News Impacting Central and North Vancouver Island
PORT HARDY/PORT MCNEILL
A new Early Childhood Community Centre is being constructed on the Gawa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw Nation by GNN’s k’awat’si Construction Company (KCC). The centre is expected to be completed by 2027 and will be the home of the GNN’s Infant Development team and the Early Years Coordinator.
The ‘igistu’tla Sanala’, which will be operated by the Galgapothla Family Services Society in partnership with the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw First Nation, will house the First Nations Primary Care Initiative, the Sanala Cultural Supportive Housing Society, and North Island Building Blocks, once construction is complete. The building, which was previously known as the Evergreen, is located across from Scotiabank in Port Hardy.
CAMPBELL RIVER
BC Food & Beverage welcomes its new member, Gathering Place Trading Ltd.
Discovery West Adventures in Campbell River has begun accepting the Access 2 Card.
Dodd’s Furniture and Mattress celebrates its 48th anniversary in business.
The Curious Cat Unique Gifts in Downtown Campbell River has been sold to a new owner.
COMOX VALLEY
Newcastle Engineering Ltd. has recently established an office in Courtenay and is currently seeking a Civil Engineer – Team Lead to oversee the operations of its newest location.
The Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce is now nationally Accredited by the Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada.
A temporary use permit for a winter shelter on Cumberland Road has been approved by the Courtenay City Council. The shelter will be operated by the Lookout Housing + Health Society on a nightly basis from November to April.
Nominations for the Comox Valley Chamber Awards are open until November 6, and the Starry Night Gala is scheduled for January 31.
PARKSVILLE/QUALICUM BEACH
Spark House Coworking, the new centre for business collaboration, creative expression, and flexible work spaces in Parksville, is now open.
The Oceanside Repair Cafe is set to take place at St. Stephen’s United Church, located at 150 Village Way in Qualicum Beach, on October 25.
Parksville Downtown businesses are set to host the Spooktacular Treat Trail on October 31.
100 Men of Oceanside will gather at Morningstar Golf Club, located at 525 Lowry’s Rd., Parksville, on November 5.
PORT ALBERNI
Twin City Brewing has won a gold medal at the 2025 BC Beer Awards for their Pineapple Coconut Sour.
Wildwood Thrift has officially opened. It was formerly the SPCA thrift store.
The Haunting ADAPS Fundraiser will take place at McLean Mill on October 25.
The Hair Spa has opened, located inside Trends Design Team Hair Salon.
Paws & Claws Mobile Nail Trims is expanding into Port Alberni.
Coombs Country Candy is celebrating their 5th Anniversary since becoming a social enterprise.
The Bamfield Main Road is to re-open October 24, with additional closures to follow.
The Navy League has moved locations to the Holy Family Notre Dame Roman Catholic Parish and the Sea Cadets have moved location to Trinity Anglican and Lutheran Church.
The Port Alberni Friendship Center celebrates 60 years in operation.
The Citaapi Mahtii Housing Society hosted the grand opening ceremony of their new 35 unit rental complex at Cedarwood Street, Oct. 17.
The Grove, The Community Arts Council of the Alberni Valley are currently hosting a community sounding board to gather input for developing future programming.
Boomerangs Café has extended their daily hours to 8 pm, 7 days a week.
TOFINO/UCLUELET
A Tofino WORTHshop, a leadership series for Indigenous Women of WORTH, will be hosted by Joanna Jagger of WORTH Association on October 24.
NANAIMO
David Warburton
David Warburton, the Artistic Executive Director of The Port Theatre, has been recognized as the 2025 Presenter of the Year by BC Live
Saurabh Patel and Hardik Patel, local entrepreneurs and business partners, have assumed ownership of Allegra Marketing Print Mail in Nanaimo.
Cory Chapman, Personal Real Estate Corporation – REALTOR® / Team Leader has been welcomed to the Rate-My-Agent Pro community.
Qualia Reed has opened the Winding Road Counselling, a new therapy clinic in Nanaimo.
BDC has announced a commitment of $100 million in new financing, which will be matched by the CF network. This initiative aims to improve access to capital and advisory support for business owners located in rural and remote areas.
The Nanaimo Prosperity Corporation is the Premier Sponsor of the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance’s 2025 ‘State of the Island’ Economic Summit, October 28–30 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre.
U-Haul Co. (Canada) Ltd. announced that Superette Foods, a local grocery store, has become a U-Haul® neighbourhood dealer to provide service to the Nanaimo community.
LADYSMITH/CHEMAINUS
REMAX Canada announced the opening of REMAX Professionals’ third office in Ladysmith
The new location of Little Town Pizza Chemainus will be shared with Island Pastry Haus at 9780 Willow St., and is scheduled to reopen on November 6. The company is also in the process of establishing a new brand, Yellow House Food Co.
Food Banks Canada received cash from the federal government’s 2025 School Food Infrastructure Fund to purchase a new delivery van for the Chemainus Harvest House Society Food Bank.
LADYSMITH/CHEMAINUS
Graham Bruce
Graham Bruce, a former mayor of North Cowichan and provincial cabinet minister, has been granted the special honour of Freedom of the Municipality.
The Cowichan Urgent and Primary Care Centre, located at 940 Government St., officially opened on October 20.
Rogers Communications‘ proposal for a 62-meter-tall self-supporting cell tower at 1655 Koksilah Road in Cowichan Bay has received the support of the electoral area services committee of the CVRD.
The Cowichan Public Art Gallery will host the Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce‘s Mix & Mingle on October 29.
The annual Fall Furniture Sale is currently underway at Roger’s Furniture & Mattress, located at #503-5301 Chaster Rd. The sale will feature reductions of up to 70 per cent on select items and will continue until the end of October.
South Shore Cabinetry and Terry Johal Developments were awarded the Best Traditional Kitchen over $100,000 category for their project at Shelter Cove at the 34th annual Construction Achievements and Renovations of Excellence Awards of Vancouver Island.
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