"[Blues is] a genre that comes out of hardship and resilience and truth telling, and I think the performers that come to the stage really uphold and uplift the true spirit of the blues genre," said Nanaimo Blues Society president Jacquie Moisan. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/nana...
Nanaimo Blues Festival 2026 brings major headliners, local talent to Maffeo Sutton Park
‘Blues is for everyone,’ says Nanaimo Blues Society president
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Last week’s heat warning has residents on Vancouver Island preparing for extreme heat events this summer. Here’s what emergency management officials in Nanaimo, the Comox Valley and the Cowichan Valley recommend to beat the heat. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/what...
What to do and where to go during extreme heat events in Nanaimo, the Comox Valley and the Cowichan Valley
A guide to prepare for extreme heat events on Vancouver Island
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Some Comox Valley residents are upset with a new development that is cutting off access to a safe pedestrian trail. They say the developer has not been considerate of its neighbours. thediscourse.ca/comox-valley...
Residents upset with Aspen Road development in Comox – The Discourse.
Comox councillor says housing development should be balanced with community compassion
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For two years, the Cowichan BC SPCA has operated without a physical shelter while it awaits the opening of the new Vancouver Island Animal Behaviour Centre in Duncan — and now it's calling on the community for more foster volunteers to help meet growing demand.
Cowichan SPCA calls for more foster volunteers as demand for space increases – The Discourse.
As demand grows for animal shelter space, a team of volunteers and Cowichan SPCA staff are working to make sure animals find a place to call home.
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Nurses at Nanaimo General Hospital walked off the job early Monday morning as part of an escalating series of job actions that are part of a legal strike underway across the province. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/why-...
Nanaimo nurses strike at regional hospital – The Discourse.
Hundreds of nurses and healthcare workers picket Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.
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The day after this story was published, Nanaimo RCMP announced that officers are ramping up enforcement related to street racing and dangerous operation of motorcycles in the city.
@thediscourse.ca · 4w agoResidents are ‘raising the alarm’ about street racing and loud noise along Departure Bay Beach. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/drag...
Residents are ‘raising the alarm’ about street racing and loud noise along Departure Bay Beach. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/drag...
Departure Bay ‘drag racing’ needs to stop, residents say – The Discourse.
Residents ask city council to do something about loud cars and motorcycles late at night.
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Urban forests are critical city infrastructure, not just ‘tree hugger stuff,’ say city staff. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/what...
What is the City of Nanaimo doing to preserve trees? – The Discourse.
Urban forests are critical city infrastructure, not just ‘tree hugger stuff,’ say city staff.
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“We’ve known for a long time how many barriers there are.” Cowichan Valley’s first local Immigration Partnership is trying to fix that — from housing scarcity to racism newcomers face when accessing healthcare.
Cowichan Valley launches first Local Immigration Partnership to address newcomer barriers – The Discourse.
A new federally funded partnership wants to understand what barriers immigrants face when they arrive in the Cowichan Valley.
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The Pulse on the Plaza: K'ómoks Fusion Festival kicked off a popular music and arts series in downtown Courtenay. thediscourse.ca/comox-valley...
Pulse on the Plaza jumpstarts the heartbeat of Courtenay’s downtown – The Discourse.
Fusion of cultures the ‘secret sauce’ of the festival series’ success, Comox Valley Arts director says.
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This week marks five years since the devastating 2021 heat dome that killed over 600 people. In 2022, we looked at what the government was doing to prevent the deaths of low-income seniors in future extreme heat events. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/extr...
Who will protect low-income seniors from dying in extreme heat?
This public-interest lawyer has ‘very little confidence’ in the government’s response, and is calling for tenant-led solutions.
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A HUGE thank you to the 96 readers who stepped up to support The Discourse's journalism for our Spring Supporter Drive! If you haven’t signed up, it's not too late join a community of readers who financially back this "fab independent journalism" thediscourse.ca/support-us
Margins of Sound, a new cross-genre electronic and experimental music festival, will take place this weekend in downtown Nanaimo’s OV Arts Centre and include free performances in the Bowen Park amphitheater. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/marg...
Margins of Sound festival brings experimental music to Nanaimo – The Discourse.
New festival includes free performances in Bowen Park and workshops.
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Support Us – The Discourse.
Why support The Discourse? “Meaningful local investigative reporting.” – Parker Jefferson, Duncan ”Great reporting in my neighbourhood.” – Lynn Bakken, Nanaimo “Integrity, intelligence and the focus...
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Did you know that by the 1930s, 1 in 5 people in Chemainus were of Japanese descent? A new exhibit at the Chemainus Valley Museum called “None Came Back” is shedding light on the Japanese Canadian community that was forced out during the Second World War and the local history that was almost erased.
Chemainus Museum unveils new Japanese Canadian history exhibit – The Discourse.
New exhibit at Chemainus Valley Museum aims to highlight and give voice to the Japanese Canadian community that once lived in Chemainus.
