If you thought that Halloween events were canceled this year, you were wrong! The Queen's, located in downtown Nanaimo, is hosting two Dark CarniEvil themed drag shows put on by Divine Girl Productions on Friday, October 30. The first show runs from 5:30–7:30 pm and the second from 8:30–10:30 pm. Both shows are hosted by the hallow-queen herself, Divine Intervention.
“Divine Girl Productions started as a non-profit organization raising funds for Black Lives Matter and also COVID-19 relief for local hospitals on the Island. But, we are also a for-profit company that does event ...
According to the latest reports published by the BC Coroners Service, this past September, 127 people have died in BC due to suspected illicit drug overdoses.
That number equates to 4.2 overdose deaths per day in the month of September alone.
This number represents a 112 percent increase from the same month in 2019. However, this is also a decrease in the number of overdose-related deaths in August 2020, which saw 150 overdose-related deaths.
Up to this point in 2020, more than 1,000 people have died from overdosing in BC alone, passing the total number of overdose-related ...
With many children’s favourite holiday fast approaching, now is the time to prepare yourself for October 31—so you get all the treats and none of the tricks. The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has released information to their website on how to keep this year's Halloween fun and safe as the COVID-19 pandemic lurks in the shadows.
If you are sick or having to self-isolate, the BCCDC is recommending you turn off your porch lights and stay home. If you are feeling healthy, and you're out trick-or-treating, and you see the lights turned off, respect the homes and ...
Here we are again—a COVID-related article. Our daily life and routines have changed dramatically as we've adapted. Exercise is no exception.
In fact, having a strong activity routine can be a major help in keeping up mental health, as well as physical health.
You may look at public gyms and think, “OK, I have to make sure I get a spot in one of only several time slots, and I have to worry about being in a public, sweaty place.” That's fair enough; despite cleanliness precautions being taken, going to the gym is still a risk. What does that leave you?
The way I see it, there ...
The City of Nanaimo is asking its citizens how they think the city should evolve over the next decades. REIMAGINE NANAIMO set up booths last weekend and will again this weekend to answer questions and hear ideas about the city’s future.
REIMAGINE NANAIMO is a team put together by the city and has been operating since July 2020. The idea is to engage with residents “to create a collective vision and road map for our future City.”
Ideas have already been suggested: “focusing on the attraction of green businesses such as companies that manufacture solar panels, an expansion of the ...
I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of loving the cooler weather fall has brought us here on the Island. It means more indoor time to bake and sit by the fire (or heater, in my case). I recently made these bad boys and needed to share them. They are oh so gooey and delicious! They're a perfect combination of pumpkin and choco... hello, autumn! This recipe is easily turned vegan and is naturally gluten-free.
Wet ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened pumpkin purée
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (or avocado oil)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
...
The polls are now open for VIU Students’ Union Fall 2020 General Election! Even though we’re not in typical class settings this year, VIUSU is still working hard to ensure students have the best year possible.
The candidates are from diverse backgrounds and programs, and promise to serve students as best they can both online and on campus.
The voting deadline is this Thursday, October 15 at midnight PST. Students should have received an email with the access key and voting link on Tuesday morning.
Some categories have more than one candidate running, so students will have to ...
As much as we would love it if choosing our MLAs for the upcoming provincial election was as easy as choosing a character for a game of Super Smash Bros., it’s an often confusing process—and some may not even know what an MLA is.
The legislature of British Columbia is made up of the Lieutenant Government and 87 elected members of the Legislative Assembly. The 87 elected members represent each electoral district around the province. The Legislative Assembly is made up of members of the governing party, members of the oppositions, and independent members.
The key role of a member ...
I think we can all agree that staying focused and on-task is a little hard these days. Being alone in a house with no other people is a little eerie at times, but then having the TV, a podcast, or the radio on can be too distracting.
On the other hand, if you live with other people who are also working or learning from home, this can make for an unproductive learning environment. So where’s the happy medium?
Personally, music with very little lyrics and a chill beat really helps to get the creative, productive juices flowing. Here is a playlist that does just that. It features ...
The annual ShakeOut BC will be happening in Nanaimo and across the province on October 15. On October 15 at 10:15 am residents, businesses, and schools are asked to practice safety protocols for a potential earthquake by finding a proper space to ‘drop, cover, and hold on.’
During the drill, people are asked to follow three main steps:
Drop to the ground
Take cover by getting under a sturdy desk or table or dropping to the ground in a corner of the building, and
Hold on to a sturdy fixture until the ground stops shaking
While taking cover, it is important that the person ...
ImagineNATIVE Festival is a film, media and arts festival that is will be fully online this year. It will be available worldwide from October 20–October 25.
ImagineNATIVE is usually held live in Toronto, but not this year, because, well, you know—COVID-19. In this case though, there is a huge silver lining. For the first time, the festival will be accessible to anyone around the world.
Camie Augustus is a Professor of Indigenous/Xwulmuxw Studies at VIU and believes the ImagineNATIVE Festival should not be missed by anyone.
“ImagineNATIVE Film Festival is my favourite film festival for ...
Keeping up with a routine can be difficult in the best of times. So, how in the world is someone supposed to stay on top of their exercise schedule during COVID-19?
Gyms haven’t been open long, and all the convenience of dropping in whenever at the VIU gym to shoot hoops, or do a workout, is gone.
One student mentioned the added effort of having to book a spot in VIU’s weight room in advance and only having a choice of three time slots.
“I was going to work out at the school,” she said, “but their hours are just ridiculous and hard to get in. So, I went and got a gym ...
