News Impacting Central and North Vancouver Island
NORTH ISLAND
Emma Robertson‘s Chouette Children’s Clothing will soon open at the Thunderbird Mall this month.
Malcolm Island is hosting an art tour on October 12th, with six studios and eight vendors taking part.
The Vancouver Island North Teachers Association (VINTA) will host an All Candidates Meeting on Oct. 10 at the multi-purpose room of the Port Hardy Secondary School.
CAMPBELL RIVER
B.C. Transit has announced that service now operates without gaps between Campbell River and Victoria.
Stonehouse Teas celebrated its grand re-opening on October 3rd, following a two-week closure for renovations.
Many short-term professional programs, including those at Vancouver Island University, are now eligible for the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant, which is offered by Work BC. To assist defray the costs of your skill training, this grant provides up to $3,500 for courses starting between September 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.
Habitat for Humanity is celebrating 20 years of serving the community.
COMOX VALLEY
Steve Renner celebrates his sixth year of employment at Galaxy Motors, Courtenay.
Jacob Sandler has joined the team at North Island Aquatic Club.
Neil Havers, a Comox Valley artist, will display his recent paintings in the foyer of the Crown Isle Resort Centre from October 1 to November 31.
WorkBC Courtenay is hosting a Career Fair on October 17 at the Florence Filberg Centre in downtown Courtenay.
Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce‘s next Business After Business for 2024 will be hosted by Andres Electronic Experts Courtenay on Oct. 24.
TOFINO – UCLUELET
Condé Nast recently announced that Wickaninnish Inn has been awarded the 2024 Readers’ Choice Award for Best Resort in USA and Canada.
Famous chef Lisa Ahier of Tofino is one of ten contestants in the upcoming eleventh season of Top Chef Canada, which premieres on Food Network Canada at 10 p.m. on October 14th.
Pluvio Restaurant in Ucluelet took third place in the fine dining category of The Travellers’ Choice Awards in Canada.
In the hitac̍u First Nation village, the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government is about to begin construction on 30 new affordable housing, made possible by a collaboration between BC Housing and Indigenous non-profit housing providers.
PORT ALBERNI
The Canadian Coast Guard and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are coming to Port Alberni for a public open house on October 18th at the Harbour Quay. The event is an opportunity to tour a Coast Guard ship and meet DFO scientists.
The City of Port Alberni has issued a development permit for a new, mixed-use multi-family and commercial development on Argyle Street at the site of an empty lot. The five-story building will have commercial units on the ground floor, with 68 apartment units on the upper floors, plus underground and ground parking. 10% of the housing units will be below-market studio apartments secured at an affordable rate for 10 years.
McLean Mill National Historic Site has been transformed into a movie set for a pair of major motion pictures with filming expected to wrap up in November. The films “One Mile” and its sequel “One More Mile” are thrillers produced by Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment, directed by Adam Davidson and intended for theatrical release from Paramount Global’s label Republic Pictures. Filming is anticipated to contribute approximately $4 million to the economy on Vancouver Island, about $2 – $3 million being contributed in Port Alberni.
The Alberni Valley Community Foundation (AVCF) has received another $350,000 from the sale of the RimRock Casino. This is the second payment in a pledge of $1.25 million over four years from the Alberni Valley Gaming Association, which sold RimRock Casino in 2020 to Coulson Group of Companies. The AVCF provides grants to charities over all fields of interest in the Alberni Valley.
To celebrate Community Inclusion Month, the Port Alberni Association for Community Living is hosting a Fun Fair promoting inclusion and celebrating diversity, taking place at Port Alberni’s Glenwood Centre October 17th.
Community Arts Council of the Alberni Valley is accepting applications from artisans and artists for Mistletoe Market, which is hosted by The Grove Gallery from November 6th to December 21st.
The Alberni Valley Food Security Society is hosting a Pumpkin Festival October 20th at Dry Creek Community Gardens, inviting the public to learn about food security in the Alberni Valley through the work being done at the gardens.
