Sixteenth Bite of Nanaimo

TheatreOne will celebrate gourmet food, local wine and beer, and delicious desserts at the 16th Annual Bite of Nanaimo fundraiser in support of live theatre on Friday September 26, 2008, from 4 pm to 9 pm at the Beban Park Auditorium, 2300 Bowen Road. The Central Vancouver Island area, and especially Nanaimo, is known for its rich diversity in eateries, breweries, and wineries. The Bite of Nanaimo gourmet food festival is a perfect opportunity to sample offerings of some of the region’s finest, all at one venue, in one evening. As the send off to summer, this event has grown to be one of Nanaimo’s biggest sellout community parties of the year.

Participating this year at The Bite of Nanaimo are, the Vancouver Island University Professional Baking Program, Vancouver Island Brewery, Mermaid's Mug, Tigh Na Mara Seaside Spa and Resort, Firehouse Grill, Lighthouse Brewing Company, Longwood Brew Pub, The Keg Steakhouse and Bar, Winston's Tea Company, Basque Restaurant, Masters Touch Catering, Pirate Chips, Sandy's Ukrainian Kitchen, Richardson Foods Group, Windward Pub, and the Thirsty Camel Café.

Chefs and brewers alike will be vying for your approval, so don’t forget to vote for your favourites. Fill out a ballot form and let them know who’s tops at the Bite of Nanaimo! Trophies for winners will be provided in the following categories: Best Seafood, Best Appetizer, Best Vegetarian, Best Sweet, Best Meat or Poultry, Best Refreshment, Best Booth Design, and Best Hospitality.

Admission tickets are $10 and are available in advance only at the following outlets: Falconer Books (at Port Place Mall), Tourism Nanaimo InfoCentre (Beban Park), TheatreOne (tel. 250-754-7587), and all participating restaurants. Please note that only TheatreOne accepts VISA, MasterCard, Cash, or Cheque. Falconer Books, Tourism Nanaimo, and participating restaurants accept cash sales only. Food and beverage “bite” tickets are sold inside the venue for $1 each, and can be exchanged for samples ranging from $1 to $5. Mark your calendar and bring your appetites - there will be plenty to tempt the palate!

Taliban Interview Part One

Taliban Interview Part Two

Taliban Stronger Than Ever

So far 96 Canadian soldiers have died in Afghanistan to secure the pipeline route from Central Asia to the Indian Ocean. Paul Martin and Stephen Harper put them in harms way to please the Washington warmongers. Support our troops by bringing them home now.

Nanaimo Grassroots Festival

The Popular Participation Movement is presenting the second annual Grassroots Festival at Maffeo-Sutton Park on Nanaimo's waterfront from noon to 5 pm on Saturday, September 13, 2008.

The festival is an opportunity for community organizations and activist groups to showcase themselves to the larger community at an afternoon of discussion and great live music. The main themes of this year's festival will focus on local food production, labour issues (minimum wage, migrant worker rights, etc), and civic participation.

The Grassroots Festival boasts a diverse musical lineup featuring some of the regions most interesting independent artists, including Big Bass Theory from Saltspring Island (reggae/dub/electronica), Jackfruit from Vancouver (funk/rock/jazz), and The Heard from Vancouver (indie rock/hip-hop). Admission to this celebration of active community and social change is free.

Advertising by Cable Bay Resort

A paid full-page advertisement on the back cover of today’s Nanaimo News Bulletin Daily carries the following statement in support of the proposed Cable Bay Golf Resort and Spa:

“Approx. $30 million per year in wages for approx. 500 new jobs for local workers will be generated (based on consultants report)”

Let’s see: $30 million a year divided by 500 jobs is $60,000 in wages for each new job.

$60,000 a year divided by 52 weeks is $1,153.85 a week per job.

$1,153.85 a week divided by 40 hours is $28.85 an hour.

Are we to believe that the Calgary developers behind Cable Bay and other related businesses will pay their service workers $28.85 an hour? In a province where the mean-spirited Gordon Campbell government won’t even raise the minimum wage above $8?