Boarder X is the Nanaimo Art Gallery’s newest art exhibit highlighting Indigenous artists from across Canada that surf, skate, and snowboard.
The exhibit shows how surfing, skateboarding, and snowboarding can be used to challenge the status quo and start conversations around Indigenous issues. The exhibit is originally from Winnipeg and was organized and circulated by the Winnipeg Art Gallery
Each artist reflects on cultural, environmental, political, and social perspectives through paintings, mixed media art, weaving, photography, and film. The artists are from across the country, ...
VIU students have grown accustomed to change over the past six months. Oftentimes, the changes have been unexpected and out of their control.
One particular group of students that has had to face more unexpected challenges than most—ones domestic students may not—are international student athletes.
Student athletes who have arrived in or returned to Canada this year to study and compete at VIU have had to deal with effects of COVID-19 that would frustrate and demoralize anyone.
Cameron Gay, a fifth-year guard on the Mariners men’s basketball team, has experienced the suspicion ...
For centuries, Indigenous nations have had to fight for basic information and resources. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nuu-chah-nulth have had to fight for what they say are basic life-saving needs.
The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC), representative of 14 nations on the Northwest coast of Vancouver Island, is working alongside Heiltsuk First Nation and the Tŝilhqot’in National Government, which represents six nations, to call on the Ministry of Health for what they say is crucial information.
Shortly after the province moved into Phase 3 of the BC Restart ...
Most Vancouver Island residents will remember the War in the Woods some 27 years ago. It was an environmental movement that saw 12,000 people show up to the rugged coast of Vancouver Island in one of the largest acts of civil disobedience Canada has ever seen. Around 1000 people were arrested trying to stop the industrial-scale logging that was set to happen around Clayoquot Sound.
Others, myself included, were either not yet born or too young to experience this act of environmental activism at its most crucial point, however, we’ve grown up seeing natural resources stripped from ...
Street art has always been highly criticized, feared, and polarized by communities around the world. Maybe because it’s “out there” for everyone to see; maybe because it evokes newfound emotion and conversation—who knows? In my mind, it allows a person’s creativity to bring life to a previously mundane wall or building. Street art is instrumental to the culture and well-being of urban areas, such as Nanaimo, and their residents. It keeps people enthused and inspired, especially in times of hardship.
Russ Morland, the local artist known as “Lurk,” has been living in Nanaimo since ...
VIU began offering a chemistry major in September 2018 after construction finished on the four storey Health and Sciences Building. In the pre-COVID-19 era, you probably strolled through the beautiful building even if you didn’t have classes there, and enjoyed the view of the Georgia Strait and the mountains beyond it while you studied.
Despite classes transitioning online until further notice, chemistry students are still managing to have some lab classes in person. Some assignments have been adjusted so students can get creative and fulfil requirements in their own kitchens. Misha ...
Aries (March 21 to April 19)
You need to slow down. Like really, stop whatever you’re doing and take a deep breath. It must be hard juggling six classes, two jobs, 3 clubs, and hiking Mount Benson at 5 am every morning, but you really need to slow down and take some time for yourself this month.
Taurus (April 20 to May 20)
With a new school year underway, now is the time to start working on yourself #newschoolyearnewme. How about we start off by ending that grudge you have against that one professor who gave you a lower mark than what you expected last year. I understand that ...
The start of the COVID-19 pandemic saw job losses, empty food shelves, and a rise in food level insecurities.
A VIU press release stated that since the start of COVID-19, grocery stores ran out of certain products, and there “were interruptions in food supply chains as virus outbreaks affected producers, processors, and transport systems.” COVID-19 became a wake-up call for how precarious the food supply can be.
To help VIU students, the university will be hosting the “Food Security in the Age of COVID-19: Toward More Resilient Regional Food Systems” webinar on October 8, ...
Shawnda Moufette of Moufette Arts is a contemporary mixed media artist, poet, and writer who attends Vancouver Island University. She will be hosting a pop-up-shop sale of her artwork October 9–October 10 from 1–4 pm each day at the Vault Café in Nanaimo.
Her newest work is inspired by Montreal, the city where she grew up. The “Montreal Climb Series 2020” has many scenes of the city, focusing on eye-catching staircases while capturing the animated charm of Montreal.
“I would place myself back in memories and look at photos of my hometown,” Moufette said. “The buildings are so ...
The film Queen & Slim written by Lena Waithe and produced by Melina Matsoukas is a provocative, timely drama of crime pursuit. It is a fearless reflection of the present day issues of race in America.
The movie’s opening scene is at a diner in Ohio where the main characters, Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya), are on a Tinder date that isn’t going well. Their lack of chemistry is apparent, and Slim ends up driving her home. On the way he is pulled over for alleged erratic driving, and the white police officer asks him to get out of the car.
Turbulent events ...
Pump up those tires and clip on that helmet—it's GoByBike Week in BC.
GoByBike BC, formerly known as Bike to Work BC, runs from September 28–October 4. The event calls attention to the importance of healthy transportation for adults and children alike, encouraging people to record their cycling trips online during the week.
It’s been a long time coming for the organization, as they had to call off their spring event because of COVID-19. The fall challenge is going ahead, however, with more focus on a virtual experience. Recreational rides have also been included in this year’s ...
It’s official, the writs have been issued and a BC election will be coming our way on October 24.
No matter if this is your first time voting or your third, we can all agree that registering to vote is confusing. But ultimately, voting is a great way to have a say in the future.
With so many rules and regulations, registering can seem like a spinning vortex of ballot boxes and John Horgan’s white beard. So, here is everything you need to know to be ready to use your fundamental rights.
Voting can be done in two ways: in person or by mail. You can register either online at ...
