March 1, 2021

This week... 

Register for spring programs, start bringing your own bags and plant restoration begins at Colliery Dam. Read on for more!

The New Normal Continues

Masks Mandatory in all public spaces at all City facilities.

Please refer to the City website for a list of front desk hours of operation.

Corporate Services

Safety protocols are in place to help keep both visitors and staff safe when visiting our facilities. Please check out our Online Services page to see how we can help you.

Parks, Recreation & Culture

Recreation facilities, the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre and arenas are open and following province-wide COVID-19 safety protocols.

Outdoor amenities remain open, however please continue to practice physical distancing, hand washing & please stay home if not feeling 100% well.

VISIT COVID-19 INFO PAGE
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Message from Island Health

As of February 24 there were 245 active COVID-19 cases in the Island Health region (39 in the South Island, 150 in the Central Island and 56 in the North Island).

  • The 7-day average number of contacts identified per case has been increasing, rising from 2.6 a week ago to almost 4. On average 10-20% of cases are community acquired (which means they have no known source), and the rest are transmitted from social gatherings.
  • It is critical to continue following the public health orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19: wearing a mask, maintaining distance, not travelling unless for work or medical appointments and staying within your household bubble.
  • Get tested early if you have any symptoms of COVID-19. If you are feeling sick, stay home, self-isolate and call 1-844-901-8442 (8:30 am – 8:00 pm daily) to book a test. If you are uncertain if you need a test, visit bc.thrive.health or review the symptoms on Island Health’s website. Island Health is screening every COVID positive case for the presence the variants of concern.
  • The provincial government will provide more details on Monday, March 1 about the vaccination roll out for people over the age of 80 and Indigenous people over the age of 65.

ISLAND HEALTH COVID-19

Keep Walking

The "Walk On" Winter Wellness Walking Challenge is on until March 19. Track your steps on our website for a chance to win prizes from Parks, Recreation and Culture and New Balance Nanaimo. The grand prize is a $200 pair of running shoes from New Balance Nanaimo. Challenge your friends and co-workers and get walking!

WALK ON

Yoga & Pilates

Join us at Oliver Woods Community Centre for a variety of Pilates and Yoga classes starting in March. These activities improve your health and well-being as they increase your strength, decrease your stress and help you sleep better. All of our classes follow COVID-19 Provincial Health Orders to keep you safe.

REGISTER

Spring Registration Open March 3

You can now flip through the Spring 2021 Activity Guide! Registration for all Spring programs opens March 3, 2021 at 6 am. In "normal" times, this edition would be combined with Summer and you could start planning for a fabulous summer camp season and summer special events. However, this year we are planning in shorter increments and this guide only reflects spring programs. A summer guide will be available online April 30 with summer registration beginning May 5, 2021. 

Plant Restoration at Colliery Dam

Nanaimo District Secondary School's WestCoast Wilderness Class is taking a hands-on approach to learning about the ecosystem and restoration. You might see them in Colliery Dam, as they have adopted a plot in this park to help plant restoration using photo monitoring to track their progress as they remove invasive plants to see what native plants might return to this space. Thanks for helping to keep our community parks beautiful and free of invasive plants!

INVASIVE SPECIES

Phase I Complete

The first phase of Council's REIMAGINE NANAIMO project is now complete and preparations are underway for the second phase updating the City's key planning documents. This project includes updating the Official Community Plan and Climate Action Plan; updates to the Parks, Recreation & Culture Plan and Water Supply Strategic Plan; and creating a new Active Transportation Plan. Input from the first phase will be used to shape the scenarios developed as part of Phase 2 -Exploring Options.

REIMAGINE NANAIMO

Bring Your Own Bag

On February 22, 2021, Nanaimo City Council unanimously adopted Checkout Bag Regulation Bylaw No. 7283. Council was able to take this step after Honourable George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, announced approval of Nanaimo's Checkout Bag Regulation Bylaw on February 12, 2021. The bylaw is effective July 1, 2021, allowing time for residents to adjust habits and retailers to work through any existing stocks.

"Despite being a small step, it is a symbolic step. We need to eliminate unnecessary waste, take responsibility for more wisely managing our resources and rethink this concept of single use. At the end of the day, it takes energy to produce these items and they don’t simply disappear", Ben Geselbracht, City Councillor & Chair of the Regional District of Nanaimo Solid Waste Management Select Committee.

Learn more about the bylaw banning the use of plastic checkout bags in the City of Nanaimo. 

BRING YOUR OWN BAG

Will Your Commute Be Affected This Week?

Stay informed on the City's Current Construction Projects page. Staff provide up-to-date information on City construction projects.

  • Metral Drive (Turner to Mostar) is limited to residents and business traffic only. Please respect that the road is closed to through traffic and on-street parking has been removed in front of Pacific Station until the roadworks have been completed. As an active construction site with large machinery working and deep utility trenches, road closures may occur and delays are to be expected. Please drive slowly and respect signage.
  • Rock City Road between Ocean Pearl Terrace & Barrington Road is closed from 9 am-3:30 pm, Mon-Fri for approximately 2 weeks to accommodate blasting and cleanup. Local traffic should expect delays and plan trips accordingly.
  • Today, March 1, 2021 Hub City Paving will be completing the asphalt patching on Island Highway South in the Northbound Lane. Traffic will be limited to one lane northbound starting at 7:30am. Commuters are encouraged to use alternate routes or expect delays. Pedestrians and cyclists should expect delays and may have to wait to be escorted through the work zone. Please exercise caution, obey all signage placed for your safety and follow the directions of the flag persons on duty.

CURRENT CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Work with Us!

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

JOB POSTINGS

Meetings This Week

Mon, Mar 1: Regular Council Meeting at 4:30 pm

Thurs, Mar 4: Board of Variance at 4:00 pm

Mon, Mar 8: Governance and Priorities Committee at 1:00 pm

Did you know?

You can watch live meetings, view a list of upcoming meetings, read agendas and watch recordings of past meetings all in one place on the City website.

MEETINGS

Council in Action

Missed what decisions Council made during a Special Council meeting or a Regular Council Meeting? Don’t worry. We have you covered! Check out our Council Meeting Summary page for quick overviews.

Here's a recap of last week's City News

 

CITY NEWSROOM

Want the latest City of Nanaimo news & information?

Stay up to date with Council, programming and events: