Nanaimo News Bulletin, September 20, 2023

City will take wait-and-see approach with drugs in public

B.C. government bans drug possession at playgrounds, skateparks, water parks

CHRIS

Nanaimo residents will wait and see as far as legislation regulating drug use in public areas.

JAZZED UP

Saturday,

North Nanaimo’s MLA booted from NDP caucus

Parksville-Qualicum

MLA Adam Walker has been turfed from the government’s ranks.

The news came in a brief statement Sunday, Sept. 17, outlining the ouster of

Walker, who has served the riding that extends to Lantzville and north Nanaimo for the past four years.

The statement from Premier David Eby’s office said the MLA’s dismissal came about as the result of an internal investigation sparked

by an unspecified human resources complaint.

“This thorough investigation found misconduct on the part of MLA Walker,” the statement said of the former parliamentary secretary for the sustainable economy. “As a result, Mr. Walker will no longer be

a member of the government caucus and he will no longer be a parliamentary secretary.”

The statement said no further details would be released in light of the fact that the issue is a human resources matter.

Continued on A16

At a council meeting Sept. 11, city director of bylaw services Dave LaBerge presented a report requested by council to provide options for bylaws to regulate drug consumption in public spaces.

B.C. municipalities have looked to control public drug use since before a federal exemption to decriminalize small amounts of illegal drugs, such as opioids and methamphetamine, for personal use was granted from Jan. 31, 2023 to Jan. 31, 2026 as part of a B.C. government approach to address the toxic drug crisis.

In compiling the report, city staff asked other municipali-

ties how they’ve approached public drug use.

“I can tell you that the majority of municipalities have informed us that they’re not contemplating any new or updated bylaws, with respect to controlled substances, at this time,” LaBerge said.

But some communities have enacted bylaws. Campbell River – after running afoul of a legal challenge in the Supreme Court of B.C. for not consulting with its area medical health officer and for adopting $200 ticketing penalties that were ruled to be outside of that city’s legislative authority – now prohibits drug use on or within 15 metres of city facilities, playgrounds, sports fields, tennis courts, picnic shelters, water parks or bus shelters, but there are no ticketing sanctions.

Continued on A8

Estelle Stevenson, with Acclaim Celtic Dancers, moves to the jazz music at Maffeo Sutton Park during a march along the waterfront

Sept. 16, as part of the Nanaimo International Jazz Festival. For more, see page B1. (Karl Yu/News Bulletin)

BUSH NEWS BULLETIN

STAFF WRITER CANADIAN PRESS

Town of Ladysmith, Stz’uminus share ‘united’ priorities of waterfront plan

First Nation’s development arm envisions ‘mini Granville Island’

BAILEY SEYMOUR NEWS BULLETIN

Stz’uminus First Nation and the Town of Ladysmith are sharing more of their plans for the future of the Ladysmith waterfront.

In March 2022, Stz’uminus and the province signed a reconciliation agreement to establish commitments to collaborate on future remediation and infrastructure projects for the Ladysmith Harbour, and a few months later, the Town of Ladysmith signed an agreement to work with Stz’uminus to implement the waterfront area plan.

According to a joint news release from Stz’uminus’ development arm Coast Salish Group and the town, they’re working toward transferring town and federally owned land between Slag Point and the federal wharf – including the Ladysmith Community Marina – to the corporation on Dec. 31.

“This is a significant milestone in the long journey of reconciliation for the Stz’uminus people. Our ancestors lived on this land, thus Ladysmith Harbour has great significance to our community. This sets the stage for making things right,” said Stz’uminus Chief John Elliott in the release. “We embrace the economic and recreational opportunities at Ladysmith Harbour to build a sustainable future for current and future generations.”

The current plan for the waterfront is to create a “mini-Granville Island” concept, according to the release.

“When this portion of the

Development charges aren’t keeping up with costs for expansion of Nanaimo’s sewers

CHRIS BUSH NEWS BULLETIN

Nanaimo is growing so fast it’s becoming more difficult financially to have new sewers in place to keep up.

Nanaimo city councillors, at a finance and audit meeting Sept. 13, were advised that the city’s ability to keep up with building new sewers risks being overwhelmed by the slow pace of replenishing funding through DCCs – development cost charges.

Bill Sims, the city’s general manager of engineering and public works, was the bearer of the bad news at the meeting, introducing a staff report on the topic. Since 2018, 15 sewer DCC projects were completed, totalling five kilometres of upgraded infrastructure valued at approximately $14.3 million, but rapid growth –Sims described it as “explosive” – in many areas means more upgrades beyond those already completed are required and the rate of funding isn’t keeping pace with the need to build more projects more quickly.

distribution and sanitary sewer systems.

“Typically, over a 25year life you identify projects that you would build and fund over that 25 years,” Sims said.

“That works well in theory, but in practice, as we’ve seen rapid growth in the last five years … we’re running around, running back and forth, to keep up with the growth and keep ahead of the growth. That’s created a pinch for funding.”

According to the report, about $13.2 million worth of sewer DCC projects are proposed over the coming five years, a cost similar to projects for the previous five years, but inflation will make fewer projects possible for that same level of available funding. An additional $16 million worth of sewer upgrades would also ideally be included in the next five year plan. Those projects aren’t yet funded and not doing them could translate to sewer backups.

harbour is fully developed, it is planned to accommodate approximately 1,200 boat houses, slips, moorage and commercial/retail space,” the release noted. “This development is aligned with the town’s current waterfront area plan.”

Ladysmith Mayor Aaron Stone called the plans an exciting opportunity to advance the “united priorities” of the town and the First Nation.

“Our shared vision for the

waterfront supports a deep desire to return Stz’uminus presence and culture to this area,” he said in the release.

The economic development group said it’s working with the province to remediate portions of the harbour with a $10-million grant from the province for clean up.

In the meantime, the Coast Salish Group will provide moorage on the existing site and boaters can contact the

corporation starting Oct. 1 to make arrangements.

The Ladysmith Maritime Society, which operates the community marina, said “it was disappointing to read these announcements without prior notice to the society,” and added that it has continued to reach out to Stz’uminus First Nation “with the hope that doors will open for productive talks.”

bailey.seymour@nanaimobulletin.com

“Generally, you want to have projects built before you start flushing toilets,” Sims said.

DCCs are collected from land developers to offset the costs of building infrastructure to service new developments.

DCCs are deposited into accounts so there is money set aside to pay for development or expansion of facilities and infrastructure, such as roads, parks, water

Sims said there are a number of strategies staff could take to “ease some of the short-term pain.” In the past, money could be borrowed from other DCC accounts to cover funding shortfalls for high-priority new sewerage infrastructure projects.

“It’s now to the point where the cost of borrowing is exceeding the revenue stream from DCCs to the ‘sewer pot’ so that becomes no longer viable,” Sims said.

Continued on A34

Stz’uminus First Nation’s Coast Salish Group envisions a ‘mini-Granville Island’ in Ladysmith harbour, part of the Ladysmith Waterfront Area Plan. (Image courtesy Coast Salish Group)

2021CHEVBLAZER

2017KIA

Dumpster fire spreads and displaces 20 tenants

Firefighters responded the morning of Sept. 16

Twenty people were forced out of their apartment in Nanaimo after a suspicious fire on the weekend.

Firefighters were called out to the 600 block of Prideaux Street around 7 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, for what turned out to be a structure fire, said Nanaimo Fire Rescue chief Tim Doyle. There was “extensive damage done to the backside of the building.”

“It was orginally paged out as a dumpster fire,” he told the News Bulletin. “When crews came on scene, [it] had extended to farther up the building

and it involved multiple units above it.”

Doyle said residents were able to get out safely and firefighters were able to gain control of the blaze, but the building suffered damage.

“Unfortunately, due to the amount of water damage from the sprinkler system and smoke damage, and having to shut

off the electrical and gas, we do have the entire building evacuated until they can restore all the systems, fire alarm systems and make everything safe.”

Emergency support services assisted the residents and arrangements have been made, stated the fire chief, who added the fire is suspicious, but there is

currently nothing to suggest it is related to other recent fires in Nanaimo’s south end.

“The investigation is not done, so it would be remiss for me to start [making assumptions] … until our investigators have concluded their work, we just don’t know,” said Doyle.

karl.yu@nanaimobulletin.com

Burning bathroom fan ignites fire

A house in Nanaimo sustained damage from two fires 12 hours apart.

An initial fire in the house on the 200 block of Juniper Street, broke out the afternoon of Sept. 13, and was started by a malfunctioning bathroom fan that set fire to asphalt roof shingles above it. The fire was snuffed out, but firefighters rushed back to the scene shortly before 3 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, when a second fire broke out in the house.

Stu Kenning, Nanaimo

Fire Rescue assistant chief, said he wasn’t able to share much information about the cause of the second fire, other than it did cause more damage to the house.

“I can’t give you much on that, but they’re both being investigated and we’ll hopefully have an answer about

how they started, but it does not appear suspicious,” Kenning said.

He said the residents – two from the upper floor and a tenant who rents the downstairs suite – were cleared to move back into the house after the first fire, but could

not remain in the house after electricity was disconnected.

The assistant chief said the homeowner has insurance, but the tenant did not. No injuries were reported from either incident.

chris.bush@nanaimobulletin.com

Nanaimo Fire Rescue responded to a fire in the 600 block of Prideaux Street the morning of Saturday, Sept. 16. (News Bulletin photo)

A Nanaimo firefighter checks the extent of fire damage on the roof of a home after a burning bathroom fan set roof shingles alight on Sept. 13.

(Chris Bush/News Bulletin)

CHRIS BUSH NEWS BULLETIN

New flights to Vancouver’s south terminal and to Kelowna start at Nanaimo Airport

Pacific Coastal Airlines offers daily service

BAILEY SEYMOUR NEWS BULLETIN

New routes to Kelowna and Vancouver’s south terminal are available from Nanaimo Airport now that a partnership is in place with B.C.-based Pacific Coastal Airlines.

On Sept. 12, stakeholders gathered at the Nanaimo Airport for a ribbon-cutting and a celebration of the first flight of the new Nanaimo-to-Vancouver South Terminal and Nanaimo-Kelowna routes, utilizing a 19-passenger Beechcraft 1900 aircraft.

Dave Devana, CEO of the Nanaimo Airport, thanked all involved and said Pacific Coastal Airlines “is a partner we’ve been seeking to have here for a long time.”

Daily flights will be

departing to Vancouver at 7:45 a.m. and returning to Nanaimo at 2:55 p.m. and Kelowna flights will be departing at 3:50 p.m. and returning at 5:20 p.m.

“This new service fur-

ther connects our communities, giving British Columbians and those who travel here another option to visit Nanaimo and other destinations on the Island, while provid-

ing important air access for the region to Vancouver and beyond,” said Russ Atkinson, director of air service development with the Vancouver Airport Authority, in a

Teens involved in crash on first day of school

to be relatively unscathed,” noted the release.

A teenage driver with three passengers crashed a vehicle at 4 a.m. the morning of the first day of school.

news release.

Passengers can book their flights by visiting http://pacificcoastal.com, or by contacting 1-800663-2872. www.ladysmithchronicle.com

Nanaimo RCMP, in a press release, noted that at 4:10 a.m. on Sept. 5, police, firefighters and paramedics were called to a single-vehicle crash. Police arrived at the intersection of Biggs Road and Jingle Pot Road to find an older-model vehicle “with significant front-end damage.”

“Airbags had deployed and all onboard, while traumatized, appeared

The driver exhibited signs of alcohol consumption and provided a breath sample that indicated he had consumed alcohol, contrary to conditions of his licence.

“Booze and inexperienced drivers do not mix. The zero-alcohol limit is there for a reason,” the release noted.

One youth was taken to hospital with a minor injury, while “three of the four youths were picked up a short time later by some very concerned parents.”

editor@nanaimobulletin.com

Pacific Coastal Airlines started new routes to Vancouver and Kelowna from the Nanaimo Airport on Tuesday, Sept 12, with fire trucks marking the occasion with a burst of water. (Bailey Seymour/The Chronicle)

STAFF WRITER NEWS BULLETIN

(Black Press Media file photo)

Drug decriminalization’s local impacts debated

Penticton and Prince George have similar bylaws.

“If there’s no mechanisms to enforce a bylaw, it’s not really clear what measures could actually be taken to obtain compliance when you’re trying to enforce that bylaw,” LaBerge said.

Municipalities are assessing decriminalization’s impacts on public safety, and regional medical health officers have asked communities not to make regulatory changes until it’s known if there have been unintended consequences from decriminalization, such as increased drug consumption.

Staff also consulted with the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

“The one point I wanted to bring to council, that I find a little bit curious, is that they said there were no baseline measurements of public consumption before decriminalization,” LaBerge said. “Throughout this period we’ve been told, wait six months and see what the impacts are, but in actual fact it doesn’t seem that there’s any metrics to measure them against, which was interesting.”

He said the ministry is gathering feedback through the Union of B.C. Municipalities and was told policy and leglislation changes are expected during the fall sitting of the B.C. Legislature, but few details have been provided.

He said the city is supporting programs from Island Health and the province and continuing to communicate with the medical health officer. Staff are monitoring the impacts of decriminalization locally with enhanced databases to capture key indicators.

Coun. Ian Thorpe said he’s prepared to wait to hear what comes out of the fall sitting of the legislature, but said in the meantime, open drug use is impacting Nanaimo.

“Quite frankly, I’m hearing a lot of people say they’re not prepared to tolerate it. They want some action,” Thorpe said. “So I’m here to say I’m willing to wait and see what the provincial government is going to come up with during the fall, but if I see no concerted action on this file then I will be

prepared … to introduce a proposed bylaw for our city and we’ll see where council wants to go with that.”

