COWICHAN VALLEY
Catalyst Crofton will resume regular seasonal operations of the Cowichan Lake weir that regulates water flow out of Cowichan Lake this month. Once operating, the weir will gradually reduce water flow from the lake to the river in order to have enough extra water in the lake to achieve target river flow during the dry summer months. Catalyst Crofton, a Paper Excellence company, operates the weir under the direction of the provincial Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
Full Bug Records at 171 Jubilee Street in Duncan has opened. Check them out at this link.
Duncan’s Pots & Paraphernalia, located at 863 Canada Avenue, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. www.potsandparaphernalia.ca.
The Corridor Upgrade Project section along Chemainus Road is nearly complete. Some of the remaining work includes refreshing paint lines and seat backs on benches in front of the Green Lantern Hotel. Milestone Equipment Contracting is performing the finishing touches.
The City of Duncan has approved $10,000 to be set aside in 2021 for the municipality’s new enhanced security initiative pilot program, a matching grant opportunity for commercial property owners to apply for any new safety or security project that they choose, with a 50 percent reimbursement, up to a maximum of $1,000. Commercial buildings in the city will be eligible to apply for a one-time ESIPP grant to be evaluated by a review committee.
The Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce’s Dine & Sip Cowichan has raised $10,000 for local food banks in partnership with Island Savings.
North Cowichan will contribute another $332,500 towards the construction of the new field house at the Cowichan Sportsplex. The municipality committed $95,000 towards the project in 2019. The construction of the new building is estimated at $1.58 million, $330,000 above the original construction budget.
Duncan’s Medix EMS office is offering safety-related courses at its new school, located at 225 Canada Avenue. Medix EMS specializes in providing first aid for events, industrial and commercial first aid services, and supplying first aid kits and supplies to all of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. www.medixbc.ca
The Cowichan Valley Regional Hospital District has transferred 9.22 hectares of land on Bell McKinnon Road to Island Health for the construction of the new $887.4-million Cowichan District Hospital. As part of the land transfer, Island Health purchased the three land parcels on Bell McKinnon Road in North Cowichan from the CVRHD for approximately $3.4 million. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2022, with the new hospital ready for patients in 2026.
Though Sports Traders Duncan closed its doors last year, owners, Richard and Maureen Ellis are still dealing in sports supplies through Cowichan Athletic Sales, run from their home. Cowichan Athletic Sales handles special orders for baseball uniforms, soccer jerseys, shorts and other sportswear for teams, schools, institutions, organizations and corporations, as well as sporting equipment to schools, arenas, jails, community centres, and a wide array of corporate customized apparel like jackets, vests, caps, and customized face coverings. visit www.cowichanathleticsales.com.
The WINGS thrift store has reopened in Duncan at 466 Jubilee Street.
LADYSMITH/CHEMAINUS
Ladysmith-filmed hit television show, ‘Resident Alien’ has been green-lit for a second season. The SYFY Network series follows star Alan Tudyk as an alien who crash lands on earth and assumes the identity of a small-town doctor. Ladysmith plays the town of Patience, Colorado in the series. Showrunner Chris Sheridan confirmed the show will return to film in Ladysmith for season two.
A group of volunteers has formed the Ladysmith Community Fund Society, dedicated to establishing a permanent endowment fund to support Ladysmith charities. The fund will be held and managed by the Nanaimo Foundation. For more info on the fund or joining the Ladysmith Community Fund Society, contact Bruce Whittington at 250-245-5325 or email brucewhittington@shaw.ca.
Taylor Walters
Ladysmith’s Taylor Walters received the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award along with a $28,000 scholarship for her work promoting equality in the sciences. She’s pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction at Quest University.
Indigenous Bloom cannabis store at 102-12590, Trans-Canada Highway in Ladysmith is now open.
Karen Laing
Karen Laing is the new executive director of the Ladysmith Resource Centre Association. Before moving to Ladysmith, Karen worked for a decade as the Director of Governance and Resource Development at the Mission Community Services Society in Mission, BC, as well as serving as Chair of the Board of Directors for the MCSS.
The Great Canadian Dollar Store located at Chemainus Village Square has opened. The 4,500 square feet of retail space has been in planning and construction for two years.
Peerless Road Recycling Centre has won a ‘Top Collector Award’ from the BC Used Oil Management Association (BCUOMA) for the centre’s work in recycling used motor oil and anti-freeze. Peerless was ranked at number 23 in the top 30 collectors.
