British Columbians will be heading to the polls a lot sooner than expected as Premier John Horgan calls an election.
After weeks of rumours and gossip, Horgan has asked Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin for approval for the BC Legislature to be dissolved. With approval from Austin, the new election day is October 24, 2020—one year ahead of the previously scheduled election on October 16, 2021.
This will be the first time in history that a BC election will take place during a pandemic, and the second time since World War II that an election will take place during a state of ...
Yes, it’s true that summer is over. Cozy sweaters, colour-changing leaves, and fall cuisine are all positives we can look forward to. I’m reminded of all my favourite fall dishes I like to cook. I’m not much of an inventive chef, but I’m constantly browsing the internet for easy, delicious, and healthy meals. My recent favourite is an Instant Pot lentil curry. It’s the perfect dish to keep in the fridge for the week.
I've modified this recipe from Erin Clarke to bulk it up with tomatoes and it has become a go-to when my brain needs a break. I use an Instant Pot, and although it will ...
The British Columbia Green Party announced their new leader after a three-way race. Sonia Furstenau, the MLA for Cowichan Valley, will be taking on the new role after a tight win.
Furstenau won after gaining 52.4 percent of the votes on the second ballot, beating out Cam Brewer and Kim Darwin. Brewer was close behind her with 45.9 percent.
The party announced that 85 percent of eligible voters took part in the election.
In 2017, Furstenau was elected as the first BC Green MLA for the Cowichan Valley. In her new position she will be replacing Andrew Weaver, who stepped down at ...
Nanaimo has made an important step to becoming a greener, more sustainable city. So, why doesn’t it feel that way?
The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) has partnered with the non-profit group Nanaimo Recycling Exchange to assess the waste produced by local businesses and industries. The evaluations by the non-profit will go towards finishing a new bylaw in the wings for the RDN. The bylaw will impose mandatory waste separation for industrial, commercial, and institutional sectors.
It’s all part of the plan for the RDN, who made a commitment two years ago to increase waste ...
Last summer Jenny Dawson began her journey selling self-grown, organic flowers from her farm in Lantzville. Her enthusiasm for finding a balance between business and sustainability was obvious when I spoke with her on her farm.
“It’s a hobby that will take me into retirement,” Dawson said to me as we strolled around the eleven flower beds behind her home. I was blown away. She offers a variety of tulips, dahlias, sunflowers, perennial flowers, roses, lavender, and eucalyptus—just to name a few.
Jenny’s interest in growing flowers blossomed from her career in aquaculture, the ...
Well, week two of being “back” to school has come to a close and surely you’ve all had the privilege of attending anywhere from one to 25 Zoom classes or maybe even popped into some “office hours” that were definitely not awkward.
Are you a fan of the gallery view or the speaker view? Personally I go for gallery view if a lot of people have their videos on and I’m looking for some entertainment. Otherwise, I’m all for the speaker view so I can focus on the lecture material. The perk of gallery view is that you can get a full class vibe and maybe even recognize someone’s face or name ...
At the beginning of the year, when attending class meant climbing the 403 steps at VIU in the dreary, pouring rain of January, the idea of studying from home sounded like a pretty good gig. Blankets. Snacks at your disposal. Not having to wear pants. Dreamy, right?
Fast forward nine months, and we’re quickly finding out that LFH (learning from home) isn’t all rainbows and butterflies and endless cups of coffee. If you’re like me, you’re feeling scattered, unmotivated, and uninspired. All classes are blending into one, and keeping track of them is difficult. But if online learning is ...
A letter from Antony Stevens, board president of the Navigator Newspaper Society:
I hope this letter finds you: a passionate student, professor, or member of the public with a drive for arts, business, or empowering students.
It wasn’t until my third year as a Creative Writing major that I became a part of The Navigator Newspaper—VIU’s student press for the last 50 years. To be honest, it took a chance meeting at a café between the Arts Editor and my girlfriend for me to find the courage—we writers are not known for our networking skills. Seven years later and I’m the board ...
So, you’re an active person. You were a frequent sighting at Vancouver Island University’s weight room or participated in intramurals like basketball and volleyball—maybe you even took advantage of VIU’s Outdoor Recreation program.
The good news is these options are still open to you, only they’ll look a little different this year.
VIU’s weight room opened its doors to students on September 8, while sign-up for Outdoor Recreation and intramurals began September 14.
The process to use the weight room is relatively easy. Online booking is required through the Mariners website, ...
As smoke flies through the air, students in the Nanaimo Ladysmith School District will be spending a lot more class time inside. This change comes as the air quality reaches a very high-risk level on the Province’s Air Quality Health Index (AQHI).
The smoke comes from uncontrolled wildfires happening in Washington and Oregon—some burning just south of Grand Forks.
In a letter the school district sent to parents on September 14, they said due to the smoke, students will be kept inside with the windows closed. Moreover, the letter stated, “as we know [it] would be very difficult to ...
With everything that has happened so far in 2020—the pandemic, a steep rise in awareness about systemic racism, alarming weather events due to climate change, among many others—it’s clear the need for diversity in leadership to combat these issues is crucial. And, not just at a federal level, but in every institution.
One thing that’s admirable about VIU is its clear devotion to moving inclusivity forward by ensuring people from diverse backgrounds are in positions of leadership. This summer, the university appointed Kekinusuqs, Dr. Judith Sayers, as its new chancellor, making this ...