Coun. Sheryl Armstrong wondered if public health officials are listening to the business community.

“I was in a meeting with the business community [this month] and they were talking about how some of them are now struggling with PTSD, their kids are scared to leave their house, their businesses are suffering immensely,” she said.

Coun. Ben Geselbracht said he had a conversation with a city council member in Nelson, where drug use is restricted from specific parks, and was told decriminalization’s intent to reduce stigma around drug addiction has had the opposite effect because of a “general sense of unsafety.”

“I think norms around public drug use do need to be set because, as it is now, it is kind of the wild west,” Geselbracht said. “I’ve seen enough now that I don’t think it’s having the desired effect of reducing stigma and, in fact, it’s creating a greater public concern and stigmatization.”

Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said it makes no sense to enact a bylaw that can’t be enforced, though he added that government policies have not worked to improve public health.

“There’s no sense in trying to fine somebody who’s starving and living in the streets already,” he said. “It makes no sense, but … it’s not just about the people who live in the streets. It’s also about the people who don’t live in the streets, who don’t want to have their children and their families exposed to drug use, open drug use, which is clearly having an incredibly damaging impact on the users in our streets who are living the

worst, most miserable lives of anyone in our community … I just find this extremely frustrating because, what has happened with the province’s move to make us a bit of an exception in this country around decriminalization has not improved public health.”

Coun. Hilary Eastmure referenced the most recent B.C. Coroners Service report which shows there were 76 deaths in Nanaimo in the first seven months of 2023 and that drug-poisoning deaths will eclipse the 77 deaths for all of 2022. She also wants to see the province lead on safe drug supply, shelter and attainable housing.

“We can’t get out of this crisis simply with decriminalization … That’s one tiny piece of this puzzle and, unfortunately, that’s the only piece the province has given us so far. I really want to see the conversation about safe supply continue and then supports for people so that they can help break the cycle, and you can’t do that when you’re living on the street.”

The provincial government announced last week that possession of illicit drugs at playgrounds, water parks, wading pools and skate parks is no longer allowed, effective Monday, Sept. 18.

B.C. Mental Health and Addictions Minister Jennifer Whiteside said her government requested the amendment so families will feel safe in their community while the province continues to use every tool available to save lives.

The amendment allows police to enforce the controlled drugs and substances act when they find individuals in possession of illegal drugs in the newly designated spaces. Intoxication remains illegal in all public places.

-files from Wolf Depner/Black Press Media

A naloxone kit left along Nicol Street this year. (News Bulletin file photo)

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Worker safety extends to roads and highways

More vehicles are on the road at the start of fall, whether it be for school, driving to new activities, commuting to and from the daily 9-5, or driving as part of the job.

With that in mind, WorkSafe B.C.’s Road Safety at Work initiative is reminding British Columbians that driving at work is dangerous, but can be safer if everyone who uses the roads does their part.

It isn’t just professional drivers and gig workers who are driving as part of their job. Other types of workers might get behind the

COMMENT

wheel to run office errands, call on clients or attend meetings.

WorkSafe B.C. noted in a press release that an average of 20 people died in work-related vehicle crashes between 2017-2021, with another 1,400 injured badly enough to miss work. Those figures add up to nearly one person being injured or worse every work day.

WorkSafe B.C. wants employers and employees to keep in mind that vehicles are considered workplaces and need to meet health and safety standards. The list of occupations

with the most work-related crashes includes truckers, couriers and bus drivers, but also health-care workers, social workers and construction workers.

Nanaimo has many of Vancouver Island’s worst intersections for crashes, and even though nearly all crashes are preventable, driving can be dangerous at any time. Even if we aren’t speeding, impaired, fatigued or distracted, we’ll encounter motorists who are.

“Crashes aren’t inevitable, they aren’t always the fault of the other driver, and they’re

certainly not a cost of doing business,” the release noted.

WorkSafe B.C. wants people to see the dangers of work-related driving – employers have legal and moral responsibilities to prioritize safety and employees have rights and obligations to refuse unsafe work.

Driving safely and working safely need to overlap, individually and collectively, to protect our workplaces on wheels – and any of us who are out and about.

editor@nanaimobulletin.com

B.C.’s drug toxicity deaths are more than numbers

Another International Overdose Awareness Day has passed and with it comes the reminder that behind the staggering numbers of deaths are faces and names that mean everything to their friends and families.

It’s easy to become numb to the statistics when each month a report reveals the latest death toll from a toxic and unregulated drug supply.

The most recent data found 198 deaths across B.C. and we are on pace for a record high of more than 2,400. Each of those numbers leaves behind grieving parents, relatives and friends.

We have come to accept these unnecessary deaths but if there were suddenly an additional 100 or 200 people dying monthly of fires or plane crashes, there would be an outcry. People would demand change.

That’s not to say people

How to reach us:

Circulation, delivery, carriers:

don’t care, and there are absolutely people and organizations working hard to reduce these unnecessary deaths.

But I think the term ‘overdose’ is obscuring the problem and creating stigma – casually tossing the blame at the feet of the people who have died. They took too much, it’s their fault. People are dying from drug toxicity – they didn’t consume too much of a substance, they consumed a substance contaminated with something their body does not have a tolerance for.

I think before you can solve a problem, you need to at least acknowledge what is happening.

Concerned residents gathered in the Parksville Community Centre on Aug. 31 to share experiences and information. The event emphasized we are dealing with a toxic drug crisis, not an overdose crisis and I learned a

lot from my attendance.

Jane McCormick shared the tragic loss of her son Jeffrey, who died at 35 years old in 2021 and left behind two children. According to the initial coroners report, he died from a high level of fentanyl, with benzodiazepines mixed in. He completed treatment, and was building a life that included returning to a career with a powerline company.

Jeff was concerned about drug testing on the job site, so he went off his suboxone opioid agonist therapy.

GrahamShonwise 250-734-4605 circulation@nanaimobulletin.com

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Not long after he returned home after his three-week shift, Jeff died from toxicity of an illicit substance he inhaled. Jeff used fentanyl and knew how much to take, if it wasn’t tainted with other substances.

Just about everyone you will talk to has a connection to someone who has died due to the toxic drug crisis. A very good friend of mine back home in Saskatchewan would still be alive if it was not for this crisis, which affects communities across the country.

His funeral was one of the hardest days of my life and I will always remember the pain on the faces of his mother, father and sister.

This crisis affects people who are housed and who are unhoused. It affects men and women, but predominantly (77 per cent) it is men who are dying. Eighty per cent of the deaths happened indoors.

B.C. declared the issue a public health crisis back in 2016 and yet it only seems to get worse. How does something receive so much government attention and just continue to get worse? Where are the toxic drugs coming from?

I don’t have the answers and I don’t have a solution. But I know you can’t fix a problem if you haven’t identified it correctly.

It’s not an overdose crisis, it’s a toxic drug crisis. It’s a crisis of trauma and despair.

Kevin Forsyth is a reporter with the Parksville-Qualicum Beach News.

kevin.forsyth@pqbnews.com

The Nanaimo News Bulletin is published every Wednesday by Black Press Media. The News Bulletin is distributed to more than 31,000 households in Nanaimo, Gabriola Island, Lantzville and Nanoose Bay. Copyright and/or property rights subsist in all advertisements and in all other material appearing in this edition of the News Bulletin. Permission to reproduce wholly or in part and in any form whatsoever, particularly by a photographic or offset process in a publication, must be obtained in writing from the publisher. Any unauthorized reproduction will be subject to recourse in law.

The News Bulletin is a member of the National NewsMedia Council, an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, contact the editor at 250-734-4621 or e-mail editor@nanaimobulletin.com. If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint,visit http://mediacouncil.ca or phone 1-844-877-1163.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

There’s this other little quiet voice inside that says, ‘How do you know you can’t do it? Unless you try, you don’t know.’

– Storyteller Christine Clarke-Johnsen on overcoming shyness to sing and dance on stage, and relating her experience in a Chicken Soup for the Soul piece, page B4.

777 Poplar St., Nanaimo B.C., V9S 2H7

Lost loved ones were remembered during a candlelight vigil at Parksville Community Park on Aug. 31. (Jane McCormick photo)

LETTERS

Inter-regional public transit overpriced for service level

To the editor,

Re: Duncan-Nanaimo bus route provides more than 30,000 rides in first year, July 25.

Thank you for providing a bus from Ladysmith to Nanaimo as this essential service is majorly needed. I am perplexed, however, by the exorbitant fare. At $7.50 per ride it is twice the highest fare I could find on the internet for public transit in Canada. I can ride the buses all day long in Nanaimo, Duncan, Victoria, and even Vancouver for a mere $5 for a day pass, but the 70 NCX costs an outrageous fare, with no day pass or semester pass for students either.

Also, the two-way commute for a student is very long.

The amount of daily routes is extremely limited, not to mention the bus stops only once in Ladysmith – good luck if you live on the other side of town. My child leaves at 6:30 a.m. to catch the 7 a.m. bus for an 8:30 a.m. class. On the return trip at 4 p.m., the only available bus is at 5:40 p.m., arriving in Ladysmith at 6:15 p.m. – don’t miss

connector bus is pricey for public transit, and the schedule leaves much to be desired, suggests letter writer. (News Bulletin file photo)

this bus or you’ll be stranded in Nanaimo. This is neither economical in time or money. It would be cheaper and more time effective to car pool or perhaps even drive a vehicle. The current fare is quite possibly the most expensive 22 kilometres of road in Canada – I googled it. We desperately and urgently need a reasonably priced express

Ferries a toll road rather than a floating highway

To the editor, Re: Government needs to be accountable for ferry problems, Letters, Aug. 23.

The ferries are simply floating versions of the No. 1 highway, which is the responsibility of various provinces. Currently, it resembles a toll road. As such, the operator has a tre-

mendous and possibly legal responsibility to provide acceptable service.

The Island population will continue to increase, so let’s start planning ahead, starting with ordering new modern hybrid electric ferries.

Del Rokosh Parksville

Don’t bet on housing plan

To the editor, Re: B.C. housing minister says ambitious plan coming in the fall, Aug. 16.

bus to VIU, granting frequent, adequate access to higher education to the youth community of Ladysmith and surrounding area. We need to support and encourage our students in their pursuit of knowledge and bettering themselves for society. This fare is not fair.

Miranda Biggs Touchie Ladysmith

Having read this article, I then called my favourite Las Vegas bookie Fred and informed him about this ambitious plan cooked up by Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon. The phone went silent for a few minutes. He came back saying that he knew all about the multiple schemes that the City of Nanaimo comes up with, and same with the B.C. government.

His final words to me were it’s not a safe bet knowing about their past failure to perform. The taxpayers of British Columbia are not getting real value for their money, but they are getting way too much political procrastination.

Al Munro Nanaimo

The Nanaimo-Cowichan

Conservative leader promotes housing plan on Island travels

Poilievre stops in Nanaimo on his way to up-Island rally

The leader of the Conservative Party of Canada was on Vancouver Island last week as part of a ‘bring it home’ tour, and was sharing his ideas about how to get more homes built faster.

Pierre Poilievre held a rally in Black Creek the evening of Sept. 12. En route, he started his day with a visit to Western Forest Products in Ladysmith and then coffee on Nanaimo’s Commercial Street. He talked about his party’s housing

plan, which includes permitting density at transit stops and selling off federal buildings and land to “build, build, build.” Some of the housing plan is focused on larger cities, but smaller cities like Nanaimo

could still benefit from federal leadership on incentivizing home-building and faster permitting, Poilievre said. It’s government that’s slowing down construction, he suggested, including city councils that bow to

NIMBYism, thereby limiting housing stock.

“It’s the permitting, delays, development charges, taxes, lawyers, consultants and all that. It’s not land, labour or lumber…” he said.

Continued on A13

GREG SAKAKI NEWS BULLETIN

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, middle, meets tourists Jennie and Jesse Hill on Nanaimo’s Commercial Street on Sept. 12. (Greg Sakaki/News Bulletin)

“Home-building is hugely profitable if you can get a permit. There’s tens of thousands of workers ready to go, there’s thousands of companies ready to build, but they’re sitting around waiting to get approval to do so.”

Addressing the housing crunch might be a longterm process, but Poilievre said there are some short-term measures that will help. He said the current federal government’s budget deficits and failure to limit inflation have led to interest rates that are forcing people who might otherwise take on a mortgage to instead remain part of a low-vacancy rental market.

“My common-sense plan is cap spending, cut costs to balance the budget and bring down interest rates for potential home-buyers and

mortgage holders,” he said.

Poilievre’s visit to the Island came just a few days after a Conservative Party convention that political pundits say was noteworthy for its show of party unity. Poilievre said Conservatives are united in their goals to address Canadians’ needs, and he said as leader, he’s tried to focus “relentlessly” on those needs.

“How do we restore a Canada where hard work earns a powerful paycheque that buys good food, a decent home and retirement in a safe neighbourhood?” he asked. “I always tell the team, forget about everything else, don’t worry about personality conflicts and old rivalries and focus on that goal.”

For coverage of Poilievre’s Black Creek rally, visit www.comoxvalleyrecord.com.

editor@nanaimobulletin.com

Water governance questioned as RDN works on strategic plan

KARL YU NEWS BULLETIN

Questions about water governance were raised as Regional District of Nanaimo directors plot out their latest strategic plan.

The 2023-26 strategic plan, a “high-level” document, will inform RDN decisions. A draft was presented in July and the conversation continued at the Sept. 11 committee of the whole meeting, with Brian Carruthers of BD Carruthers and Associates, a consultant assisting with the plan, on hand to answer questions.

