Running 28 minutes, Midcoast Morning covers local news and current affairs happening in Nanaimo and on the Salish Sea. Midcoast Morning focuses in on one big story per show, interviewing reporters about their stories, as well as those making news and those impacted by it. We also feature the curators and creators in our local arts and culture scene. Midcoast Morning broadcasts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at 8:30 A.M.. The podcast edition releases at the same time.
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Joe Pugh — Host and Producer.
Jesse Woodward — Executive Producer.
Arbie Fru — Technical Assistance.
And other contributors in our news department.
Have a lead on a story? Feedback regarding an episode? Drop us a line. We read all of our emails, and respond when we can.
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…
Read MoreThree 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…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreA 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…
Read MoreA 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…
Read MoreFrom 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…
Read MoreRichard 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…
Read MoreNow 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. 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…
Read MoreTo 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.
Read MoreThe Hub, a drop in centre for people experiencing homelessness, is set to close at the end of the month…
Read MoreThe best men’s college basketball teams in the country will gather in Nanaimo next week, as VIU plays host to the CCAA national championships…
Read MoreAs 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…
Read MoreSnuneymuxw 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…
Read MoreThe president of the Yellow Point Ecological Society would like to see Nanaimo create a green industrial zone, citing examples from other Canadian communities…
Read MoreThis 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…
Read MoreBack 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…
Read MoreDecades 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…
Read MoreNanaimo 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. Plus, a new cooperative housing development in North Cowichan is expected to bring 92 affordable apartments to the community…
Read MoreA meeting for the Islands Trust saw tensions surface over the concept of a shoreline buffer zone. The province has delayed plans to update the Heritage Conservation Act. We speak with Gabriola Trustee Tobi Elliott and Judith Sayers on the show...
Read MoreMembers of the arts community in the Comox Valley are rallying in the face of the potential suspension of the fine arts program at North Island College. Fine Arts is one of 15 different programs that have been recommended for suspension following a review process, with a final decision expected to come from the school’s board of governors at a February 5th meeting…
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