Now that we are all completely versed in working and learning from home, this first semester back should be an absolute breeze. We’ve perfected our posture while sitting at our dining room tables for hours on Zoom meetings or classes that probably could have been an email. We all know to wear pants, or at least something on the bottom half. We never forget to mute ourselves while chatting with roommates, and always remember to unmute ourselves when we have something important to share with the group. Right?
Years down the line we might look back on this time as the era of Zoom, but ...
2020 has been an unforgettable year, and it’s not even over yet. The entire world has been shaken up on account of COVID-19, not to mention the murder hornets, protests, and wildfires (to name just a few). This crisis has left everyone feeling vulnerable and helpless, myself included. I don’t know how the new academic year will feel amid the crisis as we grapple with new and foreign concerns. Not only are the health implications of COVID-19 a worry, the impact it has on our society makes my head spin.
As all students are navigating the changes that come with this transition online, I ...
They all knew the news was coming, but it didn’t soften the blow.
Partway through the summer while the world watched COVID-19’s steady spread, players, coaches, and staff of the Vancouver Island University Mariners soccer and golf programs learned their national championships for 2020 were cancelled, along with all competitive play for the fall. Questions about training and possible provincial league play in January remained in the wake of the decision.
Griffin Douglas, a fifth-year student who played midfielder on VIU’s men’s soccer team said the news was expected, but he couldn’t ...
Every year, the VIU Student Residences welcomes over 500 new and returning students from across the world and invites them to build communities and make long-lasting connections. With new COVID-19 rules and regulations, this year will look very different for the “Reslife” community.
Back in March when VIU sent out emails informing the student body that the campus would be closing due to COVID-19, the VIU residence made sure they did everything possible to stay open.
Student Residences never shut down during the summer, so it became manager of VIU Student Housing Ian Johnsrude’s ...
Amidst these trying times, optimism is a scarcity. However, now that the consequences of a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) decision appear to be non-existent, it is a good time to celebrate and reflect on the biggest Mariners Moment of the year.
The Mariners Women’s Volleyball Team travelled to Cepeg Garneau, in Quebec, for the CCAA Women’s Volleyball Nationals. From March 12 to March 14, the Mariners played a total of three games—a game a day. In these three games, the Mariners completed their 29-0 perfect season to secure their third consecutive national ...
Well, I can’t believe the academic year has gone by already. With COVID-19 taking over the spring semester (and everything else), I think it’s been hard for any of us to concentrate, particularly on our studies. But we’re almost there. March felt like a bajillion years long, but now we’ve finally hit April; and sadly, that means it’s the end of my time as Arts Editor for The Nav.
One of the things I’ve been relying on to get me through these tough times is music—so, I figured I’d sign off with a little playlist. Hopefully, these songs will help lift your spirits, ...
During this time of global crisis, the VIU Students’ Union (VIUSU) has contributed a leadership gift of $75,000, now matched by the VIU Foundation, to establish a $250,000 fund for Emergency Student Bursaries in effort to support vulnerable students affected by COVID-19. VIU chairperson Anouk Borris is hoping community members will join the students’ union in donating if they are able to.
While they may not be attending face-to-face classes, students at Vancouver Island University are still working hard to complete their education. However, during this unprecedented situation, ...
Quarantined within the comforts of home, isolated inside, the world outside is eerily going on without us. The signals of a slower society tempt us: shuttered restaurants, grounded planes, a harbour city without tourists. We are seeing the results of society on mute.
When confronted in life with two options, to
choose the road used over and over again or the
road less travelled,
what will you choose?
Will you choose to follow in your mentor’s
footsteps and model yourself after the parts of
your icons that resonate with you?
Or will you create your own runway and base
your decisions only off the beat of your own
heart, and your internal compass pointing
towards the constellations?
Once you decide what path you want to take, would
you change your mind?
Would you edit the illustration?
If your eyes focused on another direction, ...
Rufus woke up and something was very wrong
He could feel it in his bone, still wet yet somehow
smoking
in his mouth.
He thought, gosh how long have I been asleep?
Is it summer already? And why can’t I just dream of
sheep?
He peeled open his little eyes, to take a look around
but everything was swimming,
like lava, even the ground.
He shook his little head and took a look again
his fur was all singed off his small sausage-shaped
skin.
What on earth? He cried, but it sounded like Woof.
Ok, Ok, I know what’s going on here,
I’m just still ...
Resentment looks a lot like Narcan in a sharp
and feels like it’s forcing out my will.
I grab them both; Naloxone and the tarp,
the outcome undetermined by my skill.
Same guy, same place, same drug; third time today,
his unresponsive body cold to touch.
Compassion has fatigued and crawled away,
when I see something tiny in his clutch;
a talisman; a Goddess glinting gold.
Immediate withdrawal floods through his veins;
I’ve plunged the needle, and I tightly hold;
his bloodied eyes snap alive with pain.
Despite the death wish of his toxic dope,
a Goddess finds him worthy of Her hope.
Imagine if there was a way to turn textbooks into coffee. Or put the hundreds of dollars spent on printing in the library towards sandwiches in the cafeteria. We’re not Hogwarts students here (presumably), but soon we could come pretty close to that kind of transfiguration.
Keith Johnson, Tobiloba Omoniyi, Cole Collinson, and Parveen Kaur have teamed up to create an app that essentially allows VIU students to do this magic trick without needing fancy wands.
The rewards app would act as a universal point system for the use of various goods and services at the university. The idea ...
The business of becoming a city is a long and arduous one, and not even New York emerges unscathed. An otherworldly force, in the shape of the Woman in White, seeks to take advantage of New York City’s insecurity and quash it while it is still too weak to defend itself. Or rather, itselves.
