Midcoast Morning on CHLY 101.7FM

Ladysmith and Qualicum Beach are both in the process of getting new skateparks for their towns. An open house Wednesday night will provide residents of Ladysmith the chance to way in on different proposed designs for a new skatepark, while in Qualicum Beach, shovels are set to go in the ground for a park that could open as soon as next summer, after organizers were tasked with raising $300,000 to make the project happen.

Nanaimo city council is going to be deciding Friday whether or not a number of projects will get funding in next year’s budget.

It’s been a week full of conversations around the budget, with an e-town hall taking place Monday, and a special finance and audit committee meeting Wednesday, ahead of Friday’s meeting.

Right now the city is forecasting a property tax increase of eight point seven per cent, though that number will change by the end of the day depending on council’s decisions.

Today on the program we’ll share some information on what those decision points are, and bring you up to speed on where the city is in its budgeting process.

A shoot out with a pirate, A train disaster, a chow mein that’s been passed down to generations that were forced to move away - these are just some of the stories you’ll find in A Place Called Cumberland.

The new book from the village’s museum and archives brings together twelve different tales from Cumberland’s past, that cover topics from labour organizing, to a first hand account of growing up in Chinatown, to the story behind the bike trails that play a big part in the community’s identity today.

Midcoast Morning speaks with some of the contributors to explore what the past has to say about the ethos of Cumberland.

The federal government is one step closer to putting a temporary pause on GST, after a vote in the house of commons Thursday night.

Legislation to exempt a number of items from GST between December 14th and February 15th passed a vote in Ottawa, with support from the liberals and NDP.

Among the items included in the proposed exemption are children’s clothing, a number of food items and toys and video game consoles.

People in BC will not need to pay the 5 per cent federal GST on qualifying items during the two month period.

Speaking with Midcoast Morning, VIU professor of political studies and Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership Michael MacKenzie called the measure “bad in every way.”

Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP Lisa Marie Barron also spoke with Midcoast Morning about why she supported the measure.

It’s a good time for productive outrage, says Nanaimo’s new poet laureate.

Neil Surkan is getting ready to start a two year term in the position on December 1, he spoke with CHLY reporter Lauryn Mackenzie.

And Jackie Wong’s new temporary public art project Lost Intersections will appear next spring, and bring attention to the sites of the city’s former Chinatowns . She spoke with Midcoast Morning host Joe Pugh.

It’s the final day for a pop up overdose prevention site operating across the street from Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Dr. Jess Wilder, a physician who works in addiction medicine at the hospital is a member of the group Doctors for Safer Drug Policy, who are calling for the government of B.C. to create sanctioned, fully staffed overdose prevention sites at B.C. Hospitals.

Wilder led the effort to create the unsanctioned, unfunded Nanaimo site, which was forced to relocate off of hospital grounds on Monday. 

There was also a pop up site set up outside Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, which was only planned to run until this past Wednesday.

Overdose prevention sites are locations where people can use substances under the supervision of staff that can monitor for drug poisoning and respond to an overdose if needed.

Midcoast Morning visited the site in Nanaimo to speak with the physician who set it up.

Journalist and author Brandi Morin is in town to give a talk as part of VIU’s Indigenous speakers series.

A survivor of the missing and murdered Indigenous women crisis, her work has appeared in National Geographic, Al Jazeera English, The Guardian, and The New York Times.

In January, Morin was arrested while covering an encampment in Edmonton, and was charged with obstructing a police officer, a charge which was later dropped. She visited the CHLY studio to speak about that experience, and the message she’s hoping to share with people in Nanaimo.

The Bicycle Film Festival is returning to Nanaimo this Saturday.

A collection of films related to cycling will play at Malaspina Theatre starting around 6:15.

Brendt Barbur decided to start the event back in 2001 after he was hit by a bus in New York City. He joined Midcoast Morning to share more on that story, as well as to talk cycling cinema more generally.

A labour dispute that’s been impacting ports in Nanaimo and across the province is headed to binding arbitration

Federal labour minister Steven MacKinnon ordered the move Tuesday. Foremen at B.C.’s ports have been locked out since November 4th, that lockout came after the union had delivered a 72 hour strike notice for what it called limited job action, including an overtime ban and a refusal to implement tech change. 

Midcoast Morning spoke with port researcher Peter Hall for context on the dispute.

Published at the end of the 1920s, All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric Maria Remarque tells the story of a young man named Paul who enlists in the German army in the first world war.

It’s newest translator spoke with Midcoast Morning about what the book has to say in 2024.

Plus, in close to 25 years, the Canadian Letters and Images Project has digitized around 35,000 letters from Canadians at war. Project director Stephen Davies speaks about what stands out.