Above: ???? iStockPhoto
By Krista Meckelborg
The holiday hangover is known as period of time after an extended vacation, often when feelings of melancholy occur. The days after returning to a regular routine are generally approached with disappointment and disgust. The 6 am mornings after a week of sleeping in past noon. The dreadfully long hours trapped at a desk after days of unencumbered freedom. The shocking realization that Netflix is no longer an acceptable pastime.
While these feelings are all a part of the typical holiday hangover, there is also a “hangover” feeling when ...
By News Editor Aislinn Cottell
What
As a result of the Millstone Trunk Sewer Replacement project completed by the city earlier this month, a new section has been added to Nanaimo’s already extensive trail network.
Where
The trail connects Buttertubs Marsh with Bowen Park, as well as the Millstone Trail and Trans Canada Trail.
Why you should care
The trail is a nice added bonus to the original project, which was undertaken to improve the sewer capacity for the city’s growing population.
What
VIU is launching a new study abroad program in May, 2017. Adventures in ...
By Managing Editor Molly Barrieau
In the words of REM, everybody hurts. Currently, my partner and I are on a new year’s health kick, and I am already feeling the swift roundhouse of dieting. Yes, I know that impoverished children go hungry across the world every day, and I understand that personally removing food from my diet is a luxury few can enjoy.
I agree, we all apparently suffered enough in 2016, but the amount of times I was stress-eating due to unforeseen circumstances—like the slowly increasing hot sauce levels on our chicken wings upon Trump’s unforeseen win. It is time ...
Above: ???? viu.ca
By Managing Editor Molly Barrieau
It is nearly impossible not to have a bias when it comes to reviewing the In Our Own Aboriginal Voice anthology, published late last year by Rebel Mountain Press. The Navigator has a distinct relationship with Rebel Mountain Press editor Lori Shwydky, a Creative Writing Alumna and former Copy Editor here at the student press. Upon graduation, Shwydky has managed the uncompromising feat of publishing three anthologies on embracing Aboriginal voices, the latest, In Our Own Aboriginal Voice is available at the VIU ...
By Sports and Lifestyle Editor Cole Schisler
Last year, local home builder B.Gallant Homes organized a gingerbread house decorating event to raise money for the Salvation Army’s housing programs in Nanaimo. They raised almost $1000 dollars in 2015, and this year, they are raising the stakes with the B. Gingerbread Homes Competition.
This year, teams representing local businesses in Nanaimo will compete to see which of their gingerbread homes is the best. To view the homes, all attendees must make a cash donation, there is no minimum donation, and no maximum donation. All proceeds ...
The Mariners getting pumped up before the match. Photo courtesy Northfield Photography.
By Sports and Lifestyle Editor Cole Schisler
The Mariners were riding high going into the PACWEST Women’s Match of the Week on Friday against the second-place Douglas Royals to set off a weekend doubleheader.
Going into the match, the Mariners were ranked first in the PACWEST division, as well as the CCAA, with their winning record of 9-1. Despite their confidence going into the match, the Mariners were upset 3-1 by the Royals.
“I don’t think we played our best match today,” Mariners Head ...
Above: Photo via npr.org
By contributor Chantelle Spicer
With a career that began in the 1960s, Buffy Sainte-Marie is the most celebrated Indigenous artist in North America, with both Canada and the US claiming her as one of their beloved own—especially Canada as she has been banned from the air by two US Presidents. She is almost mythological in her contribution to the music and social justice scenes, devoting her life to creating art that inspires all who listen to take action against issues of war, greed, the corporate machine, and the effects of colonization.
Her songs have ...
By Sports and Lifestyle Editor Cole Schisler
As the end of semester approaches, and the specter of final exams loom over many of us, like the dreadful ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come, cycles of stress and study tend take precedence over health and wellness.
In order to better understand ways to de-stress, manage my time, and study more effectively, I visited the VIU Health & Wellness centre, and collected some nuggets of wisdom from the counsellors, as well as some handy pamphlets prepared by the counselling staff.
