News

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...

Derek Kilbourn Sounder News Fire Trustees on the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District will be holding a special meeting on November 24 to debate whether the Board will have a governance review conducted on itself. The motion to do so came up at the latest...

Sounder News In a statement sent to the Sounder, the Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department says it is working towards upgrading the Department’s medical responder program - from First Responders to Emergency Medical Responder (EMR). This is being done through the support...

Sounder News The Ministry of Health announced this past week that it will be giving third doses - boosters - of COVID-19 vaccine to all residents of BC who are over the age of 12. People 70+ who are registered in the Get Vaccinated System, as well as Indigenous...

Dixon Kenny Gabriola Veterans Association It has now been two years since we last had a Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Gabriola Cenotaph and sadly, for many reasons, we have decided that it is premature to hold a ceremony again this year with the 4th wave of COVID...

Rachelle Stein-Wotten Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder A public opinion survey on freshwater in the Regional District of Nanaimo indicates one-third of residents are unsure what watershed they live in and don’t know what the RDN can do to...

Sounder News Parents of one classroom of students at Gabriola Elementary Students received a letter alerting them to a possible COVID-19 exposure in the classroom on October 8, 2021. The letter to parents was sent out on October 15, and was only sent to parents who...

Sounder News BC Ferries’ sixth Island Class ferry is now on its way to British Columbia after departing Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania at sunrise on October 11. Island 6, as it is temporarily named, is the last in the series of newly built Island Class ferries to...

Rural Islands Economic Forum Press Release Strengthening Connections Across BC Rural Islands is this year’s theme for the online Rural Islands Economic Forum, taking place on the mornings of October 20 and 21.  Creating and sustaining work and livelihoods on a rural...

Sounder News Caregivers of children aged 5 to 11 years old can now pre-register those children for COVID-19 vaccinations. The web site is www.getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca/s/ Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has expanded the indoor mask mandate in BC to include...

Bob Meyer bob@silverbluecharters.com  Thrasher produced some nice results this week for Chinook in the 8 to 10 pound class, with a bonus 6 pound hatchery Coho in the mix. There is tons of bait present, but the best approach is to fish in the “hook” in 160 to 180 feet...

Iain Lawrence GROWLS (Gabriola Rescue Of WildLife Society) A long-time Gabriola couple will soon be appearing in their own reality show. Watch them repair and renovate their home. See them gathering wood and spending long hours looking after the kids. On the surface,...

Press Release The Gabriola Health and Wellness Collaborative in partnership with the Gabriola Health Care Foundation is excited to announce the release of the Gabriola Health Report Video. This video reveals challenges to Gabriolans’ quality of life as well as the...

Carol Fergusson Executive Director Gabriola Arts Council Tomorrow, Tour Central (#8-575 North Road…Folklife Village), opens at 10am to welcome visitors into the Preview Gallery. A piece of art from each studio will be on display for all to appreciate and to begin...

Patient lists being equalized amongst physicians to ensure space is available for everyoneDerek Kilbourn Sounder News With the addition of Drs. Ramak Shadmani and Erin Cusack, there are now five primary health practitioners at the Gabriola Medical Clinic. With more...

The 25th Annual Thanksgiving Studio TourCarol Fergusson Executive Director Gabriola Arts Council In our last press release we stated that vaccine passports were going to be required to visit studios on the Studio Tour because Island Health had told us this to be true....

Fishing Report for September 29, 2021Bob Meyer bob@silverbluecharters.com  This past week was difficult fishing. There are small schools of Chinook in very specific spots that are feeding on selective bite times. We had productive fishing at Thrasher twice, fishing...

NDP candidate Lisa Marie Barron elected MPDerek Kilbourn Sounder News Lisa Marie Barron is the new Member of Parliament for Nanaimo-Ladysmith, as confirmed over the past weekend once over 8,000 mail-in ballots were counted. Barron was in the lead after election night...

Warrant issued for arrest of driver from 2020 hit and runSounder News A warrant has been issued for the arrest of one Kelly William Jordan. Charges have been sworn against Jordan resulting from a hit and run incident on Gabriola Island on June 28, 2020 - in which a...