IAN THORPE

Last Wednesday and Thursday, our downtown Conference Centre was host to the Vancouver Island Economic Summit, featuring a number of educational sessions and keynote speakers. Highlights included the annual State of the Island economic report given by Susan Mowbray of MNP, and a global/Canadian economic overview and forecast from Stuart Bergman, chief economist at Export Development Canada. Recent impacts of Covid, inflation, supply chain issues, and worker shortages were al

It was my pleasure this past Wednesday to attend the Job Fair at Nanaimo Conference Centre organized by the Work B.C. Centre. Dozens of high-profile companies were represented at their booths, with information and application forms at the ready for prospective employees. At this time when we see staff shortages all over, the timing was perfect. And the good turnout suggested that the Fair was certainly a success. My congratulations to John Tait and his staff for putting t

As of this afternoon, the civic election results have been declared official. So my congratulations to the returning Councillors, and especially to those newly-elected: Janice Perrino, Paul Manly, and Hillary Eastmure. I look forward to working with all of you during the coming term, striving to make good decisions that will benefit the citizens of the City of Nanaimo. My thanks goes to the candidates who were not successful, but who had the courage to put their names for

I am very grateful for having been re-elected to serve a third term on Nanaimo City Council. It is an honour and a privilege to be chosen to represent the citizens of our city, and I will certainly do my best to bring good governance and decision-making to the Council table. I look forward to working with Mayor Krog and the incoming Council. My sincere thanks to my campaign team of family and friends who make my success possible. And to the many people in the community wh

It is important to recognize that our Nanaimo hospital serves not only our city residents, but also those of the regional district and elsewhere. We are the main hospital north of the Malahat, and compared to south of the Malahat (which has a smaller population) we are woefully lacking in facilities. Hospital funding lies with the regional district, which City of Nanaimo contributes to. I currently serve as Chair of the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District Board, and the Boa

Safety and public disorder, tax rates, and affordable are all important issues to voters this year. But another local issue is getting a lot of attention: recent changes to the roadway of Metral Drive. I have gone on record several times as being opposed to what is happening there, including being the only Councillor to vote against using $1.4million from reserves to pay for cost overruns. This project relates directly to my concerns over our current Transportation Plan wh

It has been asked why I did not vote in support of the Nanaimo Reimagined City Plan. Let me give my reasons. This was a difficult decision because the document is so huge and has so many different components. First, I do not believe the Plan is part of some mysterious conspiracy theory. My objections are much more down to earth. There is much in the Plan which I do support, including the land use framework. However, I expressed concerns from Day One that the Plan was be

Recent years have seen tax increases of over 5%. This is not sustainable, especially for young families and seniors. The increases were due partly to the fact that in the previous term, Council mandated rates of 1%, 0%, and 1.5%. This was popular of course, but counter-productive, as the City did not bring in enough money to provide expected services or to match the rate of inflation. We have been digging out of that hole since. Unfortunately our citizens are now dealing

A holiday today, and a time when hopefully most people can rest and relax. And more importantly, a time to reflect about all we have to be thankful for. Health, friends and family, all the truly important things in life. We live in a beautiful part of the world in a great country, and we have the democratic right to cast votes in an election. There are always things to complain about, but today let's focus on gratitude. On Thanksgiving Day, do just that: stop to Give Th

October 9, 2022 - At the federal and provincial levels, party politics are the norm. Party members vote as a block to support party policy, and there is little room for individual opinion to be expressed. In the past, that has not generally been the case in local civic government. Candidates run as individuals, each with their own opinion on various issues. The concept of a "slate" of civic candidates running together has emerged in some larger cities, but it has never