North Island College’s Port Alberni campus is hosting ‘Get Ready to Thrive’ Week, the week of October 7thh. Student Life is hosting events for students, faculty and staff to learn about and focus on mental health and wellness.
Tilly’s Trucking has begun sidewalk upgrades for the City of Port Alberni’s Quay to Quay Pathway between Redford St. and the train tracks on Stamp Ave. This work is an important step towards completion of the pathway between Victoria and Harbour Quay.
Riders of the Alberni Valley and The Jumping Slug Community Cyclery hosted Cross on the Rock, a grassroots cyclocross event, at the Alberni Valley Fairgrounds on October 6th.
The Athletics department of Alberni District Secondary School (ADSS) has changed its name from the Armada to Storm, and engaged Hesquiaht artist Greena Haiyupis to develop a new emblem for the teams. ADSS faculty engaged with representatives from the local Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations in discussions on an appropriate name.
A deep-sea droid dubbed ‘Jenny’ embarked on its first major expedition this fall with Canpac Marine Services Inc. and Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), which operates an observatory in Port Alberni. ‘Jenny’, the $8 million remotely operated vehicle (ROV) capable of reaching depths of 6,000 metres, is completing key maintenance tasks on ONC’s offshore subsea 800-kilometre-long cabled observatory infrastructure from Oct. 5 to 12. During the expedition aboard the Canpac Valour, the ROV will reinstall new instruments at three main sites along ONC’s observatory NEPTUNE (North-East Pacific Time-series Undersea Networked Experiments), a data collection loop that starts and ends at Port Alberni’s shore station.
Author Jennie Potter of Port Alberni is one of 3 finalists in the Business/Self-Help category of the Canadian Book Club Awards, Canada’s largest reader’s choice awards.
School District #70 in recently received $7 million from the Province’s ChildCare BC New Spaces Funding to create 128 new child care spaces at Wood Elementary School in Port Alberni. The School District, representatives from Hupačasath First Nation Tseshaht Nation and the Alberni Clayoquot Métis Society participated in the groundbreaking ceremony.
PARKSVILLE – QUALICUM BEACH
On the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, the Rotary Club of Parksville welcomes new members at their meeting in the Parksville Community Centre, 223 Mills St.
An official opening ceremony was held by the Town of Qualicum Beach at the waterfront boardwalk and viewing platform.
A Health Care Community Forum will be held at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre on October 13th, co-hosted by the Qualicum Beach Residents Association and the Fair Care Alliance.
Lloyd Gilmore will lecture on Rhodo Hybridizing and Rose Prufer will speak on Rhodo Propagation at the 7:30 p.m. general meeting of the Mount Arrowsmith Rhododendron Society (MARS) at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre.
Featuring over twenty potters from the Mid-Island, the Art of the Fire Show and Sale will take place at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre on October 12. Admission is free, and Wild Roots Cafe will be providing refreshments and a charity raffle.
The Oceanside Stroke Recovery Society meets on Fridays in St. Columba Church Hall, 921 Wembley Road, Parksville, and offers counselling and support to stroke survivors and their caregivers.
NANAIMO
Richard Porges
Richard Porges, President & CEO of Destination British Columbia will provide a keynote presentation on the corporation’s work and the West Coast Iconic at the Annual General Meeting on October 17 at the Courtyard by Marriott Nanaimo.
Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon has launched a province-wide 50/50 raffle campaign to support families with seriously ill children, with a fundraising target set at $250,000. The winner will collect half of this amount, while the rest will go directly to supporting the Family Rooms at Surrey Memorial Hospital, which provide a vital space for families to stay close to their children receiving urgent medical care.
Securiguard Services Limited announced that it has been named an Excellence Awardee for The Queen’s University IRC Award for Best Learning & Development Strategy at the Canadian HR Awards 2024. This recognition highlights Securiguard’s ongoing commitment to fostering professional development and career growth for its employees.
