This week, Serauxmen Stadium lights up, look for new street banners on your travels through Nanaimo and we celebrate a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with BC Housing to build affordable and supportive housing. Read on for more!

Photo by Doug Wortley

City Service Updates
We have created a COVID-19 Recovery Plan to provide a path forward for resumption of City operations in a safe and economically viable way. The plan outlines four steps that the City will take toward a gradual, safe and measured reopening of municipal facilities and resumption of City services and programs that have been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Corporate Services

Although our doors remain closed, the City is definitely open for business! Check out our Online Services page to see how we can help you.

Public Works

City staff continue regular garbage, recycling and organics collection. Be sure to check the recycling page for helpful curbside tips and tricks!

Parks, Recreation & Culture

- Open-

Playgrounds, parks, trails, skateboard parks, bike park, pickle ball courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts, lacrosse boxes, sports fields and dog parks are open with a number of guidelines to follow.

There are several fitness classes and summer camps being offered outdoors. Visit recreation.nanaimo.ca to register.

- Almost Open! -

City arenas are getting prepped to reopen! At their meeting on July 13, City Council voted in favour of the following reopening plan for Nanaimo's arenas:

• One sheet of ice installed at Nanaimo Ice Centre ready for July 27, 2020
• One sheet of ice installed at Cliff McNabb Arena ready for August 3, 2020 (if demand dictates)
• One sheet of ice added to Nanaimo Ice Centre ready by September 1, 2020 (if demand dictates)
• One sheet of ice at Frank Crane Arena (if demand dictates; no scheduled date at this time)

- Closed -

Indoor recreation facilities, such as recreation centres, arenas and pools, as well as City-owned cultural venues remain closed. A planning process is underway to reopen City of Nanaimo recreation facilities.

Find more information about the City's response on the COVID-19 information page.

Landmark MOU
The City is pleased to announce a memorandum of understanding with BC Housing to build over 300 affordable rental and supportive homes in Nanaimo over the next few years. Watch BC Housing’s Let’s Talk site for more information and upcoming opportunities to provide feedback. Send any questions and feedback directly to communityrelations@bchousing.org.

Lights on in Serauxmen
The lights officially turned on in Serauxmen Stadium making this Nanaimo's first lit baseball field. This project, along with other upgrades will make way to expand baseball in the community and for the newly announced West Coast League team, the Nanaimo Night Owls to hopefully begin their first season next year once COVID restrictions have been lifted.

Drowning Prevention Week
July 18-25 marks Drowning Prevention Week and the City of Nanaimo's Water Safety Education Team is sharing daily safety messages this week on the City's Facebook page.

Banners recognize 100 years of Rotary
To recognize and celebrate a significant milestone for local Rotary Clubs, the City of Nanaimo invited artists to reflect on the service club’s areas of focus and create street banner designs as part of a competition. A playful, eye-catching design by Amy Pye was selected for 2020 from a number of submissions.

Breaking ground
Crews are getting ready to break ground on the new Fire Station #1! Construction is expected to begin on July 27, 2020. The project should take about two years to complete. Stay up to date by following the project page on the City website.

Get Involved
Did you know? The City has an online community engagement site where you can share your Nanaimo-related ideas, stories and favourite places and provide feedback on City projects. Watch www.getinvolvednanaimo.ca this week as we get ready to launch REIMAGINE NANAIMO!

Upcoming Council and Committee Meetings
Visit the Meetings, Documents and Videos page on the City website to view upcoming meetings, agendas and past meeting videos.

• Monday, July 20: Regular Council meeting at 7 pm
• Wednesday, July 22: Health and Housing Task Force meeting at 3 pm
• Thursday, July 23: Public Hearing at 7 pm

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.

Updates to Council and Committee Meetings
The City has made updates to facilitate public participation in Council and committee meetings while also following physical distancing guidelines. Starting this week, the following measures will be in place:

• Delegation requests by members of the public for related or unrelated Council or committee matters, as outlined in Council’s Procedure Bylaw, will be permitted.
• Public hearings will be livestreamed on the City website.
• All Council and Council-related committee meetings will be livestreamed, recorded and made available on the City website.

Here's a recap of City news:

• New partnership to provide hundreds of new homes for people in Nanaimo
• Nanaimo turns on lights at Serauxmen Stadium
• City of Nanaimo releases COVID-19 Recovery Plan
• City of Nanaimo is reopening arenas
• City of Nanaimo launches Water Safety Education Team
• New banners add colour and vibrancy to Nanaimo streets
• National Drowning Prevention Week
• Updated changes to Council meeting processes due to COVID-19