Top tips:
Organize a small time investment that works ...
By News Editor Aislinn Cottell
Milner Gardens is offering free invitations to students for their Christmas light-up this year, which starts December 2 and continues every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 5 – 8:30 pm, until December 18.
Featuring over half a kilometre of decorated trails, live music, Santa, a Teddy Bear Cottage, storytelling, refreshments, the tea room, and a gift shop, the event is a great way to celebrate the holidays and explore the Gardens. The general public is, of course, also welcome. Entry is by donation and all funds will go to support the Garden; ...
By Sports and Lifestyle Editor Cole Schisler
Dave McGrath, also known as Voodoo Dave, is a percussionist, drum maker, and hand drumming instructor.
Voodoo Dave is hosting hand drumming classes on Thursdays from 7 – 8:30 pm at the Kismet Theatre, 112-55 Victoria Road. This current session of classes has been running since November 17, and will conclude on December 8. The lessons cost $15 to drop in, and are open to all levels. Drums will be provided at the event.
“People have a great time playing together,” Dave says. “It’s a good social event, people get to build community, it ...
Photo via artsclub.com
By Arts Editor Brendan Barlow
On November 15, a large crowd was treated to an Arts Club production of Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. The show is billed as a “fast-paced farcical adventure”, and features the exceptional talents of five actors filling the roles of 40 characters. While the actors portraying Dr. Watson and the famous Detective Sherlock Holmes remain the same, it falls to three others to make up the rest of the cast needed to tell the story.
Having seen Potted Potter the week before, my expectation for Baskerville was significantly ...
Above: Grigg and Wayne Woyciehouski jump up for a block. Photo courtesy Northfield Photography.
By Sports and Lifestyle Editor Cole Schisler
Fresh off their first loss of the season against Capilano, the top ranked Mariners were poised coming into their weekend matchups against the Douglas Royals.
“We’ve had a really good week of practice,” Mariners Head Coach Ave Avender said. “Tasting a loss last weekend was a good thing for us. We’re a pretty mature group, I think they enjoy the success, but realistically, having a good weekend at provincials means everything.”
The ...
Above: Three totem poles stand tall outside Shq'apthut, VIU's Aboriginal Gathering Place. Photo via viu.ca.
By News Editor Aislinn Cottell
Built on the traditional land of the Snuneymuxw First Nations band, VIU’s relationship with the Aboriginal people of Vancouver Island has always been a core value. However, since the Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s report in 2015, the University has acknowledged the vast amount of work that still needs to be done to help heal and rebuild.
The Reconciliation Road: Join the Journey with VIU series has been VIU’s answer to the call for ...
Above: Photo by Catherine Charlebois
By Production Manager Catherine Charlebois
If someone told me that I’d be putting ground pepper and cayenne into Christmas cookies a week ago, I’d probably have laughed and walked away. That is, until I met these bad boys. Me being me and unable to handle spice, I was very skeptical when our very own Designer extraordinaire Zyre Hoskins boasted the tastiness that was this cookie recipe. However, upon further testing (with a lot of assistance from taste testers), this recipe has proven to be dangerously delicious. Similar to ginger snap cookies, ...
Above: By Lina Malki
By News Editor Aislinn Cottell
Art has always been a venue for human expression in all cultures, and sometimes it seems the greatest pieces arise from our times of deepest suffering. With no end in sight to the current violence in the Middle East, some Syrians are turning to art as a way of coping and expressing to the world what the conflict is costing their country.
Behind the Lines is an exhibit that displays the work of contemporary Syrian artists, first shown earlier this year at the Penticton Art Gallery, where it was co-curated by Penticton ...
By News Editor Aislinn Cottell
The City of Nanaimo is asking residents to use more care when sorting their waste for the curbside pickup program. A warning letter was recently received from Multi Material BC (MMBC) (the province-wide organization currently paying the city to collect recycling) concerning contamination levels in the recycling being delivered.
Contamination levels have increased in the last several months, reaching as high as 14 percent, which is significantly above MMBC’s accepted three percent. Recycling with this level of contamination cannot be processed ...
