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This week, I have been working on a story that gets behind some of the numbers of overdoses in Nanaimo. Last year saw a drop in the number of fatalities from unregulated drugs in Nanaimo and a corresponding drop in medical calls by first responders and emergency room hospital visits. 

While that story is not quite ready to share with you, it is important to remember that while there has been fewer and less serious overdoses in 2024 compared to the record high in 2023, a total of 94 people in Nanaimo died last year and they all left behind people who care about them and mourn them.   

Deaths from an unregulated and toxic illegal drug supply have impacted so many people in our country in the past nine years that it really is like living through the Second World War as well as a global pandemic at the same time. Except in this war, the casualties don’t have memorials erected for them and trees aren’t tied with purple ribbons. We don’t talk about the generational losses we have suffered and have become numb to the regular release of the number of dead and sight of the walking wounded.

As a reporter I share the grief and sorrow that is experienced by so many and seek to put that loss in a broader context so we can better understand what is happening. 

Sometimes that takes a bit more time than just reporting the numbers and moving on to the next thing in a news cycle, and that is why we at The Discourse are committed to an approach to slow journalism as one of our key principles. 

I will be back next week with that story. In the meantime, I will leave you with a roundup of Island and local news.

If you have anything you would like to share with me about your experience with the overdose crisis, please get in touch with me at mick@thediscourse.ca

Thank you for reading,

Mick Sweetman

I support The Discourse because...

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“Your stories are relevant and important to affirm some of the great work done on the front lines in the community by brave people like Jess Wilder. I am extremely unhappy about Island Health’s treatment of Dr. Wilder and will be making my views known to the board and the management team tomorrow!”

— Jane O., from our newsletter survey.

On the Island

🌊 The manager of Comox Valley Farmers’ Market says more funds are needed to support those who need access to fresh, local food. The Discourse Comox Valley has the story. 

🌊 Transit workers in Cowichan Valley went on strike Feb. 8, halting bus services across the region. Find out why they are striking here.

In other news

👉 Nanaimo’s oldest veteran Victor Osborne died on Feb. 1 at the age of 106. Osborne was born on Nov. 11, 1918 and served with the Royal Navy before and during the Second World War and was the last surviving sailor from HMS Hood having left it three years before it was sunk by the Germans. He later served in special operations in Burma behind enemy lines and drove a landing craft during the invasion of Europe on D-Day. The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the story.

Osborne was also a well-loved fixture at the Remembrance Day ceremony in Nanaimo where singing him happy birthday had become a local tradition. You can see a couple of photos of Victor from the 2024 Remembrance Day ceremony in our photo story.

👉 The Snuneymuxw First Nation will be holding a vote on whether to accept a $42 million offer from the federal government to settle a land claim along the Nanaimo River. Snuneymuxw members can vote on the proposal on March 2 and 3. The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the story. 

👉 Two students at Vancouver Island University had appeal hearings for suspensions issued in the fall. Palestinian activist Sara Kishawi is one of the students who was involved in the protest camp at the university over the summer, which was the longest lasting protest camp in Canada. The activists say the suspensions are retaliation for the protest camp while the university sent The Discourse a statement saying it could not comment on individual student investigations. The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the story.  

👉 Construction is set to start on a new BC Cancer Centre at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, starting with tree removal on the site. CHEK News has the story.

👉  The driver of a jacked-up pickup truck has been charged with one count of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death in part due to modifications to the truck. CHEK News has the story.

Have your say

📣 Jenny Kats, a psychology student who is a harm reduction advocate, thanked us for our community-based coverage of the resignation of two addictions medicine doctors in Island Health last week on Bluesky. The Discourse aims to serve diverse communities and listen to our readers. You can read more about our 10 principles here.  

Be part of it

🎉 Last night, team members from The Discourse and our sister publications gathered to watch the 2024 Canadian Online Publishing Awards party and I’m happy to share that The Discourse won two awards!

We took home gold in the Best Blog Column category for “Analysis: Evidence-based solutions needed more than ever to tackle dual housing and toxic drug crises,” written by our editor Shalu Mehta.

The Discourse Nanaimo took home gold in the Best Local Community News category for “Vancouver Island’s ‘hidden epidemic’ and those fighting to understand it” by reporter Julie Chadwick. Congratulations to all of the finalists!

Community photo

The View Art Gallery at Vancouver Island University at sunrise. Photo by Mick Sweetman / The Discourse.

Thank you for reading,

— Mick and The Discourse team

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