Advocates call Nanaimo's tentative tenant protection bylaw weak
The City of Nanaimo is in the process of creating a tenant protection bylaw, but staff are recommending against some of the enhanced protections offered by bylaws in other B.C. communities.
Staff are recommending a bylaw that would apply to redevelopments of buildings with four or more rental units. It is expected to offer displaced tenants four months of rent, as well as moving expenses.
Some communities in B.C. with tenant protection bylaws offer people the opportunity to move back into buildings with a rent that is guaranteed at a certain threshold below market levels.
While Nanaimo’s staff recommendations include a right of first refusal, the suggestion is to leave any discount to the discretion of developers.
Midcoast Morning speaks with a member of the Victoria Tenants Union, a legal advocate from the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, as well as a planner from Nanaimo about the bylaw that’s in the works.
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Exploring the Woodgrove Area Plan
A plan to shape the future of the Woodgrove Area is now complete and has made its way before Nanaimo City Council.
Project Manager Kasia Biegun of the City of Nanaimo’s planning department spoke with CHLY about what’s envisioned for the area through 2046.
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Understanding data centres with Martin Karsten
A recent Nanaimo press conference saw the leader of BC’s Green Party joined by a community advocate and a pair of city councillors in a call for more stringent regulation of the data centre industry. Midcoast Morning speaks with Martin Karsten, a University of Waterloo computer science professor, to walk through some questions around how data centres work, and to get his take on some of the factors at play in Nanaimo’s situation…
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A pitch for a Nanaimo Housing Collective
Three groups made a pitch this week for a new organization to coordinate bringing affordable housing to Nanaimo. At a governance and priorities committee meeting, Nanaimo City Council received an ask to fund a Nanaimo Housing Collective…
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Nanaimo Forest Products CEO speaks to next steps following public hearing process
The CEO of Nanaimo Forest Products says that while nothing is decided yet, he expects it to be months before a rezoning application for lands in the southeastern part of Nanaimo makes it back before city council…
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Understanding the public hearing proces around Cable Bay
A public hearing around the potential rezoning of lands near Cable Bay Trail is set to continue into a third session this week. With Nanaimo receiving more than 900 written submissions about the proposal, and more than 100 people speaking to the matter in person or over the phone so far, there has been significant community interest in the matter…
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Excerpts from Cable Bay public hearing
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…
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Checking in on Nanaimo's water supply for World Water Day
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. We 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.
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The impending closure of the Nicol Street Hub
The Hub, a drop in centre for people experiencing homelessness, is set to close at the end of the month…
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Talking transit and traffic calming in the City of Nanaimo
We're marking Nanaimo's move from 2025 into 2026, with a focus on transportation. We talked transit and traffic calming with Jamie Rose, the City of Nanaimo’s Manager of Transportation about how things changed in the last year, as well as what's on the radar for the next one…
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Nanaimo council moves funds away from plan to light section of E&N trail
Plans to light a section of the E&N Trail next year won’t be going ahead, as funding has been reallocated to other to be determined projects. A section of the trail between Northfield and Rock City roads had been scheduled to receive lighting upgrades in 2026. Instead, around a million dollars of funding will be redirected into other pedestrian and active transportation projects next year…
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Harmac CEO reponds to motion around industrial land use generates lengthy debate at Nanaimo City Council
A motion about industrial land use divided Nanaimo city council in a narrow 5-4 vote Monday night. On the meeting agenda the motion from Councillor Paul Manly asked staff to prepare a zoning amendment that would have prevented six different industrial scale uses, including certain garbage incineration facilities, chemical plants, petroleum refineries, and Liquified Natural Gas export facilities…
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Nanaimo mayor and city staff respond to data centre water use concerns
Plans for a data centre in Nanaimo have generated significant attention in recent weeks. The centre is proposed for 2090 East Wellington Road, and the area was rezoned in 2023. Midcoast Morning explores recent community concerns with Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog, and shares information revealed at a Nanaimo city council meeting about potential water use at the site.
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Proposed rezoning near Westwood Lake voted down
Following push-back from members of the community, a zoning change proposal failed to pass first reading at Nanaimo City Council on Monday. Council heard from 8 delegations opposed to a rezoning application for 2367 Arbot Road, which is currently home to the Westwood Lake Tennis Club…
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The history behind the new name of Five Acres Farm Community Park
With Nanaimo City Council voting in favour of a motion Monday to name the park at 933 Park Avenue Five Acres Farm Community Park, Midcoast Morning explores the history behind the name, as well as the urban farming that’s still taking place on the land.
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Nanaimo meets new housing target, but no new affordable units built in last year
Nanaimo has met its provincial housing targets this year, but it didn’t add a single unit of affordable housing.There were 875 units issued occupancy permits issued in the last year in Nanaimo. Just over 100 supportive housing units also came online through the provincial HEART & HEARTH program.
The vast majority of new housing in Nanaimo is rental housing, with a relatively balanced mix of one, two, and three or more bedroom units.
The vacancy rate has risen in the past few years, currently estimated at 2.9 per cent, approaching the 3 per cent level city staff suggest is needed to help create a healthy rental market.
Provincial legislation in 2023 created housing targets for municipalities. City staff presented a report sharing Nanaimo’s progress towards meeting those targets at a council meeting this past Monday. Lisa Brinkman, Manager of Community Planning with the City of Nanaimo, spoke with Midcoast Morning about the year in housing.
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Nanaimo's 2024 Culture Award winners
Nanaimo has announced the winners of its 2024 culture awards. The prizes have been bringing awareness to the breadth and variety of cultural activity in Nanaimo since 1998. This year’s winners include a world champion highland dancer, a member of Canadian Music Hall of Fame band Trooper, and someone who’s brought banghra to Polish TV audiences and Nanaimo citizens alike.
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