If the example above is any indication, the figures in the Cable Bay advertisement are highly questionable, to say the least. A public hearing sponsored by the City of Nanaimo on the use of the Cable Bay Lands will be held in the Port of Nanaimo Centre (aka the Vancouver Island Conference Centre) this Thursday, September 4, 2008, at 7 pm, and I urge everyone to attend.

Ilios Mediterranean Cuisine Nanaimo

Ilios Mediterranean Cuisine, 215 North Terminal Avenue, is one of the city’s finest Greek restaurants. It’s just a block below the Nanaimo Ramada Inn and walking distance from the hotels downtown. The glass ceiling above the atrium bathes the dining room in natural lighting, and potted plants balance the elegant blue and white décor at the tables. Two white Corinthian columns and a large mirror highlight the bar. Further back, Greek torsos grace the washroom doors. A Mediterranean-style terrace with outdoor seating surrounds the restaurant, and everything is airy and attractive.

The appetizers and pastas here include a number of seafood dishes, while the main plates are mostly meat. Among the antipasti are mussels and clams in mustard sauce ($12), prawns ($9), and calamari ($10). The 10 pastas range in price from $12 to $18, while the six panini sandwiches are each $10. A beef, chicken, or lamb souvlaki plate is $14. There’s a choice of six pizzas, costing $12 for 10 inches, $14 for 12 inches, and $18.50 for 14 inches. I did find the herb-infused pizza crust a little heavy. The 12 dinner plates on the last page of the menu include steaks, veal, lamb, chicken, ribs, and moussaka, priced from $18 to $21. A Greek salad or fries is included with most meals.

The choice of cocktails is extensive. Twenty wines are listed on the menu at $16 to $42 a bottle. A choice of draft beers is $5 a sleeve or $15 a pitcher. Although I’d give the setting slightly higher marks than the food, I thought the menu prices were fair and plan to visit this family-operated restaurant again.

Coal Town Music Festival

The Coal Town Music Festival will be at Huddlestone Park, 7244 Lantzville Road, Lantzville, from 10 am to 7 pm on Saturday, September 6, 2008, as part of Lantzville's Mine Town Days festivities. The festival lineup includes Gerry Barnum (pictured here), Alice Frank-Campbell, Allen des Noyers, Island Hue, Sandy Jasper, Mama's Kitchen, Dennis Lakusta, Mister John Mann, Jerry Paquette, Alyse Paquette, and Trinitude. Admission is by donation ($20 suggested).

Incidentally, you can now view an album of photos of last month’s Nanaimo Summertime Blues Festival here.

Organic Master Gardener Course

Connie Kuramoto is offering an Organic Master Gardener Course at the Parksville Community Centre, 132 East Jensen Avenue, Parksville. Classes will be on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings, starting October 1, 2008, and running for eight weeks. The course has no prerequisites and is suited for anyone, home gardener and professional alike. Participants will learn to create fabulous, healthy food and ornamental gardens without pesticides and other harmful chemicals. Classes include information on botany, soils, fertilizers, composting, teas and brews, water efficiency, garden bed installation, pruning, landscape health, lawns, and garden design and construction. An information session will be held at the Community Centre at 6:30 pm on September 17, 2008, to explain the details of the program. For more information call 250-618-8805.

Last year Heide Hermary, designer of the course, was voted "Educator of the Year” by the BC Landscape and Nursery Association for her work on the course and it's textbook, "Working with Nature, Shifting Paradigms". Heide is responsible for the establishment of Gaia College which offers specialized courses in Ecological Landscape Design and Organic Turf and Soil Management throughout British Columbia. Horticulture professionals will be pleased to note that the Organic Master Gardener Course is recognized for Continuing Education Credits by the International Society of Aboriculture, the BC Society of Landscape Architects, the Canadian Horticulture Technician Certification, and the Plant Health BC Pest Management Accreditation, as well as SOUL, the Society for Organic Urban Landcare.

