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B.C. Ferries turns senior citizen

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B.C. Ferries is turning 65 on June 15 and travellers are getting the present, a one-day discount for travel between Vancouver and Vancouver Island. That’s formally seniors age, (add your own smart-assed remark – old, rickety). “Saver fares” will be charged on all sailings for the entire day. They will be $65 one way for standard-height vehicles and a driver. It’s $115 for a regular reservation and driver. The company started with two vessels in 1960 and now has 37, transporting more than 22 million passengers and eight million vehicles yearly. MORE

The Island Highway, Bowen and Northfield Road intersections has the second-highest collision rate on Vancouver Island behind the Douglas Street at McKenzie Avenue off-ramp in Saanich. Three of the top four crash intersections on Vancouver Island last year were in Nanaimo. MORE

QUOTABLE – Why are there ten wieners in a package but only eight buns?

Cry me a river,

things are tough all over

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I must have got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning, even the coffee has a bitter bite to it. 

It doesn’t help when you get the feeling that the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal is there to side with complainants rather than judge whether discrimination actually exists. Guilty and that’s all there is to it. The problem is the immense amount of power they wield. Not much else can be deduced from the limited arguments we’re seen in the Victor Mema case, fired for financial misconduct but given a huge payout based perceived discrimination.

We have a students’ survey at VIU claiming that students are going hungry, especially foreign students. The report claimed students are forced to dumpster dive or even steal to satiate their hunger. More than half were suffering, according to the study, and a lack of culturally-diverse foods like halal and kosher. Those claims are tough to swallow because those students have to be well funded to attend Canadian schools. I don’t know how it is now, but students used to have either summer jobs or part-time jobs to pay their way.

Why are the RCMP are investigating possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Israel-Hamas war? They want to collect information on possible crimes by any party involved in the conflict. Please tell me why a Canadian federal police force would be wandering there when the United Nations would be the natural body to play that role?

Federal prison inmates have launched a class-action lawsuit claiming they were subjected to inhumane treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. They claim they endured inhumane rights restrictions, including being confined to cells for 20 hours or more each day without meaningful contact with other people. Plaintiff Dean Roberts, a multiple murderer at Mission Institution, said the pandemic brought chaos as pandemic measures sent prisoners into despair, including one who sewed his lips together.

Oh, cry me a river. The pandemic had adverse impacts on all people, not just jailbirds. We were banned from meeting in groups, were given mandatory injections of unproven vaccines, lost jobs and on and on. Whom can we launch a class-action suit against?

Supreme Court rules Mema

entitled to $640,000 from city

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Former Nanaimo Finance Director Victor Mema will walk away with more than $640,000 after a Supreme Court ruling over “racial bias” claimed by Mema who was fired seven years ago. B.C. Human Rights Tribunal ruled in 2023, the City had discriminated. Mema is of Zimbabwean descent. MORE

Who got tax exemptions from the city last year? The city’s draft 2024 annual financial report is now available. This is the bottom line for those who have questions about the city’s operations. It’s all here, there are no secrets, the report details all aspects of city spending and income and it’s open to the public. There’s 127 pages in all, so take your time. READ IT HERE.

Further tests today will determine if Lantzville’s Sebastion Road and Harper Road beach ends can reopen. The area is out of bounds for walking, swimming and canoeing due to possible contamination. Water samples taken on Monday found excess amounts of enterococci – a bacteriological indicator of fecal contamination. Signage  at both beach ends warns users. MOR

Two notable Nanaimo men died in the past week.

A name about town when it came to real estate, Barry Clark closed his final deal when he died suddenly last week. Barry was a sales agent, managing broker, director, president, and CEO of Royal LePage Nanaimo Realty. A 2019 Real Estate Magazine article shows Barry had been with the company for 60 years when he died. Read it HERE. A tribute to Barry.

