News
Short power outages planned for parts of Gabriola between Jan. 27 and Feb. 4
Derek Kilbourn Sounder News BC Hydro has a series of outages planned on Gabriola Island over the next week, starting on January 27, continuing to February 4. Ted Olynyk, Manager of Community Relations for BC Hydro, explained crews will be replacing older porcelain...
RDN puts more money toward libraries in next budget
Gabriola Library looks forward with staff restructure and community partnershipsThe Gabriola Branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) enjoys a higher percentage of users per capita than most in the VIRL system. Sounder file photo.Hope Lompe Local...
To: CEO Nicolas Jimenez, BC Ferry Corporation. Re: Minimum load amount for BC Ferries Experience Cards.
Members of our community are concerned about the impending increase in cost to the Experience cards used by residents in ferry-dependent coastal communities. Most residents who use the Experience card need the cost break offered by the card, but the minimum top-up...
RDN renews Gabriola Museum funding for three year term
The increase will enable the Museum to hire a part-time staffer, and have more hours being open to the publicThe Gabriola Museum on South Road. Sounder File Photo.Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The Gabriola Museum will go from all...
Fire Board sets up internal committee to assess heated December 3, 2025 meeting
Trustees are tasked with bringing a strategy back to the boardThe Albert Reed Memorial Fire Hall #1 on Church Street. Sounder File Photo Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Trustees at the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District...
Fire Board update on privacy breach
Fire Board Trustees of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District (GFPID) say they are doing their best with the ongoing investigation into a privacy breach of personnel data.The Albert Reed Memorial Fire Hall #1 on Church Street. Sounder File Photo Hope Lompe...
WorkSafeBC approves Fire Board policy for creating a respectful workplace
Trustees adopt the policy in a split voteThe Albert Reed Memorial Fire Hall #1 on Church Street. Sounder File PhotoHope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District (GFPID) board of trustees adopted a...
GFPID Transparency
The Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District (GFPID) and the Gabriola Fire Department have had ongoing problems for years. Litigation regarding a failed election, a costly wrongful dismissal lawsuit involving a “culture of intimidation and hostility”, the...
The Shore Line Buffer Conversation
The Islands Trust was established in the early 1970’s to prevent rapid development pressure from damaging the Gulf Islands. The Trust’s goals were to protect fragile ecosystems, to maintain the island’s rural character and protect the limited freshwater supplies from...
Gabriola’s opt-in to the Short-Term Rental rules shows benefits for local businesses and housing availability
Wrinkles being ironed out in enforcementHope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder In 2024, the Gabriola Islands Trust Local Trust Areas (LTC) were the first and only LTC within the Islands Trust to opt-in to Bill 35, the Short-Term Rental...
Why cardboard costs GIRO money
Michelle Kresnyak Executive Director, GIRO For many years, cardboard quietly helped support recycling on Gabriola. When markets were stronger, the Gabriola Island Recycling Organization (GIRO) could sell our baled cardboard for a small amount per tonne (about $15). It...
RDN signs off on staff to develop bylaw for nuisance properties
Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) gave board approval for staff to develop a Nuisance Abatement Bylaw at the Jan. 8 Electoral Area Services Committee (EASC) meeting. RDN staff say nuisance properties...
Oil slick identified in the waters between Duke Point and Mudge Island
Ministry says clean up is underwayHope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder An oily substance in the waters between Duke Point and Mudge Island was reported to the Ministry of Environment and Parks (MOE) and the City of Nanaimo on Jan 5. A...
Native plant seeds from critically endangered Garry Oak ecosystems to be preserved
Islands Trust Conservancy approves $10,000 toward seed bank project for critical ecosystemsHope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, including Gabriola, are home to some of the critically endangered Garry...
GaLTT: revised Islands Trust Policy Statement falls short in protecting the environment
Submitted by Rob Brockley On behalf of the Gabriola Land and Trails Trust “The formation of the Trust by the B.C. Government in 1974 … was a bold and visionary experiment in ecologically based planning and governance of a particularly sensitive, rural area in British...
The 2026 Polar Bear Swim
Polar Bear Swim 2026 - swimmers and spectators gathered at Xw cumi:lucun (Twin Beaches/Gabriola Sands Provincial Park) just before noon on January 1, as almost a hundred people jumped into the ocean to mark the start of a new year. Jeanette Martin photosBACK TO TOP
Experience Card fees put disproportionate burden on low income residents
For those able to find enough to top up their Experience Card every time it needs it, the system works. For BC Ferries, who collects those dollars in their financial accounts, building interest, the system works. For those who struggle to find an extra $20 a week,...
Area B to be included in Nanaimo Civic Sport, Arts and Culture Merit Awards
Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Gabriola islanders and other residents of Electoral Areas A, B and C will now be included in the annual City of Nanaimo Civic Sport, Arts and Culture Merit Awards. Since 1981 the city has recognized...
Islands Trust Policy Statement update
Getting answers to some of Gabriolans’ top questionsHope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The Sounder’s reporters sit in on nearly every public meeting held by local governments responsible for making decisions on Gabriola. They listen to...
Access improvements to Joyce Lockwood and Blue Heron put on hold
Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Access point improvements to Joyce Lockwood Community Park and Blue Heron Beach box steps will be put on hold with the next Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) budget. The decision was made following a...
Gabriola Trustee advocates for lower reload minimums for Experience Cards
B.C. Ferries considers whether adjustments can be made in next fiscal yearHope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Gabriola Islands Trustee Susan Yates continues to advocate for lower reload minimums for B.C. Ferries Experience Cards. She...
RDN seeks public engagement on affordable housing development incentive
The proposal would cut parks DCCs in half for EA B Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder In an effort to incentivize affordable housing development in Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) rural areas, the RDN board is seeking public feedback...
Elected officials and health leaders talk doctor recruitment and retention
Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) has released a report on their Health Summit of elected officials and community health care leaders on Nov. 13. In the report, the RDN outlines eight...
2025/2026 School District board positions selected
Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder At the Dec. 3 annual general meeting (AGM), School District 68 were selected for the 2025/2026 school year. Incumbent board chair Naomi Bailey remains in her position and was nominated unopposed. ...
School District 68 rolls out literacy framework
District says the move is partly in response to a new provincial requirement Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder School District 68 (SD68) has rolled out their framework to improve student literacy, in part after a new B.C. requirement...
