Hi there,

Today I drove down to Goldstream Park to meet with protesters who are raising awareness about the province’s plan to expand a stretch of the Malahat Highway that runs through the park — a project they say would severely impact the salmon that spawn in the adjacent river. You’ll hear more about this in an upcoming story I’m working on, but I wanted to share some of the existing coverage of the protest, which has been ongoing for nearly three years, in case you haven’t come across it.

• Hundreds join protest to protect Goldstream from highway expansion - Capital Daily 

• Island highway widening protesters bring Goldstream fight to B.C. capital - Cowichan Valley Citizen

Also, since it's salmon spawning season, I wanted to ask our readers: What’s your favourite spot to view salmon as they return to local watersheds? You can reply to this email or write to me at eric@thediscourse.ca.

Local news and updates.

• Ladysmith is seeking public feedback on its first accessibility plan, which aims to reduce barriers for community members with disabilities. You can read more about the draft plan in our coverage by Discourse intern Noelle Suzuki and if you’re a Ladysmith resident, you can tell the town what you think on its public engagement website. The deadline to provide feedback is tomorrow, Oct. 29.

• Quw'utsun Nation has issued a response to what it calls “misleading and false information” about its Aboriginal title case. The Nation says the province’s ruling — which grants Aboriginal title to the Nation for Tl’uqtinus, a small former village site on the Fraser River — does not erase private property rights or challenge the validity of titles held by private landowners. Cowichan Tribes Chief Cindy Daniels said the Nation did not seek to invalidate any land titles and that landowners concerned about potential losses should direct their claims to the province. The response follows a letter from Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie that was sent to private landowners in the claim area around Tl’uqtinus. The letter suggested the case could threaten their property titles. You can read more of our in-depth coverage on this landmark ruling here.

• North Cowichan is considering establishing two sites in the municipality that could provide transitional housing options similar to The Village site on Trunk Road in Duncan. At its Oct. 7 committee of the whole meeting, council directed staff to prepare a report identifying possible locations. At the same meeting, John Horn, North Cowichan’s director of social planning and protective services, said the region needs 308 units of affordable housing, additional shelter space and a daytime drop-in centre. Read the full story in the Cowichan Valley Citizen.

• Reporting by sixmountains.ca found that the Ministry of Environment has issued a pollution prevention order for three lots at 5544 Indian Rd. containing more than 290,000 cubic metres of household garbage, construction and demolition waste and imported soil. Documents show the waste contains heavy metals and is producing leachate — a toxic liquid formed when rainwater passes through waste — which is seeping through groundwater into the Cowichan River. Read the full story at sixmountains.ca.

• The Town of Ladysmith moved to adopt a higher Zero Carbon Step Code standard for new homes in 2026. Starting in the new year all new building permit applications for single-detached dwellings will be required to comply with Emission Level 4 of the Zero Carbon Step Code. The current projects in Ladysmith are only required to meet Emission Level 1.

• A new urgent and primary care centre opened in Duncan last week. Located at 940 Government St., the facility includes 12 patient examination rooms and five consultation rooms, and will be staffed by 30 full-time health-care providers. The Cowichan Valley Citizen has the story.

Find The Discourse on Bluesky and TikTok!

We’re not able to post to or engage with readers on Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) due to the news ban in response to Bill C-18, but we love seeing responses to stories on Bluesky and LinkedIn! Have thoughts on a story? Want to connect with our reporters and check out our latest work? Follow us on Bluesky @thediscourse.ca. Head to our starter pack and hit “follow all” to keep up with all Discourse Community Publishing outlets and reporters.

Also, check out The Discourse on our new TikTok page! Follow us to hear from our reporters about the stories they cover and catch videos from events across the Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo and  the Comox Valley.

Photo of the week.

The 6th annual Shawnigan Lake All Hallows Eve Witches Paddle took place on Oct. 26. Photo courtesy of Alisha Winder.

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 the Cowichan Valley through your lens. 📸

Community events.

• Tuesday, Oct. 28: 👐 Cowichan Community Action Team hosts Better Together 2.0, an event for youth, parents and guardians to learn about substance use and ways to support young folks to create healthier and safer communities. Hear from people with lived experience, health-care professionals and local service providers. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. and pizza and refreshments will be provided.

• Friday, Oct. 31: 🚒 Ladysmith Fire Rescue will be handing out treats and candy in front of the firehall from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

• Saturday, Nov. 1: 🎃 Celebrate All Hallows with a night of good vibes, a DJ dance party and performances from local drag stars Billie Boy Toy-Ton and Sheila V Toff at The HUB at Cowichan Station. Tickets start at $25 and the event is 19+.

• Saturday, Nov. 1: 🇵🇸 The Freedom from War Coalition invites you to a screening of Palestine Is Still the Issue at the Duncan United Church from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

• Sunday, Nov. 2: 🎹 Canadian pianist Bruce Vogt performs Songs of Consolation for our Distracted Time, a selection of songs written in past ages of great turmoil. Tickets are $30 at the door.

• Sunday, Nov. 2: 🗞️ Join The Discourse at White Sails Brewing in Nanaimo to celebrate five years of bringing local journalism to the city. Chat with award-winning reporter Mick Sweetman and former founding reporter Julie Chadwick about past stories and connect with other people in Nanaimo who are passionate about local news. RSVP on EventBrite.
  

• Monday, Nov. 3: 🍃 Nature Cowichan hosts Christoph Steeger at the Fish Health Building on Wharncliffe Road for a talk about the natural history of our watersheds in the Cowichan Valley. Bring a toonie for coffee and the talk starts at 9:30 a.m.

• Saturday, Nov. 8: 🔥 The Cowichan Consort Orchestra presents Masquerade and Fire, featuring guitar soloist Emily Vazquez performing Valse-Scherzo by Tchaikovsky. Tickets are $20 and doors open at 7:30 p.m.

• Nov. 13 to 16: 🎁 The Christmas Chaos arts and crafts market returns to the Cowichan Community Centre. Find times and more details here. 

• Saturday, Nov. 15: 🎄 The Christmas Craft Fair returns to Honeymoon Bay Community Hall with over 40 local vendors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

What did you think of this newsletter?

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