News Impacting Central and North Vancouver Island
NORTH ISLAND
An extensive strategy to link the Village of Port Alice with the water from north to south through parks, trail heads, pathways, and trails was presented to the Village of Port Alice by Bluerock Planning in their draft Waterfront Parks Plan. The plan’s stated goals include increasing tourism, improving community recreational access, and supporting economic growth through the creation of an outstanding ocean-side Village.
The Port Hardy branch of Monk Office, located at 7160 Rupert Street, announced its permanent closure on September 6th.
The Mount Waddington Regional Fair is scheduled on September 7 – 8, at the Port Hardy Arena & Civic Centre.
The Sointula Resource Centre (SRC) has been awarded $62,445 from the Province of British Columbia’s Destination Development Fund and $25,922 from Destination BC‘s Visitor Services Experience Enhancement Grant. With these funds, SRC was able to renew and expand the MIBike Program, a bike share program in the area.
CAMPBELL RIVER
The Campbell River Transit System‘s legacy 10 Ride Ticket, Adult, Student/Senior, Post-Secondary Monthly Pass, and Semester fare goods will no longer be sold by BC Transit as of October 1, 2024.
Form Wellness Clinics welcomes its newest Chiropractor, Dr. Cory Niedjalski.
Carve Kitchen + Meatery, located at 700 Petersen Rd, Campbell River has been honored with the Diners’ Choice Award from OpenTable.
The Trinity Crossing Apartments, Seymour Pacific Developments‘ second project in Ontario, have been granted a development permit.
COMOX VALLEY
Gord Johns has been officially endorsed as the NDP candidate in Courtenay-Alberni for the upcoming federal election.
Comox Valley Aquatic and Sports Centre will be closed from August 28th to September 2nd and will reopen on September 3rd.
The Holiday Inn Express and Suites recently donated $5,000 to the Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation to assist in the financing of critical equipment for the surgical department at Comox Valley Hospital.
The non-profit Comox Valley Transition Society (CVTS) will own and administer a new building in Courtenay that contains affordable rental homes. These homes are priced twenty per cent below market rate and are specifically designed for women, gender-diverse people, and their children.
The Discovery Hall, the Library & Learning Commons, and the Student Lounge will all be open to new students on September 5 for North Island College‘s orientation day.
Glenhart Views in Courtenay has achieved their third and final occupancy permit.
TOFINO – UCLUELET
The West Coast Multiplex Society is considering the addition of a high-performance surf centre to its proposed regional multiplex recreation facility, which is located near the Tofino-Long Beach Airport.
Tofino has recently opened its new sewage-treatment plant, putting an end to the long-standing practice of releasing untreated effluent into the ocean. NAC Constructors Ltd. has worked on the plant which cost $79.25 million, marking a significant step forward for the district.
Marilyn McEwen, the mayor of Ucluelet, has placed her residence and Anchors Inn Waterfront Cabins business for sale for $2.3 million on the RE/MAX Mid-Island Realty site.
Tofino marked the official launch of its new wastewater treatment facility on Aug. 22.
PORT ALBERNI
The Alberni Valley Soaring Association is operating a Fire Watch training Program, developed in partnership with Coastal Fire Service. The program formalizes the wildfire observation activities the association has been undertaking for the past 5-6 years.
Bowerman Construction has completed new platforms, decks and seating as part of the City of Port Alberni’s Somass Lands redevelopment initiative. Materials for the builds were reclaimed from the deconstruction of the original buildings on the site.
The Port Alberni Salmon Festival & Derby, hosted by the Salmon Festival Society, takes place August 30 – September 2nd at Tyee Landing.
Alberni Pacific Railway has been replacing rail ties along the Port Alberni Waterfront, with major support from the Island Corridor Foundation and Southern Railway of Vancouver Island. The work is being done in order to have rail operations continue along the Harbour Road west section of the Port Alberni Waterfront.
Coastal Restoration Society, headquartered in Port Alberni, is seeking students and an instructor for the Tla-o-qui-aht based session focusing on environmental restoration and conservation. The positions are offered as part of the Indigenous Water Conservation and Restoration Education Initiative.
The First Nations Health Authority hosted an engagement session with urban and away-from-home First Nations populations, urban Indigenous organizations, and health systems partners in order to improve communication pathways and to better understand health and wellness needs. The session took place on August 26 at the Port Alberni Friendship Centre.
