IAN THORPE

Nanaimo Council was all on the same page last Monday night, following a special committee meeting to hear arguments encouraging the provincial government to provide recovery-oriented dry supportive housing options for those recovering from addiction. Speakers included Katlyn Tolton, deputy warden at Nanaimo Correctional Center, Kix Citton, executive director Nanaimo Brain Injury Society, Dr. Roger Walmsley, addictions medicine specialist, Karen Kuwica of the Newcastle Commun

Last week, Council approved the borrowing of $10.5 million from the Municipal Finance Authority to fund Phase 1 of the Public Works Yard replacement project. This will be used for site preparation excavation, design development, and some equipment procurement. In total, Council has authorized total borrowing of up to $76.7 million for the new operational buildings. My question to staff clarified that the City still has lots of borrowing room remaining should we need it fo

It was my pleasure to represent the City of Nanaimo last week at the Vancouver Island Military Museum. In a special ceremony, three volunteers were presented with the Governor General Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers. Given the special honour were Jim Dickinson, Bruce Davison, and Angus Scully, with MP Tamara Kronis on hand to make the presentations of certificates for "long standing volunteer service and dedication to preserving and sharing Canada's military history and he

This past Monday, May 11, Council adopted the Property Tax Rates Bylaw 2026.7455, which officially sets the tax rates for 2026. Recapping, the general property tax increase is set at 5.3%, plus the annual general asset management reserve charge of 1.0%. This is down from last year, when the general tax increase was at 6.8%. Together with municipal user fees, water fees, sewer fees, and sanitation fees, the impact on a typical Nanaimo home will e $237. The city has an oper

A substantial percentage of our City's annual budget is connected to community safety providers such as Fire Rescue and Police personnel. And while the City cannot dictate priorities to RCMP, they do consult and seek Council approval. Such was the case this past Monday, when Superintendent Eric Rochette presented the 2026/27 Nanaimo RCMP Annual Performance Plan in an open meeting of Council. Councillors had an opportunity to ask questions and gather information. The follo

The ugliness has continued since the February 23 meeting at which a disorderly group of activists demanded that Council prevent the appearance of a controversial comedian at the Port Theatre. With a view to this, the Theatre was requested by Council to re-examine their policies - a motion opposed by Mayor Krog and myself as a step towards censorship. Other Councillors were not concerned by this, intent on preventing a sold-out Theatre audience from hearing the comedian beca

It has been a long time coming, and is long overdue - but our city will at last be getting a new Public Works Yard, with constructions to hopefully get underway by fall of this year. The project has a total budget of $79.4 million, with the majority of that being funded through long-term borrowing. Provincial borrowing legislation which was updated last June allowed the borrowing to take place without electorate approval through referendum or alternative approval process, s

Last Monday evening featured one of the most unpleasant Council meetings in recent memory, due to a controversial topic combined with a crowd of disrespectful protestors in the audience. The topic was a performer booked for the Port Theatre, a comedian whose humour is viewed by many as rude and demeaning against minorities. Is is important to note the the Theatre has an operating agreement with the City which gives it total control over its bookings. Nevertheless, Councill

This past Friday night was the 21st annual Nanaimo Sport Achievement Awards, which recognized top accomplishments from the past year in our city. Many deserving athletes, teams, and coaches were honoured, and the final award was the Story of the Year, which was chosen to be Nanaimo hosting the 55+ B.C. Games. In addition to the Sport Achievement Awards, the Nanaimo Sports Hall of Fame had a separate portion of the program, in which three new inductees were added to the Hall

Eight members of Nanaimo City Council sit on the RDN's Regional Hospital District Board, providing oversight to issues related to our regional hospital. On February 10 we had a presentation from Island Health which provided some interesting updates. Of course Board priorities include advocating and raising money for major capital projects such as a Cath Lab and a new patient tower. We have also been pushing for a Nanaimo Cancer Centre, which is now scheduled to open on the