You would have met Gary Dorland if you ever bought Nanaimo Clippers 50/50 tickets. Gary died Tuesday morning. He was considered family and part of the heart of the Clippers organization. MORE

Costco isn’t letting retaliatory Canadian tariffsimpact its bottom line. It is buying in-house brands like Kirkland within the countries with tariffs. Costco reported US$62 billion in net sales, an eight-per cent increase from the same quarter last year. Company executives said they’ve been actively looking for ways to avoid impacts from tariffs, with chief executive Ron Vachris saying this included looking at producing its Kirkland brand and products sold at Canadian Costco locations. MORE

QUOTABLE– If it were not for immigrants we'd have nobody working in health care.

Stilwell elected vice president

of Canadian Paralympic Committee 

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Congratulations Michelle Stilwell on being elected vice-president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee. The four-time Paralympian also served as our MLA  and provincial cabinet minister. She has been a tireless advocate bringing diverse expertise to the role and a unique perspective. Stilwell won gold medals in two different sports – wheelchair basketball and Para athletics. She won seven Paralympic podiums, including six gold, in her impressive career.

Stilwell is one of seven recipients of the Order of Sport. Soccer icon Christine Sinclair was also named. They will be inducted in the Order of Sport and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in October. MORE

Get used to it, a stretch of summer weather has arrived with warmer-than-average temperatures, accompanied by sunshine for the next several days across the mid-Island. Meteorologist Bobby Sekhon says we’re settling into more of a blocking ridge with warm, dry weather for the foreseeable future here, especially the next week or two. Temperatures are expected to hit near 30 degrees by Sunday, well above the average 13. MORE

QUOTABLE – Are funny people happier?

Affordable housing nothing more
than just another buzz word

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Call it the new math. A housing complex was recenlty sold to a non-profit with government assistance so it could qualify as affordable – and the rent went up. Really? That's is not what’s supposed to happen.

The Maple Ridge News reports the province put about $9 million into the $18.5 million purchase of the privately-owned 44-unit Brookside Gardens by Connective Support Society to transition it into affordable housing.

So rents should go down, right? Not so, says one of the residents, her rent increased $61 per month to $2,066. Other tenants tell similar stories of run-down conditions, electrical problems, wobbly stair railings, and more. On top of that, renters have to have a minimum income of $4,500 a month to qualify.

One tenant with a disability, who does not qualify for reduced rent, was told to move to Vancouver Island “and find cheap rent.”

I get it now, affordable is another buzz word without meaning. FULL STORY

Woman taken to hospital

after fall at Piper's Lagoon Park

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A woman was taken to hospital after she was believed to 

have fallen off a cliff at Pipers Lagoon Park on Sunday afternoon. RCMP, Fire Rescue and BC Ambulance responded to a 911 call. A man who was walking in the park said he saw the woman walking alone before the fall. He says had he not seen her fall, he’s not sure she would’ve survived, as she landed in a position where she couldn’t breathe. MORE

That’s it, Hudson’s Bay joined Eaton’s, Sears and Wooodwards in the annals of retailing history when its stores closed for the final time. The 355-year-old company wrapped up its liquidation sale on Sunday as it goes through bankruptcy proceedings. Ruby Liu, founder of Central Walk   which owns Mayfair and Nanaimo’s Woodgrove Shopping Centre, has bought up to 28 Hudson's Bay store leases, including ones at Central Walk properties. Liu has said she would like to open a country-wide department store chain, with at least 20 retail stores, called “The New Bay.” MORE

Dinosaurs used to roam where we now live, and their history will come alive with an exhibit from the Royal BC Museum beginning next week at the Nanaimo District Museum. The exhibit will be here from June 7 to Sept. 6 with fossils from across the province. It includes ancient B.C. through interactive displays, fossil specimens and paleontological research gathered by the Royal BC Museum’s scientific team. MORE

Most Canadians know sweet tweet about firearms and firearms laws other than they have been told guns are bad. You can find out from Barry Holland at a free public talk Sunday, June 22, 1:00-4:00 pmat the Nanaimo Fish & Game Club, 1325 Nanaimo Lakes Road. Barry is the author of No More Mr. Nice Guy: A guide to defending yourself, family and property in Canada.He’ll speak on all aspects around self-defence, how to make a citizen's arrest, and how to interact with police to stay out of trouble.

