23/02/05

We got another note from one of our Nanaimo snowbirds in Mexico. Randy say “very few druggies and homeless down here. There are many things about Mexico I would not like to see at home, but the fact that here we can walk freely all hours and all places (within reason) and feel safe is a wonderful thing. I am sad to say I don’t feel the same at home downtown after dark. Even sometimes in Nanaimo it doesn’t feel safe during the day.”

January wasn’t as wet as you might think, seven of the eight weather stations on Vancouver Island recorded a fraction of what is the normal level of precipitation. Environment Canada reports Comox was the only exception, where 171.9 millimetres was recorded while the normal level is 172 mm. The rest of the stations on Vancouver Island recorded between 39 per cent to 65 per cent of what is considered a normal level of precipitation. MORE

The Chamber of Commerce speakers series resumes Thursday, Feb. 9, at the first member

luncheon of the year. Karla Webster Gill, Managing Director and Head of Asset Management Distribution, SEI Investments Canada, will be the guest speaker. She guides SEI’s investment strategies and solutions and developing customized asset management programs. The luncheon is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Nanaimo Golf Club. You can register HERE

HGTV viewers are getting the lowdown on Pamela Anderson’s own Garden of Eden where’s she’s refurbishing her childhood home on the beach in Ladysmith. A number of locals are getting a share of the limelight, appearing on the TV series. Mike Herold of Herold Engineering is front and centre steering the rebuilding of the huge pier on the waterfront property.

Computer users are still getting suckered by online scams and they can be costly. Dan LaRocque of Up Your Media is an Apple specialist who conducts workshops on Macs. One of his clients lost $17,000 by replying to a text message from a fake ‘Costco’ message and connected to her bank. Scammers claim to be Canada Post, Amazon, CRA, RBC, you name it. Dan is holding spring workshops starting on March 16 on Spam and Scam warnings, More Tips and Tricks. Contact (250) 240-3564

Hats off to the Nanaimo old timers hockey club for reviving their annual February hockey tradition in Nanaimo after the pandemic had them in the penalty box for two years. The 40th annual Tubbers Hockey Tournament iced no less than 17 teams from Friday and wrapping up this afternoon. Four women’s teams competed in their own bracket.  Most of the teams are from the Hub City. MORE

Have you ever imagined yourself zooming through the sky in the pilot’s seat of a jet in the Canadian Forces Snowbirds aerotactical team? Well, fasten your seat belt, here’s your invitation to hop aboard a U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight. Enjoy

23/02/04

The problematic Nanaimo Area Network of Drug Users has shut down its overdose prevention site on Nicol Street after City Council designated it a nuisance property last month. Those running the site decided to stop providing their services to drug users. “We’ve been doing a lot of cleaning, trying to get everything tip-top,” said Sara Edmondson, a NANDU committee member. MORE

Three people were bear-sprayed outside their home in Harewood Friday. Emergency personnel said the man and two children were treated by paramedics and did not need to go to the hospital. They were at their home when two youths attacked them with the bear spray and then ran off. Hopefully police are able to find them and give them a dose of their own medicine.

Sean Patterson has been charged with second-degree murder after Serguei Chiliakhov died in hospital from a stab wound at Port Place shopping centre parking lot on Jan. 22. He is in custody, scheduled to appear in court Feb. 16. MORE

The MyHealth patient portal is proving popular with Vancouver Islanders. More than 200,000 eligible residents in the Island Health region have signed up for the secure online website launched in 2019 to offer patients and families convenient, 24/7 access to personal health information on care and services provided to them by Island Health. Patients and families can view lab results, medical imaging reports, scheduled appointments and a selection of physician-authored clinical documentation. FULL REPORT

Social media pundits are euphoric over Campbell River’s new bylaw which prohibits drug use in public, arguing it would be a solution for our problems in Nanaimo. The bylaw carries a $200 fine for anyone ticketed by city bylaw staff. Where if falls apart is enforcement, the municipality cannot send anyone to jail in default of the fine. So those ticketed simply ignore it. It’s a feel-good motion to create an illusion that city council is doing something about the problem . . . something, anything, which many people here would be happy with.

23/02/03

A life of crime isn’t a cakewalk any more. A man who walked into a local business armed with a knife and demanded money got more than he bargained for. A 14-year-old family member of the owners of Abbie’s Corner Store on Second Street picked up a baseball bat and launched a homerun swing at the suspect Wednesday night and it was all caught or surveillance video. Cops believe it may not be his first armed robbery attempt. DETAILS

Nanaimo-Ladysmith is one of the school districts that will have more mental health and substance-use service support for students. The Ministry of Health and Addictions said integrated child and youth teams will be expanded and connect children, young people and families to counselling, peer and cultural supports, meeting young people where they feel most comfortable: in schools, homes or community settings. Teams will include clinical counsellors, youth substance-use clinicians, mental health clinicians, Indigenous elders and Indigenous youth support workers. DETAILS

Remember COVID? You know, it brought the world to a virtual standstill. Well, it’s almost gone now. The number of patients with COVID in B.C. hospitals reached a low Thursday, not seen since before the province began including incidental hospitalizations in its count. The B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported 204 test-positive patients in hospitals across the province, down from 228 last week, which was the lowest in more than a year. MORE

It was Groundhog Day in Manitoba but don’t blame me for six more weeks of winter after Manitoba Merv saw his shadow on Thursday morning. The furry forecaster is a puppet — technically a golf club cover — and has been predicting the weather each Feb. 2 since the mid-1990s. The last time he was wrong was in 1997. Of course, he has a pretty easy gig. When he sees his shadow, it’s six more weeks of winter, which is mid-March. If there’s no shadow, it’s early spring, which is also mid-March. Our own Van Isle Violet also predicted six more weeks of winter, says the Marmot Recovery Foundation. MORE

23/02/02

Nanaimo Airport continues to rebound after the pandemic, nearly doubling passenger traffic over the last year. An estimated 340,000 people went through the gates in 2022 compared to 193,425 the previous year. The airport is a key economic catalyst as well as the region’s gateway to the world. Its operations directly and indirectly generate thousands of jobs that support local families. MORE

Island Health has warned drug users to be alert to increasing overdoses in area, saying people using opioids and stimulants are at increased risk from both injection and inhalation. Drug users should avoid mixing illicit substances. Overdose prevention services are available from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 250 Albert St. Visit herefor more information. MORE

Interchanges are not in the cards for the Nanaimo Parkway even though the Ministry of Transportation has recommended them. The removal of traffic lights on the parkway were recommended in 2021 but are not budgeted at this time. The report recommended interchanges at the Mostar, Northfield and Third Street exits. MORE