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On Thursday, hundreds of people attended a public hearing for a contentious rezoning of property adjacent to the popular Cable Bay Trail. 

Like many people in Nanaimo, I have spent time walking on the trail and marveling at the abundant wildlife that congregates at Dodd Narrows in Joan Point Park. 

I also understand the importance of the good-paying industrial jobs at Nanaimo Forest Products and the challenges that pulp and paper mills like Harmac face in today’s economy. 

I went to the public hearing to document what the discourse in the community is around the proposed rezoning of a tract of forested land that is currently zoned as rural resource to industrial and parkland. 

You can read more about what I heard at the hearing in my story below. 

Thank you for reading,

Mick Sweetman

Snuneymuxw Elders and local residents oppose rezoning of land near Cable Bay Trail

Harmac officials say development of industrial park is key to economic diversification

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On the Island

An on the ground look at the toxic drug crisis in the Cowichan Valley 10 years later

Harm reduction workers in the Cowichan Valley reflect on the lives lost and changes needed to address the ongoing crisis.

Council corner

Nanaimo city council met on Monday, April 20 and made the following decisions:

• Council approved $60,000 to the Vancouver Island Military Museum in 2026 and will consider options in the fall for a 10-year co-management agreement. 

• Council approved $20,000 for Community Environmental Sustainability Project grants.

• Council awarded $50,000 in funding for park improvements and a playground installation at Sunview Park.

• Council approved a $100,000 grant for the Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience event.

• Council received 287 responses for the Alternative Approval Process to expand the city’s boundaries to include Snuneymuxw First Nations reserve land. This means the proposal will now go to the province for approval. 

• A renewed development cost charge bylaw for critical infrastructure and for a South Nanaimo Area Specific Transportation Development Cost bylaw were both approved with Coun. Tyler Brown opposed.  

• A South Nanaimo Transportation Development Cost Charge Reserve Fund Bylaw was approved by council unanimously.

• Bylaws on Amenity Cost Charges and Development Cost Charge Reductions offering a 50 per cent reduction for non-profit rental and supportive housing also passed. Coun. Janice Perrino voted against the DCC reduction as she wanted a larger reduction of 75 per cent. 

• An environmentally sensitive area development permit to facilitate an 11-lot subdivision at 270 Neen Rd., including the building of emergency and pedestrian access across Morgan Creek, was unanimously approved.

• A Primary Liquor Licence application for the Globe Live Studio at 25 Front St. was unanimously recommended by city council and will go to the province’s Liquor and Cannabis Regulation branch for approval. 
  

The public hearing into rezoning of 950 Phoenix Way for Industrial use will resume Wednesday, April 22 at 7 p.m. in the Shaw Auditorium. The Design Advisory Panel will meet on Thursday in the Service and Resource Centre and a Special Governance and Priorities Committee meeting will be held in the Shaw Auditorium on Monday, April 27 at 1 p.m.

In other news

👉 Lantzville residents will be be facing a five per cent property tax increase in its proposed financial plan, but Lantzville Mayor Mark Swain said it should be more and future councils will have to increase taxes. The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the story.

👉 Parksville students and seniors are teaming up for a new video podcast to discuss a wide range of topics. The podcast, Branches Between Generations, will be available on June 16. Nanaimo News Now has the story.

👉 The City of Nanaimo will provide a grant to help reduce ticket prices for seniors, students and families to see the Beyond Van Gogh experience taking place this summer at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in downtown Nanaimo. Nanaimo News Now has the story.

Have your say

📣 Vancouver Island University is starting its search for its next president and is holding a community consultation on the search committee’s draft criteria. You can contribute by completing a short survey or sharing your thoughts by email to presidentialsearch@viu.ca. 

Community Photo

A volunteer with Broombusters victoriously hoists cut Scotch broom along Renz Road in Parksville. Photo courtesy of Joanne Sales / Broombusters.

Do you have a great photo from the community? Share it with us for a chance to be featured in an upcoming newsletter. We’d love to see Nanaimo through your lens.

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