The Cowichan Watershed Board, Cowichan Tribes and Halalt First Nation will receive $500,000 to improve salmonid habitats and alter flow requirements in the Koksilah and Chemainus Rivers. Scheduled for completion by December 2021, the project is one of 60 dedicated to restoring diverse ecosystems and conserving fish, wildlife and habitat recently announced by the BC NDP government. About $10 million is being dedicated to support projects for species conservation and ecosystem restoration, which will create more than 350 jobs.
NANAIMO
The $82-million upgrade to the Greater Nanaimo Pollution Control Centre’s wastewater treatment system is now complete. The project was partially funded by $6 million in federal gas tax money, through the Union of BC Municipalities and BC government. Development cost charges and reserve money were also used.
Nanaimo city councillors recommended in an 8-1 vote that $400,000 be spent on overnight security in all areas of the downtown, as well as voting to recommend spending $50,000 to hire a consultant to create a public safety action plan.
Nanaimo home builders constructing energy efficient homes could be eligible for up to $15,000 in rebates via BC’s Better Homes New Construction program, which is open to construction companies building Part 9 single-family detached homes, laneway homes, duplexes, triplexes or townhomes. All building permits issued on or after April 1, 2020 are eligible. For details, click here.
The Regional District of Nanaimo board has approved the formation of an Oceanside Services Recreation Grant Subcommittee, which will be tasked with reviewing recreation grant applications and provide recommendations to the Oceanside Services Committee. Three directors will be appointed to the sub-committee. The Oceanside Services Recreation Grant has $75,000 that District 69 groups and organizations can apply for recreation programs.
Brothers Simon and Adrian Collery, owners of Footrpints Security, with locations in Nanaimo, Courtenay and Victoria, recently donated $10,800 to the District 69 Society of Services.
Nanaimo-based Tourism Vancouver Island (TVI) has been announced as the new operator for the visitor centre in the Comox Valley. The centre has previously been run by the Comox Valley Economic Development Society (CVEDS). The change includes some staff shifting over to TVI in the centre. TVI has been running for about 60 years.
An $82-million upgrade to the Greater Nanaimo Pollution Control Centre’s wastewater treatment system is now complete according to the Regional District of Nanaimo. The project was partially funded by $6 million in federal gas tax money, the Union of BC Municipalities, the BC government, with development cost charges and reserve money also used.
United Raw Pet Foods Inc., Canada’s leader in alternative pet foods and a majority-owned subsidiary of Dane Creek Capital Corp., has acquired The Wild Side Pet Boutique, a leading pet specialty retailer specializing in raw, dehydrated, baked and freeze-dried food for pets. Wild Side currently has two locations in Nanaimo and Qualicum Beach.
Flight Cannabis Co. has opened its new location 847 Bruce Avenue in Nanaimo.
Imogene Lim
Vancouver Island University Anthropology Professor Imogene Lim receiving a BC Medal of Good Citizenship for outstanding service and commitment to helping others in their communities.
Construction will soon begin on Nanaimo’s Nicol Street building that will provide more than 50 housing units for people experiencing homelessness. Island Crisis Care Society will operate the four-storey building. BC Housing is providing approximately $13.6 million in capital funding as well as $1.4 million in annual operating funding. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of this summer.
Nanaimo City Council voted unanimously to issue a permit to WestUrban Developments for a 213-unit residential project on Junction Avenue at Tenth Street and Lawlor Road in Chase River. The property was re-zoned for mixed-use corridor development in 2019. The complex will include three four-storey buildings.
The BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is providing COVID-19 relief funding of $720,000 to Nanaimo Airport to ensure business continues. The funding will support operations between April 1st and March 31, 2022. WestJet recently announced it would again offer direct flights from Nanaimo to Edmonton beginning in late June, another beneficial development.
Vancouver Island University’s Deep Bay Marine Field Station is now a part of the BC Ministry of Agriculture Food and Fisheries food hub network. It is one of three new hubs established on Vancouver Island that include Cowichan Valley and Victoria. BC food hubs create new opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses to strengthen food security via locally grown and processed food. The provincial government is investing up to $2 million to purchase food-processing equipment and other startup costs for the three hubs in partnership with the City of Victoria, the Victoria Community Food Hub Society, Cowichan Valley Regional District, Cowichan Green Community Society and Vancouver Island University.
Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank is close to securing a new location in Nanaimo on East Wellington Road, near the Canada Post office. There are no structures on the site currently. The non-profit has brought on Saywell Contracting Ltd. to assist with design and construction for an eventual warehouse facility that will occupy the space. The organization envisions an approximately 30,000-square foot facility to service Nanaimo, and people across the Island but accessing food on the provincial and national level.