The City of Nanaimo is proposing that its boundary be changed to include the reserve lands of Snuneymuxw First Nation, which will allow people living on reserves the right to vote in city elections for the first time. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/why-...

Schools in Nanaimo say they’re prepared for emergencies. But teachers say more can be done to ensure student and educator safety, in the wake of the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/how-...

“I've seen family go missing, I've seen friends — I've seen everything,” said Lugil Wilaaysm Hanaa (Hyla McQuaid), who is organizing the No More Stolen Sisters Memorial March in Nanaimo with the VIU Students' Union. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/nana...

Island Health and local groups are urging North Cowichan to reconsider "uninhabitable" shelter sites in Somenos marsh. Advocates warn that recent displacements are linked to health risks and a spike in overdoses. They’re calling for safer, accessible alternatives. #NorthCowichan #IslandHealth

The John Barsby School of Rock will perform tonight at VIU's Malaspina Theatre. See what else in happening this weekend in The Hub Nanaimo, your weekly insider guide to the best of community arts and culture. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/the-...

Celebrate Nanaimo's Black community by attending Black History Month events in our city. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/blac...

A 7-metre red cedar log rolled into the Cowichan Valley Arts Council gallery this week and will soon become a canoe. Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw artist Rupert Scow is carving it live during the exhibition 'Many Hands — Working Together', and visitors can help carve. Read more 👇

Mike and Heather Trask’s Comox Valley-based fossil discovery in 1988 inspired a flood of amateur paleontologists. It also inspired the first paleontological society in B.C. and led to the creation of a policy to protect fossils. Read the story: thediscourse.ca/comox-valley...

People in the Regional District of Nanaimo may soon be able to live in RVs full time. The district is developing a policy on this as well as a rural housing strategy, a move that has been applauded by the B.C. RV Alliance. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/regi...

A new exhibit at the Nanaimo Art Gallery features archival photos and contemporary art works exploring the history of Nanaimo’s Chinatowns. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/art-...

“I felt utterly, utterly honoured that they wanted to have his work and were able to receive it.” How the Cowichan Public Art Gallery became the permanent home of 75 paintings by a renowned Dutch Canadian artist. Read more in The Discourse.

Feeling stressed? Join a weekly drop-in meditation for beginners at the Nanaimo Harbourfront Library today at noon. Find out more in The Hub Nanaimo, your weekly insider guide to the best of community arts and culture.

Choir! Choir! Choir! will get the audience singing tonight at The Port Theatre. Find it and more in The Hub Nanaimo, your weekly insider guide to the best of community arts and culture.

Joëlle Rabu brings her new play I Don’t Belong Here – Stories Beyond the Edge of Forgetting to The Port Theatre today at 2 p.m. See it and more in The Hub Nanaimo, your weekly insider guide to the best of community arts and culture.

I'm working on a story for @thediscourse.ca! I want to chat to Comox Valley folks about what you're doing to prep for various different emergency scenarios: Climate, geopolitical, natural disaster, etc… Have you experienced an emergency? what did you do/ learn? Are you prepared currently?

Curators Jesse Birch and Imogene Lim, along with exhibition artists will hold an informal community gathering today at 1 p.m. to celebrate the exhibition Bleached by the Sun: Perspectives on Chinatown at the Nanaimo Art Gallery.

Music from Star Wars, Star Trek and The Planets will collide tonight at The Port Theatre. Check out all of our arts and culture listings for Nanaimo this week: thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/even...

You can catch Ted Kim at The Nanaimo Bar tonight at 9 p.m. Check out The Hub Nanaimo, your weekly insider guide to the best of community arts and culture for more listings.

I did a deep dive into Nanaimo's Community Safety Officer program. I spoke with experts, city councillors, business owners, social service providers and people who are unhoused. I went out on patrol with a CSO team to see their work firsthand. Here's what I saw. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/comm...

A packed Friday lunch rush at the HUB Cafe is just one sign of how Cowichan Station Area Association is thriving — even as many B.C. non-profits face shrinking funding and fewer volunteers. Read our profile of the organization 👇

Community Safety Officers are helping respond to Nanaimo’s homelessness crisis, but councillors and experts say more supports are needed. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/comm...

ICYMI: Three Cowichan Valley residents say they were threatened with arrest and removed from a public town hall in Duncan featuring Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and local MP Jeff Kibble — over the messages on their T-shirts. Read our coverage here: thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...

Check out Nanaimo's newest poetry reading series Grub Street tonight at The Vault Cafe and get all your music, arts and community events listings from our weekly newsletter The Hub. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/even...

These events listings are from The Hub Nanaimo, your weekly insider guide to the best of community arts and culture. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/even...

