Exploring Vancouver Island’s Springtime Gardens and Blossoms

French Creek School and Parkland Purchase Referendum Have your say Electoral Area F! Eligible electors will decide if the RDN can borrow up to $824,000, plus interest, repayable over a period of no more than ten years, to purchase the property located at 2350 Alberni Highway, Coombs, (known as French Creek School) on advanced voting days, October 15 and 22 or on general voting day, October 25, 2025. Find out more about the three ways to vote, who can vote and where to vote by visiting: www.getinvolved.rdn.ca/french-creek-school-and-parkland- purchase-referendum [http://www.getinvolved.rdn.ca/french-creek-school-and-parkland-purchase-referendum] Drop-in to learn more and get answers to your questions: Information Booth – September 27, 2025, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Errington Farmers Market, 1550 Veterans Rd, Errington Information Session - October 1, 2025, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. Coombs Fairgrounds, 1014 Ford Rd, Coombs www.rdn.bc.ca [http://www.rdn.bc.ca] www.rdn.bc.ca/public-notices [http://www.rdn.bc.ca/public-notices] Get Involved RDN! www.rdn.bc.ca [http://www.rdn.bc.ca] For more information please contact: 250-390-4111 or 1-877-607-4111 [email protected] [http://vote@rdn.bc.ca] www.getinvolved.rdn.ca/french-creek-school-and-parkland-purchase-referendum [http://www.getinvolved.rdn.ca/french-creek-school-and-parkland-purchase-referendum]

Drivers ticketed for failing to slow down and move over when passing emergency vehicles and tow trucks can't say they haven't received fair warning. A front-page photo in the Nanaimo News Bulletin on Sept. 25, 2010, shows that the 'Slow Down, Move Over' campaign was well underway 15 years ago on Nanaimo's roadways. Motorists in B.C. must slow down and move over if safe to do so when passing emergency vehicles and tow trucks stopped on the side of the road with flashing lights. Drivers must slow down to 70 kilometres per hour on highways with speed limits of 80km/h or more, or 40km/h on roadways with speed limits under 80km/h. 

Nanaimo’s buried past has surfaced once again, this time as a sink hole that has forced the closure of Westwood Road to traffic, with work crews shutting off gas and water mains.  Bill Sims, city general manager of engineering and public works, said the hole, which formed between Cathers Drive and Kawartha Place, was reported to the city at about 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, and is the result of a cave-in roof of an old coal mine. “As most folks know, we’ve got a number of coal mines around the city,” Sims said. “They underlay the city and, over time, those mines fail. What happens is the roof starts to fall in and collapse and it, essentially radiates upwards to a point where we see a sink hole on the surface and that’s exactly what’s happened here.”  City workers closed the section of Westwood Road Thursday night and continue to reroute traffic through Cathers Drive and Kawartha Place. Once the section of Westwood Road was secured, Sims said workers arrived Friday morning to assess the hole, estimated to be about five-by-five metres wide and about six metres deep and begin repair work by filling the hole with concrete and rocks. Sims said the void appears to be located on the edge of a mine working and extends in a northwesterly direction toward the Nanaimo Parkway.  “What we’re not seeing is beyond the bottom of the hole,” Sims said. “There’s an evident void beyond that and so when we put the first load of concrete in there, which is about six cubic metres … a lot of it disappeared into that void, so we know the void extends further than what we could see and that’s exactly why we use concrete, so it can sort of flow into that void.”  A gas main and water main are located on either side of the hole and were not damaged. The gas line was shut off as a precaution and crews have maintained water service to the area.  “If the earth moved anymore we just didn’t want to see those pipe fall into the hole, essentially,” Sims said.  Work will continue throughout the day Friday, Oct. 3, and possibly into Saturday, Oct. 4, if required.  Sims said it was fortunate to have such a short detour loop around the work site and also that no vehicles or pedestrians fell into the hole before the road could be closed. He anticipates the costs for the repair work will tally up into the “low tens of thousands” of dollars. It appeared early Friday afternoon that the additional concrete had hit bottom and was starting to refill the empty space.  “It’s an unfortunate and relatively expensive fix to pour a bunch of concrete into it, but at the same time, we’re all really grateful it’s only just the road, the sidewalk and nobody was hurt, nobody drove into the hole and we’re not affecting any nearby homes,” Sims said.

