This week, suit up for the weather and go by bike, Council looks to the future, and aaah-wooooo! Join us for the Halloween Howl. Read on!
Go By Bike!
A warm, gentle breeze brushing across your cheeks. The feel of your tires rushing over smooth, dry pavement. The bright sunshine lighting your way. Throw all of that out of your mind, because now it’s time for some autumn cycling.
Despite the cool air, cycling to work, school or your favourite coffee shop can still be a satisfying, calorie-burning, green way to get around the City.
From October 21 – November 3, join the GoByBikeBC challenge and see whether you can weather, well, the weather! There are prizes to be won, celebration stations to visit, and some cool swag to grab your interest and give you an extra little nudge to participate.
So grab your helmet, a warm pair of gloves and some reflective, water resistant over-clothing, flip on your headlight and hit the road for a great, green, gas-free ride.
Register at www.gobybikebc.ca and then show your proof of registration at Beban Park, Nanaimo Aquatic Centre or Oliver Woods Community Centre to get a free valve light and to be entered to win 1 of 3 $50 Parks and Rec gift cards or win 1 of 2 $50 Thrills and Skills Cycling gift cards.
Click here for a list of Celebration stations!
Economic Development Task Force, coming soon!
Economic development is one of Council’s strategic priorities, and at their October 7, 2019 meeting, they approved the Terms of Reference to establish a task force to assist in the development of the City's Economic Development Function.
The 13 members of the task force will be asked to oversee the creation of the new Economic Development Strategy and the establishment of an economic development agency.
Interested in joining this task force? Application forms are available on the City website.
Tribal Journeys 2020
Honouring the Salmon. Honouring Our Ancestors. That’s the theme for Tribal Journeys 2020, and Snuneymuxw First Nation has just announced that they have been chosen to host the 2020 event, July 27 to August 1. It is the first time in 30 years that Snuneymuxw will host Tribal Journeys.
The City of Nanaimo is proud to be one of many community partners with Snuneymuxw First Nation for this event, and looks forward to welcoming the more than 100 canoes, hundreds of paddlers and their road crews, and thousands of other visitors destined for our shores.
Everyone is welcome to attend and witness the six days of Indigenous ceremony and celebration! Read more in this Snuneymuxw news release.
Aaah-wooooo! Boo! Bwa-ha-ha!
The pool is alive with the frights and sounds of Halloween, or at least, it will be on Friday, October 25! Beban Park Pool will host this year’s annual Halloween Howl pool party. Jump in between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm, and enjoy the spooky setting, the haunted waterslide tower, pumpkins in the pool, snakes in the lazy river, coloured water, water balloon toss, water running mats, face painting, aqua jousting and prizes! Are you ready to get your fright on?
Upcoming Community Events:
- Tuesday, October 22: GoByBike Celebration Station, 7 to 9am at the Bowen Road and E&N Trail intersection, hosted by Eddyfi Technologies.
- Tuesday, October 22: GoByBike Celebration Station, 2:30 to 5:30 pm at the E&N Trail at Wellington (behind Arrowsmith Bikes), hosted by Project 529.
- Thursday, October 24: GoByBike Celebration Station 7 to 9 am, at the E&N Trail at St. George St, hosted by Thrills & Skills Cycling.
- Thursday, October 24:Musical Entertainment, 1:30 to 3 pm in the Bowen Park Auditorium. This week featuring the Songsters!
- Thursday, October 24: GoByBike Celebration Station, 3 to 5:30 pm at Fourth St. and Wakesiah Ave, hosted by VIU & School District 68.
- Friday, October 25: Pro-D Day Skate, 3:45 to 5:15 pm at the Nanaimo Ice Centre, courtesy of Coast Capital Savings.
- Friday, October 25: Halloween Howl! 4 to 7 pm at Beban Pool (regular admission rates)
- Sunday, October 27:Lions FREE Skate, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm in Frank Crane Arena
Find a complete list of City-related events at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/events.
Construction Updates
You can follow project progress and learn about detours that may affect your commute by going to our Current Construction Projects page.
Here is an overview of our current construction zones:
- Plan ahead if you are in the Hammond Bay area as the Hammond Bay Road widening and storm improvements project continues and delays should be expected. 24-hour single-lane traffic will be in place until mid-November.
- Bruce Avenue is closed between Third Street and Fourth Street for 2 more weeks (weather permitting) as crews work on completing new asphalt paving, concrete sidewalks and street lighting.
- Bruce Avenue will be closed for one more week between Dundas Street and Fifth Street as the development project at Bruce and Fifth completes road work.
- Seventh Street is open. However, construction on the pump station and forcemain project continues and is expected to be completed in November.
- Fifth Street will be closed at Lambert Avenue one day this week for final paving and the Lambert Avenue Utility Upgrade project will be complete.
- Work on Haliburton Street will continue until spring 2020. Haliburton Street Southbound is closed this week (Monday to Friday, 24 hrs a day) with a detour in place. Next week, single lane alternating traffic will be in effect at times during working hours while work is ongoing. Some delays on Haliburton Street can be expected.
What's New
This week, the Finance and Audit Committee will discuss Public Realm Improvements identified for the downtown core and will consider recommendations to accelerate the Front Street bi-directional cycle track portion of the Downtown Cycling Loop to 2020. Council will hear about the Loudon Park Boathouse Project, vote on the updated Procedure Bylaw, and more!
Here’s at look at this week's Council and Committee meetings:
- Monday, October 21: Special Finance and Audit Committee Meeting at 4:30 pm in the Vancouver Island Conference Centre's Shaw Auditorium
- Monday, October 21: Regular Council Meeting at 7 pm in the Vancouver Island Conference Centre's Shaw Auditorium
- Thursday, October 24: Design Advisory Panel Meeting at 5 pm in the Service and Resource Centre Boardroom, 411 Dunsmuir Street
Visit the Meetings, Documents and Videos page on the City website to view upcoming meetings, agendas and past meeting videos or visit the Council Meeting Summaries page to read a recap of decisions made in previous meetings.
Here's a recap of City-related news from last week:
