Sometimes stories don't go as planned, motions get withdrawn and changed, but showing up to cover council in person allows me to talk with both councillors and community members about the issues that matter to them beyond the constraints of the formal meeting. Here is my latest story.

The province should re-examine its drug policy but rather than as the councillor implies, our drug policy should aim to build a better future for all @micksweetman.bsky.social bchumanrights.ca/resources/pu...

Nanaimo is among the most important battlegrounds for harm reduction in BC, with influential players having spent years attempting to pin the city’s ills on supervised consumption. When Aaron Gunn ran his ‘Vancouver is Dying’ homeless hate tour, those same folks welcomed him with an open theatre.

A motion by Nanaimo Coun. Ian Thorpe to ask Island Health to close the Overdose Prevention Site on Albert Street was withdrawn at last night's city council meeting. But a new motion to send a letter to the province to reexamine its drug policy is hotly contested. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/moti...

After the Remembrance Day Service people in attendance were welcomed to leave a poppy on the cenotaph in downtown Nanaimo. Photo by Mick Sweetman / The Discourse.

Scouts attended the Nanaimo's Remembrance Day Service and an CP-140 Aurora did a flyover. Photos by Mick Sweetman / The Discourse.

Veterans and Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog lay wreaths and salute the fallen at Nanaimo's Remembrance Day Service on Nov. 11, 2025. Photos by Mick Sweetman / The Discourse.

The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) at Nanaimo's Remembrance Day Service on Nov. 11, 2025. Photos by Mick Sweetman / The Discourse.

Photos from Nanaimo's Remembrance Day Service by Mick Sweetman / The Discourse.

Check out my photos from the 2025 Remembrance Day Service in Nanaimo at the below link.

See the photos from Nanaimo’s 2025 Remembrance Day Service. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/in-p...

A list of events, ceremonies and information on Remembrance Day 2025 in the Comox Valley, Nanaimo and Cowichan Valley thediscourse.ca/vancouver-is...

Looking for something to do in Nanaimo this weekend? Check out our events listings, covering everything from local music, markets and sports. 👀 Like what you see? Tap the link at the top of the story to get these listings in your inbox every Thursday. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/even...

The City of Nanaimo put additional protections in place for owners of mobile homes in the city, but advocates say it isn't enough. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/a-st...

If you are looking for haunted happenings in Nanaimo tonight (and this weekend) be sure check out this week's issue of The Hub, witch lists scores of spooky spots and poltergeist parties. thediscourse.indiegraf.com/index.php?ac...

I ain't afraid of no ghost!

Explore Nanaimo's haunted history and spooky spots this week. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/haun...

“We never surrendered our land. Not one acre.”

fantastic and detailed piece by @micksweetman.bsky.social about the impacts and implications of the government's decision to make prescribed alternatives to the unregulated drug LESS accessible #SafeSupply

Members from Save Our Forests Comox Valley think the province should be doing more to protect old-growth forests and biodiversity, and they are not alone. Read the full story: thediscourse.ca/comox-valley...

This Monday's Nanaimo city council meeting created a friendship city policy, renewed the Downtown Nanaimo Business Improvement Area, expanded two dry recovery houses and defeated a motion to support a community health centre. Read more in Council Corner: thediscourse.indiegraf.com/index.php?ac...

$2.2 million land purchase to expand Loudon Park was “fair market value,” Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog says. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/loud...

“They thought they were trying to civilize us, which is really ironic. They don't understand the cultural and traditional ways that we live and that we practice daily is our strength.”

Today is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. See the events in your community and additional resources in our special newsletter for today. thediscourse.indiegraf.com/index.php?ac...

“I know that $6,000 more to travel to a conference in Ottawa does seem like a lot of money, and it’s a lot of money to me,” Coun. Hilary Eastmure told The Discourse. “…But I really consider these conferences to be a critical part of my job as a councillor.”

“Nanaimo activists have been an inspiration to people across the country and across the world.” thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/pale...

