As rains once again battered Vancouver Island over the weekend, multiple regions grappled with the risk of flooding. For a period on Monday there were evacuation notices covering parts of Chemainus and a campground in Parksville…
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Stories of hangings, explosions, and tragedies from Nanaimo’s past have been brought together in a book from lifelong history buff T.W. Paterson. Called Unknown Nanaimo, it focuses on events from the 1850s through to the turn of the 20th century, with much of the material sourced from newspaper accounts from that period…
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We're marking Nanaimo's move from 2025 into 2026, with a focus on transportation. We talked transit and traffic calming with Jamie Rose, the City of Nanaimo’s Manager of Transportation about how things changed in the last year, as well as what's on the radar for the next one…
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Plans to light a section of the E&N Trail next year won’t be going ahead, as funding has been reallocated to other to be determined projects. A section of the trail between Northfield and Rock City roads had been scheduled to receive lighting upgrades in 2026. Instead, around a million dollars of funding will be redirected into other pedestrian and active transportation projects next year…
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Local government is willing to front the costs to bring a cardiac catheterization lab to Nanaimo. The Nanaimo Regional Hospital District Board unanimously passed a motion this month resolving to earmark up to 50 million dollars to fund 100 per cent of the cardiac catheterization lab project as part of its funding commitments to that project and a new patient tower…
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A body tasked with improving our democracy has made dozens of recommendations to the government of BC. The special committee on democratic and electoral reform has put out its first report, after receiving close to a thousand submissions from British Columbians over the summer months…
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Humpback whales are returning to the Salish Sea in growing numbers, but between the rising population and the increase in vessel traffic, collisions are also becoming more common…
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A motion about industrial land use divided Nanaimo city council in a narrow 5-4 vote Monday night. On the meeting agenda the motion from Councillor Paul Manly asked staff to prepare a zoning amendment that would have prevented six different industrial scale uses, including certain garbage incineration facilities, chemical plants, petroleum refineries, and Liquified Natural Gas export facilities…
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Now in its ninth year, demand for the Woodstove Music and Arts Festival seemingly hit new highs, with organizers saying that the initial round of tickets sold out almost immediately. The non profit community festival took place last weekend across 16 venues in the village ranging from community halls, to the museum, to tattoo parlours and hair salons…
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Plans for a data centre in Nanaimo have generated significant attention in recent weeks. The centre is proposed for 2090 East Wellington Road, and the area was rezoned in 2023. Midcoast Morning explores recent community concerns with Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog, and shares information revealed at a Nanaimo city council meeting about potential water use at the site.
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The British Columbia Federation of Students says the province’s post secondary system is in crisis. The organization says that there have been almost 1000 layoffs in the sector since 2023, with 80 programs suspended, paused or cut…
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Following push-back from members of the community, a zoning change proposal failed to pass first reading at Nanaimo City Council on Monday. Council heard from 8 delegations opposed to a rezoning application for 2367 Arbot Road, which is currently home to the Westwood Lake Tennis Club…
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More than a dozen authors, poets, profs, and students spoke at a festival aimed at fostering connections between Palestinian and local literature this past weekend. The 2nd annual Watermelon Seeds festival of literature took place at VIU Saturday.It comes on the heels of an event last spring that took place at the Palestinian solidarity encampment that had been set up on campus…
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With Nanaimo City Council voting in favour of a motion Monday to name the park at 933 Park Avenue Five Acres Farm Community Park, Midcoast Morning explores the history behind the name, as well as the urban farming that’s still taking place on the land.
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Cree artist and creator George Littlechild is sharing his art with the Comox Valley this fall with a vast exhibition at the Comox Valley Art Gallery and a special film screening at North Island College. The film being screened this Saturday, October 4th is nanekawâsis, a documentary featuring Little Child's life and art. Both the artist George Littlechild and the filmmaker Conor McNally will be in attendance at the screening on Saturday…
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On the fifth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, hundreds walked along fifth street in downtown Courtenay before gathering in Lewis Park. Midcoast Morning spoke with some of those present about the meaning of the day.
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Following decades of advocacy, Hamilton Marsh near Qualicum Beach appears on its way to becoming a protected area. Earlier this month the Regional District of Nanaimo announced it had reached a conditional agreement with Mosaic Forest Management to buy 360 hectares of land for $30 million. That land includes the marsh itself, which is about 36 hectares in size, and a mature forest, that if undisturbed, will reach old growth status within 150 years…
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The Island Corridor Foundation’s CEO wants Nanaimo’s planning department to keep the potential of the old rail corridor in mind. Thomas Bevan spoke at a Nanaimo city council meeting Monday night to provide an update on the work of the Island Corridor Foundation, as they look to determine the future of what was once the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway. Midcoast Morning spoke with Bevan about the current state of the corridor.
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It’s a new year at VIU, and there’s a new president on campus, looking to help steer the school through its financial challenges. Dennis Johnson was appointed as interim president in June. His tenure will be up to two years. Midcoast Morning speaks with Johnson, as well as VIU Students Union Board Chair Sarah Mei Lyana about hopes for the upcoming school year.
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A new partnership between Habitat For Humanity’s Restore and non profit Lighthouse’s Building Material Exchange program aims to save construction material from the landfill. The Nanaimo Restore, which sells donated construction material and home furnishings, celebrated an expansion as well as the launch of the new partnership at an event Monday. Proceeds from the Restore go to Habitat for Humanity Mid Vancouver Island, which has a goal of building affordable housing. The organization most recently completed a housing project in 2021. Midcoast Morning spoke with representatives from the Restore, Lighthouse, and Habitat For Humanity Mid Vancouver Island.
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