Friends Belly Dancing

Friends Dining Lounge, 621 Townsite Road, Nanaimo, is presenting Middle Eastern-style belly dancing at 7 pm on Saturday, September 6, 2008, as they always do on the first Saturday of the month. There’s no cover charge although tips are accepted. Some patrons really get into the spirit by doing a bit of hip shaking themselves and tucking a $5 bill into a dancer’s costume! Aside from the belly dancing, Friends is famous for its exotic food, custom-made by gourmet chef Paul Gouda. If you’ve ever wanted to try buffalo ribs, wild boar steaks, or frogs legs, here’s your chance without having to pay five-star prices. Two-course dinners with chicken, pork, lamb, or beef are under $18 (the specialty foods about $10 more). Reservations are always recommended on belly dancing nights (call 250-716-0012 or 250-619-7701). It’s fun for everyone.

Campaign to Save Island Rail

The campaign to upgrade Vancouver Island's long-neglected rail corridor has garnered great support over the summer and is increasing its efforts to get Premier Gordon Campbell and the provincial government on board. This week, volunteers began distributing over 75,000 postcards to citizens along the 290-kilometer rail corridor, urging supporters to send them to the Premier.

"We're asking the province to recognize the huge economic, environmental, and community benefits of rail as part of an integrated transportation system for Vancouver Island," says Chief Judith Sayers, co-chair of the Island Corridor Foundation (ICF). "The province is being asked to contribute one-third of the $103.8 million needed to upgrade the line -- less than $35 million over five years."

Thousands of Islanders have already signed up in support as "Friends of the Rail Corridor" through the group's website and at displays at local fairs and exhibitions held each weekend up and down the Island. Businesses, chambers of commerce, tourism associations, economic development organizations, municipalities, and regional districts are also signing up. And because First Nations are co-owners of the rail corridor, there is keen interest in how the project will bring opportunities for FN development and employment.

"The response to our campaign has been overwhelming," says Doug Backhouse, ICF's Executive Director. "This issue resonates with people all across the Island. Once we explain the benefits of rail for industry, tourism, town-to-town, and excursion passengers and for commuters - plus reductions in greenhouse gases, congestion, and sprawl - people say this makes so much sense for our future on the Island. When they find out how close we are to losing rail forever, they are shocked."

"We have increased the freight traffic since taking over but the poor condition of the track is making it increasingly more difficult to attract new business," said Frank Butzelaar, president of the operating company, Southern Rail of Vancouver Island. "There are several major shippers that have expressed interest in shipping by rail but we simply cannot accommodate the heavy loads that they typically want to ship."

"We urge the province to get the ball rolling because federal funding is only available for a short time - and time is quickly running out," said Sayers.

Sayers said that federal officials agree the upgrading qualifies for a one-third federal contribution. But provincial and private sector commitments are needed to access the federal funds. The final one-third from the private sector is available based on a comprehensive business plan.

The Island Corridor Foundation is a partnership of First Nations, five regional, and 14 municipal governments that took ownership of the 290-kilometre rail corridor in 2006 on behalf of the people and communities of Vancouver Island. Under an agreement with the foundation, Southern Railway of Vancouver Island acts as the rail operator for both freight and passenger services. VIA Rail, which offers the current passenger service, is fully supportive of the revitalization plan. The Foundation together with business and community leaders is asking Canada and British Columbia to invest in Vancouver Island's future and rebuild Vancouver Island's crumbling rail infrastructure.

Campaign Donations and Cable Bay

Fred Pattje, a candidate for Nanaimo City Council in the forthcoming municipal election, has announced on his website that he is not accepting corporate campaign donations. It’s sometimes hard to explain the decisions of certain members of our current city council, and I’m convinced that campaign donations are a factor. It’s rather scandalous that developers were and are the largest single source of campaign donations for many of our current councilors, particularly since council decides on land use applications from these same developers. Maybe it’s just business as usual, but to me, the whole system looks like special interests buying influence. So I applaud Fred Pattje’s decision to refuse corporate donations and he’ll definitely have my vote in November.

