Nanaimo City Council

More likely to vote because I'm concerned about certain candidates flooding the system.

A political scientist at Vancouver Island University says there are four candidates for every seat on Nanaimo City Council.

The only municipalities that have more are Surrey, Richmond and Vancouver.

All those are partisan elections and Nanaimo is largely non-partisan still.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, a mix of sun and cloud with a high near sixteen.

In local news, Nanaimo City Council has voted to request a staff report on potentially banning continuous-flame butane lighters.

This follows recent concerns raised by frontline workers about the dangers these devices pose, including contributing to fires, displacement, and tragically, at least one death in our community.

City staff will investigate ways to regulate retail sales and explore other safety measures.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, sunny with a high near 17.

Nanaimo City Council will be taking a close look at its permissive tax exemption policy over the next six months.

The move was prompted by Councilor Ben Geiselbracht, who raised concerns about how the current rules are applied.

Exemptions, which total more than $2.5 million annually, sometimes don't align with city goals.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, clearing in the morning, with a high near 21.

In local news, Nanaimo City Council is likely to consider a plan that will significantly expand the areas where drivers must adhere to slower speed limits around several elementary schools.

The Governance and Priorities Committee has agreed to broaden these zones around Fairview, Aview, Park Avenue, Georgia Avenue, Brecken, Sue Winkt, and Frank J.

New Elementary Schools.

A community event continues at the park until this afternoon.

Nanaimo City Council is looking at whether to continue a program that helps local businesses cover costs from vandalism.

The Finance and Audit Committee recently voted to recommend extending funding for the grant program into next year and possibly expanding its reach beyond just downtown Nanaimo.

The program provides up to two thousand five hundred dollars per incident, with a maximum of five thousand dollars annually for eligible businesses.

Back to that ballot and what the candidates actually think about the climate.

The Discourse's Mick Sweetman reports more than a dozen candidates for Nanaimo City Council spent an evening last week debating what the city itself can do about it at a forum in the Beban Park Social Center organized by the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub, a nonpartisan advocacy group.

Kenan Lindsay, the Hub's executive director, told the discourse the point was to put the question in front of candidates directly, because local climate action is the most consequential kind.

The decisions made here are the ones that move local emissions, and the people who live in a place know best what resilience it means.

In local news...

Nanaimo City Council spent last week at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Convention in Vancouver, meeting with provincial officials to push for support on several key issues.

Discussions took place with Premier Ebi and several other ministers covering topics like housing, health care, infrastructure, and public safety.

Council advocated for ongoing funding for critical projects including a new hospital tower and a replacement school, as well as continued efforts toward addressing mental health and addiction challenges.