Lehann Wallace, French Creek director, said language related to collaborating on water security needed amending. Considering drought, fragmentation of water sources and multiple improvement districts competing with municipalities for water sources, she wants to explore alternative governance structures.

“The Cowichan Valley Regional District board, they have a watershed manage-

ment board,” said Wallace. “They co-chair that board with the First Nations and regional district [chairperson], and they have an actual business plan as to what the priorities of that board are and it is a regional exercise … it’s more of a regional governance model for the issue of water supply and water security.”

Carruthers said Wallace’s comments were “indicative of the complexity of water governance,” but developing a governance structure dealing with all stakeholders, including improvement districts, is inherently difficult.

“You actually have a service that allows you to do a lot more than most regional districts do in terms of studying your water, understanding the water resources that you have,” the consultant said. “If this is a road the [RDN] wants to go down around watershed governance, I can tell you it’s a big piece of work. It’s complicated, it’s going to take time, you have multiple jurisdictions around the table.”

Carruthers also said he understood Wallace’s concerns, stating that profound water issues, particularly on the south Island, require organizations to have more say on what happens.

“If this is something the board wants to explore, you need to task your staff with doing some research and bringing some scenarios forward…” he said. “What you’ve got in your plan is reflective of what you can currently do in terms of a board and if you want to do more, I think you need to be explicit about that and advancing that through your strategic plan.”

In addition to water security, the strategic plan also focuses on protection of vital lands and ecosystems, managing impacts of climate change, planning and managing for growth, and more.

Directors voted to have a report brought to the Sept. 26 board meeting, reflecting the discussion from the Sept. 11 meeting.

karl.yu@nanaimobulletin.com

Learn about BC Transit’s coming electronic fare system,

Coming Soon!

Umo (“you-mo”), is coming to the Regional District of Nanaimo Transit System. Once here, Umo will introduce two new ways to pay your bus fare with your choice of the Umo mobility app or a reloadable Umo card.

Get ready for Umo’s arrival by visiting bctransit.com/umo or attend an educational info table to learn more.

Nanaimo’s Lowe’s will be re-branded Rona-Plus over the coming weeks.

(News Bulletin photo)

Lowe’s becoming Rona

Canada to Rona.

Screaming man apologizes for disturbance at McDonald’s

RCMP were able to restore the peace outside a McDonald’s restaurant.

Nanaimo RCMP, in a press release, noted that that they were called out Sept. 8 at about 5:30 a.m. to a fast food restaurant in the north end following reports that an individual was “yelling, screaming and banging on car windows.”

A north-end home improvement store is being converted from a Lowe’s into a Rona.

According to a press release from Rona, three Lowe’s stores on Vancouver Island – Nanaimo, Victoria Langford and Victoria Tillicum – are being converted to new ‘Rona-Plus’ branding.

Rona said the re-branding will happen “over the course of the coming weeks” and is part of a nationwide plan to switch over Lowe’s stores in

“This is an important step for the future of Rona,” said Andrew Iacobucci, CEO of Rona, in the release. “The conversions of Lowe’s stores represent a significant investment and a renewed commitment to the Rona brand.”

Rona added that stores will remain open during the conversion, guarantees offered by Lowe’s will be honoured and gift cards will be accepted.

Rona operates or services approximately 425 stores under different banners.

editor@nanaimobulletin.com

Officers found the man sitting on the curb and hanging his head, and he told them that he hadn’t slept in three days, was desperate for coffee and drug paraphernalia, and “was not doing so well.”

The officer offered the individual water and a ride downtown, which he declined.

“He apologized for his actions and said that he would take the bus and leave the area,” the release noted. editor@nanaimobulletin.com

STAFF WRITER NEWS BULLETIN

MLA will sit as independent

Walker, in a social media post, acknowledged his removal from NDP caucus. He will sit as an independent.

“I look forward to an opportunity to address any allegations in the appropriate forum” he stated. “I stand resilient, holding my head high, embracing the trust and responsibility vested in me by the wonderful people of Parksville, Qualicum Beach and north Nanaimo.”

Eby said on Monday, Sept. 18, that Walker is not under criminal investigation, but offered few additional details about the situation.

“What I can say is that we received a complaint from an employee in July (2023),” the premier said during an unrelated announcement in Richmond. “This was not a sexual harassment complaint and the complaint started a formal process under our collective agreements. That just concluded and based on the findings of that caucus investigation, I made the determination that Mr. Walker could not continue in our caucus.”

Voters first elected Walker as their MLA in 2020 with

Advertising Feature

Parksville-Qualicum MLA Adam Walker will sit as an independent. (Black Press Media file photo)

42 per cent of the vote, more than six per cent ahead of incumbent Michelle Stilwell, who had represented the riding since 2013 as a member of the B.C. Liberals, now B.C. United.

Eby said MLAs not only represent their communities, but they are also employers.

“They have obligations to their employees directly and we’re operating in an unionized environment with collective agreements as well, which adds a level of complexity for people maybe,

who haven’t been employers before,” the premier said.

Eby added that the announcement concerning Walker is a moment for reflection.

“[Can] we improve training? Are there things that we can do to provide better support to people to set them up for success? I can advise, though … that, in my opinion, this was not a matter of training. My concern about the conclusions of the investigation was that they could not be remediated by training and that the only way to move forward was to remove Mr. Walker from our caucus.”

The former town councillor in Qualicum Beach from 2018-2020, Walker made provincial headlines earlier this month when a deer attacked him. Eby said that incident is unrelated to Walker’s dismissal from caucus.

Walker’s departure from the NDP caucus leaves the governing party with 56 seats in the legislature. B.C. United holds 26, while the B.C. Green Party and Conservative Party of British Columbia hold two apiece.

-files from Wolf Depner/Black Press Media

Shift into autumn and back-to-school driving with this essential seasonal checklist

Nanaimo’s BCAA Auto Service Centre shares tips for navigating the wetter, darker drives ahead

Shifting into autumn, it’s time to prepare for slicker roads and darker drives – coinciding, of course with back-to-school, when students of all ages are sharing local roads by car, foot and bike.

“After our sunny, dry summer, it’s essential to ensure your vehicle is prepared for fall driving, and that we adjust our driving for the changing road conditions,” says BCAA Auto Service Centre Regional Manager, Kregg Brandner.

“Wet roads, cooler temperatures, decreased daylight and unpredictable weather can affect our ability to see potential hazards and stop quickly when we need to, but regular vehicle maintenance and safe driving habits can help prevent collisions and breakdowns.”

Your fall maintenance checklist includes:

• Tires: Check your tread depth and pressure. Ensure you’re aware of specific winter tire requirements along some routes and switch from summer to winter tires for improved traction on wet, slippery roads.

• Fluids and brakes: BCAA Auto Service Centre technicians can check and replenish essential vehicle fluids and ensure your brakes are working properly.

• Lights and visibility: Cloudy headlights can cause visibility issues, ensure your headlights, taillights and turn signals are working correctly by cleaning and polishing them. And give your wiper blades a check and replace if needed as they can dry out in the hot summer months.

• Have an emergency kit: Traffic delays or breakdowns can happen anytime and anywhere. Assembling (and refreshing!) a car emergency kit with first aid supplies, booster cables, blankets, water and nonperishable snacks can be a life-saver if the need arises.

Share the road safely

Safe driving practices are essential year-round, but we must be extra vigilant as children excitedly head back to school, especially with darker, wetter mornings and early evenings ahead.

• Slippery roads, glare and congested school areas all call for keen observation, slowing down and following speed limits.

• Watch for school buses and follow safety rules – stay patient and alert in areas with increased pedestrian and student traffic.

• And as you strap kids in their child passenger seat, ensure it’s securely installed, age-appropriate and that children are belted in properly, so in case of a sudden stop or collision, this vital protective equipment can do its job.

Wash your way to funds for your group

If your school group, sports team or non-profit is fundraising for a special event or cause, the automated car wash at the Nanaimo BCAA Auto Service Centre can offer the perfect opportunity!

Available Sundays through December (weather dependent), learn more and apply at bcaa.com/carwashfundraiser

Centres

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Continued from A1

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Vic Brice and Chrissy Russeau lead a procession in Nanaimo’s Global March to End Fossil Fuels from Maffeo Sutton Park to Nanaimo City Hall on Friday, Sept. 15. (Karl Yu/News Bulletin)

Protesters want fossil fuel phase-out

Rally and march on Sept. 15 part of international day of protest

KARL YU NEWS BULLETIN

Nanaimo community members rallied last week, demanding climate action from senior levels of government while lauding local government for its efforts to curb fossil fuel use.

15, with people gathering and demanding climate justice.

Members of Nanaimo city council were in attendance.

Some speakers pointed to Canada’s worst-ever wildfire season, which has led to air quality concerns and displaced many B.C. residents.

Deraek Menard, a rally organizer with Extinction Rebellion Nanaimo, said greenhouse gas emissions must

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stop and pointed out that the event was part of a series of marches across the world called the ‘Global Fight to End Fossil Fuels.’

Nanaimo city council passed legislation last month, which will prohibit natural gas as a main heating source for new housing builds, beginning in July 2024, something Menard was pleased with.

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Continued from A26

“Many of my friends worked on the campaign to get people to actually engage with this issue,” Menard said. “A lot of folks stay disengaged on a municipal level, because a quote from my friend is that the federal government has all the money, the provincial government has all the power, the municipal government has all the problems ... In this case,

the municipal government took power into their own hands and did something that was 100 per cent the exact right thing to do.”

As for other levels of government, Menard said they should stop subsidizing fossil fuels as quickly as possible.

“Obviously no one would suggest that we immediately turn off all the taps to all fossil fuels – we at least need

diesel to drive the trucks delivering groceries … so obviously, it’s not overnight, but we can certainly do a lot better than subsidizing the industry to the tune of $19 billion a year,” he said.

Following speeches, attendees marched from Maffeo Sutton Park to Nanaimo City Hall. There were an estimated 130 people taking part. karl.yu@nanaimobulletin.com

Lawyer fined for ‘locker room’ gossip

A Nanaimo lawyer was fined by his regulatory body for “locker-room”-style gossiping that made a client uncomfortable.

According to a Law Society of British Columbia decision on Aug. 31, published Sept. 8, Nanaimo lawyer Brett Robert Vining was fined $7,500 to resolve misconduct relating to in-

appropriate comments he made to a client in 2021.

The decision found that the lawyer shared a “locker-room talk” rumour about the sexual history of a member of the judiciary. The law society was told that the lawyer “seemed full of delight when he relayed the story and it carried on for some length of time,” though the lawyer claimed those contentions were exaggerated. He acknowledged

that he made the comments, which the law society said were “discourteous, uncivil, offensive or otherwise inconsistent with a lawyer’s obligation to maintain a courteous and respectful attitude toward the court.”

The hearing panel took into consideration the lawyer’s professional conduct record, which included mishandling of cash receipts in 2021.

editor@nanaimobulletin.com

STAFF WRITER NEWS BULLETIN

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Youarereadytomakesomesolidchoicesfor yourfamilyandfuture,Aquarius.Theymaynot alignwithwhatothersfeelisnecessary,but staytruetoyourbeliefsandneeds.

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Participants show up in droves for Terry Fox Run events

Terry Fox set out on the Marathon of Hope 43 years ago, and to this day, hundreds of thousands of Canadians follow his footsteps in an effort to find a cure for cancer.

The charity run, in honour of Port Coquitlam’s Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope in 1980, is held across the country and has raised more than $850 million.

Nanaimo’s Terry Fox Run was held on Sunday, Sept. 17, at Bowen Park, with approximately 150 participants at the start line.

Those who sought to contribute to fundraising for cancer research were given the option of running or walking either the 1.8-kilometre, 5.5km or 11km routes through the park to Buttertubs Marsh.

Before hitting the trail, Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog took a moment to reflect on the occasion, pointing out that Coun. Ian Thorpe has participated every year since the event’s inception and that another participant has raised $53,000 for the cause over “many, many” years.

“The reason I point them out

is simply this: that’s the legacy of Terry Fox. The outstanding and long-term commitment to raise money to deal with the horror of cancer,” the mayor said. “Because that’s what this is about – it’s about raising the money necessary to

ensure that the research continues. And that some day, we’ll be celebrating these runs because the rate of death from cancer and the number of families who have been impacted will be just this tiny fragment of our society instead of

being the scourge that it is to all of us.”

According to the Terry Fox Foundation website, as of Sept. 17, the Nanaimo run had raised $10,535 – surpassing the initial goal of $8,000.

Ladysmith’s event, starting at the Frank Jameson Community Centre, drew about 35 people. Further online fundraising donations can be made at www.terryfox. org

mandy.moraes@nanaimobulletin.com

Pursuantto theLocalGovernment Act,the followingpropertieswillbeoffered forsaleby publicauction to beheldinthe roomdesignatedasCouncilChambers,BoardRoom, Service and ResourceCentre,411 DunsmuirStreet,Nanaimo, BConMonday, September 25, 2023 at 10:00am unlessthedelinquenttaxesplusinterest are paidprior to the Tax Sale

BAY 63, MHR 23848,CHANCELLORMOBILEHOME,LD58 635854TURNER ROAD

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TheCity ofNanaimo makesno representation expressed orimplied as to the conditionorqualityofthepropertiesbeingoffered forsale. Formore information regarding Tax Sale, pleasevisit www.nanaimo.ca.

Participants set out on this year’s Terry Fox Run in Bowen Park on Sunday, Sept. 17. (Mandy Moraes/News Bulletin)

Romy Lou Russell, top left, and Charlotte Scruton write messages on a Terry Fox Run banner ahead of the run/walk in Ladysmith on Sunday, Sept. 17, starting at the Frank Jameson Community Centre. (Greg Sakaki/News Bulletin)

Bulletinboard

VIU Climate Action Fair, hosted by the VIU Eco-Club and the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub, happens Sept. 21, 11:30 a.m.1:30 p.m. at the plaza in front of the library. Information, talks, chance to connect.

