city without travelling on busy roads
city ing stars:finds See Nanaimo Astronomy Club best view of the constellations
L CARS: rides, COO Vintage car clubs show off share stories of vehicle history
s, best pubs and more SURVEY SAYS: Best martini
it takes WINNER PROFILES: What
to be picked Best of the City
www.nanaimobulletin.com
TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 2014
VOL. 26, NO. 13
SPCA seeking support from city for shelter
I
Panvir dhaliwal, a volunteer with Canadian Blood Services, took to a kiosk in Woodgrove Centre Friday to campaign for new blood donors. CHRIS BUSH THe NewS BUlleTIN
Blood services sees decline in donors in Nanaimo area By ChRIS BuSh ThE NEwS BULLETiN
Canadian Blood Services volunteers took to the corridors of Woodgrove Shopping Centre to campaign for new donors Friday. Campaigning from a mall kiosk was the brainchild of Panvir Dhaliwal, a university student and volunteer, who with other volunteers, handed out balloons to children and leaflets listing upcoming blood donor clinics scheduled for Nanaimo. Most shoppers walked past, eyes averted as if avoiding hawkers who regularly pitch from kiosks offering everything from beauty lotions to sunglasses and radio-controlled toys. “This is just an awareness campaign,” Dhaliwal said. “We’re not actually taking donations right now. One
of the biggest problems that we have is people don’t know when the clinics are – when the dates are – because we don’t take blood every single day. What we’re hoping to do is get some information out there, so people know what’s going on.” Aside from not knowing clinic dates and locations, people also often don’t know whether they’re eligible to give blood or where they can call or find out information online. The low number of pamphlets accepted by passersby doesn’t surprise Chris Barron, Canadian Blood Services territory manager, who said, due to budget restrictions, the organization does little advertising in B.C. and only about 2.5 per cent of the population regularly donates blood. “So it’s not surprising to see more people walk by than actually talk with
us,” Barron said. About 2,500 people are regular blood donors in Nanaimo. “We do have a well-attended clinic in Nanaimo, but it is showing a little bit of a decline in the amount of donors showing up as of late.” Barron said some people in Nanaimo donate blood regularly up to six times each year. “Which is a slippery slope because if those people start to be unable to donate we’ve got to pick people up on the other side,” Barron said. Canadian Blood Services holds blood donation clinics several times each month at Beban Park Social Centre. For more information, please call Canadian Blood Services at 1-888-2366283 or visit www.blood.ca. photos@nanaimobulletin.com
end to long-term lease forces Nanaimo group to develop land on westwood Road. By TamaRa CuNNINgham ThE NEwS BULLETiN
The Nanaimo SPCA is appealing to city officials to help pay for a $2.7-million, state-of-theart shelter. The local SPCA wants to start construction of a new Nanaimo Regional Community Animal Centre now that its lease with the city expired, asking the municipality to chip in between $150,000 and $200,000 over the next three years to help. The lease contract for the current shelter on Labieux Road cost the SPCA a dollar a year and expired last April. The SPCA says it was told two years ago its lease wouldn’t be renewed, prompting it to launch a feasibility study for a new facility. According to Bill Corsan, the city’s manager of real estate, council made the decision not to renew the lease, hoping to encourage the organization to use its own 4.8-hectare property on Westwood Road, which it’s owned for the last eight years. The Labieux area is slated for redevelopment, which was another reason behind the decision to end the long-term lease. “The goal was ... you should be moving your facility to your property rather than having a vacant site and using city property for a nominal amount,” Corsan said. Leon Davis, Nanaimo SPCA branch manager, said when the lease wasn’t renewed, Nanaimo moved to the top of the priority list for facility replacement. The SPCA hadn’t built on its Westwood site until now because it was a “resources issue,” as other shelters in B.C. were in greater need of replacement. See ‘SHELTER’ /4
JEWELLERY SERVICE
GOLD RECYCLING
P. 250.585.1648 www.marshandson.com 3392 Norwell Drive, Nanaimo | Tues - Sat 10am - 5pm
WE BUY LARGER DIAMONDS