"The work of history is the work of retelling and revision," writes @kellyblack.ca who, in his latest piece, gets to the bottom of a decades-long mystery and explains the importance of fact-based storytelling in a world of AI slop. thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...

What does a historian do? And why can’t it be replicated by “AI”? Here’s my latest work of public history - I’m quite proud of it. Thanks to @thediscourse.ca for supporting historical writing thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val... #bcHist #cdnHist

Broombusters marks 20 years of fighting invasive Scotch broom on Vancouver Island.

Roosters. Food trucks. RVs as homes. A 322-page zoning bylaw is sparking debate in the Cowichan Valley. We took a deep dive to figure out what’s actually changing, and what isn’t. #cowichanvalley

OneBC leader Dallas Brodie promised to throw out B.C. Indigenous rights law, reconciliation and the federal Indian Act at a recent meeting in Nanaimo. We fact-checked what she said. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/pack...

Nanaimo’s new monthly electronic music night Common kicks off this Saturday featuring DJs, live musicians and dancers from across the Island. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/a-co...

This was such a wonderful Q&A. Really cool to learn more about the work being done by the Indigenous Ecology Lab in the Cowichan Valley.

Looking forward to hearing Kiera's poems at our International Women's Day event this Sunday. Event speakers also include Cowichan Tribes Chief Cindy Daniels, Cowichan Valley MLA @debratoporowski.bsky.social and local educator Corina Fitznar. Details: www.eventbrite.com/e/the-discou...

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-...

Experts tell The Discourse that the removal of three Cowichan Valley residents from a Conservative funded town hall in Duncan is part of growing trend. Parties are increasingly restricting access and moving away from the tradition of open, public town halls. #CowichanValley #CdnPoli #DuncanBC

The Crofton mill closure marks the end of an era for 350 workers. As North Cowichan meets with investors and officials to find a path forward, The Discourse has compiled a timeline of the mill’s 70-year history. View the full timeline👇

Nanaimo city council voted to send a letter to The Port Theatre asking it to review its booking policies but did not cancel a show by comedian Ben Bankas over his offensive jokes about residential “schools”, immigrants, 2SLGBTQIA+ people and racialized minorities. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/why-...

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...

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...

Drop the names of any Canadian companies you’ve seen working with ICE in the comments. I’m aware of Gardaworld, Roshel, Hootsuite. Would love to gather any and all other names.

“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.

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:

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...

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!

Thank-you for your good coverage on this story @thediscourse.ca and thank-you to Eric for showing up in person to our council meeting. We don't get many reporters attending meetings and your attendance means a lot. We need our local journalists and news coverage. Also thank-you for quoting me.

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...

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.

Re-sharing this reporting because a report on harvesting in the Municipal Forest Reserve is going to North Cowichan Council this Wednesday, Nov. 19. Find the agenda package and report here: pub-northcowichan.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx...

Residents also shared concern that Coun. Bruce Findlay received a campaign donation from the owner of the museum, creating conflict of interest. “If people believe I am personally benefitting from a decision, due to a campaign donation, they’re delusional,” Findlay said in an email to The Discourse.

The annual Repair Café in Courtenay takes place this weekend. Hosted by Lake Trail Community Education Society, the event fosters a DIY attitude, with opportunities for people of all ages to learn new skills. Read more about the event from reporter Dave Flawse. thediscourse.ca/comox-valley...

Here the story about my ban and why conflating HRT with GAHT is anti-trans and harmful

Today is my meeting with the lawyers who may be taking my human rights case pro bono. Fingers crossed

I love editing these events listings because it also means I don't have to search around for things to do on the weekend. It's all in one, handy place!

If you've been watching the Blue Jays, you've probably seen Ontario's Ring of Fire ads and if you're anything like me, flags may have gone up in your brain. Appreciate this reporting from @thenarwhal.ca that looks into this some more. thenarwhal.ca/opinion-blue...

New story in the Discourse featuring an interview with Luschiim and me on the Cowichan Title case thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...

Tomorrow is the last day to provide input on @townofladysmith.bsky.social's first-ever accessibility plan. Read this story, from Discourse intern Noelle Suzuki, to learn more. thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...

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

Great reporting from The Discourse Cowichan on this landmark court case. I’m a proud monthly supporter of this kind of journalism - and you should be too! (If you can)

After the B.C. Supreme Court recognized Quw’utsun title to Tl’uqtinus, their former fishing village on the Fraser River, the province and Richmond moved to appeal. Some say the ruling threatens private property. Others call it a long-overdue recognition of Indigenous title. Check out deep dive ⬇️

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...

Wildwood Ecoforest, which has long served as a counterexample to modern logging practices, just got closer to its original size. Thanks to a successful fundraising campaign, 8.5 hectares of land have been added back to the ecoforest. Read the story: thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...

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...

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:

Nanaimo-based Sḵwx̱wú7mesh/Chilean artist Lenae Silva talks about her experiences as a person who uses drugs, and as an advocate, in her new exhibit at Vancouver Island University thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/qa-n...

‘They feel that Indigenous agriculture practices are inferior to modern day Western agriculture practices.’: Partial rejection of plan to remove Cowichan estuary dike raises questions about the province’s commitment to reconciliation. Read more below.

It's a good work day when I get to complain about grass lawns and how useless they are (and how they're a symbol of classism and colonialism).

“A recent special investigation by the BC Forest Practices Board on aligning forestry practices with wildfire risk reduction […] found that ‘logging occurs at 11 times the rate of [wildfire risk reduction] treatments’ in the wildland-urban interface near communities.”

“I have never felt so emotional,” resident Sandy McPherson said during the public input period. “I am really angry that some of this is even coming to the council table. There is not a price to be put on the forest reserve that can be monetary.” Great reporting by @emrichards.bsky.social:

On Aug. 24, volunteers of all ages will gather on the Lower Quw'utsun Sta'lo' (Cowichan River) for an annual cleanup. For 15 years, this family-friendly event has brought the community together to remove trash, care for the river and prepare for the salmon’s return.