Nanaimo Wellness and Spirit Fair, Sept. 23, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Cavallotti Lodge, 2060 E. Wellington Rd. Supporting conscious living, mental health, metaphysical readers and more. Free admission. For information, visit http://wellnessandspiritfair.com.

Central Vancouver Island Crime Stoppers document shredding event, Sept. 23, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Save-On-Foods Woodgrove Centre. Suggested donation of $20 per box.

Nanaimo Quilters’ Guild’s next meeting is Sept. 27, 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Nanaimo Curling Centre, 106 Wall St.

Nanaimo Astronomy Society meets Sept. 28, 7 p.m., at the Beban Park social centre. Astronomer James Di Fransesco will discuss Canad’s astronomical long-range plan. Visit www.nanaimoastronomy.com.

editor@nanaimobulletin.com

News Bulletin’s website wins national award

The Nanaimo News Bulletin has been judged to have the best community newspaper website in the entire country.

News Media Canada’s 2023 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards were announced last week, and www.nanai-

mobulletin.com took first place for Best Community Newspaper Website in the 10,000-andover circulation class.

The News Bulletin also earned three other CCNAs, including first place for Best Sports Coverage among com-

SoccerforKids

munity newspapers with a circulation of 10,000 and over. Reporter-photographer Chris Bush received a third place in the Best Business Writing category for his piece

‘Ten Nanaimo business partners breathing new life into Island’s most

remote pub,’ and editor Greg Sakaki took third place in the Best Sports Photo category, circulation 10,000 and over, for his bathtub race photo titled ‘Terrific tubbing.’

As well, Duck Paterson, contributor to the News Bulletin’s sister

paper the Ladysmith Chronicle, earned second place for Best Local Civic Journalism, circulation up to 9,999, for his piece ‘Truth and reconciliation messages embraced by Ladysmith community.’

editor@nanaimobulletin.com

CrosswordPuzzle

FEWERHOURSOF SUNLIGHTINFALLCAUSES TREELEAVESTOPRODUCE LESSOFTHISSUBSTANCE

ANSWER:CHLOROPHYLL

ENGLISH: Fall

SPANISH: Otoño

ITALIAN: Autunno

FRENCH: Automne

GERMAN: Herbst

ACROSS

1.Blockorshut

5.Bodyofwater

6.Dog-likeanimal 8.Absenceoflight

Down

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Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrate mentorship

Adult volunteers become role models to kids who need them

KARL YU NEWS BULLETIN

It’s Big Brothers Big Sisters Month and Payton Berrigan is preaching the virtues of “sisterhood.”

Berrigan has volunteered with the Central Vancouver Island branch of the agency since her second year at Vancouver Island University in 2018. She was at an expo and was looking for a way to get involved in the community.

“I’ve always loved working with kids,” she said. “I grew up doing summer camps and youth programs and a bunch of things like that, and I definitely was missing that part of connection when I came on here, because all of the relationships that I had developed with families, through different youth programs, were back in the Okanagan … it seemed like a cool opportunity.”

Cher Vaughn, the non-profit’s program manager, says a number of programs are offered by Big Brothers Big Sisters, including the community program Berrigan is involved in.

“This is where we match the big with little, mentor with a mentee, an adult volunteer in our community with a child,” said Vaughn. “They spend two to four hours a week for the duration of a minimum of a year. So this is where they’re able to go out into the community.”

Berrigan has known her men-

tee since the child was in kindergarten and is happy with how the relationship has flourished.

“There are definitely some really cool opportunities that Big Brothers Big Sisters puts forward for us to try a bunch of different activities that I never would have done … it’s just getting to know her and watching her grow and

become a person,” said Berrigan.

Jennifer Kemp, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Vancouver Island executive director, says the local chapter is 50 years old and the national organization 110 years old. It all began in the U.S. in the early 20th century.

“The Big Brothers organization started grassroots,” she said. “Basically, somebody in the court systems in America … seeing boys coming through the court system, seeing young offenders continually, repeatedly coming through, seeing literally that most of those young offenders didn’t have male role models in their life, and they started volunteering to help these kids out.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters Day is on Monday, Sept. 18, with an open house at the organization’s 2030 Northfield Rd. location from 12-5 p.m. The city will light up the Bastion in teal, a colour that represents Big Brothers Big Sisters.

A beer and burger fundraiser is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 23, at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 256 at 1630 East Wellington Rd. from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $30.

For more information, go to http://cvi.bigbrothersbigsisters. ca.

karl.yu@nanaimobulletin.com

Payton Berrigan, a volunteer with Big Brother Big Sisters Central Vancouver Island, says she joined to get involved in the community. (Karl Yu/News Bulletin)

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Canmydental implantsbedamaged byanaccident?

Accidentsdohappenandjustlikenaturalteeth,implants canbeaffected.Damagecanvaryfromporcelainchipping tobonefracturing.Ifyouengageinactivitieswithpotential bodycontact,youwouldbewelladvisedtoprocureaquality fittingmouthguardtoprotectyourteethandyouimplant investment.Ifyouhaveanaccidenttoyourimplant(s)in awaythatconcernsyou,treatthemlikenaturalteethand havethemexaminedbyadentistassoonaspossible.

Pharmacist

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Doyousufferfromred,itchyanddryskin?

Thiscouldbeachronic, inflammatorycondition calledatopicdermatitis-themostcommontype ofeczema.Atopicdermatitisoftenappearsin childhoodandwillgetlesssevereovertimebut forsomepeopleitmaycontinueintoadulthood.Atopicdermatitis canoftenbemanagedathomebyavoidingtriggerslikeharsh detergents,usingmildsoapsandapplyingscent-freemoisturizerto dampskinafterbathing.

Ifsymptomsworsen,pharmacistsareabletoprescribemedications includingtopicalcorticosteroidsunderthenewMinorAilment PrescribingserviceofferedatpharmaciesinBritishColumbia.With thisserviceyoucansitdownwithapharmacistforapersonalized consultationforthisandmanyotherminorailments.Contactanyof ourlocationstospeakwithapharmacistregardingatopicdermatitis oranyothermedicationquestionsyoumayhave!

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BedroomFurniture

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PedorthicFootCare

WhyAreMyFeetStillPainful IfIAmWearingMyOrthotics?

Wellitdependsonwhatyouwerediagnosedwith!Some conditionsdonotrespondtoOrthoticsaloneandneed modalitiessuchasColdLaserTherapyandShockwave Therapytoassistindecreasinginflammationand healingpainfultissuesinthefoot.Theruleis:NevergetCustomFootOrthotics fromaHealthCarePractitionerwithoutfullyunderstandingyourdiagnosis. CustomFootOrthoticscanhelpdistributepressureawayfrompainfulareas similartohowasnowshoedistributesyourbodyweightoveralargersurface area,butyoucannotexpectthemtofullygetridofpainthathasbeenthere foryearsandcreatedscartissueandcompensatoryproblems.ColdLaser Therapytreatmentinvolveslighttherapytostimulatemicrocirculationaround thetissuestoincreasebloodflowandenhancecellularregenerationandoxygen consumptionandShockwaveishighintensitysoundwavesusedforchronic painover6months.Weofferthesetherapiesinourclinic;pleasedon’thesitate togiveusacallat250.585.5859todiscussvarioustreatmentoptionstoday! It’sYourFuture…BeThereHealthy!

Chiropractor

Whatcanbedone aboutlegcramps?

Legcrampsand“restlesslegs”syndromeare conditionswhichcaninterferewithdailyactivities andespeciallywithagoodnight’ssleep.Themostcommoncause ofmusclecrampsandrestlesslegsisaspinalimbalance.Whenthe lowervertebraeofthespineorthepelvicbonesareoutofalignment, aconstantstrainisplacedonallthemusclesofthelegstocompensate forthebiomechanicalstress,andspinalproblemscancauseirritation ofthenerveswhichcontrolmuscletoneandsensationinthelegs.This isthemostcommoncauseofthedeepacheofacharlyhorseorthe irritabilityofrestlesslegs.

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Optometrist

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Aschildrenaresettlingintotheirroutineof thenew schoolyear, parentsareconcerned aboutdoing everythingnecessarytoensure a positive learning experience.Somethingnottobe overlooked isan eye examination.

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APowerofAttorneyorPOAisalegaldocument allowingyoutoappointsomeonetoassistyouwith yourlegalandfinancialdecisions.Forexample,a POAwouldallowsomeonetosigningapurchasecontractallowingyou tosellyourhome,orsimplygoingtothebanktoassistwithday-to-day accounting.Youmaybesayingtoyourself“Idon’tneedanyassistance withanyofthat”,andthehopeisthatyouneverwill,howeverwhatwould happenifyouweredeterminedtonolongerhavethecapacitytosigna contract?APOAisarelativelyinexpensivewayofinsuringthatyour lovedoneswillhaveaneasiertimedealingwithanyunfortunateaccidents orevenjusthavinganeasiertimehelpingyouwhenyoumaystartto strugglewithday-to-dayactivities.IfyoudonothaveaPOA,yourloved onemayneedtoapplytocourttotakechargeofyouraffairs.

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TravelAgency

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Fewer infrastructure projects costing more money nowadays

Continued from A3

Another option, Sims said, is to use sanitary system user rates to pull in project revenue, but that creates a burden on existing users to pay for future growth. He said when the city’s DCC bylaw is reviewed and updated, likely next year, staff will look for a way out of the funding crunch. In the meantime, engineering and public works is monitoring the system to make sure it isn’t running a risk of overflow.

“But as you know, the city’s so spread out, the sewer system is so spread out, it’s hard to balance priorities,” he said.

Sims said concentrating development into urban nodes, as per the city plan, to limit urban sprawl and trying not to allow development where there isn’t capacity to service it, could mitigate the issue in the future.

Nanaimo doesn’t have a history of significant sewer overflows, the report notes, but there are

locations or bottlenecks in the system that are at risk during storms. There was also a period in the 1990s, Sims recalled, when the Millstone Trunk sewer faced capacity issues and there was a moratorium on development in its catchment area for a period of time until it could be upgraded.

“I think part of putting this report out there is to just raise the awareness and not get to that point,” he said. “We don’t want to [reach] a point where we’re denying occupancy permits because residents can’t flush their toilets … We don’t

want to limit opportunities for housing and growth and development. That’s critical, so we want to try and keep ahead of this.”

Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said there is a consequence to the city’s population growth and called the report a “fair warning” about future growth and cost of that growth.

“I know that the business community and the development community will be disturbed by this because the whole question of DCCs is always a controversial topic,” the mayor said.

chris.bush@nanaimobulletin.com

Thecarrierofthemonthfor AugustisSho.Hesays

“Iama16-yearkidwitha dreamofsorts.WhatIlikethe mostaboutdeliveringpapers isthatIcouldwakeupearly andenjoythefreshmorning breeze.Myhobbiesinclude walking,drawing,andwatching tokusatsu.”

Greatwork,Sho! Thankyouverymuch!

“TheJesusRevolution”

Storm sewer upgrades in the Wakesiah Avenue area. Sewer system upgrades to meet the needs of Nanaimo’s rapid growth are beginning to outpace how quickly the money that pays for them can be replenished through development cost charges. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)

Remembering Loved Ones

Place your condolences online.

In loving memory of Dr. William (Bill) Finnegan

December 26, 1937 - September 11, 2023

Bill Finnegan was born in Jonquiere, PQ on Dec 26th/1937 during an Irish Wake for his grandfather,WilliamFinnegan.Hewasraisedina French community but attended a small English school until grade 11 and completed his high school at St. Michael’s College in Toronto. He took two years of Engineering at McGill before completing a B.Sc. degree at Loyola College in 1961 and his Dentistry degree at McGill in ‘65 He joined the Phi Kappa Pi fraternity in 1957 and lived there where he made many Life-Long friends.

After graduation, he worked as an Dental Intern atMontrealGeneral,RoyalVictoriaandMontreal Children’s Hospitals. Bill married Jill Hopkins after her graduation as an R.N. in Sept. 1966. They travelled west where he took the position of Dental Extern for the BC Gov’t and worked in distant locations for one year, including Queen Charlotte Islands, Cortez and Hornby Islands Cumberland, Stewart, McBride and Gold River, areas without a dentist.

Theytouredthenextyearinatruckandcamper, as well as stays in Jamaica, Peru and Mexico, before moving to Sydney Australia where he shared his time teaching at the U of Sydney and practising part-time in dentistry during 1968- 69. He returned to Montreal and awaited acceptance into the Orthodontics program at University of Detroit for the following year.They lived in Windsor, Ontario where he raised his two children, Richard and Margaret.

Upon graduating, Bill and family settled in Nanaimo in Sept 1972. He was the 1st Orthodontist on Vancouver Island north of Victoria. At the request of local dentists, He held clinics in Port Alberni for 24 years, Courtenay 10 years and continued in his favourite place, Ucluelet, until he retired in 2007, after 38 years in practice.

Bill and Jill were ski Patrollers where they had a cabin at Forbidden Plateau. He continued skiing out-of-bounds with the “Extremely Canadian” Whistler guides in places like Val d’Isere France & Las Lenas, Argentina until 2015. He enjoy hunting with his Dad, long-term friend Glyn Edwards, son and grandson Chase.

He curled for many years on Dr Nori Nishio’s Monday night team and spent time fishing locally and up the Port Alberni canal where he caught his big 43 lb fish.