Exciting news! The Discourse is a finalist for the 2025 Webster Awards in the Excellence in Community Reporting category for TWO different stories by reporters @juliechadwick.bsky.social and Rowan Flood. 🎉 Find links to the stories in this thread:

It was lovely to chat with Lenae Silva about her experience and upcoming art exhibition at @viuniversity.bsky.social organized by @viuhra.bsky.social.

Layoffs at VIU not being done “willy nilly,” says interim @viuniversity.bsky.social president Dennis Johnson in sit-down interview with @thediscourse.ca. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/qa-i...

Blue Sky Jo was a great film to see this afternoon. There are still tickets available for the 7 p.m. showing.

Critics say forestry practices must change as wildfire season intensifies

Deep Water Recovery, the company that has received local opposition for dismantling ships on a beach in Union Bay, has had its land lease cancelled by the province. Community members say this is a good first step, but argue for more robust regulations in Canada.

Parksville to Ladysmith is forecast to get some heavy smoke from the Mount Underwood wildfire tonight. Screenshot of the forecast for 9 p.m from firesmoke.ca/forecasts/cu...

Percolate and Theoxenia explore issues around gender, relationships and belonging in the Nanaimo Fringe Festival.

Meet Robyn Radcliffe, director of The Raptors, and Kessy the kestral! This week, our reporter Eric headed out to The Raptors in North Cowichan to learn more about what pressures birds of prey are facing in the Cowichan Valley.

How Makerspace Nanaimo grew from a small group with hand tools to a fully stocked shop with almost 100 members.

This evening at 6 p.m. TRUTH will play a free concert in the Bowen Park Amphitheatre as part of the @nanaimo.ca's free Concerts in the Park series. Read our Q&A with MJ McGregor about how they use music to “talk back” to the environment in which they were raised. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/qa-m...

I had an awesome time in Snuneymuxw this past weekend. Check out my story and photos from Snuneymuxw Days below.

Nanaimo’s ‘bike lane Barbie’ says the city is working to make cycling more accessible for everyone. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/how-...

Not writing a story on this, but both the violent and non-violent crime severity index for Nanaimo dropped in 2024. Here's an updated chart of it that shows the trends over time. datawrapper.dwcdn.net/kL0me/3/

The Silly Boat Regatta is one of my favourite events of the summer. Read my story and check out my photos of it below.

bailey macabre, Indigenous engagement coordinator for the @nanaimoartgallery.bsky.social, is organizing a monthly Indigenous film series. You can watch a free screening of Rocks at Whiskey Trench by Alanis Obomsawin tonight at 6:30 p.m. Read the full story: thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/indi...

There are so many good films in the lineup for this new series. Go see Rocks at Whiskey Trench tonight and save the dates for each monthly screening.

It was great to meet the next generation of broadcasters and podcasters at @chly.ca. Everyone I spoke with loved attending the radio camp.

"It comes from my own story of having lived in Mexico and immigrated to the United States, having lived in Oregon for over a decade, and then coming to Canada. So all those chapters of my life form my experience, my feelings — good and bad — and that’s expressed in this music."

“In a world with serious problems, where we have serious things to debate, people emphasizing a bylaw that is simply there to protect privacy as somehow an infringement of democratic freedoms is just silly,” Naniamo Mayor Leonard Krog said about a legal threat over a council meeting recording ban.

I was lucky to get a personal tour of HMCS Nanaimo on a final farewell visit to its namesake city before it transfers to the East Coast. Come aboard with me and meet some of the ship’s crew. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/hmcs...

The Discourse was on hand last month to document a plant care workshop at the Hulitun Spulhxun/Tumuhw native plant nursery. Check out photos from the event below.

The little brown bat is the only federally protected bat species on Vancouver Island. In the Comox Valley, volunteers are on guard against white-nose syndrome, a disease that is killing millions of bats in the U.S. and Canada. Read the latest from Dave Flawse: thediscourse.ca/comox-valley...

Want to hear what Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog has to say about a legal warning letter sent by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms over bylaws that ban recording of city council meetings and in city spaces? Subscribe to our Nanaimo This Week newsletter for free! thediscourse.ca/newsletters