Innovation Island will be soft-launching a full-service Business Accelerator program at the VIEA Summit, check out booth #24 and visit https://innovationisland.ca/3point0/.
Foreman Equipment has opened its newest location in Nanaimo.
CC Equipment Ltd is pleased to announce the expansion of its services to its new location at 2093 S. Wellington Rd, Nanaimo.
Seaspan Energy has just celebrated the delivery of its first LNG bunkering vessel, the Seaspan Garibaldi (Nch’kay̓) to Port Nanaimo.
The Regional District of Nanaimo is seeking proposals from qualified janitorial service providers for cleaning services at its main administration office and transit administration building, both situated at 6300 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo. Additionally, proposals are requested for janitorial services at various off-site locations, including transit exchanges and bus shelters throughout the City of Nanaimo and other areas within the Regional District. For any direct submissions or inquiries, reach out to Sheldon Racz, the Manager of Facilities and Fleet.
The Regional District of Nanaimo plans to directly award a snow-clearing services contract to Island West Commercial Maintenance for the Winter 2024/2025 and Winter 2025/2026 seasons across multiple locations. Vendors who want to challenge the RDN’s plan to directly award the mentioned sites need to send their written concerns via email to Sheldon Racz, Manager, Facilities and Fleet at the Regional District of Nanaimo by October 22, 2024.
The Regional District of Nanaimo is seeking proposals from qualified firms to deliver security services for its administration and transit properties located at 6300 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo. Mobile and foot patrols, alarm response, and daily reporting of patrols and incidents will be part of the services offered. For any submissions or questions, reach out to Sheldon Racz, Manager of Facilities and Fleet.
West Coast Solid Furniture is hosting a grand opening sale at its new location in Nanaimo at the Country Club Mall.
LADYSMITH – CHEMAINUS
The Town of Ladysmith is launching Let’s Talk Ladysmith, a new online engagement platform for sharing thoughts on Town projects and initiatives.
This year, the local WorkBC Centre awarded Diversity & Inclusion Awards to a total of 23 businesses and organizations in Duncan and Ladysmith. These organizations include Just Desserts, Real Canadian Superstore, Cobble Hill’s Country Grocer, Mid-Island Co-op Liquor, Ironwork Cafe & Creperie, B.C. Infrastructure Benefits, Island Auto Spa, Island GM, Winners, Cowichan Hospital Foundation, Prolux Windows and Doors, Gideon Plumbing, Mettra Pharmacy, Lucky Dog Daycare, Ravenstone Construction, Cowichan Green Community, Walmart, Thermoproof, Dancia Motors, By the Bay Lavender, Neufeld Furniture, Footprints Security, and Just For Kids After School Care.
Duncan’s Chocolate Pearl has launched a new location in Chemainus at 9756 B Willow St., celebrating its grand opening on September 28th.
COWICHAN – DUNCAN
On September 28, Duncan’s Island Bagel and Bannock had its grand opening at 43 Station St. A portion of the sales that day—10 per cent—were donated to the Cowichan Tribes’ Elders Program.
Core Connection Mobile Physiotherapy is now available in the Cowichan Valley.
Three businesses from Duncan, Bin There Dump That, High Definition Roofing Ltd., and Gideon Plumbing and Drain Services, have been named finalists for the 2024 Torch Awards, organized by the Better Business Bureau Vancouver Island.
Cowichan Valley Regional District is seeking financial support from the Cowichan Public Art Gallery Society, who are proceeding with their plans to build a new $35 million world-class art gallery in downtown Duncan.
North Cowichan is looking into the possibility of expanding its Mountain View Cemetery, as the existing 14-acre area is approaching capacity. Urban Systems has proposed a gradual expansion plan spanning 25 years, which includes new areas for traditional burials as well as modern options such as scattering gardens and green burials.
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