Soul & Soil Integrative Counselling, operated by Registered Therapeutic Counsellor Sylvain Todd, launches the first week of September.
Twin City Brewing hosted the Pacific Salmon Foundation for their “Hops for Habitat” event.
Guests aboard the MV Francis Barkley, operated by Lady Rose Marine Services, were thrilled to observe humpback whales bubble feeding in Kildonan up the Alberni Inlet.
Coulson Aviation has supported CAL FIRE (California) with their advanced RADS tanking systems, installed on C-130 aircraft. Coulson has been part of the successful conversion and operational readiness of seven C-130 Hercules (C-130H) air tankers.
Alberni Art Rave Society and the Community Arts Council of the Alberni Valley are hosting the 12th annual Plein Air Paint Out September 1 & 2 at the Harbour Quay.
Port Alberni’s HandyDART service is expanding with the addition of a new vehicle and more hours.
The City of Port Alberni’s Parks and Recreation Department and the Port Alberni Cricket Club offered a free event to attract newcomers to the sport.
The Alberni District Co-op’s most recent Tour De Rock fundraiser raised $1,725.
Huu-ay-aht First Nation recently held Huu-ay-aht Days at Pachena Bay Campground in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
The 10,000 sqft building currently housing the offices of the Alberni Valley News on Napier Street in Port Alberni is for sale. The newspaper will continue to operate.
PARKSVILLE – QUALICUM BEACH
The Qualicum First Nation Culture Program has been granted funding to develop and distribute Indigenous resource kits across the province over the next three years. An open house will be held on Sept. 5 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Qualicum First Nations Hall in Qualicum Beach for educators in Nanaimo, Parksville, and Qualicum, and will have the opportunity to view forty-four Indigenous kits on display.
The Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region will receive $623K in federal funding, as announced by Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on August 22, to support its research and community engagement initiatives.
The Qualicum Beach Civic Centre will host an Emergency Preparedness Expo on September 7, as part of a collaboration between the Regional District of Nanaimo, the Town of Qualicum Beach, and the City of Parksville.
NANAIMO
Mike McCardell announced his retirement at the end of the month, following a career spanning 62 years in the news industry.
Van Isle Windows has maintained an A+ rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau since 1990.
The Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA) and BestHuman, an industry leader in online leadership development, have announced a partnership to launch a new leadership course specifically for new construction managers. The program, “Transformative Leadership: Creating Effective Managers,” is an intensive 7-week live cohort-based course that aims to improve the leadership skills necessary for managers to thrive in today’s fast-paced work environment.
The Critical Food Infrastructure Fund, administered by United Way BC, received almost $4 million to help organizations across the province provide healthy, locally-grown food to their communities. United Way food security manager for regional community food hubs Emily Rees announced a $41,000 delivery van grant for Nanaimo Foodshare.
The brand-new Nanaimo Correctional Centre, which opened to the public in the spring of 2024 and houses several prestigious rehabilitation programs, is almost ready to begin its full operational run.
BC Hydro is looking for Construction Technologists to join their team in Surrey and Nanaimo.
Vancouver Island University is hosting a career fair on Friday, September 13.
LADYSMITH – CHEMAINUS
Thanks A Latte held its grand opening at 10862 Chemainus Rd, Ladysmith, on July 21st.
BID13 announced its collaboration with Saltair Self Storage, located at 10862 Chemainus Rd, Ladysmith.
COWICHAN – DUNCAN
The Royal Victoria Marathon in 2024 has sold out for both the full and half marathon divisions. This is the earliest that these distances have sold out in the event’s 44-year history, with more than seven weeks until race weekend.
Sandilea Gibson, owner of Gibby’s Cafe & Catering, has permanently closed Gibs N’ Dots Cafe, which had been open for business for more than two years on the junction of Boys Road and the Trans Canada Highway.
North Cowichan’s Triple O’s restaurant has recently added a new feature to its drive-thru window. Starting Aug. 19, they now offer a special menu for dogs.
Saltspring Soapworks, owned by Lisa Kouri, has recently relocated from Duncan City Square to 102 Craig Street. This move comes after 25 successful years of operation in Duncan.
Tourism executives in the Cowichan Valley are invited to participate in a Stakeholder Input Survey conducted by Tourism Cowichan. The survey aims to enhance regional marketing strategies and shape the development of the 2025 marketing plan.
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