Local News Update

The Vancouver Island marmot population has reached over 400 individuals in the wild, marking a significant recovery milestone from near extinction through conservation efforts and innovative release strategies.

Students from John Barsby Secondary School's School of Rock program discuss their upcoming performance at Malaspina Theatre, sharing their musical inspirations and experiences in the program.

A new veterinary clinic in Nanaimo offers affordable tiered care including a low-income program to address rising vet costs in the community.

A software developer introduces Homegrown, a new online platform that connects Vancouver Island residents with local farmers and food producers to make buying local food easier and more accessible.

A long-lost psych rock album by Nanaimo band The Glass Cage from 1968 was discovered and released, leading to a reunion and celebration events after over 50 years.

This episode explores the concept of wind phones—non-working phones used to process grief by connecting with deceased loved ones—highlighting their origins in Japan and a new installation in Nanaimo, Canada, with insights from social worker Carmen Lavoie on normalizing conversations about death and grief.

A new art exhibit at the Nanaimo Art Gallery explores the history and legacy of Nanaimo's former Chinatowns through historical and contemporary artwork, addressing themes of community, loss, and anti-Asian racism.

Two experienced poets in Nanaimo are launching A Square House, an independent poetry press focused on making publishing more accessible and fun for alternative and local writers.

Risebridge, a Mid-Island non-profit, is expanding services to ensure no one is alone during the holidays, addressing rising homelessness and cost of living in Nanaimo and Oceanside.

Two University of Victoria students are preparing to run 126 kilometers from Victoria to Nanaimo to raise funds and awareness for men's mental health through the Movember charity.

The Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank in Nanaimo is facing a 20% drop in donations while demand increases, forcing changes to their Christmas hamper program.

This news update covers the groundbreaking ceremony for the new BC Cancer Center in Nanaimo, which will provide enhanced cancer treatment services to residents of Mid and North Vancouver Island starting in 2028.

A lost goat named Harry Styles was rescued and adopted by a farmhand in the Comox Valley after going viral on social media, finding a loving home with her herd of pet goats.

TheatreOne, a 40-year-old professional theater in Nanaimo, is closing permanently after failing to secure enough funds following a critical grant loss.

The Snuneymuxw First Nation celebrates the formal return of 194.7 acres of former Department of National Defense land, which will be developed for housing, commercial, cultural, and recreational purposes as part of ongoing reconciliation efforts.

Vancouver Island University's Career Closet provides free professional clothing to students for interviews and career events, helping them dress for success without financial burden.

Reconciliation Theatre is hosting a Halloween Spooktacular fundraiser at the OV Arts Centre featuring haunted tours and Indigenous dark fiction readings to support their new intergenerational youth theatre program.

The Nanaimo Clippers hockey team hosted their first Pride Night in partnership with the Nanaimo Pride Society to promote inclusion and create a welcoming space for the LGBTQ+ community in sports.

The Soundworks Market Hall is transforming the former A&B Sounds building in downtown Nanaimo into a community-focused market space with food vendors and year-round amenities, aiming to open in 2026.

The Nanaimo Art Walk returns this weekend, featuring over 50 artists at 17 venues to celebrate local talent and support downtown businesses.

This news update reports on the impending closure of a year-round drop-in service hub in downtown Nanaimo that provides essential services to unhoused individuals, due to funding cuts following neighborhood complaints about increased social disorder.

Jenn Strub, Nanaimo's new Youth Poet Laureate, discusses her journey from disconnecting with poetry to using it as a tool for self-expression and her mission to connect youth with literary arts.

Vancouver Island University nursing students are running a Play It Forward project to collect and distribute sports equipment donations to help youth overcome financial barriers to participating in sports.

The VIU Students' Union hosts a free open textbook fair during Open Education Week to introduce students and professors to zero-cost Open Education Resources (OERs) as a solution to rising textbook expenses.

Vancouver Island University's Students' Union held their third annual Sexpo event to provide sexual health education, consent awareness, and community resources for students exploring their sexuality.

The Nanaimo Regional Hospital District Board has voted to fully fund a $50 million catheterization lab to address the urgent need for better cardiac care in the region after years of waiting for provincial government support.

The Nanaimo chapter of Unplugged Canada advocates for federal legislation to ban social media access for youth under 16, citing harmful effects on mental health and development.

This episode discusses Bill M216, a private member's bill in British Columbia that aims to fast-track housing development by requiring local governments to accept technical reports from certified professionals without staff review.

A VIU student shares her firsthand experience attending COP30 in Brazil, discussing climate action, deforestation, and how it influences her PhD research on environmental governance in Southeast Asia.

Artist Samuel Wobwa discusses his new exhibit 'Commercial Street' at the Nanaimo Art Gallery, which explores the street's architecture, community, and local experiences through collaborative art.

