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When I read on the Save Cable Bay Facebook group last week that there had been a spill polluting the water, like many people I wondered why it hadn’t been cleaned up and who was responsible for ensuring a timely response to it.

I looked into it and got some basic information but it wasn’t enough to warrant a full Discourse-style story. However, I still wanted to share the current status of the spill, any updates I learned and the answer to who is responsible for responding to it. You can find that update below.

I am also spending time this week talking with a wide range of people downtown about the City of Nanaimo’s Community Safety Officer program and the impact it has made on public safety downtown, as it is slated to expand to 20 officers this year. I’ve already learned quite a bit about the program and am looking forward to sharing that with you next week.

Thank you for reading,

Mick Sweetman

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Cable Bay oil spill update

Photographs by local conservationist Jackie Wasyluk show an oily substance she found on the rocks by the shoreline near the popular Cable Bay hiking trail on Thursday, Jan. 7. Photos courtesy of Jackie Wasyluk.

On Thursday, Jan. 7, local conservationist Jackie Wasyluk went to Cable Bay, a popular hike in Cedar, and smelled what she describes as a “very strong diesel smell” where an unnamed creek empties into the bay. When she wiped the rocks with a tissue, a brown oily substance came off. 

“It was upsetting to see the ducks in the area,” she told The Discourse. “I was there for such little time, I'm sure I missed a lot of other marine life that would have been there.”

Bill Sims, general manager of engineering and public works at the City of Nanaimo, said the spill was from a private property in the industrial park that entered a city culvert that emptied into the water. 

It was first reported to the Canadian Coast Guard, but once it was determined the spill originated on land, the provincial Ministry of Environment and Parks took the lead assessing the spill.

In a statement to The Discourse, the ministry said that as of Monday, cleanup has continued and includes the use of containment booms and absorbent materials, vacuuming the storm sewer and “controlled recovery of product within the containment area.”

The ministry said the spill was a lighter hydrocarbon and that it is still awaiting laboratory testing to determine exactly what the spill substance is. Unlike thick, heavy crude oil it was determined that the thin layer of oil would evaporate and dissipate quickly. As of Monday, no sheening was visible outside of the containment area.

The province operates on a polluter pay principle that makes the polluter responsible for cleaning up the spill. Information on where the spill came from specifically — or the polluter — is currently listed as being “unknown” on the provincial spills incidents page. The province’s role in spill management is to oversee that and ensure there is a coordinated response and clean up, but can step in if the spiller is unable to. 

The Ministry said the investigation into the spill is ongoing and it would be “premature to speculate on enforcement actions or fines at this stage.”

Council Corner

The City of Nanaimo’s Advisory Committee of Accessibility and Inclusiveness will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 4 p.m. in the city’s Service and Resource Centre boardroom. On the agenda for the meeting are presentations on local government election planning, accessible beach access and a trail grading system pilot at Westwood Lake Park. The committee will also receive its 2025 Annual Report and a Transportation 2026 work plan. An update about the Rental Tenant Relocation Project will also be made to the committee. 

The next regular council meeting will be held on Monday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Vancouver Island Conference Centre’s Shaw Auditorium. An agenda for the meeting has not been published.

On the Island

🌊 The City of Duncan applied for funding to add six more cabins to The Village — a low-barrier emergency housing site that has been widely considered a successful housing model. Meanwhile, North Cowichan is evaluating land for two potential new Village sites, reports Noelle Suzuki. You can read her story here. 

🌊 Foster parents in ‘Courtenay, B.C.’ speak out after a string of alleged incidents targeting them and their 16-year-old foster son, who has a developmental disability. Their foster son was stabbed by a fellow teen from school outside a donut shop in September. Amy Romer reports for IndigiNews. 

In other news

👉 Rent for housing in Nanaimo continues to climb according to a new report from Rentals.ca, maintaining the city’s ranking as the 28th most expensive city in Canada. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the city is now $2,326, up 1.3 per cent from the previous month and 9.4 per cent from December 2024. CHEK News has the story.

 👉 The Regional District of Nanaimo has issued an evacuation order for Pathfinder Camp Resort in Parksville after heavy rains caused flooding along the Englishman River near Parksville. An evacuation alert was also issued for properties along the Nanaimo River near Duke Point in Nanaimo. See the RDN’s current alerts page for updated information. 

👉 NDP leadership hopeful Avi Lewis stopped by White Sails Brewing in Nanaimo on Friday to pitch to party faithfuls why he should be the next leader of the federal NDP. CHLY 101.7FM spoke with Lewis at the event.

👉 Advocates in Parksville are pushing for a permanent overnight shelter for people who are unhoused in the Oceanside area. Currently, only cold weather centres are activated when the forecast is projected to be -4 C or lower for 24 hours, or it is below zero with a weather warning. Nanaimo News Now has the story.

👉 The Regional District of Nanaimo is considering temporary use permits that would allow people to live in recreational vehicles on commercially-zoned private properties. The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the story.

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Have your say

📣 The City of Nanaimo is seeking feedback on the final phase of planning for the Woodgrove area. The Woodgrove Area Plan will detail land use and policy guidance for future development in the Woodgrove Secondary Urban Centre. You can fill out a survey on getinvolvednanaimo.ca until Jan. 25 to provide your feedback on the plan. 

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