My Nanaimo This Week - February 23, 2026

City of Nanaimo weekly e-news banner featuring community updates and a coastal trail scene with a person and a dog walking on rocky shore.

February 23, 2026

This Week...

We're highlighting an "Illuminating" artist, share your feedback on how we can fast track social housing and get ready for the Spring and Summer Activity Guide. Read on for more!

Circular light projection on pavement featuring a stylized black and white design with bold lines and symmetrical patterns.

Lighting a Path Artist Highlight - Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun

Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun posing in front of a purple, white and yellow mural.

Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun (he/they) is an artist and storyteller from Snuneymuxw First Nation in Nanaimo, BC. His family roots are in Penelakut and in Hupacasath in the Nuu-chah-nulth world. His interdisciplinary art practice is rooted in honouring and celebrating the stories and teachings passed down by his family, community and culture. He works across a range of mediums, including digital art, printmaking, painting, sculpture, installation, creative writing and curation. His work has been exhibited internationally across Canada, the United States and England. He currently resides on the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.

You can find his piece pictured above in the Lighting a Path public art installation in Sway-a-Lana (Maffeo Sutton Park) until March 16.

LIGHTING A PATH

Modern apartment building with balconies, promoting a survey on accelerating social housing delivery in Nanaimo.

Pre-zoning Land for Social Housing

We want to hear from you! The cost of housing in Nanaimo is out of reach for many residents, and the City is working on a new initiative to change that. We are seeking feedback on an initiative to accelerate the delivery of social housing.

Social Housing is for people that you see every day in your community, like healthcare workers, teachers and delivery drivers. Social Housing costs less than regular market housing and is intended for individuals and families who may not be able to afford the cost of market housing in Nanaimo.

As the construction of social housing typically relies on securing government funding, the time and cost to rezone can impact whether the project can move forward or not. The Pre-Zoning for Social Housing initiative proposes to speed up the delivery of social housing by removing the requirement for rezoning in certain areas. You can view what parcels are proposed to be pre-zoned on this interactive map. The survey is open until March 15, 2026.

LEARN MORE AND TAKE SURVEY

Nanaimo Parks, Recreation & Culture Spring & Summer 2026 activity guide with kids playing sports and registration dates for programs.

Get Ready for Spring and Summer!

The Spring/Summer Activity Guide will be available on February 27! In it, you will find a number of new programs including Swim Stars Camp, Kids Intro to Workout Training, many new pottery options, Podcasting for Beginners and a Refresher Pruning class.

Also included in the guide are the Summer Concerts in the Park schedules, Playground Program details and information on summer family events held in June and August.

Registration will open at 6 am on the following dates:

Aquatics only: March 4, 2026
All other programs: March 11, 2026

There are three ways to register:

Online
Telephone: call 250-756-5200
In Person: Beban Park, Bowen Park, Nanaimo Aquatic Centre and Oliver Woods Community Centre

ACTIVITY GUIDE

Announcement of paid parking returning downtown Nanaimo starting March 2 with a yellow car icon and directional arrow.

Downtown Pay Parking

As they say, “all things come to an end” and that includes free parking on downtown streets. Starting March 2, all street parking downtown will change back to pay parking zones. The cost will be 25 cents for 12 minutes and $1.25 per hour. Parking will be free after 5 pm and all day on Sundays.

We have added a new convenient way to pay – with Hotspot parking. Pay and add extra time all from the comfort of your phone. Use the QR codes provided or download the app. We will also have meters for direct payment.

LEARN MORE

Waves crashing on rocky shore at Neck Point Park with distant coastal homes under clear sky in Nanaimo, promoting sea level rise management survey.

Our Coastline - What Do You Value?

Did you know? Nanaimo's coastline is over 30 kms and includes parks, natural areas, housing, active marinas, commercial buildings and industry. These coastal areas hold great significance to us as a community. As climate change causes sea levels to rise, we will need to develop resilient strategies to protect what's important to us along our coast.

The City is developing a plan on how to manage and adapt to sea level rise and we want to hear from you about what you value most about our coastline. A survey is open now until March 13, 2026.

Learn more about this initiative on Get Involved Nanaimo and share your thoughts.

TAKE SURVEY

How to Prepare an Emergency Kit

An emergency can strike at any time and it may mean that you won't have access to stores for supplies. Evan Lloyd, Emergency Program Manager guides us through some simple steps to create a 7-day "camp-at-home" emergency kit.

LEARN MORE

Will Your Commute Be Affected This Week?

Here’s a list of up-to-date information on City construction projects. For more information on Nanaimo construction projects, visit the current Construction page on the City's website.

Expect single lane alternating traffic on Third St between Howard Ave and Pine St. Avoid delays by using Fourth St as an alternate route.
Expect single lane alternating traffic and, at times, eastbound lane closures on Jingle Pot Rd at the intersection of Holland Rd. Eastbound traffic watch for possible detour using Holland Rd and Ashlee Rd.
Expect delays due to single lane alternating traffic along Hammond Bay Rd from Brickyard Rd to McGirr Rd while crews work on replacing a sanitary sewer. Traffic signals at Hammond Bay Rd and Turner Rd intersection will not be operational and will be manually controlled. Drivers should consider using Rutherford Rd and Uplands Dr to detour around the construction works.

Note: All businesses in the construction areas are open unless otherwise posted. When approaching construction zones, please make sure to slow down and obey all signage and traffic personnel instructions. Remember that construction zone speed limits are 30 km/hr unless otherwise posted. If you know your commute is taking you through any of the areas below, please allow for additional time and plan ahead.

CURRENT CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Work With Us!

We are currently looking for candidates to fill the following positions:

Casual Pool - Custodian Relief
Municipal Services Inspector
Casual Clerks - Finance
Community Safety Officers
Planning Technician
Surveyor
Water Technician
Seasonal Recreation Leaders
Seasonal Recreation Leader II
Planner I
Operations Support Supervisor
Aquatic Supervisor
Police Support Clerk
Lifeguard/Instructor
Casual Arena Maintenance Worker
Building Official
Casual Lifeguard/Instructors
Casual Clerk Opportunities
Casuals - Police Services

JOB POSTINGS

Header for Council and Committees section

A view from the Mayor's chair in the Shaw auditorium looking toward the audience

Meetings This Week

Monday, February 23: Regular Council meeting in the Shaw Auditorium starting at 7 pm.

Thursday, February 26: Design Advisory Panel meeting in the SARC boardroom starting at 5 pm.

MEETINGS

If you are not able to attend or tune in live, you can always review decisions made at each Council meeting simply by reading the Council Meeting Summaries. These summaries are typically posted the day after each meeting.

COUNCIL MEETING SUMMARIES