Midcoast Morning

The Palestine Solidarity Encampment has been cleared off of the grounds of VIU, following a Sunday deadline set out in an injunction from the BC Supreme Court. The terms of the injunction granted differed from those originally sought by the university, which would have included a campus wide curfew, and police enforcement terms. Instead the injunction grants the university the right to remove, sto...

From the doctor shortage, to the lack of proper heart and stroke care, Nanaimo is suffering from an overburdened and underfunded healthcare system. Why is healthcare, the very thing Canada is known for, so hard to find on Vancouver Island? And what can be done to fix this situation? Today we’ll speak with Donna Hais, chair of the Fair Care Alliance, about the disparity of healthcare between the Vi...

On the same weekend an icon of fire fighting history was making its final flight, crews were working to get a blaze under control just south of Nanaimo. Midcoast Morning explores wildfire risk on the mid island, and explores the legacy and future of the Hawaii Mars waterbomber. ★ Support this podcast ★

Today on the show we’ll speak with Jamie Rose, Manager of Transportation for the City of Nanaimo, about the upcoming upgrades to the Country Club Transit Exchange. We’ll also get an update on the overall vision of Nanaimo’s transit roadmap, from the soon to break ground Downtown Exchange, to the future of Woodgrove and Southgate. As part of the research for this story, Jack went to the Country Clu...

On August 6th, 1945, the atomic bomb called Little Boy was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, another atomic bomb, Fat Man, was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. This was the first time, and to this day the last time nuclear weapons have been used in war.  Today we’ll speak with Tami Hirasawa, the president of the Central Vancouver Island Japanese Canadian Culture Society,...

The 19th Annual Nanaimo Blues Festival takes over Maffeo Sutton park this August 8th to 10th. Today on the show we get a behind the scenes look at how the Blues Festival got started, and hear about the history of the Nanaimo Blues scene. Listen to Jacquie Moisan, President of the Nanaimo Blues Society discuss the ins and outs of putting together the annual blues festival. Then hear from two blues...

Nanaimo’s 14th annual Fringe Festival is back this year, and for the first time, Fringe Festival will have a satellite venue on Gabriola Island, as well as expanded stages in The Black Rabbit Attic for adult performances. Listen in as we discuss what makes Fringe Festival possible with Artistic Director Tamara McCarthy. How do you run a festival with a randomize lineup? After the break, we’ll get...

As Nanaimo maps out potential big builds over the next few years, it faces rising construction costs. A South End Community Centre, upgrades to the public works yard and a new RCMP detachment are all under consideration at over the coming years. At the same time, the cost of construction nationwide has risen more sharply than inflation since 2017 per statistics Canada. One source we’ll hear from t...

Rules around RVs and tiny homes have been a hot topic of discussion around the board table at the Regional District of Nanaimo lately. Concerns were raised in May that proposed updates to a zoning bylaw could negatively impact people using RVs as permanent housing on campgrounds in various areas of the regional district. The bylaw is still under review, and while it is, enforcement on length of st...

Vancouver Island University is suing student protestors, seeking an injunction to bring an end to the Palestine Solidarity Encampment on its grounds. In a notice of civil claim, filed with the BC Supreme court this week, the university names six defendants, along with John Doe, Jane Doe, and “all unknown persons operating as the Palestinian Solidarity Encampment.” In addition to injunctive relief,...

A traditional Snuneymuxw Village site in downtown Nanaimo is being returned to the nation, and an 1854 treaty played a part in getting the deal done. Between 1850 and 1854, fourteen treaties were concluded on Vancouver Island between First Nations and the Hudson’s Bay Company. They were negotiated on the company’s side by James Douglas, and are sometimes collectively referred to by some as the Dou...