He enjoyed jogging and completed four marathons after the age of 60. He joined Nanaimo Summer Swim club at age 40 and

In loving memory of Arthur James McCracken

September 2, 1953 - February 17, 2023

It is with profound sadness, we announce that Arthur passed away unexpectedly at home at the age of 69.

He was predeceased by his parents Alex and Lois McCracken and his small dog Tacoma. He is survived by his sister Alexis, three nieces Tabitha, Alaina, and Melissa, nine great nieces and nephews and many friends whom he considered family.

Art took a job with BC Hydro at the age of sixteen and continued his career with them until his retirement. Art and a coworker started the hydro meter reading cycling program in 1992 and was recognized by the Premier for it. Arthur was leading the way for a greener future far before anyone was thinking of our carbon footprint.

Arthurenjoyedtravellingwhenhewasyounger, but his true passion was tennis, sports cars and his dog Tacoma. He won many tournaments, claiming countless trophies and medals. He owned lots of sports cars, each one better than the one before. He showered his dog with love and gifts, and Tacoma went everywhere with Arthur.The two of them were inseparable.

His family invites you to gather to remember Arthur and share your stories of him.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Bowen Park Complex, room #1, on Sunday, September 24 from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

competed alongside his children with the 17+ group in the many Island swim meet competitions.

Like his father Frank, he loved telling stories and did pranks, and had a great sense of humour.

He loved to travel with his family and loyal staff. And in his retirement he spent time in Palm Desert and Ko Olina, Oahu annually. He had a community garden and went there every morning and walked along the beach.

As his health started to fail, he was placed in Long Term Care, Parksville where Bill and Jill celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary Sep 3rd at Arrowsmith Lodge.

Bill suffered a stroke the next day and died peacefully in Palliative Care under the wonderful, loving hands of their staff, on Sept 11, 2023.

He is survived by his children, 15 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

There will be a “Finnegan’s Wake” gathering at the Nanaimo Yacht Club on Thanksgiving Sunday October 8th, 2023 from 1-4 pm. Everyone welcome.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to BC Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Look for me in Rainbows

Time for me to go now, I won’t say goodbye; Look for me in rainbows, way up in the sky.

In the morning sunrise when all the world is new, Just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you. Time for me to leave you, I won’t say goodbye;

Look for me in rainbows, high up in the sky. In the evening sunset, when all the world is through, Just look for me and love me, and I’ll be close to you. It won’t be forever, the day will come and then My loving arms will hold you, when we meet again.

Time for us to part now, we won’t say goodbye; Look for me in rainbows, shining in the sky. Every waking moment, and all your whole life through Just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you. Just wish me to be near you, And I’ll be there with you.

by Vicky Brown

In loving memory of John Steve Gomerich

October 23, 1931 – September 9, 2023

John Steve Gomerich passed away on Saturday, September 9, 2023, (91 years old). He is predeceased by his loving wife, Norma, and his sister Rose and brother, Steve. He is survived by his beloved sisters Mary and Claire and his youngest brother, Buddy. John is also survived by his two daughters, Darlene Pierce (Bryan) and Diane Brandback (Dale), his grandchildren Tyler, Emma, Jordan (Toni), and Deven (Scott) and his great-grandchildren, Kaylie, Weston, Blake, Beau and Brady.

Dad grew up in South Wellington. He lost both of his parents at a very young age, quit school, and was hired at the Nanaimo Bakery. Dad told stories of losing his Band-Aid while baking, burning the pies and accidentally dropping his wrench into some cake batter. After leaving the bakery, or being asked to leave we are not sure, he was hired as a deckhand on a seine boat by the name of the Alaska Queen. Dad fished salmon and halibut and travelled all the way to the Bering Sea. This is where the Alaska Queen capsized on a stormy night and the crew had to evacuate into small life rafts while they waited for help. He then worked on the Alaska Queen II and the Chelsea Lake.

Dad was the hardest worker we have ever known. He could outwork most younger men and he could fix anything. One of his passions was chopping firewood and working on machinery and walking at the farm. When his body became too tired to do these things, it was a sad day for him. He rarely complained and when he told us that he was in pain and needed to go to the hospital, we knew that something was seriously wrong.

Dad could be very stubborn, and it was his way or the highway. My sister and I do not like to admit that we may have inherited some of these traits…

Rest in peace, Dad. You taught us to always work hard, never quit and to be humble.

My sister and I would like to thank the doctors and staff at N.R.G.H, the homecare workers and especially Crystaline who was there with Dad when he passed (you are truly an angel). We would also like to thank Reg, Robin, Vicky, and Don for checking on Dad and looking out for him.

A private family service will be held in Dad’s honour. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Nanaimo Hospital Foundation.

Remembering Loved Ones

In loving memory of Dorothy Noel Sartore

February 4, 1946 to September 2, 2023

Dorothy Sartore (Woolfson) passed away unexpectedly and peacefully, following a short battle with cancer. Beloved daughter of the late Kathleen and Noel Woolfson, wife of the late Jack Sartore and partner to the late Ian Seal. Dorothy left this world in the presence of her loving immediate family Nicole, Michelle and Jill at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on September 02, 2023 at the age of 77.

Her three daughters Nicole (Stephen Babuin), Michelle (Mark Lawson), Jill (Koda – Yellow Labrador) and five grandchildren Victoria, Jack, Gemma, Ben and Paige will greatly miss their mom and nana.

Her extended family and friends in Canada and abroad will cherish the memories of their time spent with Dorothy.

Dorothy was born in Nanaimo on February 04, 1946. Her father’s military career provided an opportunity for the family to spend time in Kamloops and Camp Borden before returning to Nanaimo.

Dorothy attended the University of Victoria graduating with a degree in teaching and over the span of decades taught kindergarten and elementary with School District 68. She was a dedicated, caring and compassionate teacher retiring in 2007 from Rock City School. In retirement Dorothy joined the Kool & Child familywhereshecontinuedtoshareherpassion for teaching (Kool School House) until the store closed December 2022.

Outside of her working career she contributed to the community by volunteering for numerous charities and organizations - Tourism Nanaimo, Meals on Wheels, Nanaimo Airport, Salvation Army, Hospice to name a few. She loved spending time socializing in her patio garden, live theatre, as well as in group activities such as curling, book/dinner clubs, playing cards and baking rhubarb muffins for all to enjoy. She enjoyed spending Christmas and special occasions with friends, travelling abroad and visiting her grandchildren in Issaquah, Sault

Ste. Marie and many adventures with Jill, special friend Wallace and Koda. She made friends wherever she traveled and spread joy to all through conversation, her style and attire. Dorothy was loved by many and has now exchanged her scarves and shoes for angel wings. We will miss her greatly, but she will live on in our hearts through memories.

The family would like to thank the NRGH fifth floor and palliative care team for their care and compassion, with a special thank you to Dr. Love.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to: Kids International Development Society (KIDS) or the Canadian Cancer Society. Arrangements entrusted to Sands Funeral Chapel. A funeral service will be held at St. Paul’s Anglican Church on Friday, November 10, 2023 at 1 pm, followed by a Celebration Of Life at the Nanaimo Curling Club at 2:30 pm.

In loving memory of Andy Dixon

1948 - 2023

It is with much sadness and love that we announce the passing of Andy (Andrew) Dixon on Wednesday,September13,2023attheageof75.HepassedawaypeacefullywithhiswifeCatharine (Cath) Andrew at his side after a valiant fight with cancer.

Andy was predeceased by his first wife, Patricia Dixon (nee Klatt); sister Ruth brother David, brother Des, all from the UK, and sister Gill, US. Andy is survived by his two sons, 2 step-daughters and six grandchildren. He has many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, brother and sisters-inlaw, and so many friends who will miss him dearly. Son, Colin Dixon (Hayley Clavora) and grandsons Chase and Cooper from Nanaimo, BC; son, Tony Dixon (Trish) and granddaughter Hana Dixon (Cleaver) fromTofino, BC; step-daughter, Lindsay Ross (Brad), and grandsons Isaac and Carson from Nanaimo, BC; step-daughter, Morgan Campbell (Damien Cartwright) and grandson Dexter from Redditch, UK.

As per his wishes he will be cremated. A celebration of his life will be at the NanaimoYacht Club on September 21, 2023 @ 3pm at 400 Newcastle Ave., Nanaimo, BC.

PleasevisitSandsFuneralChapelwebsite(www.sandsnanaimo.ca)andFacebooktoviewandshare more memories of Andy. Donations can be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.

In loving memory of Bruce McQueen

It is with a heavy heart we announce that Bruce Dwight McQueen, born in Vancouver on March 4th 1949, sadly passed away at home on September 5th from cancer, taking his last breath with his wife, Wendy and step-daughter, Maleahbyhisside.Itwasapeacefulandtranquil moment as he left the pain behind and entered God’s arms.

Bruce was predeceased by his parents, George and Flo McQueen and in-laws Emery and Louise Lebeuf. Bruce is survived by his wife, Wendy of 31 years, son Steve McQueen, daughter Jill McQueen, step-daughter Maleah Bajich (Brad Armstrong) and grandchildren Mackenzie and Carter Armstrong and Logan McQueen. As well as his sisters, Linda McQueen-Fell and Valerie Faucher, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Bruce was employed at BC Ferries from June 1967 to July 2005, as a Second Officer / Relief First Officer. He was a member of Doric Lodge #18, AF&AM since 1975, Past Master twice in 1980 and 1981 and Grand Lodge Officer (GS) in 1992. He was a member of Crescent Chapter #10, Order of Eastern Star since 1976, and was a Past Patron in 1978-79 and 2000-01. Bruce and Wendy were avid motorcyclists, riding their bikes throughout North America and are life members of the Gold Wing Touring Association. Switching from motorcycles to Miatasin2003,theyareactivemembersofClub Miata Vancouver Island. Bruce and Wendy had a passion for travel, exploring the world. Their cruising adventures began in 2005 and have been on many cruises since, as well as many roadtripsandvacationsinMexico.

Thanks and appreciation goes out to the doctors and staff in the Transitions Unit and ER Department of the NRGH, especially Dr. Alexander Goldfarb for his sincere and thoughtful care, as well as the Nanaimo VIHA Palliative / Hospice Care Team for fulfilling Bruce’s determination to be at home in his final days.

There will be a Celebration of Life on Sunday, October 1st at 2:00 pm at the Morpeth Masonic Hallat620MorpethAve,Nanaimo.

Those we have held in our arms for a little while, we will hold in our hearts forever.

In loving memory of William Blane (Bill) Russell

October 22, 1939 -August 19, 2023

William Blane (Bill) Russell, born October 22, 1939, passed away on August 19, 2023, after bravely battling Alzheimer’s. Born and raised in Nanaimo, Bill was a proud Southender, excelling in soccer and lacrosse. His professional journey as a postal worker culminated in the role of District Manager before retiring at 54.

Upon retirement, Bill cherished his role as the #1 babysitter for his beloved grandchildren.

Bill’s coaching legacy was profound; dedicating years to coaching youth soccer, leaving an enduring impact on countless young athletes. Survived by his loving wife Sandy, son Blaine, daughter Shannon, daughter-in-law Rhonda, and grandchildren Kaylie, James, and Lauryn. Preceded in death by his parents, Rusty & Mabel Russell, and sisters, Betty McCallum & Peggy Thompson.

Bill’s family wants to extend their heartfelt gratitude to Cowichan Lodge for their unwavering dedication and exceptional care during Bill’s battle with Alzheimer’s.

Preserving

This result is a one-of-a-kind legacy that will stand the test of time.

“Mali’s keen eye for detail and her sense of the overall picture brought our Grandmother’s memories together to form a beautiful, fascinating, and meaningful arc.”

ACTIVE AUCTION MART in conj. with VALLEY AUCTIONarepleasedto present a TIMEDONLINE AUCTION for the ESTATE OF FRANK TISCHIK. Auction incl. lots of Farm Machinery, Antique Tractors, Shop Tools, Horse Drawn Equipment, A Lifetime of Collectibles PLUS More. On Site Viewing is Sat. Sept 30 and Sun. Oct.1 from 10am to 3pm PST at 9839 School Road, Lavington, BC V1B3C7.

ONLINE Bidding runs from Sept. 25 to Oct 2, closing starts at 2pm PST. Questions about lots call Don Raffan at 250-558-6789.

REGISTER, VIEW LOTS and BID ONLINE at www.ACTIVEAUCTION MART.COM

1995 Chevy Van 300 Class C, 105,000 kms Fleetwood Tioga Arrow Good Condition, runs well. $15,000. obo Call Steve 250-714-1675

Expanding or Renovating your home/bathroom/ kitchen/basement? Painting, Roofing & Finish Carpentry also available. No job too small. Free estimates. Richard 250-729-7809

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dean MacDougall after a courageous two-year battle with cancer.

He is survived by his loving wife, Diane, of 52 years. His four children Tara, Chad (Becky), Lisa (Curt), and Lori. Nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Diane would like to thank Dr. Calvin, all the Palliative care nurses, and virtual nurses Brittany and Charlene. A very special thank you to his best buddy, Randy, and his Smart car.

Garbage Gone Jobsbig/small,Ideclutter& haul it all! I recycle & donate to local charities Sean250-667-1382

TOP DOLLAR PAID! Want To Buy Junk Cars & Trucks for cash. 1-250-954-7843.

Nanaimo Moving/Downsizing Sale

3261 Fairway Cres. Saturday, Sept. 23rd 9:00 am - 2:00 pm Furniture, Sofas, Bed, Garden Tools, Clothing, Kitchen Accessories & More!

TRACK! Bad credit! Bills? Unemployed? Need Money? We

GET

IN

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Career Opportunities Career Opportunities

Taxi Drivers

Electric Taxi is hiring Taxi Drivers in Parksville/Qualicum to join our environmentally friendly fleet of electric vehicle passenger transportation.