A man accused and charged in a stabbing incident is missing and wanted by police in Nanaimo. Nanaimo RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance to locate Joshua Seibel, 36, who is wanted for one count of aggravated assault. The charge stems from an April 14 incident at the Port Place Shopping Centre parking lot where an individual was stabbed. The police investigation has identified Seibel as allegedly being responsible. His whereabouts are unknown and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Seibel, of no fixed address, is described as a Caucasian man, standing 5-foot-10, weighing 150 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes.  Anyone who has information on Seibel’s whereabouts is asked to call the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345 and quote file No. 2025-10968.

What started as a discussion on approving the form and character for two duplexes resulted in Lantzville's mayor walking out and accusing council of engaging in illegal activity. On Wednesday, Sept. 17, a development permit came before District of Lantzville council for 7100 and 7106 Sabrina Pl. for a multi-unit housing development, with the proposal of two duplexes with eight residential units in total.  According to an associated staff report, the build aligns with the recent provincial legislation under Bill 44 which requires municipalities to enable small-scale multi-unit housing on lots serviced by municipal water and sewer. While the permit approval passed in a narrow vote, the controversy came from a failed motion to postpone the approval. Coun. Ian Savage moved to postpone, stating that he heard from a number of residents who were opposed to the duplexes, who claimed in at least one letter that the properties were subject to a subdivision covenant which called for single family home on each lot with a potential carriage home. "It's my duty, I believe, to allow residents who feel they have a legal right in this to be able to have a say, with no disrespect to the applicant on this," Savage said, adding that the district could then pursue a legal opinion on the matter. Mayor Mark Swain questioned George Robinson, director of planning and community services, about whether the discussion about a speculated private covenant was appropriate, after the mayor suggested moving to a closed meeting due to "serious legal concern about what is about to happen here."  Robinson urged council to move forward with the building permit application that was in front of them. "Building schemes are a title instrument that the district is not party to," he explained. "So again, I want to emphasize building schemes, regardless of where they are, are between the developer, the owner of the property, and when the developer no longer exists as a component, between those [that are part of] that building scheme, not the District of Lantzville as a local government." During the meeting, the applicants told council that they did seek legal advice when they bought the lot, and the schemes follow all covenant regulations. "We do have approval, though the developer, for the building scheme, for those lots, for what we're doing," said Walter Hughes. "We're here for a development permit application, we already obtained approval through the building scheme to do what we're doing." Coun. Joan Jones, who seconded the postponement motion, stated she was not ready to vote that night and would like more legal advice before making a decision referencing the alleged covenant. "The thing that concerned me in the letter is that the developments are under a covenant that is in place and my understanding, and I certainly may be wrong, my understanding is that Bill 44 does not apply to covenants…" Jones said. "For me I need this to be looked at with a fine-toothed comb and I need to hear straight from the people who are the authorities that this does actually apply to Bill 44." Delcy Wells, Lantzville's director of corporate administration, warned council it was "going outside its purview." "So I have to say, that creates a potential liability if you don't make a decision tonight," Wells stated, further clarifying after a request from Jones. "There is no reason to postpone, all of the conditions for this permit have been provided to council. Applicants have to have assurances that when they follow the rules they're going to get things approved. By not doing this tonight, it is going to potentially attract liability to council, and it is also really affecting the development community's interest in doing business with the District of Lantzville because they won't feel they can rely on what the rules are. They have been met, I assure you, and a decision has to be made tonight." Coun. Jonathan Lerner said that while he sympathizes with people who have written letters on the matter, he cannot "conduct business appropriately based on letters that insinuate things we don't know as fact."  "The proper procedure is to consider the development permit," Lerner said. "If there are other consideration such as covenant, building schemes, whatever, those are between property owners, not with the district at which point those property owners would have legal recourse to have that changed."  The postponement failed on a tie vote with Lerner and Coun. Rachelle Mundell opposed.