“Everyone should be concerned that we were profiled and asked to leave for no reason.” Three Cowichan Valley residents say they were threatened with arrest at a public town hall featuring Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and local MP Jeff Kibble — because of the messages on their T-shirts.

Widely considered a successful model for low-barrier emergency housing, The City of Duncan has applied for funding to add six new sleeping cabins to The Village. Meanwhile, North Cowichan is looking to add two new Village sites to its municipality. Read the story: thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...

Foster parents in Courtenay, B.C. speak out after a string of alleged incidents targeting them and their 16-year-old foster son. *This story was produced as part of Spotlight: Child Welfare, a collaborative journalism project. It was first published by IndigiNews.

LUSH Valley and Origins Environmental are restoring farms in the Comox Valley to support local food security and the environment. “We take a food systems approach,” explains LUSH executive director Maurita Prato. “From how it’s grown to how it gets to our plates.” Learn more in our latest story:

Salt Spring Island farmer Abey Scaglione's new book, "Radical Farm: Animals, Food and Our Future," lays out her vision for how communities can support local food, farmers and environmentally restorative agriculture practices. Read our Q&A with her: thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...

Looking for something to do in the Cowichan Valley this week? 🎄 Check out our curated list of holiday events and live music: thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val... And if you want these events sent straight to your inbox you can sign up to our weekly newsletters here:

“Enough is enough.” Family and leaders are demanding answers from Island Health after the death of Lenny Sylvester, a Penelakut man whose care they say reflects systemic racism. Read more:

Thinking about building a cob home in the Regional District of Nanaimo? We have put together this FAQ after talking with both owner / builders on Vancouver Island and district staff. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/thin...

The Cowichan Valley comes alive in December ❄️ Whether you’re into markets, music, or low-key holiday fun, there’s something happening in every corner of the region! Discover what’s going on this week:

At a recent meeting, North Cowichan staff warned council that amending the Official Community Plan could cost taxpayers and impact future developments and water and sewer capacity. Council voted to amend the OCP. Read more about what this means: thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...

“The proposed site layout diagram solves a lot of problems by saving the mature trees, playground and beach areas in a cohesive way that allows for easy public access and maximum use,” Lana Fitzpatrick from the Wellington Action Committee told councillors.

“This motion is not about reexamining philosophy, it’s about how many funerals we are prepared to accept.”

“If you want everything as per staff reports, we wouldn't have councils. You'd have bureaucracy running the councils,” Coun. Tek Manhas told a packed public hearing as North Cowichan voted to amend its official community plan on Nov. 19.

Grateful to have @thediscourse.ca / @micksweetman.bsky.social and the rest of the folks at The Discourse reporting in communities like Nanaimo, Cowichan, and Comox. Their journalism is vital. Support it if you can!

"It does save lives, but saving those lives for what purpose?" asked Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog during a city council debate about overdose prevention sites and the province's approach to harm reduction in the toxic drug crisis on Monday night.

“I have resented to no end the suggestion that this is somehow a facility for elitists, as if someone who chooses to participate in a particular aspect of a sporting activity is somehow elitist,” Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said. “This is a good project.”

“Politicized arguments like this motion driven by nimbyism and colonial privilege, undermine science, threaten public health and jeopardize the health and safety of our entire community," Sarah Lovegrove, vice-president of the Harm Reduction Nurses association told Nanaimo city council on Monday.

Nanaimo city council voted to allocate $10.2 million for a new boathouse and community space at Loudon Park on Long Lake at a special finance and audit committee meeting on Friday. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/coun...

Looking for something to do in the Cowichan Valley this week? 🎄 We’ve rounded up holiday events, local shows and live music happening around the region. 👉 Check out our curated list:

Looking for something fun to do in Nanaimo this weekend? From holiday markets to live music, arts and sports, reporter @micksweetman.bsky.social has curated a list of what's happening. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/even...

In case you didn’t know, I write a newsletter for @thediscourse.ca that goes out every Tuesday and features a roundup of local news and events happening in the #cowichanvalley. Check it out at the link below!

North Cowichan council voted unanimously to restart talks with Quw'utsun Nation, setting aside previous plans to explore logging in the Municipal Forest Reserve. Full story ⬇️

Everything you want to know about the Nanaimo data centre, and how much water it will use, explained. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/what...

Check out the Christmas markets happening around the Cowichan Valley, along with other community events for Nov. 25 to Dec. 7. Got an event you think should be included next week? Let us know!

Check out Nanaimo Artwalk and all of our weekly music, art and community events listings in Nanaimo for the week of Nov. 20 to 27, 2025. Let us know if any events you think we should include for next week! thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/even...

North Cowichan began dismantling the Lewis Street encampment on Nov. 17 moving about 75 residents to new sites. The Cowichan Community Care Network says the move puts people at risk of violence and overdoses as the new sites are further away from the Warmland Shelter and overdose prevention site.