Shalu Mehta

Comox Valley group joins dozens of others in urging province to do more for biodiversity Save Our Forests Comox Valley are not alone in thinking the province should be doing more to protect old-growth forests and biodiversity.

Members from Save Our Forests Comox Valley think the province should be doing more to protect old-growth forests and biodiversity, and they are not alone. Read the full story: thediscourse.ca/comox-valley...

Wildwood Ecoforest gains nearly 9 hectares of ‘untouched’ land Success of fundraising campaign brings the famed demonstration forest back to more than two-thirds of its original size.

Wildwood Ecoforest, which has long served as a counterexample to modern logging practices, just got closer to its original size. Thanks to a successful fundraising campaign, 8.5 hectares of land have been added back to the ecoforest. Read the story:
thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...

Photo of a person wearing and orange shirt with the text “To honour the children who survived Indian Residential Schools and to remember the children who never made it home.”

Today is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. See the events in your community and additional resources in our special newsletter for today.

thediscourse.indiegraf.com/index.php?ac...

Exciting news! The Discourse is a finalist for the 2025 Webster Awards in the Excellence in Community Reporting category for TWO different stories by reporters @juliechadwick.bsky.social and Rowan Flood. 🎉
Find links to the stories in this thread:

Q&A: Nanaimo artist Lenae Silva on substance use, support and ‘bright endings’ – The Discourse. Lenae Silva talks about her experiences as a person who uses drugs in her new exhibit at Vancouver Island University.

Nanaimo-based Sḵwx̱wú7mesh/Chilean artist Lenae Silva talks about her experiences as a person who uses drugs, and as an advocate, in her new exhibit at Vancouver Island University thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/qa-n...

Plan to remove portion of dike at Cowichan estuary rejected by land commission – The Discourse. Advocates for the Cowichan Estuary Restoration Project call on province to align policies with reconciliation.

‘They feel that Indigenous agriculture practices are inferior to modern day Western agriculture practices.’: Partial rejection of plan to remove Cowichan estuary dike raises questions about the province’s commitment to reconciliation. Read more below.

It's a good work day when I get to complain about grass lawns and how useless they are (and how they're a symbol of classism and colonialism).

“A recent special investigation by the BC Forest Practices Board on aligning forestry practices with wildfire risk reduction […] found that ‘logging occurs at 11 times the rate of [wildfire risk reduction] treatments’ in the wildland-urban interface near communities.”

“I have never felt so emotional,” resident Sandy McPherson said during the public input period. “I am really angry that some of this is even coming to the council table. There is not a price to be put on the forest reserve that can be monetary.”
Great reporting by @emrichards.bsky.social:

Cowichan River cleanup prepares for salmon return – The Discourse. The Lower Cowichan River Cleanup brings families and community groups together to protect the watershed and prepare for the salmon’s return.

On Aug. 24, volunteers of all ages will gather on the Lower Quw'utsun Sta'lo' (Cowichan River) for an annual cleanup. For 15 years, this family-friendly event has brought the community together to remove trash, care for the river and prepare for the salmon’s return.

Love a good community spotlight!

One simple thing you can do to support journalism in these days of AI summaries and social media walled gardens: click on the link. Go to the site. Yes it really is that easy.

Reclaimed Quw'utsun belongings on display at expanded Shawnigan Lake Museum – The Discourse. Repatriated Quw'utsun belongings are now on display at the expanded Shawnigan Lake Museum, honouring Indigenous history and culture.

Really love this week's story from @emrichards.bsky.social
Several Quw'utsun belongings have returned home after being repatriated from the Royal BC Museum. They're on loan at the newly expanded Shawnigan Lake Museum and will help tell the full history of the region.
thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...

Comox Valley group calls on locals to support fundraising efforts for Gaza Comox Valley Fundraising Community has raised $17,000 for families in Gaza amidst hunger crisis, but more is needed as starvation continues.

Comox Valley Fundraising Community has raised $17,000 for families in Gaza amidst the hunger crisis. They are still sending pleas to fellow community members to donate. thediscourse.ca/comox-valley...
**A previous post did not have the correct headline. It has been edited and reposted.