Continuing the conversation on considering socially responsible investing at the city level with Municipal Finance Authority (MFA) CEO Peter Urbanc. And VIU has delivered a trespass notice to the Palestine Solidarity Encampment on its grounds, requesting that the encampment leave by 8AM, Monday July 15, or face a court action seeking damages from encampment participants. ★ Support this podcast ★

Socially responsible investing was the subject of a lively debate around the council table in Nanaimo on Monday. Councillor Ben Gesselbracht brought forward a motion calling for a staff report with options to update the city’s investment policy to include a percentage of the city’s portfolio in socially responsible and low greenhouse gas emissions. It narrowly passed following a 5-4 vote. The issu...

Rail lines on Vancouver Island have sat mostly unused for years. But the impacts of the deal it took to create those rail lines continue. Back in the 1880s, around 2 million acres of land on southern Vancouver Island were privatized, when they were granted to the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway Company in exchange for building the railway.  Historian Kelly Black speaks about some of the consequences...

A motion that included calls for Nanaimo city council to recognize homelessness as an existential crisis, and to adopt a housing first plus strategy was recently referred to the Nanaimo Systems Planning Organization(SPO). Midcoast Morning follows up with SPO Executive Director John McCormick. ★ Support this podcast ★

Dave Witty is calling on Nanaimo to recognize homelessness as an existential crisis. Witty brought a motion before city council this month that included a call for Nanaimo to adopt “housing first plus” as the foundational element of a homelessness strategy. He sits on the Mayor’s leaders table, and has been exploring the response to homelessness in Switzerland. ★ Support this podcast ★

Nanaimo city council is split between two different plans to upgrade its public works yard. The issue, which was the subject of two cancelled AAPs returned to the agenda this week at a governance and priorities committee meeting. Staff presented different options for the future of the project, and councillors were divided between two of them. Midcoast Morning brings you up to speed on the debate,...

A local neighbourhood association is raising concerns around vacant properties Karen Kuwica and Nancy Mitchell of the Newcastle Community Association brought the issue to city council in a delegation that shared examples of vacant property bylaws from other communities. They say they want to see the city implement measures to help proactively address potential issues.  Also on this episode, Joy Br...

The dollar’s in the details in Nanaimo’s 2023 annual municipal report. Adopted at a council meeting this week, the 122 page document breaks down last year’s finances. Midcaost Morning explores the state of the city’s finances with Wendy Fulla, director of finance for the city of Nanaimo. ★ Support this podcast ★

A new report has provided insight into what went wrong with the two alternative approval processes that have been abandoned in Nanaimo since last fall. It also makes recommendations to the city on what to do if it decides to run a third AAP on the same project.  The report and the alternative approval process were on the agenda at a governance and priorities committee this week, Midcoast Morning b...

In the last week representatives from both the encampment and the school’s administration have started to hold dialogue with each other.  The school has disclosed its investment information, and representatives from the Palestine Solidarity Encampment have agreed not to disrupt convocation ceremonies. And around 70 staff at the university have signed an open letter raising concerns about the schoo...

World Ocean Day is Saturday June 8th. First proposed back in 1992 by Canada's International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD), an organization that no longer exists, the event was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008. This year the theme is Catalyzing Action for Our Ocean & Climate. There are going to be an events to mark the occasion Saturday at Maffeo Sutton Park in Nanaimo,...

Exploring cycling in Nanaimo with people at a Go By Bike Week station. Learning about the advocacy behind new minimum passing distance laws coming into effect this week, and checking in on the best way to merge lanes during construction season. ★ Support this podcast ★

The sights and sounds of Cable Bay Trail in Nanaimo’s south end could be very different in a few years time. The 2 kilometre trail down to the ocean is nestled amongst private land, which its owners have plans to develop. For three years, a group called Save Cable Bay has been campaigning in an effort to turn the area around the trail into a park. ★ Support this podcast ★

A number of community initiatives have gotten a boost this week, as Nanaimo City Council approved grants for fourteen projects. More than forty thousand dollars is going to be spread across a number of  organizations, for things like watershed restoration and community toolshares. Midcoast Morning checks in on four of the projects, and their journey from idea to approval. ★ Support this podcast ★