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Water is Nanaimo’s “silent utility” —  even if something goes wrong there is usually enough redundancy that people don’t notice the disruption.

That’s what Mike Squire, the City of Nanaimo’s water supply manager, told me when I spoke with him this week about plans to upgrade the city’s water supply infrastructure.  

However, that doesn’t mean that there are no risks that urgently need to be addressed to avoid serious disruptions to water supply as was seen in Calgary in 2024 and in Kamloops last week.

Nanaimo experienced a major water disruption when the concrete water main under Bowen Road ruptured in 2020, cutting off water to the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. 

The same type of concrete pipe that failed so catastrophically is still in place in some sections of Nanaimo.

To learn more about how the City of Nanaimo is working to build a resilient water supply that will quench the thirst of the next generation, you can read my story below. 

Thank you for reading,

Mick Sweetman

What is the city doing to protect Nanaimo’s water supply?

From concrete pipes that can catastrophically fail to holes in the South Fork dam that could empty the reservoir within days, here’s how the City of Nanaimo is working to reduce the risk to residents. 

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On the Island

Cowichan Valley Youth Services receives $1 million federal grant to expand youth mental health support

The funding will allow the organization to expand mental health outreach and lay the groundwork for the next 50 years — but leaders say the need still outpaces resources.

Council corner

Nanaimo city council’s finance and audit committee met today and heard from staff about the 2027-2031 Draft Project Plan.

The committee also heard from the president of the Nanaimo Jazz Festival who asked for $40,000 in emergency grant funding for the festival, which is facing a shortfall in grant funding after missing a grant application deadline. The committee voted in favor of granting the full amount from the city’s strategic infrastructure reserve.

Greg Peacock, Commodore of the Loyal Nanaimo Bathtub Society, also presented to the committee requesting $25,000 in city funds for the annual Bathtub Weekend event following missing grant deadlines. The committee recommended grant funding for the event. Grant funding for both events will now go to the next regular Nanaimo city council meeting.  

The committee also heard reports on the FireSmart Community Funding and Supports Program, allocating $5,000 from the city’s Sports Tournament Grant funding to Snunyemuxw Days, a proposal to provide $18,300 in funding from Community Watershed Restoration Grants to five local organizations, allocating funding from the Knowles Estate Reserve Fund to the Harewood Neighbourhood Association for its Georgia Greenway project, which would enhance an existing greenway corridor between Sixth Street and the Chase River pedestrian bridge. 

A report on the city's application for $40,000 in funding for the City of Nanaimo’s Neighbourhood Evacuation Route Planning project was also discussed. 

In other city news, the OV Arts Centre is undergoing significant renovations inside and out that “will create a more welcoming, modern and versatile space for performers, event organizers and audiences,” per a city press release.

The Performing Arts Guild, which manages the OV Arts Centre on behalf of the city, will be holding two open houses for residents to see the space on May 27 and June 25.

The next regular council meeting will be held on Monday, May 25 in the Vancouver Island Conference Centre’s Shaw Auditorium at 7 p.m.

In other news

👉 Nanaimo’s King of Hawaiian shirts, David Heifetz, who well known for his booths of colourful shirts at local markets, will be retiring and is looking for someone to take over the business. The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the story.

👉 The City of Nanaimo is hiring election workers for the 2026 local elections. Applicants must be 16 years of age and eligible to work in Canada. For more information see the City of Nanaimo’s website.

👉 The B.C. Court of Appeal has rejected the City of Nanaimo’s appeal into the discriminatory firing of its former financial officer Victor Nema in 2018. The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the latest news, or you can read The Discourse’s deep-dive into the case when the BC Human Rights Tribunal first ruled his firing was discriminatory.

👉 The site of the former Jeans Burns building, which has sat as an empty hole on the corner of Commercial Street and Terminal Avenue since it burned down in 2016, is not going to change anytime soon. According to the City of Nanaimo there were no responses to its call-for-proposals for developers who would meet BC Builds criteria in exchange for a 60-year lease from the city at no charge. The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the latest news and you can read The Discourse’s story digging into the history of the building that was published in 2020.

Have your say

📣 The City of Nanaimo is seeking feedback on strategies to respond to rising sea levels. A community meeting will be held on May 21 in the Vancouver Island Conference Centre’s Dodd Narrows Room at 5:30 p.m. and a survey is open until June 12 for residents to provide feedback online.

Community photo

“It is beautiful here today by Lisa’s tree. My son’s Social Justice 12 class includes a unit about Lisa. They are listening to the Island Crime podcast, reflecting on her story and telling people they know about Lisa’s disappearance. I am so happy to know that this course exists in our community.”

Photo and caption courtesy of Adrienne Mercer Breen, posted in the Lisa Marie Young group on Facebook.

You can read our story about the planting of the tree in memory of Lisa Marie Young on The Discourse's website.

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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