News

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder A prescription for reducing fire risk for the 707 Community Park is in and it recommends reducing the density of trees from 5,000 per hectare to 600. The fuel management prescription,...

Debbie Marshall Sounder News “A conditional sentence is a jail sentence in the community.” These were Judge Brian Harvey’s words at the February 1 sentencing hearing of the Gabriola man charged with sexual interference of a person under fourteen. According to Crown...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder A much-anticipated evacuation route guide for Gabriola, and all of Electoral Area B, has been released. Produced by Calian Group Ltd on contract with the Regional District of Nanaimo, it will...

Presentation to Gabriola LTC forthcoming Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder A charge on new development to fund land purchases for the school district has received support from the Regional District of Nanaimo board, joining...

Sounder News With the announcement that two of the current physicians will be leaving the Gabriola Medical Clinic shortly, the Clinic and the Gabriola Health Care Foundation are working together to recruit new doctors to Gabriola and to manage patient care in the...

Sounder News On January 25, 2022 Heath Handy failed to attend court in relation to a Nanaimo and Gabriola investigation. The courts have issued an unendorsed warrant for Handy, who is now wanted for several violent and non-violent offences. Unendorsed means if Handy...

Gabriola Live Press Release Gabriola Live is taking it slow. We have no desire to be a super spreader event, so we are live-streaming a concert, at no charge (donations always welcome), onto your computer, tablet or phone. Ron Cote, our Sound Engineer, is very adept...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News A man facing three charges stemming from the sexual assault of a person under the age of 16 was scheduled to be in Nanaimo Provincial court this past Monday, Jan. 17. Specific charges in this case are Sexual Interference with a person under...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder With the deluge of snow, so came a deluge of comments and phone calls to Regional District of Nanaimo directors about the delays in curbside recycling, garbage and organics pickup. At the...

Gabriola Arts Council Press Release Summer seems so far away, but the Gabriola Arts Council (GAC) thinks it is the perfect time to talk about Cultivate 2022. The festival will be back at the Gabriola Commons June 30 – July 3. We are running with the notion that...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder A total of 69 building permits have been issued on Gabriola so far this year. Through the end of the third quarter, the RDN has issued 421 permits across all electoral areas, including 69 in...

Gabriola Island Community Investment Co-op Press Release Extreme heat, drought, wild fires, flooding…..the weather this year leads many Gabriolans to wonder what concrete actions we can take to mitigate the effects of climate change in our own backyard. On this front,...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The latest iteration of the Regional District of Nanaimo’s draft parks and trails strategy will proceed to a public comment phase sometime in spring 2022. Details of how residents will be...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Funds to develop a recreation, parks and trails master plan for Electoral Area B have been added to the Regional District of Nanaimo’s 2022-26 financial plan. A total of $70,000 – $35,000...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News As part of the final news conference of 2021 on the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer for BC spoke to how the Omicron variant has changed the response to the pandemic. She was asked, given how fast Omicron is...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder. The Regional District of Nanaimo board does not want to introduce a social planning service. After receiving the 255-page social needs assessment and strategy completed with funds from a...

Sounder News This past Friday, Gabriolans watched as the Zim Kingston made its way past Gabriola Island, on its way to Nanaimo Harbour and the jurisdiction of the Nanaimo Port Authority. The M/V Zim Kingston made headlines earlier this year, first when it lost 109...

Gabriola Arts Council Press Release Gabriola Live has 6 upcoming concerts at the Phoenix Auditorium in December. Get your tickets now at gabriolalive.ca or visit the Gabriola Arts Council Jack Pine log cabin Monday – Friday from 10-4pm. Live performance is back and...

Susan Yates GERTIE Biographer This year’s annual food and toy drive, traditionally organized by the Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department, will be double the fun and effort with GERTIE helping out.  And it will be a two-part event, with the drive on Sunday December 12...

December 8 Editorial. We’re losing our connections. As we go into another holiday season, with Gabriola traditions once again being put aside to protect each other from whatever COVID has waiting for us - we are losing our connections. It starts with the easily...

Corporal Jordan Mullen Detachment Commander, Gabriola RCMP Gabriola RCMP received reports of two stolen electric assist bicycles, taken from the Gabriola Ferry terminal on in the overnight hours of November 17, 2021. Both bikes were locked onto the racks however the...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The final report outlining the Regional District of Nanaimo’s priority climate change actions has been approved by the board of directors. “The RDN response needs to reflect the severity and...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News On Thursday Nov. 18 last week, the Gabriola ferry returned to the modified ferry schedule ‘until further notice’ It had operated just the one day, Wednesday, November 17, under the ‘normal’ schedule, from 5:15am to 11pm. As of press time on...

Passengers wait inside the water taxi hired by BC Ferries to take them to Nanaimo at 5:15am on Monday, November 15 while the MV Quinsam sits in dock until the 7:35 sailing. Derek Kilbourn photo Derek Kilbourn Sounder News The Gabriola ferry will be operating sailings...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News Due to a staffing issue stemming from a Transport Canada interim Order requiring Mandatory Vaccinations for ferry staff, BC Ferries will be cancelling select sailings on the Gabriola Route starting Monday, Nov. 15. This was announced in a...