In the Current Issues section of his website, Fred also touches on the Cable Bay development project which will be discussed at a public hearing in the Port of Nanaimo Centre at 7 pm on Thursday, September 4, 2008. As Fred points out, this elitist golf course and upscale residential complex is urban sprawl pure and simple. It’s environmentally damaging and a blow to the downtown redevelopment plans in which our city has invested tens of millions of dollars. Needless to say, Fred opposes Cable Bay and I’m pretty certain he’ll be at the September 4th hearing. It should be very interesting to hear what he (and others) have to say and I urge everyone reading this to attend.

Gordon Fuller Building Community

Community activist Gordon Fuller has announced that he will be a candidate for Nanaimo City Council for the third time. Fuller believes his experience tackling social issues has given him insights he wants to bring council. Over the years Gord has worked with the Crystal Meth Task Force, the Nanaimo Alcohol and Drug Action Coalition, the Working Group on Downtown Social Issues, the Mental Health Advisory Council, the City of Nanaimo Nuisance Property Committee, the Nanaimo Social Development Strategy, the S.A.F.E.R Downtown Nanaimo Project, the Community Food Connection, Food Link Nanaimo, the Action for Diversity Team, and the Nanaimo Food Share Society.

Gordon Fuller is currently the Co Chair of the Nanaimo 7-10 Club Society, President of Friends of Plan Nanaimo, Vice President of the South End Community Association, and Vice Chair of the Nanaimo Neighbourhood Network. He’s an active participant in the Nanaimo Citizens Advocacy, Nanaimo Old City Association, Neighbours of Nob Hill, the Downtown Nanaimo Partnership – Housing Design and Development Subcommittee, the Working Group on Homeless Issues, and the Mid Island Coalition for Strong Communities.

Fuller is a third generation Nanaimoite, having lived in Nanaimo for the past 27 years. In 2002 he completed a degree in Child and Youth Care at Malaspina University/College while working full time as manager of Samaritan House Emergency Shelter. He’s currently employed with the Nanaimo Youth Services Association as coordinator of their 20-unit Youth Housing Complex. On housing and homelessness, Gord has this to say: “The City of Nanaimo must lobby provincial and federal levels of government to work with the municipality in the provision of affordable housing and other means to end homelessness in Nanaimo.”

Says Gord, “We need to implement sustainable small-scale social programs that move away from the institutional and toward community integration. We must work toward social equality and the elimination of the endemic poverty that exists in Nanaimo. This process can be accomplished in part through innovative affordable housing options that do not place a greater burden on the already high taxes that exist in Nanaimo. It is imperative that we, as a community, recognize and value diversity and the potential of all citizens in contributing to make Nanaimo a vibrant and inclusive community.”

Georgia Strait Alliance OceanFest

The Georgia Strait Alliance and The House of Indigo Boutique are staging OceanFest at Pioneer Plaza on downtown Nanaimo's waterfront from 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday, August 31, 2008. Community builder and local business-owner, Willow Chandler and her daughter Ocean, wanted to do more this year to promote conservation, community involvement, and "Toxic Free" neighbourhoods. So, instead of a birthday party for Ocean, they have created a community celebration reflecting the beauty and wonder of the natural world around us. This free event will celebrate the Strait of Georgia and all the beauty the Alliance is working to protect. Highlights include a green market place, interactive educational displays on local environmental issues, a kid's craft and activity zone, and a stage with live performances by Jon Bone and friends and other community artists.

From 7:30 pm to midnight on Sunday, August 31, 2008, there will be an OceanFest Evening Gala at St. Paul's Church, 100 Chapel Street, Nanaimo, featuring a silent auction with some amazing prizes and live performances by one man didjeridoo, djembe, and slide guitar master Shane Philip and Victoria indie/folk-singer Corwin Fox. Food catered by New York Style Pizza and the Thirsty Camel Café will be served. Tickets are available at the Georgia Strait Alliance office, 195 Commercial Street, or at The House of Indigo Boutique, 310 Fitzwilliam Street ($25 for adults or $10 for children 10 and under). All income from ticket sales and the silent auction go to Georgia Strait Alliance's marine conservation efforts. For more information call 250-753-3459 or 250-754-1022.