By Managing Editor Molly Barrieau
November saw a record-breaking deal in the fight for land reserves for Canadian First Nations. 79 acres of Downtown Nanaimo was reserved for the Snuneymuxw in 1860, yet the government never delivered on their agreement to give this land to them. A recent vote of 98.1 percent led to the settlement, which will be placed into a trust for future generations.
The Snuneymuxw—pronounced snu nay moo—is one of the largest nations in BC with over 1,700 people. VIU sits on Snuneymuxw land, and recognizes the territory in everyday student life representing the ...
Above: Photo via shockya.com
By Arts Editor Brendan Barlow
Well everyone, the semester is coming to a close and you’re presently sitting down and reading the last issue of The Navigator in 2016. Along with the year and the semester ending, it’s also treading closer and closer to that most wonderful (or terrible, or indifferent, depending on your view) time of year: Christmas. While the true meanings and origins of the holiday may have been warped, skewed, and more often ignored, there’s one thing (besides peppermint mochas) we can always count on the holidays for: a whole lot of ...
Above: Photo via mcelroyshows.com.
By Arts Editor Brendan Barlow
If I told you there was a podcast during which three brothers and their father played Dungeons & Dragons together, would you jump on board right away? You might if you’re a fan of D&D, or if that premise aroused just enough interest in you to check it out, but somehow I feel that you might just roll your eyes and give it a pass. The idea of listening to people playing a game is almost less appealing than the idea of watching someone else playing a game, and yet The Adventure Zone manages to stand alone as one ...
By Managing Editor Molly Barrieau
This year for the first time, Malaspina Theatre inspired competitors to put their creative minds together for one short weekend to put on a live show by Sunday. The rules were simple: each group was given a box containing a random assortment of items, anything from a mink stole to a broken recorder. A quote was provided, which was to be incorporated into the final script. Each group would only be allowed 15 minutes on stage. On Friday night, the five groups each revealed their “inspirational package,” according to Leon Potter. From then till Sunday ...
Above: Photo via dressember.org.
By Claire Bauer
This month, you may notice more people wearing dresses out and about, which might not seem like the smartest clothing option in the winter. But rather than just assuming they’re wacky Canadians who can’t feel the chill of winter, it’s possible their outfit may have a decidedly more political reasoning than usual.
Dressember is a relatively new movement, similar in structure to No Shave November. Using fashion and creativity as their banner, Dressember strives to restore the inherent dignity to women across the globe. As the ...
By Associate Editor Natalie Gates
With the looming Kinder Morgan Pipeline decision, Trump’s ever-wavering and often frightening stances on policies and social issues, alt-right group gatherings, earthquakes, shockingly racist party photos from Canadian universities, the predictably stressful, panic-attack inducing end of semester pester, and endless despair plastered in front of us, I thought I would take this space to talk about…
Breakfast.
I love it. You love it. We all love it.
But do you relish in all its glory often enough?
Personally, it’s a bit of a daily ritual for ...
By News Editor Aislinn Cottell
What
On December 1, Nanaimo is hosting a free Education and Career Fair.
Where
Vancouver Island Conference Centre
9 am – 3 pm
RSVP for free tickets at educationcareerfairs.com.
Why you should care
The Fair is an opportunity to explore the future with post-secondary schools, employers, and associations from across Canada.
What
From December 2–19, the Nanaimo Community Hospice is offering the Celebrate a Life Tree, a place to hang memory tags of loved ones. Heart Angels are available by donation to take home.
Where
Country ...
Above: Photo via iStockphoto.com
By contributor Dallas Bezaire
We need to take some time and correct some major misconceptions concerning genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. You may have heard of them before as dangerous, untested, unnaturally modified foods that destroy the environment, promote the use of poisons, may be dangerous to your health, and are used to manipulate and take advantage of farmers and producers, all in the name of profit. It all sounds like the plans of some comic book super villain, and there’s a reason for that. All of it is highly ...
