IAN THORPE

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

Now that we're into the New Year, I hope that residents realize the political significance of 2026. In mid-October of this year we will be having municipal elections throughout the province. The current four-year term for Mayors and Councillors will be ending, and voters will head to the polls. It is my fervent hope that those voters will be active, interested, and intelligently engaged in the process. It is almost certain that there will be some changes in our Nanaimo Cit

In recent weeks (months?) I have been remiss in adding posts to this site. And in that time there have been a number of important and controversial issues in front of City Council. I look forward to giving my views on those in the New Year. But for today, the focus needs to be on family and friends - and in reflecting the spirit of this very special Christian holiday. Therefore let me simply extend very best wishes to all readers for a wonderful Christmas and and happy an

At the July 28 meeting of Council, I tabled a motion "That Council formally request Island Health to close the supervised drug...

As Nanaimo continues to grow, increased demands are placed not only on our infrastructure, but also on the capacity of community...

Downtown Nanaimo was a busy place last Thursday evening. Commercial Street was packed for the opening night of the Chamber of Commerce...