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“A few months of free rent and moving expenses does not protect tenants from homelessness from perpetual housing insecurity."
Nanaimo tenant protection bylaw slammed by advocates – The Discourse.
Nanaimo tenant protection bylaw would include compensation but no discount on rent in new units
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It's the last day of our Spring Supporter Drive and we are so close to our target — a figure that will help us file FOIs, like a recent one to North Cowichan 👀 If you appreciate our independent local news service, now is the time to support it! thediscourse.ca/support-us
How will the K'ómoks Treaty Act affect private lands, and what potential economic benefits will it have for the Nation and Comox Valley as a whole? Reporter Dave Flawse looked into these questions in his latest: thediscourse.ca/comox-valley...
‘Everybody will benefit’: What the K’ómoks First Nation Treaty Act means for economic development in the Comox Valley – The Discourse.
With future plans for economic development in the Union Bay area, K’ómoks First Nation will need help to achieve its long-term goals, the Nation says.
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End of Thread wanted to play a show to celebrate the end of the school year with kids from high schools across Nanaimo, but now they are part of a movement to help save The Globe Live Studio. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/teen...
The Globe Live Studio benefit punk and metal show with End of Thread – The Discourse.
The Globe Live Studio is at risk of closing, but local band End of Thread is rallying behind it to help save the scene.
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At Queen Margaret’s School's final assembly, Quw'utsun artist Shawn Johnny and students from the contemporary Indigenous studies class unveiled a new mural dedicated to truth and reconciliation. Hear from Johnny in our latest story at the link below. thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...
Quw'utsun artist Shawn Johnny unveils new mural at Duncan school – The Discourse.
Johnny’s art was celebrated by Queen Maragaret’s School students and staff at final assembly of the year.
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Resident Charles Myerscough told Nanaimo council that dry supportive housing with mental health supports is needed after recounting his difficult journey to sobriety in low-barrier temporary housing.
Experts and community members speak out on need for dry housing in Nanaimo – The Discourse.
Former Newcastle Place supportive housing resident says dry housing is needed for some people in recovery.
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A new travelling exhibit by the Vancouver Island Local History Society and the Nanaimo Museum called "The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab" explores the ongoing impact of the E&N land grant. thediscourse.ca/vancouver-is...
The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab exhibit aims to educate – The Discourse.
How a 19th century land grant continues to impact First Nations on Vancouver Island.
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In this interview, I share my thoughts on modern Pride, the struggles of transmasculine people in sports and why I continues to fight for the rights of all trans people.
Jules Sherred (he/him)@geekyjules.julessherred.com · 2mo ago‘It’s about our right to fundamentally exist’: Local bodybuilder takes his fight to BC Human Rights Tribunal thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...
Bodybuilding is everything to Jules Sherred. But when he was barred from competing, the Duncan based advocate took his fight to the BC Human Rights Tribunal. We sat down with him to learn more about why he continues to fight in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile towards trans athletes.
Q&A: Jules Sherred Takes Fight to BC Human Rights Tribunal – The Discourse.
Sherred talks modern Pride, the struggle to be included in sports and why he keeps fighting for the entire trans community
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It's our Spring Supporter Drive, where we ask readers who value this in-depth, solutions journalism to step up as monthly supporters by June 22. As one supporter wrote: "You cover local news that I don't otherwise hear about." Will you join us? thediscourse.ca/support-us
We got a chance to tour the new Quw'utsun Hulitun-ew't-hw (Quw'utsun Valley Hospital). Check out the photos at the link below👇
PHOTOS: A look inside the new Quw'utsun Valley Hospital – The Discourse.
The Discourse took a behind the scenes tour of the new hospital as it nears its target opening date of 2027.
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“Drag shows and Pride are such a bastion of hope, community, solidarity and joy.” Read the full story here: thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/nana...
“Drag is life saving. I know so many people personally who probably wouldn't be here today if they hadn't found drag as an outlet for self expression and community.” thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/nana...
Nanaimo’s drag scene ‘is life saving’ – The Discourse.
“Drag shows and Pride are such a bastion of hope, community, solidarity and joy.’
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We asked local governments and public organizations around the Cowichan Valley how they are adopting generative AI tools in their work. Of those that got back to us, only one had an AI policy in place, while others are in the process of creating their own.
How do Cowichan Valley governments use AI? – The Discourse.
The Discourse reached out to local governments to see how they are handling the use of AI.
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From concrete pipes that can catastrophically fail to holes in the South Fork dam that could empty the reservoir within days, here’s how the City of Nanaimo is working to reduce the risk to residents. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/what...
What is the city doing to protect the Nanaimo water supply – The Discourse.
From concrete pipes that can catastrophically fail to holes in the South Fork dam that could empty the reservoir within days, here’s how the City of Nanaimo is working to reduce the risk to residents.
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