QUOTABLE – We don’t need louder voices, we need softer hearing

Separation talk just a deflection

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Everything is cyclical – and cynical – in politics, including creating false scenarios to detract from the real issues. When in trouble, steer in another direction by changing the subject.

That’s what’s happening with the Alberta and Western Canada separation talk, an issue seeking a solution for no problem.

Keep your eye on the prize, back to basics, like putting food on the table. There’s a lot of talk about affordability, and these days that includes food.

Minimum wage hits $17.85

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The minimum wage goes upto $17.85 across the province on June 1, a 2.6-per-cent increase. And that has a cascading effect as wages above that level also tend to increase. On a standard work week that adds up to $660 a week, but then the government has its hand out for a share of that.

The VanIsle 360 two-week yacht race around Vancouver Island launches this morning. The large entry of about 45 boats has forced a change in the start line to the outside of Newcastle Island. The harbour has become busier with seaplane and ferries. MORE

Paving begins on Bowen and Northfield Roads. Crews will pave at night from 6 pm until 6 am, June 1 to 6. Expect delays, lane closures and slow down and watch for crews and traffic control personnel.

The province has designated $5 million for a new safety program to reduce lower-level crime like robbery, shoplifting, vandalism, property damage and non-violent street crimes in high-traffic business areas. The new C-STEP program will give police more tools to respond to street crimes, including shoplifting, theft and property damage. The funding will support increased patrols and work with businesses and social services on co-ordinated plans to pre-emptively address street disorder. MORE

Vesna Ukrainian Dancers welcome guest performances by Vesna Ukrainian Singers, Courtenay's Dolyna Ukrainian Dancers and Cassandra Karras' School of Highland Dance on Sunday at the Malaspina Theatre. Vesna's adult and junior members won gold, while seniors brought home two silver medals from the B.C. Ukrainian Dance Festival this month. MORE

Nicholas Francis Harris, 46, who fled the scene after rolling his luxury car, and possession of $140,000 of cocaine, has been sentenced to five years in jail. He pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges as well as possessing a loaded handgun during Nanaimo-based offences. Crown prosecutor Ian McFadgen said Harris flipped his 2021 Jaguar Convertible in April 2022 south of Brooks Landing. He fled on foot and was arrested after a chase. FULL STORY.

QUOTABLE– Old people don’t worry about climate change because they’ve seen 50 years of hysteria about nothing.

If you see a lot of flag waving today, it's Mayor Leonard's Krog's birthday. 

Shut down crimes before they happen

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Supportive housing is one of the main issues in our province, but government rejects possible solutions. Retiring Victoria police Chief Del Manak is forward thinking on crime in supportive housing and wants Residential Tenancy Act changes to keep known criminals out of supportive housing facilities.

That makes perfect sense. Police now respond after the fact, when there’s a stabbing, a major incident, or someone is exploiting individuals. Manak wants to get ahead of that and not allow somebody with a criminal record to actually get into the building in the first place.

Safety of staff and the residents in supportive housing should be a top priority by giving housing providers more tools to evict criminals who become embedded in supportive housing.

Here’s the rub, Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says the province has no plans to amend the act, adding the province’s job is to ensure everyone has access to housing, even people who have criminal records. When he says that he forgets one thing, access to SAFE housing.

It’s easy to figure out where the problem lies. Ideology is at the root of many of our problems.

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Rustad's grandstanding was juvenile

All the world is a stage and we are but players in the drama. If that’s true, what about our government?

Conservative Leader John Rustad raised a fuss because a Zoom screen of one MLA was blurred during a crucial vote. He says the NDP’s Rick Glumac’s vote should not have counted in the close vote in which the Speaker eventually cast the deciding vote, siding with the government. Defeat of the bill would have meant calling an election.

Rustad already has a credibility problem for his party, and this type of activity doesn’t change the picture, it’s juvenile.