A coming production to the Port Theatre will challenge show-goers' concept of truth, how it's revealed and if it even should be.  Confession Publique was conceived, directed and choreographed by Mélanie Demers and brought to life by collaborator Angélique Willkie initially in 2021.  "I think the idea of Confession Publique was to use the stage as a way to reveal yourself," Demers said. "So, [Willkie] is asked to share bits and pieces of her story and play with the idea of the confession as something that creates a panorama of our lives." Considering the juxtapositions in the production, Demers described herself as the type of artist who wants to control everything, but doesn't want to decide anything.  Since Willkie is asked to share something new about herself for every staging, improvisation is an important aspect of the performance. With each anecdote, secret and memory revealed, by means of text, music and movement, Willkie exposes more and more of herself. "[Willkie] is always working with the vertical of not knowing what she's going to share… This changes, de facto, the quality of the performance, depending on what type of story she's going to share on that specific night." As the creator, Demers said the idea of Confession Publique initially came to light as she finished a three-year residency and wondered how she could wrap up the experience of performances, research and rehearsals.  "This idea came to me that, when we go on stage, we reveal ourselves like a noble striptease," she said with a laugh. "And I was trying to see how truthful I could be, how raw I could be on stage. And what came to me is that whatever you put on stage becomes fiction. So even if you want to play with the truth, you're always sculpting it and directing it and guiding it and corrupting it." Demers was approached by Willkie, who had worked as Demers's dramaturge for previous productions, and asked to create a solo in which Willkie could study how, through history, trauma and cultural background, the performer influences a piece. As presented by Crimson Coast Dance Society, Confession Publique will be staged at the Port Theatre, as part of the theatre's Spotlight Series, from Oct. 9-10, with both showings at 7:30 p.m.  A content advisory for the production is posted on the Port Theatre website. Confession Publique has references to racism, sexual violation, and contains nudity and mature content. Tickets can be purchased at www.porttheatre.com [https://www.porttheatre.com/events/confession-publique-2025/].

It’s been 40 years since the iconic Canadian band Blue Rodeo began their incredible musical journey, and, on Oct. 9, they’ll be bringing their legendary alt-country rock sound to Victoria with a one-night concert at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. The concert is one of the band’s first dates on an 18-gig tour that will see Blue Rodeo play right across the country with concerts everywhere from Vancouver to St. John – and their fans couldn’t be happier. Greg Keelor, one of the band’s founders, sums their music up very simply. “There came a time when we realized that we didn’t have to conform to a genre. We were going to do what we wanted to do, and we figured that if we like it, then the audience would like it, too,” said Keeler. “The approach has worked for us, and our audience has been very loyal, right across generations. We now see three generations of the same family showing up at our concerts and that’s pretty amazing.” It all started when high school friends Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor began playing music after graduating from university. The band earned a following in Toronto and, with the release of Try in 1987, their moderate success exploded. The single shot to number one on the RPM Country Tracks chart and netted them platinum sales, four times over. That success continued with their song After the Rain becoming the most performed song in Canada and netting more than two million in album sales. But throughout the band's many decades of success, they have remained stubbornly resistant to being slotted into a specific genre of music. The band’s drummer, Glenn Milchem, who has pretty much been with the group since the beginning (he joined in 1991), sums it up this way. “Describing us as a particular genre of music has never been important to us. To me, it’s always had a country influence, and I suppose some have called it rootsy pop, but really it’s not important. You could say that we’re a mix of the Beatles and The Flying Dorito Brothers,” he said with a chuckle. “But seriously, there are so many influences, but Jim and Greg have developed their own thing.” Whatever that thing might be, it’s worked. The band got their star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2009 and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 41st Juno Awards in 2012 ( joining other Canadian music icons including Rush, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Bruce Cockburn, Daniel Lanois, Joni Mitchell, Anne Murray and Tom Cochrane). They’ve also won an unheard of 11 Juno Awards. In 2014, Blue Rodeo received Canada’s highest honour in the performing arts when they were presented with a Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. And while the band has toured and performed around the world, they are, at heart, wholly Canadian. “When Jim and Greg write songs, they don’t hesitate to put in Canadian geographical references,” said Milchem. “Artists have to be honest with themselves, and these guys are. They’ve never written a song trying to get a hit or made compromises for commercial reasons. They write without commercial objectives in mind, and when you do that, that’s when you get the best songs.” When Blue Rodeo takes the stage on Oct. 9, they’ll be joined by acclaimed singer/songwriter Adam Baldwin, bringing his powerful live energy and East Coast spirit to the stage. For more information on Blue Rodeo’s upcoming tour or to purchase tickets, visit www.bluerodeo.com/tour/ [http://www.bluerodeo.com/tour/].