Class 4 drivers license required. Experience is preferred but not necessary.

Perks: paid training and eligible for monthly bonus pay. Starting at $18.00/hour. Apply with resume to: info@electrictaxis.ca

Land Act: Notice of Intention to Apply for a Disposition of Crown Land

Take notice that the, North Cedar Improvement District from Nanaimo, BC, have applied to the Ministry of Forests (FOR), for a Right of Way – Water Main situated on Provincial Crown land located at the Nanaimo River between 1619 Cedar Road and Alice Road.

The Lands File Number that has been established for this application is Crown Land File #1415080.

Comments may be submitted electronically via the provincial Applications, Comments & Reasons for Decision webpage at https://comment.nrs.gov.bc.ca/. Alternatively hard copy comments may be directed to the Senior Land Officer, Ministry of Forests at 142 - 2080 Labieux Rd, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6J9.

Comments will be received by FOR up to Friday, November 10, 2023. FOR may not be able to consider comments received after this date.

Please visit the website at https://comment.nrs.gov.bc.ca/ for more information.

Professional driver required for Limo, SUV and Vans. Class 4 drivers license required. Casual Work. Call or text 250-713-3434 or email miraclemile@shaw.ca.

Caregivers

Male quadriplegic in Chemainus BC requires compassionate caregivers for Day & Evening Shifts. Up to full-time hours. $25-$30/hour, depending on experience Call Neil at 250-588-5048 or Chris at 250-246-0693

Be advised that any response to this advertisement will be considered part of the public record. For information, contact the Freedom of Information Advisor at the Ministry of Forests office in Nanaimo.

Ponds & Water Gardens

*Spring start up maintenance. Fall cleanup and closure.

250-667-7349

midislandlabour.ca

RENOVATIONS & NEW INSTALLATIONS

Of your water scapes, water gardens, streams, waterfalls and fountains.

Liner repair, leaks, skimmers, filters, pumps, plumbing, water garden plant care and add-ons. Pondless Features.

Warehouse Liens Sale. Notice to:

LANGHELT BRIAN, 1994 MAZDA 323

VIN#JM1BG231XR0776749

Totaling $434.91

VIGNEAULT JOSEPH, 2003 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF

VIN#9BWEK21J634027855

Totaling $269.23

KERVIN BRANDY SHEENA, 1992 FORD F250

VIN#2FTEF25H4NCA15261

Totaling $144.97

AITKEN STEVEN KEITH, 2005 SILVER DODGE GRAND CARAVAN VIN#1D4GP24R85B391900

Totaling $124.26

LOMAS DAVID, 1992 WHITE CHEVROLET CAVALIER

VIN#1G1JF31T7N7309971

Totaling $124.26

WICK JEREMY, 2002 FORD EXPLORER

VIN#1FMZU67E02UB66400

Totaling $124.26

DIMENT JOEL, 1994 FORD E350

VIN#1FDKE30M6RHB43169

Totaling $579.88

LLOYD ROBERT, 2005 FORD FOCUS

VIN#3FAFP37N35R146480

Totaling $393.49

PORTER MATTHEW, 1999 TOYOTA TERCEL

VIN#JT2BC53L5X0386114

Totaling $393.49

KORHONEN SOREN GEORGE, 1989 HONDA CIVIC

VIN#JHMED7361KS800167

Totaling $393.49

COLGAN KYLE, 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA

VIN#2G1WH52K039265003

Totaling $434.91

MACLEOD GOWAN RICHARD, 1998 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL VIN#1LNLM97V3WY602100

Totaling $517.75

MANSON ISAAC HAYES, 2005 BUICK ALLURE

VIN#2G4WF532251344438

Totaling $1159.76

MACDONALD STEPHANIE, 2007 HONDA JAZZ

VIN#JH2AF60227K500027

Totaling $1221.89

BOB ANNE ELIZABETH, 2003 CHEVROLET VENTURE

VIN#1GNDU03E53D279270

Totaling $1263.31

Amounts above owing are as of July 24th, 2023.

BATTENSBY BRAYDEN, 2003 FORD F350 VIN#1FTSW31F43EB17146

Totaling $165.68

OUNSTED JONATHON, 2006 DODGE DAKOTA VIN#1D7HW48K56S606248

Totaling $849.11

ATTIG KATELYN ALEXANDRA, 2003 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER

VIN#1GNDT13S332191635

T otaling $289.94

WERRELL BRANDON, 2006 CHRYSLER 300 VIN#2C3KA53G46H482881

Totaling $207.10

DORKIN DANIELLE, 1994 HONDA ACCORD

VIN#1HGCD7258RA801836

Totaling $393.49

HUANG JIE, 2000 GMC YUKON VIN#1GKEK13T7YJ104684

Totaling $476.33

MACMILLAN DREW OSBOURNE, 2006 WHITE UBILT TRAILER

VIN#NIL

Totaling $952.66

Amounts above owing are as of August 3rd, 2023.

ANDREW EBONY DAWN, 1999 SILVER PONTIAC SUNFIRE

VIN#1G2JB1241X7574116

Totaling $1221.89

COUTURE GENEVIEVE, 1995 FORD F150

VIN#2FTEF15Y4SCA17548

Totaling $62.13

LAMERSON JERRY, 1997 DODGE CARAVAN

VIN#1B4GP55LXVB374327

Totaling $828.40

THOMAS TERRY, 2005 CHRYSLER 300

VIN#2C3JA53G25H590376

Totaling $807.69

LOGAN MARK, 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA

VIN#KMHDC8AE4CU154379

Totaling $724.85

MADORE DARREL, 1983 HONDA V45 MAGNA

VIN#JH2RC0715DM114935

Totaling $683.43

PATRICK MELISSA, 2006 MAZDA 3

VIN#JM1BK123161414083

Totaling $352.07

BRUNSDON JOSHUA, 1985 FORD E350

VIN#1FDKE30L5FHA29540

Totaling $144.97

Amounts above owing are as of August 11th, 2023.

The above vehicles can be bid on by appointment at Mid Island Towing & Transport Ltd. 4900 Jordan Ave. Nanaimo B.C. to recover our fees for towing, storage, administration, legal and taxes.

Bidding Closes September 28th, 2023 at 8am.

Storage charged daily until vehicle paid for and removed. Neither the highest nor any bid not necessarily accepted

University sports get underway

VIU Mariners soccer sides play their home openers

Vancouver Island University’s sports teams will almost always find themselves in the championship hunt by season’s end, but there’s a long way to go to get to that point.

The Pacific Western Athletic Association fall schedule got underway this month with soccer, and the VIU Mariners women and men played their home openers this past weekend, Sept. 16-17, against the Langara Falcons at Q’unq’inuqwstuxw Stadium.

Both M’s teams were beaten Saturday, with the women losing 4-1 and the men falling 2-1, but Sunday saw better results as the women earned their first win, 5-2, and the men battled to a 2-2 draw.

VIU’s soccer teams will have more home games the weekend of Sept. 30Oct. 1 when they host Douglas. editor@nanaimobulletin.com

Nanaimo Clippers set to start season in new-look BCHL

The Nanaimo Clippers want to remain one of the best as the B.C. Hockey League begins a new era.

The BCHL, now an independent league, is about to drop the puck on the 2023-24 season, and the Nanaimo Clippers get to start things off this Friday, Sept. 22, on home ice at Frank Crane Arena.

Nanaimo finished atop the Coastal Conference during the regular season last year, but were only able to win one round of playoff hockey. An off-season later, they’re a new-look club with only a small handful of return veterans, and a new interim head coach, Curtis Toneff.

The team won five of its six pre-season games, but said there’s always uncertainty moving from exhibition play to games that count.

“It’s tough to know what you have at this time of year,” Toneff said. “A bounce or two the other way and it’s a totally different score.”

Pro wrestling anniversary show all set

LAURA STURGEON FOR THE NEWS BULLETIN

Those who have never had the chance to see the Vancouver Island Pro Wrestling in action will soon have the opportunity to witness a show like no other.

On Saturday, Sept. 23, it’s going to be a body-slamming, back-breaking, clotheslining, arm-dragging smackdown with plenty of flips, kicks, leaps, punches and limb locks to keep spectators on the edge of their seats.

The meanest, most intimidating, tattooed-up athletes will be taking to the ring at the Beban Park Centennial Building for the VIPW’s biggest show of the year, its 10th anniversary bash. There will be snarling. There will be glaring. Insults will be made. But it’s all in good fun.

Pro wrestling is a contact sport incorporating various moves, carefully choreographed to ensure the safety of all participants. With a mixture of combat, theatre and comedy, the athletes carry out every step with perfect precision and timing, while acting out a character of their choosing.

Another returning vet up front is Joel Plante. The forward lines will be filled with speed, youth, and players who can make scoring chances develop quickly. One newcomer to watch is big 20-year-old Swedish centre Gabriel Westling, who plays hard and smart and makes things happen for whoever is out on the ice with him.

“If you’ve never been to a wrestling show or have had any interest, I highly recommend you come and check it out. I guarantee you’ll be a fan of at least Vancouver Island Pro Wrestling, if not wrestling in general,” said Brent LaPlante, VIPW promoter.

He knows this year’s Clippers are a collection of good hockey players, so one positive takeaway from the pre-season was the way those players began the process of becoming a team.

“I liked the way our guys got better as a team every night,” Toneff said. “Not necessarily our play,

but we got better as a team – the bench got louder, the room got louder.”

Nanaimo’s offence this year is expected to be led by Clippers forward Willyam Gendron, who makes good decisions on the ice and who coaches feel can be dominant in his third year in the league.

On defence, Brett Merner, a two-way guy who is hard to play against, is the veteran leader, but it’s two dynamic newcomers who are especially intriguing. Isa Parekh, who’s come out west for his 20-year-old season, is a threat whenever he’s in the offensive zone, and Clippers expect offence to flow from his area of the ice both on the power play and at even strength. Andrew Brown is a couple of years younger, but brings a lot of those same attributes to the blueline.

In goal, the Clippers intend to carry three netminders, with Tom Kieswetter and Tyler Hodges the likely starting tandem, and Massimo Urbani pushing for a role.

All summer, VIPW has been touring around the Island, invading the Cowichan exhibition, Ladysmith Days, Maht Mahs gym in Port Alberni, and Centennial United Church gym in Victoria. But the 10th anniversary event to be held in Nanaimo is expected to be epic.

The main event will be a six-person tables, ladders and chairs match for VIPW championship. Also, former TNA Impact World Champion and Impact Knockouts Champion Tessa Blanchard will be taking on Riea Von Slasher.

“Plus, many more exciting matches,” said LaPlante.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the opening match at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at http://viprowrestling.ca or at Heavy D’s Barbershop. For more information, search for VIPW on Facebook.

www.nanaimobulletin.com

VIU Mariners midfielder Malcolm Carey, right, tries to elude a Langara Falcons opponent during Pacific Western Athletic Association play Sunday, Sept. 17, at Q’unq’inuqwstuxw Stadium. (Greg Sakaki/News Bulletin)

Nanaimo Clippers players scrimmage during training camp earlier this month at Frank Crane Arena. (Greg Sakaki/News Bulletin)

GREG SAKAKI NEWS BULLETIN

Nanaimo golfers stay on fairways

As summer officially comes to an end this week, the golfing season has recently seen year-end tournaments at both the professional and local levels. But an important fund-raising tournament is still ahead, set to tee off this coming Friday, Sept. 22. That would be the 30th annual Golf For Life Tournament, presented by the Tom Harris Community Foundation in support of the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation. It’s being held to raise funds to provide new state-of-the-art equipment to the High Acuity Unit at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. The fun 18-hole scramble format includes golf cart, lunch and dinner and a live auction among other things. And all in a very good cause. It’s only two days away, but to enquire about an opportunity to play or provide sponsorship, find information online at www.nanaimohospitalfoundation.com.

With the pros, the season wrapped up at the end of August, culminating in a big payday for Norway’s Victor Hovland. Hovland won the final two tournaments of the PGA Tour, earning him the

FedEx Cup title and its $18 million bonus.

On the local scene, club championship competitions were held recently at the Nanaimo Golf Club. My thanks to head professional Chris Wilson for sending along results, which indicate the youth was served. Matthew Wilson shot rounds of 69 and 64 to capture the men’s club championship, having won the junior men’s club championship the week before. Similarly, Maria Schwager recorded rounds of 73 and 80 to claim the women’s club championship title after having earlier won the junior women’s title.

Tom Hickey. Jon Paul was the low net winner, ahead of David Coupland and Peter Jory. In the super senior (65-plus) division, low gross champ was Ron Berry. Then came Sandy Harper, Tony Hatchwell and Greg Seaker. John Manuel won low net, followed by Paul Pickles, Robert Bennie and Nelson Pek.

THORPE REPORT

IAN THORPE

In the men’s championship (under 55), George Letourneau was the runner-up to Wilson, followed by Manny Lalh, Samuel Kurytnik, Al Jensen and Connor O’Reilly. Top low net players were Jeff Fougere, Don Tamelin, Broedy Pomeroy, Jamie Gicas, Andrew Foglietta and Rod Edgeworth. For senior men (55-64), low gross title went to Ron Berry, followed by Brian Bogie, Rick Kowalchuk and

As mentioned, Maria Schwager claimed the Nanaimo women’s club championship. In second place was Isabel Schwager, with Brooke Bestwick third. Low net champ was Denise Neil. Jan Jarvie won the senior women’s low gross title and low net winner was Andrea Hrabowych. In the super senior women’s division, Jan Clayton won low gross and Colleen Garrard the low net honours.

