B-ball building VIU Mariners women’s team
Remembrance Day
starts PacWest season with win.
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6852 Mart Rd. LANTZVILLE
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VOL. 26, NO. 51
Minister nixes suggestion to cut ferry route
Park pals
Jaxon Trinkwon, 5, reacts to some close contact with new-found friends he bribed with a bag of duck pellets Tuesday. Trinkwon was with his mother on an afternoon outing at Bowen Park, which included bringing treats for the ducks at the duck pond. CHRIS BUSH/THE NEWS BULLETIN
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EFFICIENCY REPORT examining cost-saving measures, suggests foot-passenger service. BY KARL YU THE NEWS BULLETIN
Candidates pitch ideas for improvements to voters BY TAMARA CUNNINGHAM THE NEWS BULLETIN
Political hopefuls floated ideas for Nanaimo during an all-candidates forum Tuesday, from taking cars off downtown roads to bus stop amenities and billboards announcing a business-friendly city. More than 700 people turned out to the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce’s all-candidates forum Tuesday night, which featured a ‘speed campaigning’ event and mayoral discussion. Voters had the chance
to visit different tables of council, mayoral and school trustee candidates and ask questions, with topics like the potential lease of Georgia Park, community engagement and intersection upgrades dominating the discussion. Council and mayoral contenders also took the opportunity to express ideas for the Harbour City. Nanaimo council candidate Ian Thompson told one resident “we should take the cars off downtown” when he was asked how he’d bring the city closer together, adding
that having people walk the area is naturally a better way to bring folks together. Candidate Jim Goldsack proposed e-mails as a different format for the city to engage the public and mayoral contender Bill McKay pitched the installation of two billboards in Nanoose and Ladysmith to say Nanaimo is open for business as a strategy for creating jobs. “First thing we have to do is declare that we are actually open for business ... then we’re going to have to prove to business that
we’re actually talking the talk and walking the walk,” he said, during a mayoral discussion. Other ideas came from mayoral hopeful Al Thompson, who said he’d like to see Nanaimo’s Nicol Street theatre turned into “Nanaimo’s Got Talent” when he was asked about how he’d support and advocate for arts and culture, while rival Brunie Brunie called for a bus station with amenities like coffee and tea as part of new transportation additions the city should consider. See ‘VOTERS’ /4
The provincial transportation minister said he doesn’t support the elimination of B.C. Ferries’ Nanaimo-to-Horseshoe Bay route or replacing it with passenger-only service. Todd Stone said Wednesday afternoon that he has been consistent for the past year that he does not support consolidation of Nanaimo’s two ferry terminals at Departure Bay and Duke Point. “I indicated yesterday that while we weren’t endorsing or supporting the idea, it may be worthy of consideration,” Stone said by phone from Regina. “Over the last 24 hours, I’ve had some very good conversations with my Island colleagues, Don McRae (Comox Valley) and Michelle Stilwell (Parksville-Qualicum) as well as my pariliamentary secretary Jordan Sturdy (West Vancouver-Sea to Sky). They’ve made some very strong and eloquent arguments to me that they don’t believe closing one of the two terminals at Nanaimo would be a good thing, not just for the economy of Nanaimo, but potentially the economy of the mid-Island.” An efficiency strategy from B.C. Ferries, released Sept. 30, suggested the route cuts as well as a passenger-only service between Nanaimo and Vancouver – a business venture already in the works from private company Island Ferries. Dave Marshall, Island Ferries’ director of operations, said the company is willing to talk to B.C. Ferries, although no meeting is scheduled. See ‘ROUTES’ /5