Snuneymuxw Days 2025 in photos – The Discourse. Third annual Snuneymuxw Days featured canoe races, a longhouse jam and basketball and brought the community together

It was a sunny weekend on the waterfront in front of Snuneymuxw First Nation’s Reserve #1 as hundreds of people from as far as Hope, B.C. gathered to participate in war canoe races, enjoy comfort food such as Indian tacos, and soak up the good vibes.
thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/in-p...

In 2023, the Cowichan Valley Basket Society distributed close to 300 food hampers a month to Cowichan Valley community members. Now, 700 food hampers go out every month and feed an estimated 1,500 people.

"Nanaimo’s cycling infrastructure is a mash-up of bike lanes, cycle tracks, multi-use pathways, neighbourhood bikeways and trails but the way they are developed is often through piecemeal requirements ...

This results in bike lanes that start, run for a few blocks, and then abruptly end."

Last week, the Quw'utsun Salmon, a giant puppet built by the Quw'utsun Stseelthun Friendship Project, performed at 39 Days of July in Duncan. Read more about the project in our previous coverage: thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...

Nice to see that the government, after push back from First Nations, has restarted consultation on updates to the Heritage Conservation Act. What’s wrong with the act? Read on ⬇️

Not writing a story on this, but both the violent and non-violent crime severity index for Nanaimo dropped in 2024. Here's an updated chart of it that shows the trends over time. datawrapper.dwcdn.net/kL0me/3/

Did you know some invasive species can exacerbate wildfire risk? Some of them even thrive after a wildfire, making it tough for native plant species to come back. Thanks, @madelined.bsky.social, for this reporting!

Courtenay organization turns to community after losing funding Lake Trail Community Education Society hopes the Courtenay community can help raise $50k to support its programming for all ages.

An organization in Courtenay is hoping to raise $50,000 before the school year begins after a loss of funding could mean a reduction in programs that support youth and community empowerment, connection, resilience and food security. thediscourse.ca/comox-valley...

bailey macabre, Indigenous engagement coordinator for the @nanaimoartgallery.bsky.social, is organizing a monthly Indigenous film series. You can watch a free screening of Rocks at Whiskey Trench by Alanis Obomsawin tonight at 6:30 p.m.

Read the full story: thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/indi...

Where can people shelter overnight in Duncan and North Cowichan? Here's what you need to know. Current sheltering bylaws — and how they are enforced — leave unhoused people feeling confused, frustrated and unsafe, local advocates say.

An altercation with RCMP and bylaw left an unhoused senior without shelter. Advocates say it’s time for clear rules — and a permanent encampment. Here's how Duncan and North Cowichan are responding:

On Saturday, July 12, our reporter @emrichards.bsky.social attended the opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new viewing platform built by the Cowichan Estuary Restoration and Conservation Association on Blackley’s Trail in the Cowichan Estuary. Check out some of Eric’s photos from the event!

HMCS Nanaimo bids final farewell to namesake city – The Discourse. HMCS Nanaimo to be transferred to the Atlantic later this year after years of service patrolling the west coast.

I was lucky to get a personal tour of HMCS Nanaimo on a final farewell visit to its namesake city before it transfers to the East Coast. Come aboard with me and meet some of the ship’s crew.

thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/hmcs...

We love a good news story!

Subscribe to our newsletters – The Discourse. Nanaimo and Cowichan Valley news, in your inbox.

Want to hear what Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog has to say about a legal warning letter sent by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms over bylaws that ban recording of city council meetings and in city spaces? Subscribe to our Nanaimo This Week newsletter for free! thediscourse.ca/newsletters

Inside the project restoring Indigenous plants and a vital estuary – The Discourse. Students from Quw'utsun Secondary School and Le'lum'uy'lh Daycare Centre learned how to care for Indigenous plants at the Hulitun Spulhxun/Tumuhw nursery.

The Discourse was on hand last month to document a plant care workshop at the Hulitun Spulhxun/Tumuhw native plant nursery. Check out photos from the event below.

Comox Valley bat count volunteers monitoring devastating disease As this year’s Comox Valley bat count kicks off, the flying mammals remain at risk of white-nose syndrome.

The little brown bat is the only federally protected bat species on Vancouver Island. In the Comox Valley, volunteers are on guard against white-nose syndrome, a disease that is killing millions of bats in the U.S. and Canada. Read the latest from Dave Flawse:
thediscourse.ca/comox-valley...