Cottonwood Golf Course also held its annual club championship competitions, with Rob Gebert, Peter MacDonald and Doris Diefenbacher all helping to co-ordinate results for me. In the championship flight, low gross winner was Tory Strangways with rounds of 76 and 77,

Clippers will be a talented team that plays fast, exciting hockey

followed by Kris Dunn, Luke Skingle and Sean Roden. In low net results, top A flight men were Al Dame, Kevin Roden and Tyler Beauregard. For women, top players were April Mathers, Shari Molchan, J.C. Dayne and Melissa Marsden. The B flight for men saw Brad Anderson, Wayne Molchan, Jay Mazur and James Reynolds among the top players and Tracy Reynolds, Diane Smith, Kristi Knox and Shirley Lingenfelter for B flight women. For C flight men, tops were Keith Zutz, Ron Waugh and Ian McConnell.

In the seniors A flight, low net players were Al Dame, Kevin Roden, Tom Daly and Kevin Marsden, with Wayne Molchan, Jay Mazur and James Reynolds tops in seniors B flight and Ron Waugh, Ian McConnell and Darryl Graham in Seniors C flight. In the super seniors division, top net players were John Person, Reg Sampson and Gord Bailey.

Whatever your sport, a reminder in closing to play your hardest, play fair, and show good sportsmanship.

www.nanaimobulletin.com

Continued from A40

Toneff said the off-season involved a lot of learning for coaches and general managers to familiarize themselves with the new roster rules. The Coastal Conference is filled with experienced coaches with a lot of hockey connections, and teams that make the most of the depth they are allowed will have an advantage.

“No one can be taken lightly on any given night and I think it’ll trickle onto the play on the ice and eventually into the fan support [as they realize] what a hockey league this has become,” Toneff said.

The Clippers will be hyped for the home

opener, wanting to start the season on a high note, give the fans a good show, and carry on and continue building a team culture.

“The future’s still uncertain, but there’s some very talented hockey players on our ice that are going to bring some people into the building, because everyone likes to watch fast and exciting hockey,” the coach said.

GAME ON … The Clippers host the Cowichan Valley Capitals on Friday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. at Frank Crane Arena. For tickets, visit www.nanaimoclippers. com. The teams play a rematch in Duncan the next night.

editor@nanaimobulletin.com

Barsby dominant in debut

The John Barsby Bulldogs were clearly tugging at the leash to get football season started. The school’s AA varsity football team kicked off the fall semester with a 44-7 victory over the Mt. Boucherie Bears, a AAA squad, in exhibition play Sept. 8.

Barsby starts the regular season on the road versus AA Robert Bateman on Friday, Sept. 22.

The world and how we work are changing.

& entertainment

Festival jazzes up downtown with flair

Groovy tunes and funky New Orleans flair could be seen and heard all weekend long, Sept. 15-17, in the downtown core as the Nanaimo International Jazz Festival took over.

Last year’s Pacific Contact ‘Festival of the Year’ provided lots more of what it does best at this year’s event.

The festival started at noon on Friday and kept the party going until Sunday evening. There were free tunes all weekend long on the Wesley Street

stage, and a New Orleans-style musical walk with the NIJFA parade band led music enthusiasts along the Harbourfront Walkway on Saturday morning.

A special all-star concert was held at the Port Theatre, also on Saturday, as a homage to one of the city’s most beloved music mentors, Bryan Stovell.

The Connor Stewart Sextet, Decadence and Nanaimo Musicians’ Association Big Band performed at the concert, with a surprise appearance by jazz superstar Diana Krall. arts@nanaimobulletin.com

Storyteller wants people to harness the flame of their everyday lives

MANDY MORAES NEWS BULLETIN

The hit storytelling event revealing the personal lives of everyday people is coming to Nanaimo.

Award-winning actor and creator of Mom’s the Word, Deborah Williams, will bring performers from the Island and Lower Mainland to the Port Theatre stage on Sunday, Sept. 24, to share a bit of their ‘extraordinary’ for The Flame

“I wanted to hear about some other ways of life,” Williams said. “I am fascinated by people’s normal. And when you start a story, a person really has to tell you what their normal is because it’s going to be an extraordinary thing they’re telling you about. So, you’ve got to hear about what their normal is so you can hear what their extraordinary is.”

The Flame has flourished since its humble beginnings in Williams’s eastside

Vancouver living room in 2009 whenthe storyteller, along with co-creator Joel Wirkkunen, invited roughly 20 people to share a personal and true story.

“All these actors, because that’s mostly who I know, who were terrified when they came over, laughed, saying ‘oh my God, I got to do this again, this is so great,’” Williams said.

While the storytelling sessions are not therapy, the storyteller reiterated, there’s something about communal sharing and getting perspective on one’s life.

The name of the series is reminiscent of the saying that “moths are drawn to the flame” – and is the perfect analogy, Williams said, for an event that allows people to gather. The series has shown in Victoria, New Westminster, Surrey and on Gabriola Island, to name a few, and will open the Port Theatre’s Spotlight series.

arts@nanaimobulletin.com

Diana Krall surprised Byan Stovell and the whole audience by appearing at the all-star concert on Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Port Theatre and performing her song How Deep is the Ocean. (HA Photography photo)

Dressed in her festive best, Susana Michaelis takes part in the New Orleans-style jazz march that started at Maffeo Sutton Park on Saturday, Sept. 16, as part of the Nanaimo International Jazz Festival. (Karl Yu/News Bulletin)

Kirst Bradshaw toots her own horn as she helps lead the jazz march through Maffeo Sutton Park on Saturday, Sept. 16, during the Nanaimo International Jazz Festival. (Karl Yu/News Bulletin)

Artist reveals hidden lives of tiny tidal critters

In an immersive video installation, a filmmaker will reveal the lives of tidal lifeforms that are often invisible to the naked eye.

With the use of microscopic underwater cameras, a Danish-born Canadian filmmaker from Toronto will show what lies beneath the surface of the sea as the life forms fight for food, territory and habitat in “a wondrous world of mayhem.”

For three days, artist and filmmaker Annette Mangaard, who is September’s Kasahara Gabriola Trust Artist in Residence on Gabriola Island, will exhibit ‘Sublimely Small’ at the Gabriola Arts and Heritage Centre.

“This is an amazing place … And for me, living in Toronto, to be here with tides and everything is such a huge learning experience. I had no idea the tides changed like an hour every day,” Mangaard said, adding that while she’s been to the West Coast before, this project is the first time she’s been able to study the ocean so intimately. “In Lake Ontario, there’s nothing like this in it. If you put an underwater camera in there, you’ll get a bit of garbage and you might get a couple of small minnows if you’re lucky. But nothing like this. This is like a microscopic wonderland.”

One of the central points Mangaard wanted to bring to light with this project was to not only show how delicate and fragile the minuscule ecosystem was, but to highlight that work needs to be done to preserve it.

The filmmaker said she was surprised to learn how innately aware “all those little critters” were of her presence, even when she barely breathed and was completely motionless.

“After about 15 minutes, things start to emerge and move around and engage with each other. After half an hour, there is so much life happening there. But if I move just a fraction of an inch, or make the tiniest sound, it all disappears again for half an hour,” she said. “It’s giving me a life lesson in patience, this long observational act.”

Sitting and playing ‘the waiting game’ wasn’t too much of a challenge for the filmmaker, as she had

fine-tuned the skill following an injury when her Achilles tendon was severed and she couldn’t use that foot for three months.

‘Sublimely Small’ is the first project Mangaard has ever worked on such a microscopic scale, and other than figuring when the best time was to capture the best lighting, the filmmaker said she was excited to learn about how the critters integrated into their environments and how they interacted with each other.

“They’re very territorial, I’ve discovered,” she said. “And another thing I found is that they are so strong. They’re like ants. These little crabs and things can move shells that are 20 times their size. And they just go under and lift them out of the way.”

For the exhibit itself, Mangaard said she would like viewers to feel as if they’re underwater. She plans to use projectors and plexiglass disks to manipulate light and movement, as well as enlarge critters that are “half the size of a baby fingernail” to roughly the size of a human body on screen. Her footage will remain unaltered in order to preserve the natural colour as it was recorded.

‘Sublimely Small’ will open at the Gabriola Arts and Heritage Centre on Friday, Sept. 22, from 7-9 p.m., and will continue Sept. 23 (11 a.m.4 p.m.) and Sept. 24 (1-4 p.m.). mandy.moraes@nanaimobulletin.com

Saxophonist comes to city with quartet

STAFF WRITER NEWS BULLETIN

A renowned jazz saxophonist is coming to Nanaimo and bringing his quartet with him.

Ryan Oliver will play a concert at Simonholt restaurant on Sunday, Sept. 24.

The Victoria-based artist is known nationally and internationally “for his huge tenor saxophone sound” and for his many years spent touring the world with the legendary Shuffle Demons.

Oliver is currently focusing on the music of John Coltrane “for which his tone is well-suited,” the release noted.

He will be joined by keyboardist Nick Peck, bass player Alex Coleman and drummer Joe Poole.

Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. concert are $25 or $20 for students and are available by calling the restaurant at 250933-3338, stopping by Fascinating Rhythm or Arbutus Music, or visiting http:// quadwranglemusic.com.

editor@nanaimobulletin.com

Annette Mangaard, September’s Kasahara Gabriola Trust Artist in Residence on Gabriola Island, as she captures footage for her ‘Sublimely Small’ exhibit about microscopic tidal lifeforms. (Maya Popovich photo)

Author considers moments of humanity in book of flash fiction

In his latest book, a VIU professor offers bite-sized stories of what it means to be human and the brief moments that can define us.

Robert Hilles’s The Pink Puppet: A Book of Tales, released in June, is the author’s 25th published work. The creative writing professor said the title stems from a Buddhist metaphor.

“This is the idea of the human corporal – in a sense, with our skin … The universe is kind of the genesis of the stories but the stories are partly about what’s inside the pink puppets,” he said.

In the 26 flash fiction sto-

ries, there is some reflection of Hilles’s life, considering that many of the tales take place in communities he’s familiar with, such as Winnipeg, Vancouver, Calgary and Salt Spring Island.

Many of the stories, he said, were started in the spring of 2019 and are tales he was moved to write that take place “across time and space,” without the intention of writing flash fiction.

The author said he started out writing poetry as a young man, but after learning about and writing prose poems, he later fell into flash fiction, since the format “presents opportunities that neither the prose poem nor longer fiction allows.” Flash fiction,

which Hilles said is a short story typically less than 3,000 words, is distinguished from prose poetry as it include characters, action, drama, setting and even dialogue.

Despite the cover of his latest book appearing “kid-friendly” with a bright pink puppet illustration, Hilles said he didn’t write it geared toward a younger audience.

“There’s a lot of writing about the soul … the first few pieces are actually about what happens at the moment when a person dies,” the author said.

Several other stories contemplate reincarnation – the belief that souls begin a new life, human or otherwise,

after death – and how having a strong connection to someone you just met could be an indication of that.

“It might mean that you were actually involved with them in a past life … The idea that feuds and love affairs travel through lives really interested me because in the west we don’t think that way. We always think everything has termination,” he said.

Hilles will hold a book launch event at the Nanaimo Harbourfront Library for The Pink Puppet: A Book of Tales on Sept. 27 between 5-7 p.m.

The book can be purchased through WindowSeat Books. mandy.moraes@nanaimobulletin.com

Storyteller recalls overcoming shyness in order to become singing and dancing ‘diva’

Christine Clarke-Johnsen is no stranger to storytelling.

The retired teacher is not only a member of the Nanaimo-based storytelling group Around Town Tellers, but a published author with Chicken Soup for the Soul Her fourth short story with the series, titled

The Reluctant Diva, is part of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and details her experience of challenging herself and joining the SoundWave Choir.

As a self-described “naturally shy” person, singing in front a group of people was nerve-racking enough, Clarke-Johnsen said, but being selected as a ‘diva’ for a specific number – which called for singing and dancing mere feet away from the audience – was

enough to make her want to quit.

Despite her trepidation, however, the writer went through with her ‘diva duties’ and recalls the experience as being a pivotal moment in reclaiming her confidence.

“There’s the inner voice and there’s the outer voice. The outer voice says, ‘You can’t do this. You can’t be a go-go dancer – you’re 67 years old. You don’t know how to dance, you only know how to sing,’” Clarke-Johnsen

said. “And then there’s this other little quiet voice inside that says, ‘How do you know you can’t do it? Unless you try, you don’t know and you will have a regret.’ So, that pushed myself to do it.”

The writer’s first story for the book company was called A Storyteller is Born, was published in Chicken Soup for the Soul The Empowered Women in 2018.

Continued on B5

VIU professor and author Robert Hilles will hold a book launch event for The Pink Puppet: A Book of Tales at the Nanaimo Harbourfront Library on Sept. 27. (Mandy Moraes/News Bulletin)

Children’s choir accepting singers

Youngsters looking to find their voice on stage will have the opportunity to do so with the Vancouver Island Symphony.

Registration is now open for VIS’ Noteworthy Kids Choir, with a performance planned in January at the Port Theatre for Rick Scott’s My Symphony concert.

“Rick comes in wanting to join the symphony with his dulcimer and he goes through the educational process of what you really have to know to be in the symphony.

It’s an enchanting story,” said VIS choir director Patricia Plumley, adding that the children will not only help with the songs, but audience participation and interaction with the musicians as well.

During rehearsals, the choir director said the children will explore their voices through vocal development and gain the confidence to do “a little bit of acting” on stage.

“I’ve watched child after child’s face just blossom when the orchestra starts and they’re on the stage and they realize that they’re in the midst of these amazing musicians – their wisdom, their artistry, their talents … It’s really quite a life-changing experience,” Plumley said.

