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In this issue:
Explore the degrading Island Rail Corridor, the history of Chemainus Theatre, and read an engaging interview with a banana slug. Inside, find out about the new Free Food Market on campus, the hairstylist programs’ sustainability mission, as well as photography and poetry from talented student contributors.
September 2026
Headlines
Editor’s Letter
As I step into the role of Managing Editor, I have been thinking a lot about the history of our organization on campus. In 1969, Malaspina College—now known as Vancouver Island University—was about to open for business. Two days before the institution opened their doors, The Navigator released their very first issue to the student body.
Tracing the Great Spine
A mostly abandoned railway snakes down Vancouver Island’s inner coast. Its metal is rusting, and the wood is rotting, but its echoes are easy to find. What does it mean to have its wreckage in our backyard?
Chemainus Theatre
A dive into the history, operations, and community behind Chemainus Theatre.
Editor’s Letter
As I step into the role of Managing Editor, I have been thinking a lot about the history of our organization on campus. In 1969, Malaspina College—now known as Vancouver Island University—was about to open for business. Two days before the institution opened their doors, The Navigator released...
Tracing the Great Spine
A mostly abandoned railway snakes down Vancouver Island’s inner coast. Its metal is rusting, and the wood is rotting, but its echoes are easy to find. What does it mean to have its wreckage in our backyard?
Chemainus Theatre
A dive into the history, operations, and community behind Chemainus Theatre.
Articles
Food Security on Campus
With the cost of food on the rise, it gets harder and harder to budget groceries as a student. VIU and Loaves & Fishes work together to improve food security for students through a new Free Food Market at the Trades Discovery Centre.
Sustainability in VIU’s Hairstylist Program
How does Vancouver Island University’s hairstylist program practice sustainability and support students in keeping the environment in mind after graduation?
Interview With A Slug
One student journalist, one banana slug. Twenty-four children, 27,000 teeth, and a strict no-kissing policy. Nanaimo local discusses parenthood, ecosystem maintenance, and the question threatening human-slug relations: can we kiss?
The Cost of a Commuting Student
By exploring all transportation options for commuting students and keeping affordability in mind, what is the most efficient option to get to campus?
Food Security on Campus
With the cost of food on the rise, it gets harder and harder to budget groceries as a student. VIU and Loaves & Fishes work together to improve food security for students through a new Free Food Market at the Trades Discovery Centre.
Sustainability in VIU’s Hairstylist Program
How does Vancouver Island University’s hairstylist program practice sustainability and support students in keeping the environment in mind after graduation?
Interview With A Slug
One student journalist, one banana slug. Twenty-four children, 27,000 teeth, and a strict no-kissing policy. Nanaimo local discusses parenthood, ecosystem maintenance, and the question threatening human-slug relations: can we kiss?
The Cost of a Commuting Student
By exploring all transportation options for commuting students and keeping affordability in mind, what is the most efficient option to get to campus?
Visual Art
Waves
Brendan Wanderer (Contributor)
Brendan Wanderer is completing his final year of a BA in Creative Writing and Visual Arts at VIU. He previously attended NSCC, graduating with an Honours Diploma in Screen Arts. His short film “Leave Pizza Here” was a selection in the 2016 Atlantic Film Festival. His work was previously featured in the 2022 and 2023 issues ofPortal Magazine. These days, he may be lost (and found) in his mancave, drinking chai lattes, and writing/illustrating a memoir about growing up neurodivergent in ’80s rural Alberta.
Autumn Sets
Maya Callihoo (Contributor)
The Boat Club
Maya Callihoo (Contributor)
Poetry
“Gravel, Love, and Gravity” by Natasha Simmer
I find myself within the curvature of the crossroads
“Gravel, Love, and Gravity” by Natasha Simmer
I find myself within the curvature of the crossroads
Videos
Where’s Nanaimo Going?
In the first video from Volume 58 of The Nav, you are invited to spend a few minutes with Nav Videographer Daxton Comba as he tours the city of Nanaimo, reflecting on how it’s changed since he first arrived on the boat in Departure Bay in 2018. After years spent growing from stranger to resident, he’s concluded that the harbour city is going through a bit of an in-between phase. The city has, in...
Where’s Nanaimo Going?
In the first video from Volume 58 of The Nav, you are invited to spend a few minutes with Nav Videographer Daxton Comba as he tours the city of Nanaimo, reflecting on how it’s changed since he first arrived on the boat in Departure Bay in 2018. After years spent growing from stranger to resident,...