NANAIMO REGION
Duncan woman still missing after 15 years Family of Sheilagh Coleman believe there are people in the community who know what happened to her. A7
NANAIMO REGION
Reconciliation in spotlight
Life-jacket saves man as fishing vessel sinks The unidentified man was the sole survivor when the 33-metre ‘Caledonian’ sank Saturday evening. A5
Premier looks to First Nations ions to forge an agreement British Columbia, A12
The newspaper of record for Nanaimo and region since 1874 || Friday, September 11, 2015
» Transportation
BUSINESS
Feds offer financial support for a foot-passenger ferry
Nanaimo among top 50 job markets in Canada SPENCER ANDERSON DAILY NEWS
A model of a proposed foot-passenger ferry slated to ply the waters between Nanaimo and Vancouver. On Thursday, Chief Government Whip John Duncan, right, pledged federal financial support for the service. [SPENCER ANDERSON/DAILY NEWS]
Mayor says service ‘could be as big as coal was’ SPENCER ANDERSON DAILY NEWS
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proposed fast ferry service between Nanaimo and Vancouver will get “the required financial support” to proceed, the Conservative campaign promised Thursday. John Duncan, the Conservative candidate for the new riding of Courtenay-Alberni, made the open-ended funding commitment at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in front of company representatives for Island Ferries Ltd., the start-up company behind the proposal. The company has an application in for $14 million in funding from the Building Canada Fund, a federally-administered infrastructure program. David Marshall, director of operations for Island Ferries, said the funding will be enough to secure the confidence of private sector investors the company
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“The project makes sense, there’s a strong business case and it has been widely endorsed by municipal governments on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.”
Related story, A3
John Duncan, Chief Government Whip
is depending on to provide the remaining needed capital for the $70-million project. Marshall said that with the commitment of federal support, the company will need approximately $5 million more for the project to finally go ahead. “In relative terms, it’s a small number,” he said. “The seed investors have put in over $10 million already.” Duncan, also the party’s chief government whip, said the project will be “a game-changer for
Vancouver Island. I have lived and worked on Vancouver Island for 43 years,” said Duncan. “This is why I am an advocate for this project. I know the transportation challenges that we have. The project makes sense, there’s a strong business case and it has been widely endorsed by municipal governments on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.” Mark MacDonald, the Conservative flag-bearer for Nanaimo-Ladysmith, also voiced his longtime support. He called it “the single-biggest immediate project that will have a positive, long-lasting economic impact on Nanaimo-Ladysmith and most of Vancouver Island.” Nanaimo Mayor Bill McKay and his predecessor John Ruttan were also in attendance. McKay said the project would have large potential for economic development on the Island,
adding that the high-speed passenger ferry service linking the two cities “could be as big as coal was.” Island Ferries president Stewart Vinnels praised Duncan and MacDonald for their repeated efforts in promoting the project, as well as McKay and Ruttan for the city’s support. Duncan suggested the funding would be similar to the $14 million, one-time grant sought by the company from the government. He added the amount would be subject to negotiation, noting “it’s possible” the project could receive more funding than was originally sought. Spencer.Anderson@ nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4255 » We want to hear from you. Send comments on this story to yourletters@nanaimodailynews.com. Letters must include daytime phone number and hometown.
New discovery may be link to ancient humans
Governments miss out on online gambling
Human-like creature shows a surprising mix of human-like and more primitive characteristics — some experts called it “bizarre” and “weird.” » Nation & World, A14
Experts say casinos and governments are missing out on a jackpot as Canadians increasingly turn to websites outside Canadian jurisdiction. » Nation & World, A12
Nanaimo is among the top 50 hottest job markets in the country, according to a new report. The rankings were put together by Express Employment Professionals, an employee recruitment firm with offices in Canada, the U.S. and South Africa. Nanaimo came in at No. 45 on the list. Victoria (No. 13) was the only other Vancouver Island community to crack the rankings. The company says it produced the list by cross-referencing Statistics Canada population data with advertised job postings on the federal government’s job bank, rather than comparing populations with employment data in each province. This method “ensures a consistent, ‘apples-to-apples’ comparison of job availability from British Columbia to Newfoundland,” the firm says. The list claims there are 3.33 advertised jobs in Nanaimo for every 1,000 people, compared to 8.55 per 1,000 in the country’s hottest job market: Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. The community with the lowest ratio on the list was Belleville, Ont., which had 3.12 job openings per 1,000 people. Nanaimo improved from its rank of 48 on the list from the previous year. The trend “(confirms) a bit of cooling of the job market in the West, and the job markets in Eastern Canada holding steady,” the company said. “In 2014, seven out of the 10 hot job markets in Canada were out west. In 2015, there is an even 50/50 split of hot job markets between the East and West.” Other communities to make the top 10 include Drummondville, Que.; Grand Prairie, Brossard, Que.; Regina; Wood Buffalo, Alta. (last year’s top-ranked city); North Vancouver; and Edmonton. In B.C., the highest number of job openings were for childcare workers, cashier operators, housekeeping services and food service workers. Spencer.Anderson @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4255
Inside todayene Going for gold
September 11 - 17, 2015
$1.00 including tax
Story on page 18
Todd Ryznar, “The
Boss,”
Eleven years ago, Todd stars in “Fool’s Gold” Ryznar was digging gold fever hit and he around for real estate has as part of his governmen second season of “Fool’s never looked back. TV Media spoke to t job and bought Straw Ryznar, owner Gold,” premiering Tuesday, Lake Sept. 15, on Discovery of mining company Shotgun Exploration gold mine for its lakefront potential Months Canad and hi i h lat
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