The City of Nanaima has launched a poetry trail with three viewfinders in public spaces, featuring prompts by Poet Laureate Neil Sirkan to encourage community members to reflect on their surroundings and create their own poems.

The Snuneymuxw First Nation announces the acquisition of two casinos from Great Canadian Entertainment, making them the largest Indigenous-led casino operator in British Columbia to fund economic independence and community projects.

The Comox Valley Regional District is promoting an indoor Poverty Data Walk initiative that uses posters with local data to raise awareness and encourage community action on poverty reduction.

The Woodstove Music and Arts Festival in Cumberland is experiencing unprecedented ticket sales and expanding with new visual arts components and venues, including a tribute stage.

Nanaimo-born artist Devours discusses their electro-pop performances at the sold-out Woodstove Festival in Cumberland, highlighting unconventional venues and a scheduling error.

A local neighborhood group expresses concerns about the upcoming closure of the Nanaimo Hub, a drop-in center for street-entrenched people, fearing increased social disorder in the South End area.

This news update explains the prolonged fog in Nanaimo as radiation fog caused by a high-pressure system following an atmospheric river, with climate change potentially extending its duration.

The BC government announced it will eliminate spousal clawbacks for disability assistance, allowing couples to receive the same support as single individuals starting December 1st.

This episode discusses the Bring Back the Bluebirds project in the Cowichan Valley, which aims to reintroduce locally extinct western bluebirds by restoring their habitat and nesting sites.

Avi Lewis, a candidate for federal NDP leadership, discusses his town hall tour focusing on affordability, healthcare, and implementing a Canadian Green New Deal while addressing grassroots concerns within the party.

A new play called 'A Baker's Dozen' at Nanaimo's OV Arts Centre explores mental illness, addiction, and intergenerational trauma through a fictionalized true story, developed by playwright Ward Norcutt and directed by Jonathan Greenway as part of a men's mental health season.

Theater One, a professional theater company in Nanaimo, is facing a critical $20,000 fundraising challenge to survive after losing grant funding and struggling with reduced post-pandemic audiences.

The Snuneymuxw First Nations and the City of Nanaimo are seeking a municipal boundary change to allow Snuneymuxw members living on reserve lands to vote in municipal elections, addressing a historical exclusion.

This news update discusses the 2025 United Way BC point-in-time count in Nanaimo, which for the first time includes data on hidden homelessness and youth homelessness, revealing that 577 people were without stable housing.

This episode tells the story of Marcus Pollard discovering a rare acetate record from 1968 by the psych rock band The Glass Cage in a consignment store, highlighting his emotional reaction and the record's nostalgic connection to youth.

This episode explores the pagan origins of Halloween through an interview with local witch Kluani Atwater, discussing Samhain as a time for honoring ancestors, rituals like silent dinners, and the spiritual significance of the thin veil between worlds in the Comox Valley.

Federal NDP leadership candidate Heather McPherson visits Nanaimo to connect with local party members and discuss key issues like housing, Indigenous reconciliation, and Palestinian solidarity.

The Snuneymuxw First Nations Land Guardian Program hires land guardians to monitor ecosystems, protect traditional lands, and reconnect the community with their cultural heritage and natural resources.

A career potter in Ladysmith shares her expertise through a new book on affordable glazing methods and an apprenticeship program to support aspiring ceramic artists.

A news update promoting the Bank of Ireland Short Film Festival, highlighting its locals-only program and international films.

A local news update covering a grief fire event at Vancouver Island University marking the 10th anniversary of BC's toxic drug crisis, with interviews and reflections on the ongoing public health emergency.

A local news update reporting on a new art exhibit at the Nanaimo Art Gallery that explores the global clean energy transition and its environmental impacts, particularly lithium mining in Argentina.

A local news update reporting on the official opening of Hamilton Marsh Regional Park after decades of advocacy.

A local news update featuring an interview with a youth artist whose banner design was selected for Nanaimo's street banner program.

A local news update reports on Project Watershed's use of environmental DNA to monitor forage fish populations in the Salish Sea.

This episode covers the Pride Society of the Comox Valley's response to Conservative MLA Brennan Day supporting a bill restricting gender transition for minors.

A local news update reporting on how trade war threats have driven Nanaimo residents to shop more at local farmers markets, featuring an interview with the market manager.

A news update covering the BC Green Party leadership race and candidate Jonathan Kerr's platform.

A local news update reporting on the expansion of the Crisis Response Community-Led Team (CIRCLE) to the Comox Valley, announced by BC's Health Minister.

A news update discussing strategic voting in the final stretch of a Vancouver Island election, featuring an expert explanation and a candidate's perspective.