News
Gabriola Chamber Ensemble rings in the season with Handel’s Messiah
Sue GouldGabriola Chamber Ensemble The glorious strains of the Messiah will fill the Phoenix Auditorium as the Gabriola Chamber Ensemble presents its annual Christmas concert November 30th. Handel’s Messiah is a moving, magnificent triumph and a highlight of the...
Gabriola Commons Kitchen Gets Electrical Boost
The Commons recently received funding from the Gabriola Lions and the Regional District of Nanaimo, totalling up to $18,000, to be put towards the Commons Community Kitchen. In photo, on left, Suzy Nachtsheim, Nikki Stewart, and Bryony Gillis with the Gabriola Lions....
GVFD charging BC EHS $1,000 per 24hrs to stay at Fire Hall in power outages
The BC Emergency Health Services Ambulance Station #153 on Gabriola Island. Sounder File Photo.Sounder News The Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department is seeking formal agreement with BC Emergency Health Services (BC EHS) to host BC EHS staff at Fire Hall #1 when there is...
Tennis court resurfacing delayed to 2027
Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) is delaying the tennis court resurfacing to 2027, with parks manager Rick Daykin saying the work is not urgent, and they must ensure the project is done in warm...
RDN rolls out education for businesses after slow uptake of waste separation bylaw
Enforcement is put on the back burner after grace period endsHope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Ten months after the Mandatory Waste Source Separation (MWSS) program rolled out for multi-family dwellings and commercial spaces, the...
Lulu Presents Hasselberg & Magal November 15
Alexander Varty Lulu Performing Arts Society The first concert in the Lulu Performing Arts Society’s 2025-26 season is nominally a double bill: Brazilian-Canadian songwriter Sara Magal will present a selection of her original compositions, followed by adventurous...
Advocates concerned Nanaimo data centre could cut into water supply available for Gabriola, city says not to worry
Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Advocates and concerned citizens showed their support for the Vancouver Island Water Watch Coalition (VIWWC) at Nanaimo City Council last Monday, where they spoke out against a proposed data centre in...
Build housing. Not data centres.
Staff with the City of Nanaimo state a proposed data centre in the city will consume at minimum 55,000 litres of water per day. That’s 14,529 gallons. Enough to get a family of four Gabriolans through four to five months of spring, summer, and early fall. The City...
No changes yet to BC Ferries policy regarding damaged electric and hybrid vehicles
Derek Kilbourn Sounder News Staff with BC Ferries say there have been no changes to a policy which prohibits any damaged electric vehicle to be towed on to a ferry. They stated the policy applies to any electric, hybrid and alternatively-fuelled vehicles (cars,...
Vanessa Craig steps down as RDN chair
Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder For the past three years, Vanessa Craig served as the chair of the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) and previously for two years as vice chair. On Thursday, Craig, who also serves as director of Area...
RDN going the extra mile to keep Gabriolans safer
Gabriola definitely needs an extension on the Village Way downhill to the ferry terminal. For Gabriolans and those who visit the island, there needs to be a safer and more accessible way for pedestrians to walk up and down ferry hill. In a perfect world, the cost of...
BCF says no cancellations of sailings during fall work on Nanaimo Harbour
Derek Kilbourn Sounder News BC Ferries says there are no sailing cancellations expected during the Nanaimo Harbour phase of the Route 19 terminal improvements. On October 27, BC Ferries started work on the Nanaimo Harbour Terminal, to extend the life of the Nanaimo...
7 Stories takes audiences up and away.
Gabriola Players 20th anniversary celebrated with remounting of first play the group ever performedGabriola Players Gabriola Players is marking its 20th anniversary with a remounting of the first play the group ever performed, 7 Stories by Vancouver playwright Morris...
Exploring Nature Through Art. Rhonda Weppler’s Residency at Kasahara
Athena, 2022, by Rhonda Weppler. Resin, embedded residue of decomposed mushrooms, antique broken plaster cast. Submitted photoKasahara Gabriola Trust A Winnipeg-born artist is bringing their innovative workshops and immersive video project to Gabriola Island. Rhonda...
Path forward for Village Way expansion
RDN says over half a million earmarked for the projectHope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder An expansion of the Village Way down to the ferry terminal could be in the pipeline as the RDN works to secure additional funding through grants for...
Wild Rose public forum scheduled online for Nov. 17
An online-only public forum for the Wild Rose Garden Centre rezoning application on Tin Can Alley is scheduled on Nov. 17 from 4pm to 6pm.Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder An online-only public forum for the Wild Rose Garden Centre...
Gabriola Housing Society announces eligibility, rents, and application process for Paisley Place affordable housing
Sounder News The Gabriola Housing Society (GHS) Board of Directors announced this past week that the twenty-four affordable rental homes on Paisley Place will be ready to welcome tenants in the summer of 2026. Provision of these homes would not have been possible...
Islands Trust Policy Statement public engagement phase entering final stage
Gabriolans will have the opportunity to speak to the policy at Community Meeting on Nov. 20Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The community information meeting for the long-awaited update to the Islands Trust Policy Statement has been...
Final numbers for Gabriola Elementary student enrolment down from last year
Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The final number of students at Gabriola Elementary dropped by 16 enrolments for the 2025/2026 school year compared to last year. The 2024/2025 school year saw 160 students at GES, up six from...
Letter to the Editor Re: Shoreline Buffer Concept
I am writing to provide some context about the shoreline buffer draft map that was reported on during recent engagement on the Official Community Plan project. The 200-metre shoreline buffer was presented as a concept for discussion and is not a proposal to take away...
Artificial Intelligence is drinking our water
Nanaimo is set to become the latest location for a data centre. These are the kinds of place built where tech companies build the computers that serve as the brains of the internet. The public, and tech companies, are racing to insert artificial intelligence into...
Braiding Refugia
Gabriola Island Fibre Working Group From Friday November 7 through Sunday November 9 the Gabriola Island Fibreshed Working Group will be hosting Refugia, a glorious mash-up of textile arts, rope making, storytelling, music, and ideas. It promises to be an intriguing...
NLPS says they will be able to meet projected growth demands
Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder School District 68 says they will be able to meet projected growth anticipated by the district over the next several years. The district’s multi-year financial plan projects an increase in student...
More Island and coastal communities representation on UCBM executive wanted from governance review next year
RDN board member calls for island voices to be involved in planning the reviewHope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Island and coastal communities have struggled to get representation on the Union of B.C. Municipalities executive, but...
RDN pledges $22.5 million of $30 million to acquire Hamilton Wetlands for regional park
Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder The Nanaimo Regional District has committed $22.5 million in conditional funding to acquire the Hamilton Marsh wetlands and forest in a special board meeting on Sept 9, part of a $30 million total deal....
