Recent and ongoing whale strikes and deaths have come to the attention of Fisheries and Oceans. It’s getting harder for the marine mammals to navigate the ever rising traffic and human activities in the waters surrounding Vancouver Island. Is there a lack of laws and regulations to keep marine life safe?
In a Death Café, folks gather to engage in open-ended conversations about death. Coats rustle as people settle into their chairs, balancing paper cups of tea and small slices of cake from a local bakery. The term café here isn’t meant literally—these gatherings more often take place in libraries, community centres, or living rooms. The word gestures instead toward the atmosphere the hosts create: warmth, ease, and a sense of belonging around a shared table.
Dancing into his fourth feature, Liam Prendergast teams up with the VIU Dance Team to explore what a week in the life of a team member looks like. He joins them for an action-packed schedule: starting with an early morning practice, followed by a drop-in evening dance class hosted by team member Ava Padley, and finally a trip to Vancouver for a special training session at Harbour Dance Centre. In this issue, Prendergast speaks with VIU Dance Team coaches and managers Katelyn Kurtz and Madeline Joseph about their roles and the team's exciting events on the horizon. He also talks with VIU ...
During the holiday season on Vancouver Island, it’s unfortunately dark outside most of the time, and when the sun goes down before 5:00 pm, what better than a colourful display of lights to stave off the darkness? This issue, Daxton Comba tours Ladysmith’s 2025 annual Festival of Lights, held Thursday, November 27. With coverage from all across First Avenue of local performers, jugglers and people on stilts, the Kinsmen light-up parade, dozens of holiday light displays, and a drone show. If you missed out on the events this year, this is your chance to catch up!
The Nav’s Videographer Daxton Comba turns the lens towards VIU this month, examining the recent changes to the Media Studies program regarding the merge of DIGI and MEDI course codes within the program. To learn about the Media Studies Merger, Daxton spoke with department chair Joy Gugeler about evaluating the program, and with professors Karen Skardzius and Robin Davies about the changes occurring as result of the Merger, as well as other alterations to the curriculum happening across the university. He also met with Media studies students Shaye Netzel, Laiken Wild, and Liam Prendergast ...
In this edition of Elke’s on the Island, Elke Sorensen gets in contact with one of the administrators behind the campus popular Instagram page: Spottedviu. The account, which has over 1 thousand followers, is a platform for students to send in personal ads, missed connections, rants, and raves about campus to be posted anonymously to the page. The admin speaks about the motives behind the page, what it’s like running it, all without revealing their identity.
In a conversation between director and actor, Evan Shumka and Bailey Bellosillo discuss how his debut stageplay was created and how it developed from its genesis at Vancouver Island University to its revival in the Fringe Festival.
Liam Prendergast laces up with Nanaimo’s very own Sunday Social Run Club to explore the community, energy, and friendships that keep this group running strong. Joining them for both their Hops & Hustle event and a special Lululemon partnership run, Prendergast captures the blend of fitness, fun, and connection that defines the Club. Prendergast speaks with founder Sarah Georgica about how the Club began and the journey that brought it to where it is today. Leaders Austin Koevoets and Josh Kulhawy share insight into the club’s culture and what sets it apart from other fitness communities, ...
In Vancouver Island’s old growth, what’s left behind isn’t just stumps. When the saws go silent, the trauma remains. An exploration of ecological trauma in Vancouver Island’s old growth, where loss echoes through water, soil, and the generations of life that remain.
Dear Leighton,
It’s been so long since I’ve written to you. As the air turns cold and less autumn leaves are underfoot, my mind drifts to those early days when I wrote to deal with the grief. My therapist suggested the idea, you remember, don’t you? With such a touchy topic, it’s been difficult to start again. It’s been so long since I’ve seen your face.
I sit on the side of the single bed and breathe in the warm stuffy air that reminds me of dust and my aging parents. Dad lies on his back, settled under the covers. Thick brown curtains shut out the oncoming night. Although he is heavily shadowed, I can still see the deep worry lines etched into his face. He clutches one of my hands with both of his.
Since AI was released for mass use in 2023, professors at VIU started including a policy on the use of Generative AI tools under the Academic Integrity section of their syllabus. This year, administration rolled out a new formative feedback tool Studiosity for use by students in all departments. But what has been the reaction of students? And how did we get from the AI use ban for academic integrity to promoting this tool in classes? All this amidst just over a 20 million dollar budget deficit.
That night, I stare into the light of my phone, half-asleep as I read my little sister’s message.
Sylvia writes, Are you coming home over reading break?
When I left, I swore to my little sister it wouldn’t be for good. I type and retype my message. Don’t think so. Sorry. I’ll see you at Christmas.
In his second installment as The Nav's Sports Videographer, Liam Prendergast hits the sidelines with the Vancouver Island Raiders, a Canadian Junior Football League team. Liam joins the Raiders for both practice and game day, capturing the intensity of their Island rivalry game, the Battle of the Rock, against the Westshore Rebels. Steady rain and a slick field added to the challenge of this gritty rivalry matchup. Prendergast speaks with players Kaya Saunders, Marcus Harvey, and Max Shippam, as well as Offensive Line Coach Trevor Bowles about the preparation, mindset, and passion ...
Join Elke for the Halloween edition of Elke’s on the Island. In this episode, Elke brings the spooky vibes by chatting with sisters Gina Armstrong and Victoria Vancek, co-founders of Haunted History BC, about ghostly encounters at historical haunts around British Columbia. Their interview even features audio containing the voice of an alleged ghost woman. Then, Elke asks folks from her social media, VIU library-goers, and The Nav staff to share their scariest ghost stories, which includes Ouija board mishaps, Buttertubs Marsh ghost circles, and grandma’s last goodbye. Elke finishes the ...
In the second instalment of his classic media series, The Nav’s Videographer Daxton Comba tours Nanaimo's local campus community radio, CHLY 101.7 FM, to learn more about how radio stations are run. Passing 24 years of broadcasting this October, CHLY is looking toward the quarter-century anniversary of campus community radio on the Salish Sea. Daxton speaks with CHLY Executive Director and Station Manager Jesse Woodword about his roles at the station, how the station operates, and plans for the near future, with comments from CHLY volunteer and Wednesday host of the VIU Meter Maggie ...
Amber Fiegen, multi-disciplinary artist and creator behind The Hollowbird—a small business selling her hand-crafted creations—shares her love of nature and how she became who she wanted to be growing up.
So much to buy for these holidays! Buying decorations and gifts has an environmental impact; keep reading to learn how to hack these holidays by becoming a more conscious consumer.
Tim May sits down with us to discuss the changes he’s making to the VIU cafeteria. This involves better meals for the students, more affordable options, and food made from scratch.
Did you know that black cats are more likely to be euthanized than any other colour of cats? This piece explores the reverence cats once held in ancient Egypt, to their systematic mass slaughter. Read on about stigma, black cats, and how the only dark aspect about them is their fur.