The program is open to children age seven to 12 years and no experience is necessary – just the joy of singing.

Participants will learn different styles of music and learn about instruments of the orchestra.

Rehearsal will take place on Wednesdays, starting Oct. 11, and registration can be done online at www.vancouverislandsymphony.com. Further schedule and fee information can be found at the website.

mandy.moraes@nanaimobulletin.com

Nanaimo and Parksville-Qualicum observing B.C. Culture Days

Nanaimo is taking part in a provincewide celebration of arts and culture to start the fall.

B.C. Culture Days, “aimed at showcasing, sharing, and exploring the artistic and cultural essence of each participating community,” happen from Sept. 22-Oct. 15.

All B.C. Culture Days events are either free or “pay what you may” as far as admission.

In Nanaimo, there will be an open house at the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music on Sept. 22 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., a draw-along at the

Nanaimo Art Gallery on Sept. 22 at 12:30 p.m., and finger weaving at the Nanaimo Art Gallery’s Art Lab on Oct. 1 from 1-4 p.m.

Parksville-Qualicum will be a hub for B.C. Culture days on the central Island, hosting events including the Steampumk Miniature Scrap Metal Sculpture Project workshops, the Exquisite Corpse Project unveiling collaborative paintings, and an art banner crawl.

There will also be an Art of Nurturing Nature Hub at Qualicum Beach, with a focus on strengthening

environmental consciousness in the community.

“With many of us thinking about climate action, nature and the outdoors, it seemed fitting to come together to plan some innovative events and experiences,” said Diane Moran, B.C. Culture Days community connector, in the release.

For more information about the Parksville-Qualicum events, visit www.pqbnews.com. For more information about B.C. Culture Days, visit http://culturedays.ca/en/bc. editor@nanaimobulletin.com

Continued from B4

Clarke-Johnsen’s first story also addressed her fear of being seen and speaking in public. In it, she recounts how attending her first storytelling event made her “feel alive inside” and the inexplicable desire to get involved.

Although Clarke-Johnsen has written about several personal experiences for Chicken Soup for the Soul, she hasn’t shared

What’sOn

Bad Moon Riders, a CCR tribute act, performs at the Queen’s, 34 Victoria Cres., on Sept. 22 from 6-9 p.m. Tickets $25 online at www.myzonetickets.com.

Dan Mangan performs at the Port Theatre, 125 Front St., on Sept. 22 from 7:30-10:30 p.m. Tickets $39.50-$44.50 online at www.porttheatre.com.

Marc Atkinson Trio performs at the Unitarian Hall, 595 Townsite Rd., on Sept. 24 from 7:30-10 p.m. Tickets $30 online at www.eventbrite.ca.

The Reluctant Diva on stage yet with Around Town Tellers.

“It’s easy to put in writing and send off because nobody knows you out there. But it’s another thing to stand in front of friends and people who know you and say, ‘Well, I felt this way and that happened.’” Although, the writer said she might just have the courage one day. mandy.moraes@nanaimobulletin.com

ART

Art 10 Gallery will celebrate its 40th anniversary with activities and demonstrations at Nanaimo North Town Centre, 4750 Rutherford Rd., on Sept. 23 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free event.

LITERATURE

Wordstorm Society of the Arts will hold ‘Restor-volution,’ an open mic night celebration of peace and sustainability, at WindowSeat Books, 309 Wesley St., on Sept. 23 from 1-3 p.m. Register through e-mail at wordstormsociety@gmail.com.

Submit ‘What’s On’ listings to arts@nanaimobulletin.com

The Vancouver Island Symphony’s Noteworthy Kids Choir is now open for registration. (Photo credit: HA Photography)

Beefs bouquets &

BOUQUET To whoever found my phone on the No. 20 bus and handed it in. What a relief to get it back. It’s an old one but valuable to me.

BEEF To ageism. Why not a playground that every Nanaimo family can walk or bike to, instead of having to drive to? Our visiting grandchildren had to be driven to the nearest playground – something they aren’t used to. And why not a bus stop in front of all seniors’ complexes located on bus routes? Many are unable to hike in all weather to the nearest stop. City planners, please keep these age groups in mind.

BOUQUET To three businesses in Nanaimo. Discount Battery Warehouse staff and service are excellent, Home Hardware is always my fist stop for hardware products; their knowledge and service is excellent as well. In addition, I was exploring seniors homes and my experience with Origin at Longwood was great, timely responses and excellent resource materials. Thanks.

BEEF To the mall that continues to allow the street racers and drifters to use their parking lot as a playground for their criminal activity. You are fully aware of what is happening but have chosen to do nothing, showing a complete disrespect for your neighbours. This noise has gone on long enough, take some responsibility.

BOUQUET To the man who gave my fouryear-old son his very own crab trap at the crab dock. You made a little boy’s day and it’s literally all he can talk about. He’s practising his throws in our backyard and he’s ready to catch some crabs.

BEEF To the fire and ambulance sirens being blasted on Milton Street daily, we counted 21 in one day. We appreciate all you do for the community, however, the sirens don’t help with an already stressedout downtown area.

BOUQUET Thank you to Home Hardware Parksville Home Building Centre for the amazing customer service with the roofing panels. Everything from phone call to inquire, to sale in store, to delivery to site was smooth and explained in detail.

BEEF To the person near downtown with the gorgeous flowering tree. Clearly your tree is a hotspot for bees so maybe covering it in pesticides wasn’t a great choice. The yard surrounding is covered in dead bees. Shame on you.

BOUQUET To the City of Nanaimo waste collection trucks that take our garbage even when it’s late so we don’t have to wait for the next pickup. Thank you so much.

BEEF To the vindictive, self-righteous and power-obsessed president of the strata council in the north end. Stop being unreasonable to residents, and definitely stop making up new rules that only serve your own interest.

BOUQUET I couldn’t be happier I chose Nanaimo Toyota service department. They solved my problem within minutes, were able to fix it and I was on my way in under an hour. Excellent customer service. Thanks guys.

BEEF To people who celebrate any event by releasing balloons or other plastics into the atmosphere. This is so harmful to animals that may try to eat them, and to the ocean and parks they may eventually land in. I was so disappointed to see a bunch floating from the street over. There are far better ways to announce a birthday or a baby.

BOUQUET To the staff at the creativity commons at Harbourfront Library, Michael, Brent, Rochelle and Leah for instructing and helping me in digitizing home movie DVDs to a flash drive, especially Brent who was very patient with me.

BEEF To the ferry that keeps breaking down. Is that one of the boats that was built in a European country? Where is the quality control? It should have been contracted to a Canadian shipyard to be built properly. Junk it, perhaps it will make a great artificial reef for fish to live in.

BOUQUET We had to stop over in Nanaimo on our boat due to high winds. Out stretching our legs on the waterfront walkway, we became aware of a homeless woman in discomfort. As we debated what agency we might call to assist, an ‘angel’ appeared. A woman from one of the neighbouring houses appeared, bringing a bowl of hot soup, cheese, crackers and an apple. The warmth and care given by the neighbour were surely of greater warmth than the soup. We left knowing we had experienced true love for your neighbour.

BEEF Really, parent parking? Whatever did your parents do in their day? It seems that they did all right without them. Perhaps the person parking there needed a disability spot and they were all taken. Please think before you complain.

BOUQUET Kudos to Erin at Vancouver Island Thrift Store. Recently I listened to her respectful and welcoming conversations with customers and watched her move around the store space receiving items while manning the cash register. Wow, talk about energy. Thanks for your hard work.

BEEF Stop comparing your life with what you see on your socials. It’s all staged, all of it. Work hard to make a good life with what you have and who you’re with while you still have it.

BOUQUET To any traffic cop willing to stop the speeding reckless driving on Metral. The amount of people on cell phones and speeding in Pleasant Valley is ridiculous, especially that Audi.

BEEF To those complaining about the trees in the middle of the roundabout. Don’t worry about the cars on the other side, worry about that car on your left that you’re about to cut off because you don’t know how to use a roundabout.

BOUQUET Thank you to the person in the grocery store on Bruce Avenue who, when I was experiencing some serious back pain, helped me find an item, reached up to get it and place it in my cart.

BEEF To the coach who tells 15- and 16-year-olds that if they do not commit to his sport only, there will be consequences.

BOUQUET To the kind lady who came into my work last week and told me that I was pretty. It made my day. You are such a kind and beautiful soul.

BEEF To speeders and tailgaters. Slow down, back off, drive safe. Don’t invite accidents nor provoke road rage.

Submit your own Beef or Bouquet

Beefs & Bouquets is a free forum to give thanks or express views. The News Bulletin reserves the right to edit or refuse submissions. Length may be limited to 40 words. A winner will be selected from the bouquet submissions to receive a floral bouquet from Turley’s Florist. Mail or deliver to 777 Poplar St., Nanaimo, V9S 2H7 or e-mail to editor@nanaimobulletin.com. Fax to 250-753-0788.

Name _______________________________________ Phone ___________________________

Address ________________________________________________________________________

This week’s winner: D. Sullivan wins a bouquet from Turley’s Florist

BOUQUET to Tanya, Jeffrey and the staff at the Grand Hotel restaurant. We planned a 95th birthday high tea for my mother and friends and family, and three weeks later, they are all still talking about it. The high tea was wonderful with everyone receiving their own two-tier assortment of sandwiches and goodies. Several different pots of tea were brought around before we could even ask for more. A beautiful strawberry shortcake was decorated for the birthday girl. Just an overall wonderful time.

BEEF Some of the dividers put up around town to confuse drivers are really working. Not only are they an absolute waste of our tax dollars but they are making the roads unsafe for bikes and cars. Between the wasted money on Metral, the entrance into Maffeo Sutton Park, Bowen Road and Front Street, who knows what will be dreamed up on Terminal Avenue?

BOUQUET Thank you to our city council for ratifying the zero carbon step code program and setting an example to other cities for curbing climate change.

BEEF To the City of Nanaimo. Once again a garbage/recycling schedule that makes no sense. They had many complaints about this the past two years, and clearly ignored all of them. In the north end, the last garbage pick-up date is Dec 15. And not another until Jan. 3 – 20 days in the busiest, longest holiday season.

BOUQUET To the cheerful jeweller at Marsh and Son Jewellery for fixing my problem ring in no time. Great customer service there.

BEEF To the board for dragging its heels getting people into rehab. They don’t care if you die waiting as long as they no longer have to pay you. When there are spots open and you have a more-than-ready addict. Shame on you. People are dying while you waste time.

BOUQUET To the nurse who stopped, called the ambulance and performed CPR on my brother after he collapsed beside his truck on Machleary Street. Although he could not be revived, we will always remember your incredible act of kindness. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

BEEF To the organization losing staff. Maybe there’s a common denominator. Perhaps exit interviews would be beneficial? Or some board oversight? Embarrassing. Time to ask questions and listen to the answers.

BOUQUET To Dave and Belinda. Thank you for the super big random act of kindness my pre-school received. I was so shocked when you approached me and wanted to pay for my pre-school supplies. The children are going to love everything you bought them. You are both amazing.

BEEF To the driver of the truck towing a trailer on the Nanaimo Parkway, you cut me off when changing lanes. Your driving is unsafe; you need to learn how to use your mirrors.

BOUQUET To the teams from Nanaimo Fire Rescue, 911 dispatcher, paramedics and hospital staff who rescued and treated my daughter after she broke her leg on the Abyss trail. Thank you all.

BEEF To all the families abusing the healthcare workers at the hospital and at care homes. If you are not satisfied, take your relative home and care for them yourself.

BOUQUET To my fellow workers in the trades or trucking. Remember, we are the ones who keep this whole show going.

BEEF We just drove past the road works area for the Cameron Bluffs fire. We were extremely disappointed to see an employee smoking and throwing a lit cigarette butt on the side of the road right near the dry grass and leaves. It’s extreme fire conditions, the road is being fixed because of a fire and you have employees throwing cigarettes on the dry ground.

BOUQUET To the staff at Bosley’s on Bowen Road. Your staff are also so pleasant and helpful and have the cutest kittens and cats for adoption. It’s always a pleasure to do business there.

BEEF To the doughnuts who run our city, I will have mine glazed please.

BOUQUET To the mom and her two sons in Parksville for asking if we needed help when I was having an allergic reaction. My husband and I are forever in your debt for stopping to ask and driving me to the hospital so quickly. Thank you for all you did. We didn’t catch your name but I hope you know you helped save my life that day.

BEEF To people that don’t understand Nanaimo’s watering restrictions. As of the end of August we were at a mere Stage 3. Regardless of being in a drought, there is a lot of water so calm down.

BOUQUET To the children who ask dog walkers ‘May I pet your dog?’ Beefs to the adult dog walkers who do not ask ‘May my dog greet you?’ I do not want your dog to ‘greet’ me, don’t assume I do.

BEEF Where people are you will always find rats. Used to be if you saw one rat you could be guaranteed there were at least 50 more. As long as we humans continue to be so careless and neglectful with trash, inviting vermin to help themselves will continue

BOUQUET To the broad-minded city councillors for implementing the step code. Climate action needs champions, so take a bow.

BEEF Money being awarded to the former city staff member is an embarrassment to the taxpayers here in Nanaimo.

BOUQUET Thanks to the Nanaimo council for taking a positive step toward a transition to a clean energy future in Nanaimo, by phasing out natural fracked gas as a primary heat source in new homes.

BEEF Someone commented about the people experiencing homelessness and addictions having more rights than tax-paying citizens. Seems to be the truth.

BOUQUET To the staff of NRGH emergency room who went above and beyond to help an injured student. You know who you are. In a system that hits the headlines for stress and burnout, you have the heart – kind and compassionate. Thank you, you made our day.