October is the month of Halloween, Diwali and vibrant foliage, but it's also a fitting occasion to stop in at your local art gallery. Here are some indoor sights to see at the galleries during these cool fall days. UVic's Legacy Art Gallery downtown: two new exhibits til Dec. 6 | 630 Yates St. The Legacy Art Gallery is offering two new exhibitions: Salish Lines and nunuukwin (we sing): (re)connecting to the natural and spiritual worlds through song. Salish Lines is a selective retrospective of the art and life of STAUTW artist Doug LaFortune, curated by Dr. Andrea N. Walsh. A carver for more than 40 years, LaFortune has been commissioned for various totem pole projects, including his welcome figures that flank the entrance of First Peoples House at UVic. This exhibition will include an archive of drawings, inviting visitors to dive into decades of his work. Nunuukwin (we sing): (re)connecting to the natural and spiritual worlds through song is curated by hapinyuuk, Dr. Tommy Happynook of Huu-ay-aht First Nation and is based on his personal connections to his homelands and ancestors. It looks at nuucaanul songs as a way of creating and sharing knowledge and teachings, both between people and the natural and spiritual worlds. Madrona Gallery: Robert Amos - Painting Victoria | Oct. 11-25 | 606 View St. amos-oakbayavenue-14x215-wc [https://www.bpmcdn.com/f/files/oakbay/2025-september/amos-oakbayavenue-14x215-wc.jpg;w=960] This painting of Oak Bay Avenue by Robert Amos is one from his newest publication, Painting Victoria, highlighted at Madrona Gallery in October. Madrona Gallery An exhibition of paintings showcasing Victoria over the years celebrates the launch of Robert Amos’ newest publication, Painting Victoria. Robert will be in the gallery for the opening reception, Oct. 11 from 1 to 3 p.m., to discuss the new book. Copies will be available for purchase throughout the exhibition. Visit madronagallery.com [https://www.madronagallery.com/] for more. The Avenue Gallery | 2184 Oak Bay Ave. This month, the gallery features the works of Mary-Jean Butler, Aileen Vantomme and Eunmi Conacher. ce108-memories-30-x-60-acrylic-on-panel-4900 [https://www.bpmcdn.com/f/files/oakbay/2025-september/ce108-memories-30-x-60-acrylic-on-panel-4900.jpg;w=960] Memories by Eunmi Conacher, 30 x 60 inches, acrylic on panel. Courtesy The Avenue Gallery Mary-Jean Butler's new oil paintings reflect the rugged landscape of B.C.'s coastline. Her education in both fine art and graphic design plays a strong role in the stylization of her work.  Aileen Vantomme is a ceramic artist working in stoneware using coil and slab-built methods. Her latest work, 'Keepsakes', are stoneware vessels inspired by the natural beauty of discarded seashells. "Each piece features an irregular edge created from the coil-built process, a reminder of its handmade origin," Vantomme said. Her textures and forms are enhanced with custom-formulated stains and glazes, and are fired using both oxidation and pit-firing methods. Eunmi Conacher has a formal education spanning the globe: Hong-Ik University in Seoul, Korea, The University of Sydney, Australia, and Tsukuba University in Japan. Since immigrating to Canada over 25 years ago, Conacher has lived in Whistler, Nanaimo, and now calls Sooke home, drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of the Island. She is an associate member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and an elected member of The Society of Canadian Artists. "I describe myself as a contemporary, impressionist and expressionist artist," Conacher said. "My work is more an expression of the mood in the scene rather than a realistic picture of the scene. The result I strive for is a painting from the heart."