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A public hearing on the potential rezoning of lands near Cable Bay trail packed the Vancouver Island Conference Centre Thursday April 16th, and is set to continue this week. Around 68 people spoke to the matter, with 24 of them calling into the hearing, with council also receiving 907 written submissions. At issue is a rezoning bylaw. It would see close to 75 hectares of land near the southeastern edge of Nanaimo rezoned from Rural Resource [AR1] zoning to Industrial [I4]. AR 1 zoning “provides agriculture and rural uses on larger lots without urban services,” and permitted uses include agriculture, golf courses, and animal shelters. Per the city’s zoning bylaw I4 zoning provides for heavy industrial development that is not compatible with residential uses. Among numerous permitted uses under this type of zoning are Wood and Paper Processing, log sorting and storage, chemical plants, and a use case simply listed as industry. The land is owned by Nanaimo Forest Products, also known in the community as Harmac Pacific. The rezoning application also includes provisions for a site specific use for agriculture, with one section of the lands anticipated to play home to a greenhouse and housing for temporary foreign workers. The parcel of land in question is located directly west of Cable Bay trail. If approved as is, a buffer with an average length of 100 metres is to be left next to the trail. In some places limited industrial use is forecast 50 meters away from the trail according to a site map. Midcoast Morning brings you excerpts from the hearing, which is set to continue Wednesday April 22nd, at 7PM. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month. Podcast Photo: Speaker at Cable Bay Hearing (Jesse Woodward/CHLY 101.7FM) ★ Support this podcast ★

From free buses and the return of rail, to a floating night market and an attack on democracy, VIU students spent a semester simulating the future of the city, taking Nanaimo all the way to 2086. In a political studies course under professor Michael MacKenzie students participated in mock elections, with winners seeking to implement their policy ideas in an AI powered simulation.  The students were divided into 3 different worlds and each presented their results in a fair Thursday April 9th at VIU. Midcoast Morning attended and spoke with MacKenzie and various students about Nanaimo’s potential future. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month. Podcast Photo: Michael Mackenzie and VIU Political Science students (Joe Pugh/CHLY 101.7FM) ★ Support this podcast ★

Richard Johnson says politics needs the public. In the book Democracy’s Second Act, Johnson writes that citizens no longer see their governments as competent or effective, while governments increasingly doubt the judgment and abilities of their publics. Johnson and co-author Peter MacLeod call for  new institutions to bring ordinary people into the political process in meaningful ways. The Victoria based author will be at the library in Courtenay this Saturday speaking on the subject. Midcoast Morning got in touch to learn more about his vision for the future of democracy. This is an extended podcast edition of the original broadcast. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month. Podcast Photo: Co-authors Richard Johnson and Peter MacLeod (Sophie Bouquillon). ★ Support this podcast ★

Now aged 91, a woman who spent decades living at Wildwood Ecoforest is sharing her memories. In 1945, the late Merv Wilkinson began using the land as an ecoforest.0 It’s a type of forestry that strives to protect and or restore an ecosystem, rather than to maximize the commercial value of a forest over a short time frame. Grace Richard was married to Wilkinson for over 30 years and lived on the site. She shared memories of Wildwood with Midcoast Morning. The program also paid a visit to the site, which is now stewarded by the Ecoforestry Institute Society. Midcoast Morning host Joe Pugh spoke with society chair Kathy Code. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month. Special thanks to Patrick Carpenter. Podcast Photo: Wildwood Ecoforest (Joe Pugh/CHLY 101.7FM) ★ Support this podcast ★

To mark World Water Day, a UN observance intended to highlight the importance of freshwater, Midcoast Morning spoke with Mike Squire, Manager of Water Resources with the City of Nanaimo, to check in on the state of Nanaimo’s water supply and water infrastructure, the city’s ability to regulate water users, and its expected capacity in the future. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month. Links: RDN Water to Earth Month eventsGabriola Freshwater Footprint  September reportPodcast Photo: Drinking Water (Engin Akyurt/Pexels) ★ Support this podcast ★

The Hub, a drop in centre for people experiencing homelessness, is set to close at the end of the month. Located on Nicol street, it opened in January of last year. During the day, Island crisis care society runs a drop in centre where people can sit inside, use a bathroom, and connect with various service providers. At night the space transitions to a 20 bed shelter run by Nanaimo Family Life Association. Last summer, Nanaimo City Council voted to continue funding The Hub only until the end of March, following concerns presented by residents of the neighbourhood surrounding the facility about a significant increase in street disorder in the blocks surrounding the area. Midcoast Morning visited The Hub and spoke with day and nighttime service operators and service users. CHLY reporter Lauryn Mackenzie spoke with residents of the south end, and the program heard from Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog about the city’s plans for the transition period as The Hub approaches its final days on Nicol Street. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month. Podcast Photo: Cece, a service user at the Hub (Lauryn Mackenzie/CHLY 101.7FM). ★ Support this podcast ★

The best men’s college basketball teams in the country will gather in Nanaimo next week, as VIU plays host to the CCAA National Championship. The home team will be tipping off on Wednesday, fresh off a victory in the provincial PACWEST final earlier this month. The tournament is the swansong for longtime coach Matt Kuzminski, and 5th year player Kai Leighton, both of whom spoke with Midcoast Morning. The program also heard from VIU Sports and Information coordinator Matt Carter. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month. Podcast Photo: VIU Mariner’s Basketball (Provided). ★ Support this podcast ★

As B.C. gets ready to spring forward one final time, a number of voices are saying the government has ignored the scientific consensus on how to best handle ending time changes. The BC government press release on the adoption of permanent daylight time cited a study from Standford medicine on the impacts of clock changes. The senior author of that study told the CBC that permanent daylight time is “scientifically not a good idea”. That sentiment is echoed by Camosun psychology instructor Michael Pollock, who says a move toward permanent standard time would be the better option from a public health perspective if the province was looking to do away with time changes. He spoke about the issue with Midcoast Morning. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month. Podcast Photo: Michael Pollock at Camosun College (Camosun). ★ Support this podcast ★

Snuneymuxw First Nation is calling for investigation and enforcement around two incidents related to the marine environment in the Duke Point area. In a February press release, the nation raised concerns about a January oil spill and environmental impacts related to discharge from a sawmill, which they said dates back 40 years. Midcoast Morning spoke with Snuneymuxw Councillor William Yoachim about the issue. The program also spoke with fish and wildlife ecotoxicologist Mason King to better understand the potential environmental stakes. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month. Podcast Photo: Aerial view of Duke Point (SFN/Dirk Heydemann) ★ Support this podcast ★

The president of the Yellow Point Ecological Society would like to see Nanaimo create a green industrial zone, citing examples from other Canadian communities. Guy Dauncey pitched the idea to Nanaimo City Council, suggesting that The District of Highlands on southern Vancouver Island, as well as Red Deer and Fort McMurray in Alberta all have provisions to create industrial areas with ecology factored into the design. Dauncey spoke with Midcoast Morning about the idea, which he suggested was inspired by lands that Nanaimo Forest Products has applied to rezone as industrial. Harmac Pacific/Nanaimo Forest Products CEO Paul Sadler spoke with the program about the idea. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month.Podcast Photo: Cable Bay Trail, near Duke Point (Wikipedia Commons) ★ Support this podcast ★

This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of a Nanaimo festival celebrating French language, culture, and food. The Maple Sugar Festival is celebrating its silver anniversary at the Beban Park Social Centre Friday through Sunday. The event is organized by the Association des Francophones de Nanaimo, Midcoast Morning spoke with Executive Director Camille Veron about the festival and the local francophone community. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month. Disclosure: Host Joe Pugh is a member of L’Association des Francophones de Nanaimo. Podcast Photo: Maple Sugar Festival illustration (Provided). ★ Support this podcast ★

Back in 1999 when Shalema Gantt first came to Nanaimo, she says she didn’t find many black people, and she didn’t hear much about the contributions of black Canadians in the region’s history. When she was given a resource guide on Black pioneers in British Columbia, she was inspired to share what she had learned with others, and started the Nanaimo African Heritage Society.  Now more than 25 years later Gantt is still president of the society, and is still organizing events  to bring people together to mark Black History Month. Midcoast Morning asked her how the Nanaimo African Heritage Society is marking the occasion in 2026. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month. Podcast Photo: Marie and Louise Stark (Estes-Stark Collection/Salt Spring Island Archives). ★ Support this podcast ★

Decades of Contributions to Nanaimo’s history, theatre, and music scenes have been recognized as the city announced a trio of Culture Award winners this week. Brian McFadden of the Vancouver Island Military Museum, Leon Potter of the VIU Theatre Department and Luis Poretta of Quadwrangle Productions are this years’ recipients. each of them spoke with Midcoast Morning about their contributions to the city’s cultural fabric. The Culture awards have been awarded annually by the city since 1998.  Recipients are selected by City Council after a community nomination process and review by a panel of various community stakeholders. The awards will be handed out at a ceremony this April at the Port Theatre. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month. Podcast Photo: Port Theatre (Jesse Woodward/CHLY 101.7FM). Full program notes can be found at www.chly.ca/midcoastmorning ★ Support this podcast ★

Nanaimo is looking at new rules to encourage more affordable housing in the community. The city is in the process of pre-zoning certain corridors for social housing. The exact definitions are still a work in progress, with public consultation  planned to take place towards the end of the month, ahead of the plan coming before city council in the spring. Midcoast Morning spoke with the project manager about the prezoning initiative. Plus, a new cooperative housing development in North Cowichan is expected to bring 92 affordable apartments to the community. Thom Armstrong, CEO of the Cooperative Housing Federation of BC spoke about the road to reality for that project, and weighed in on what a municipality can do to encourage affordable builds. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month. Podcast Photo: Pre-zoning Map (City of Nanaimo ARC GIS). Full program notes can be found at www.chly.ca/midcoastmorning ★ Support this podcast ★

Gabriola Island Trustee Tobi Elliot says concern over the concept of a shoreline buffer zone led a overflowing meeting room as residence turned out. Elliot wrote about the tensions present at that meeting in a post on her Substack, attributing them in part to apprehensions around the potential impact of last year’s supreme court decision around Cowichan title to certain land in Richmond. She spoke with Midcoast Morning about the issue. Also, plans to update British Columbia’s Heritage Conservation Act have been delayed. The act exists for the protection and conservation of sites with historical, cultural and archaeological value in the province, and major changes haven’t been made to the act since 1996. The province has been in the midst of reviewing the act for a number of years. Amendments to the act had been expected this spring, but earlier this month the province announced a delay, saying the extra time is to gather and incorporate additional feedback from industry, local governments and First Nations. Midcoast Morning spoke with Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council President Judith Sayers, who is also Co-Chair of the Joint Working Group on the Heritage Conservation Act. Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month.Podcast Photo: Descanso Bay shoreline on Gabriola Island (Jesse Woodward/CHLY 101.7FM) Full program notes can be found at www.chly.ca/midcoastmorning ★ Support this podcast ★