Nothing better in Legislature bullpen

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We’re knee-deep in cow pies and they’re getting deeper. The provincial government is floundering around like a fish out of water and the next election is more than three years away.

You don’t have to look beyond the basics to see the evidence – hospital emergency rooms being shut down again and again, health care in general, a faltering education systems, crime rates rising, there’s no end in sight for homelessness. It’s getting worse daily.

All those issues can be fixed with enough money, but in too many cases that’s being wasted on ideology like “stopping” climate change with electric cars, EV charging stations, rejecting pipelines, and on and on. No amount of money will ever stop climate change, it’s here, we just have to adapt and learn to live with it.

Premier David Eby is a one-man gang, maneuvering to concentrate more and more power in his hands. What makes it worse is the Official Opposition is not up to the task either, having a considerable credibility gap compounded by their political inexperience.

And then there are the special interest groups lining up for goodies.

Kronis targets Nanaimo drug crisis

in first speech in Parliament

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Nanaimo Ladysmith member of Parliament Tamara Kronis focussed on drugs and the mental health in her first speech in the House of Commons. SEE VIDEO

A man was quickly arrested after a shotgun was fired into a home in South Wellington. Multiple police cruisers arrived at high speeds on Tuesday on the the Old Island Hwy. and Trans Canada Highway, bound for Thatcher Road. R/Cst. Gary O’Brien said police saw a man walking out of the home. He was taken into custody without incident, and a shotgun was found nearby. MORE

The wildfire season is on the way putting many communities on the alert with restrictions beginning to roll out. The first includes a prohibition on Category 2 and Category 3 open fires by the Coastal Fire Centre. This does not include campfires, which are considered Category 1 and will be permissible for the time being. The ban starts on Friday, ending most burning activity until Oct. 31, including Vancouver Island, many Gulf Islands, the Lower Mainland and the Sunshine Coast. MORE

QUOTABLE – All the money you spent on food in your lifetime has been flushed down the toilet.

Facts expose the real problem

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Sometimes no comment is necessary when facts prove all we need to know.

Involuntary mental treatment has been a not topic in British Columbia with the government openly rejecting that for drug use and mental health. They’ve been paying lips service, diverting the topic to civil rights. Now we learn almost 6,000 people were on leave from involuntary mental health care in the province last week. That's right, involuntary detainment and given leave.

It’s known as extended leave, in which a patient is allowed back into the community while remaining under care. It’s been in focus since the suspect in the Lapu Lapu Day festival attack was on extended leave at the time.

Health Minister Josie Osborne says as of last week 5,915 people were on extended leave in B.C. Those people have teams assigned to support them and ensure they have access to what they need.

As stated, some times you don’t have to express an opinion, let the facts speak for themself. MORE

Stash the chainsaws,

Loudon Park trees are safe for now

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City council is going back to the drawing board for new designs for a boathouse at the park on Long Lake. The review will also take another look at designs and the price tag. Council dry docked the previously-approved $10.8-million boathouse design. Community members raised opposition to the number of trees that would need to be removed at the park. MORE

Some downtown businesses have had it to the hilt with the ongoing shutdowns due to construction work on Commercial Street. Morgan Carey, of Real Estate Webmasters, says it doesn’t look even close, and it’s the end of May. He owns several downtown buildings and says tenants are struggling financially. “This is clearly supposed to be done, and as far as I know, the city has not offered to do anything for them,” said Carey. Municipal governments can’t offer tax breaks to businesses impacted by construction. Workers now plan to complete work by June 19, in time for the first Night Market of summer. MORE

RCMP seek help to find 45-year old Riley Quinn, who is wanted on an outstanding warrant for Break and Enter. Despite the best efforts of investigators, Quinn cannot be located. The warrant stems from December 2022 in which Quinn is charged with breaking into Anchor Family Medicine on Waddington Road. Quinn is 5 foot 10, 150 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. The picture is three years old. He has a tattoo on his left wrist of TJPW 020518 and one on his right upper arm of PRIDE. Anyone with information, please call the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345.

QUOTABLE – With all the debate about male athletes in women’s sports, look for the madam’s apple.