News

Sounder News BC Ferries announced this past week a major step forward in its New Major Vessels (NMV) project, marking a critical milestone in the company’s largest capital investment ever. To address projected population growth, replace aging vessels, and meet...

Sounder News The Nanaimo Ladysmith Board of Education is announced this past week that Robyn Gray has been selected to fill the position of superintendent effective November 18, 2024. Robyn is currently the superintendent of schools for Cowichan Valley School District...

GROWLS & GISKA Press Release Jackie Hildering, a well-known humpback whale researcher, is coming to Gabriola to share the work of the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), and what has been learned as a result of studying individual humpback whales . She...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News The Gabriola Local Trust Committee is adding the Ecological Protection Zone project to the list of items to be covered during an Official Community Plan review engagement with Snuneymuxw First Nation (SFN). This decision came during the...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News The Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department is preparing for the day when electric vehicles will part of the Department’s fleet. The department recently installed chargers at both Hall #1 and Hall #2, with funding received through the BC Hydro...

Gabriola Talks Press Release There’s a new excellent reason to vote in the upcoming provincial election in October: Gabriola is back to being included with downtown Nanaimo in new Nanaimo-Gabriola Island electoral district. To help you understand the range of issues,...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News This Wednesday, Sept. 18, the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District Board (Fire Board) will be hosting a Special General Meeting to solicit feedback from the public on the proposed tax levy for 2025, as well as the draft Long Range...

Tsatassaya White Gabriola Arts Council At the Gabriola Arts Council, we’ve been hard at work preparing for the fall programming of “Breaking Bannock,” which is dedicated to uniting our community through cultural and educational events. In Canada since 2012 each...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News A special general meeting has been called by the Board of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District for September 18. Two items are on the agenda for the meeting. The first is the Long Range Plan for the Gabriola Volunteer Fire...

Alexander Varty Lulu Performing Arts Listen closely and you can hear the ocean: a deep, thrumming pulse that evokes the surf breaking on the long beaches of Meares Island or the Esowista Peninsula. And is that birdsong? Perhaps the call of a varied thrush or a...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News The Board of Trustees for the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District (Fire Board) held their regular meeting last week on September 4. Before the meeting began, a member of the public - identified as Wayne Mercier - set up a tripod...

HOPE Centre Submitted Article When Suzanne Verstraete began her role as Executive Director at The HOPE Centre in 2021, her son, who had just turned two years old at the time, was awaiting an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. This process, along with coordinating all...

The Queen of New Westminster. BC Ferries photo Sounder News Following the recovery of the 60-year-old Queen of New Westminster’s propeller from the seabed September 7, BC Ferries announced that repairs required to the ship will keep it out of service for approximately...

Sounder News As all students in BC head back to school this week, they will be entering into buildings where restrictions on personal digital devices have been put in place by the provincial government. This past May, Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools adopted a policy...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Major and minor capital submissions for Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools include two for Gabriola Elementary School and multiple for Nanaimo District Secondary School. The board of education...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News In June, it was announced that Gabriola Elementary was selected as one of the schools that will receive school district before and after school care for this coming 2024-2025 school year. According to media representatives with...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) is introducing a new waste diversion bylaw for all commercial, institutional, industrial and multi-family buildings throughout the region in January 2025. This new bylaw will apply to buildings with...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News Gabriola Fire Chief Will Sprogis is encouraging the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to improve the mowing alongside Gabriola roadways. Sprogis said this past week, MOTI typically does the mowing in the early spring - however,...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) says that the Recreation, Parks, and Trails Master Plan for Electoral Area B will be resuming this coming winter. The Master Plan is intended to guide the management and development of parks,...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder A new parental leave policy adopted by the Regional District of Nanaimo board allows for up to six months paid parental leave for directors. The board adopted the new policy and an amendment...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The Regional District of Nanaimo board of directors have added an additional staff position to the fall’s financial plan deliberations that would support the implementation of a five-year...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder In discussing when the Regional District of Nanaimo should wind down its leadership role in a legislative reform effort for B.C. regional districts, the board of directors voted to leave it...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News The Gabriola Fire Improvement District is able to list additional services within a bylaw, should those services be required outside of the listed goal of fire protection. Fire Chief Will Sprogis contacted the Sounder after the publication...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The regional landfill’s lifespan is now expected to be longer than estimated previously. As per a staff report delivered at the June 18 Regional District of Nanaimo board meeting, the 2024...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News Last week, on Wednesday, August 7, BC Ferries added one extra round trip to the end of the schedule. This came at the end of an evening which saw vehicles lined up far down Port Drive towards the Helijet terminal, and travellers reporting a...