News

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The Regional District of Nanaimo is resubmitting its “groundbreaking” waste hauler licensing (WHL) bylaw for approval after working on changes requested by the Ministry of Environment and...

Sounder News UPDATE: Gabriola RCMP advise that as of 4pm on Feb. 7, North Road had been reopened to traffic. A section of North Road on Gabriola is closed after one of the fire trucks from the Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department went into the ditch around 10am on...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News Call volumes for all of Gabriola’s emergency response agencies continue to climb. BC Emergency Health Services (which runs BC Ambulance Service), as well as Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department, and the Gabriola RCMP Detachment, shared their...

Press Release NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) is celebrating that Members of Parliament agreed to the NDP’s amendments to Bill C-33 to get freighter anchorages out of the Salish Sea. These changes are a much-needed first step in bringing relief to coastal...

Gabriolans Against Freighter Anchorages (GAFA) Special to the Sounder In the fall of 2023, the South Coast Ship Watch Alliance (SCSWA) made submissions about Southern Gulf Island (SGI) freighter anchorages before the parliamentary Transportation Committee in Ottawa...

Gabriola Arts Council As Gabriola Island warmly welcomes the returning light, the Gabriola Arts Council is gearing up for the much-anticipated 14th Isle of the Arts Festival (IoTA), set to take place from March 28th to April 7th. Spring on Gabriola is a time for...

Gabriola Arts Council The Gabriola Arts Council is breaking out a new series of events this year. Next month we will introduce the first in a series of events with Gabriola’s own Katherine Palmer Gordon, noted lawyer and author, as well as; Bill Yoachim, Snuneymuxw...

Alexander Varty Lulu Performing Arts Society Despite having been the kind of child who read the dictionary for fun, I’ve just been introduced to a new word, xenophrenia, which the online Encyclopedia of World Problems & Human Potential defines it as “any state...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder With one or both of the sports fields at Rollo McLay Community Park closed for multiple months of last year due to poor field conditions, Regional District of Nanaimo staff are currently...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News Lisa Marie Barron, MP for Nanaimo-Ladysmith, was on Gabriola recently, hosting a session to discuss her motion for the federal government to call a Citizens’ Assembly On Electoral Reform. The session was held at the Phoenix Auditorium at...

Snuneymuxw Chief Mike Wyse and Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Federal Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, at the signing of the historic agreement, which will allocate 80.09 hectares of land (the “Camp Nanaimo Lands on Te’tuxwtun”) to be set aside as a reserve...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News Gabriola’s GERTIE bus system is receiving $9,278 share from a $230,000 Community Passenger Transportation Fund. The one-time fund is being administered by the Island Coastal Economic Trust (ICET) and Vancouver Island Economic Alliance...

Heather Menzies Special to the Sounder Picking up garbage, clothing, cooking utensils and assorted camping gear from (illegal) encampments on the Gabriola Commons has evolved into a twice weekly patrol in recent months. In the minus-10 cold of a recent Saturday...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder They may be the Gabriola Soccer Association, but at the moment, none of the teams’ upcoming home games will be played on the island. All three of the island’s sports fields – one at Gabriola...

Sounder News BC Ferries announced last week that the company has once again hired Damen Shipyards Group (Damen) to build four hybrid electric Island Class vessels. Damen Shipyards built the last six Island Class vessels for BC Ferries. Two of those ships are currently...

Submitted article Since the autumn of 2020, the Kasahara Gabriola Trust Artist in Residence program has been bringing artists to Gabriola Island - to experience the area and community while having a set time to focus on their art practice, and in turn to give the...

Sounder News Gabriola RCMP had 81 calls for service in December. Cpl. Jordan Mullen, Detachment Commander for the Gabriola RCMP, thanked islanders for what was a relatively uneventful holidays season for the RCMP. A couple notable events - one was the RCMP cruiser...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The Islands Trust and Regional District of Nanaimo will receive $127,336 and $345,913, respectively, out of the latest round of housing funding announced by the B.C. government. The province...

Erin Udal Executive DirectorGabriola Island Chamber of Commerce The Gabriola Island Chamber of Commerce (GICC) is preparing for its upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Business Award Ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, February 7th at the Agi Hall from 6:30 pm to...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says while they have no current plans to extract gravel from Barrett Quarry Pit, they still want it available in the future. The 40-acre...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Gabriolans can view the preliminary Coats Marsh weir decommissioning design and ask questions about the project at an information session on Jan. 20. Regional District of Nanaimo parks staff...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Proposed amendments to the Regional District of Nanaimo’s parks bylaw will head to the board in the coming months, including changes to permit and campground fees. RDN staff provided a list...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Regional District of Nanaimo directors defeated a motion to cease funding the Vancouver Island North Film Commission following some passionate debate. Electoral Area C Director Lauren...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder A funding increase for GERTIE has been approved by the Regional District of Nanaimo board. A motion by Electoral Area B Director Vanessa Craig, that funding for the Gabriola Community Bus...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder GIRO’s textile recovery initiative is receiving more grant funding from the Regional District of Nanaimo as it aims to be fully operational by next month. The RDN is providing $300,003 in...