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This month has been a busy one for city news with the announcement that the city is looking to expand its boundaries to include Snuneymuxw reserve lands. If approved by the residents of Nanaimo through the Alternative Approval Process and by the province, it will mark the first time that people who live on Snuneymuxw reserve lands will be able to vote for city council.

When I first learned that the residents of Snuneymuxw reserves have been systematically and systemically excluded from voting in city council elections, despite one of the reserves being a stones-throw from downtown Nanaimo, I was surprised.

I was sadly not as surprised to see a mix of misunderstanding of what the boundary change means and outright anti-Indigenous racism percolate online shortly after the news of the proposed change broke last week. 

I wanted to help our community better understand what the changes are, as well as the history of exclusion in Nanaimo, and I hope that my story below helps give you the context of why this is happening now. 

I also wanted to mention that as the only reporter who attended last night’s city council meeting, I was able to speak with some of the dozens of community members who showed up to voice their concerns about The Port Theatre hosting outrage comedian Ben Bankas next month.

We had hoped to bring you a story about that today, but we wanted to make sure we took the time to tell it right, so it will be in Thursday’s arts and culture newsletter, The Hub Nanaimo.

Thank you for reading,

Mick Sweetman

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Why the City of Nanaimo wants to include Snuneymuxw reserve lands in its boundary

New boundaries will allow people living on the reserves to vote in city elections this fall.

Council Corner

At the Nanaimo city council meeting on Monday night, the following was discussed:

• A presentation by the performing arts guild about the city-owned OV Arts Centre.

• An increase to development and amenity cost charges. Coun. Erin Hemmens moved to amend the implementation date for development cost charges to January 2027, a year earlier than originally proposed. There is a year-long runway between the implementation date and when developers have to pay the new rates. Coun. Sheryl Armstrong said waiting until 2028 for the new rates would be unfair to taxpayers who would have to pay increased taxes to make up the difference for necessary sewer and water projects in the city. Hemmen’s amendment passed 6-1 with Coun. Ian Thorpe opposed. The main motion passed 6-1 with Coun. Tyler Brown opposed. 

• A presentation by Tracey Brown, CEO of the Nanaimo Community Foundation, on its Rethinking drinking campaign. Council voted to direct city staff to work with the Nanaimo Foundation to promote the campaign’s screening of Smashed at the Malaspina Theatre on March 25.

• A presentation by Nizar Laarif requesting support for the Aboriginal Housing Management Association's resolution for an “Indigenous-led, cross sectoral housing alliance” at the Union of BC Municipalities convention in September. 

• Benjamin Bollich spoke about the upcoming performance by outrage comedian Ben Bankas at The Port Theatre and asked council to cancel the show or redistribute proceeds to local Indigenous and 2SLGBTQ+ organizations. 

• A motion to affirm the city's support of marginalized people and send a letter to The Port Theatre asking it to review its booking policies passed 7-2 with Mayor Leonard Krog and Coun. Thorpe opposed.

• A bylaw to borrow up to $76.7 million for a new public works yard was approved. The total cost of the project is estimated at $79.4 million plus debt servicing costs for a total of $126 million. The estimated annual cost per household is $121 a year through a mix of property taxes and sewer and water user fees. The bylaw passed 8-1 with Coun. Brown opposed. 

• The 2026 Home Energy Retrofit Parcel Tax Bylaw passed unanimously.

• A housing agreement for 1850 Boxwood Rd. passed council, as did a rezoning application for 2263 Jingle Pot Rd. for seniors housing.
  

• Council agreed to a request from the BC Wildlife Foundation asking for a letter of support for a Capacity Grant for Wetland Restoration at East Wellington Park.
  

• Coun. Brown gave notice of a motion to ask staff for a report “outlining options to mitigate noise impacts from car wash facilities on adjacent residential properties” that will be debated at a future council meeting.

In other news

👉 Two tourists have been fined $10,500 for Fisheries Act violations after they harvested more than 500 Manila clams at a popular beach in Nanoose Bay. The daily limit for Manila clams is 60. Nanaimo News Now has the story.

👉 Island Health has started on a “concept plan” for a new patient tower for the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. The news from Island Health comes one week after the provincial budget said the province was launching “initial planning for expansion at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.” Nanaimo News Now has the story.

👉 Snaw-Naw-As First Nation bought a 13.5-acre property for a community-led food security and farm hub. A training farm with an orchard, food processing and eco-tourism will be built on the site. The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the story.

👉 The City of Nanaimo is looking for development proposals that would build a mix of retail store space and residential housing on the site of the former Jean Burns building that has been a hole in the ground for the past decade. The city will provide a 60-year lease at no cost for any development that meets B.C. Builds criteria. The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the story.

👉 A new temporary public art installation is drawing attention to the locations of Nanaimo’s former Chinatowns. Lost Intersections by Jackie Wong features three neon signs of the Chinese characters for the numbers one, two and three mounted on gold backing. You can see them near Esplanade and Victoria Crescent, View Street and Bing Kee Street and Pine Street and Hecate Street. CHEK News has the story.

In your words

Mick Sweetman,

Thank you for your excellent articles on How Nanaimo schools prepare for emergencies and No More Stolen Sisters Memorial March.

These are such important issues for our community and deserve informed reporting which you and The Discourse provides as well as keeping us up-to-date on events and relevant situations.

With gratitude,

Cate Muir

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