Tony Harris New Chair at Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation
Xtend Rentals is continuing its rapid growth, adding to its two current operations at 1910 East Wellington Road in Nanaimo and 1030 Oyster Bay Drive in Ladysmith by purchasing the property halfway between the two operations, at 13230 Trans Canada Highway where Chakalaka Restaurant and Market operated just south of the Nanaimo Airport in Cedar.
Bill Robinson of Xtend Rentals
Owner Bill Robinson says the new location will include 10,000 square feet of buildings on 1.2 hectares of land. Plans call for not only tool rental and landscape/garden supplies, it will include Airbnb rentals, chain saws, a small engine repairman and used machinery for sale. The opening of the new outlet is targeted for August 20.
Congratulations to Tony Harris upon becoming the new Chairman of the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation.
Tony Harris
Tony’s father, Tom Harris, was the foundation’s first Chair, from 1993-1996. He was a candidate in a recent provincial election, and is a real estate developer and investor. Tony is also Chairman and CEO of Billy Goat Brands Ltd., and partner in Harris Mazda, Harris Kia and the Nanaimo Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram vehicle dealerships.
Cody Dreger of Layzell Dreger and Associates, Anu Mayer of Bastion Management Ltd. and David Lindblad of RBC Dominion Securities are new board members at the Foundation.
Brian Sabourin has sold Berk’s Intertruck on July 1 to a Pacific heavy truck group, a Volvo dealer on the lower mainland.
Brian and Dan Grubac are leaving the company, and all employees remain with the company under the new ownership.
Laurie Bienert
Laurie Bienert, Executive Director of the Nanaimo Foundation, is the new President of the Rotary Club for downtown Nanaimo.
Greg Constable’s IWCD continues its record breaking pace, as the company celebrated the ground-breaking of its latest project, The Commons at Royal Bay in Colwood.
It’s a 76,000 square foot retail village anchored by Quality Foods and Cascadia Liquor.
A proposed commercial and residential plaza at Northfield and Boxwoods Roads has passed first and second reading at Nanaimo City council.
IWCD’s proposal includes zoning for a 40,000 square foot supermarket, as well as three five-storey buildings that include retail space on the ground floor and four floors of residential units above, as well as another office building.
This follows a public information meeting in May, where IWCD Vice President Patrick Brandreth presented the concept. A public hearing was held July 22.
Tali Campbell, former General Manager of the Nanaimo Clippers, is enjoying life as General Manager and Vice President of the Coquitlam Express club in the BC Hockey League. As if he’s not busy enough, Tali has put on another hat, as General Manager of the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association Female District Development Program.
Westmark Construction Ltd. and Mazzei Electric are busy building a four-storey residential building at Holland Creek in Ladysmith.
Central Vancouver Island needs a meat processing site, and Ben Glassen, a Nanaimo farmer, wants to establish one on leased land on Jingle Pot Road.
He has applied to the Agricultural Land Commission for an Agricultural Land Reserve non-farm use permit, and he would like to include a cooler, freezer, inspection area, plucker with feather chute, and a rotary scalder in his operation.
There are only three small meat processing sites on the Island currently, in Black Creek near Campbell River, Cobble Hill and Saanichton.
Ben Hyman, currently Chief Librarian at Vancouver Island University, is the new Executive Director of the Vancouver Island Regional Library.
A 72-room hotel at 3679 Shenton Road to be called Diver Lake Inn and Suites has received unanimous passing of first and second readings from City Council.
Western LL Holdings Ltd. is the property owner, and the hotel would feature four storeys, although only three storeys would be visible from Shenton Road, and the project will include surface parking and a parkade.
Permanent supportive housing units are projected to be built at 285 Prideaux Street, the current location of the 7-10 Club.
When built, the John Howard Society will operate the building as a personal care facility.
The new Courtyard by Marriott currently under construction on Gordon Street downtown will feature new technology from Nexii Building Solutions Inc., which produces structural panels made with a sustainable alternative to concrete.
By using 140 of the Nexii panels, it is expected to accelerate construction of the PEG Developments project by 8-10 weeks. The targeted opening for the new hotel is either in the spring or summer of 2022.
Snaw-Naw-As Market on the Island Highway in Nanoose will soon have four new charging stations for electric vehicles.
A $210,000 grant from the provincial CleanBC Go Electric Public Charger program will enable the Nanoose Economic Development Corporation to install the stations, notes Chief Gordon Edwards.
Nanaimo Airport has extended its offer for free use of its electric vehicle quick charge stations until the end of the year.
They started offering the service on February 1, notes President and CEO Dave Devana. “Keeping them free of charge for the rest of the year is part of our commitment to environmental leadership and stewardship,” he states.
Mark MacDonald is President of Communication Ink Media & Public Relations Ltd. and can be reached at mark@communicationink.ca