The Discourse

A trail that local residents used to access Aspen Road has been closed by Highstreet Ventures as it works to build a new greenway access during the development of hundreds of units of multi-family housing in the town of Comox. Photo courtesy of Julie Micksch. Some neighbours of a multi-family development called Aspen East in the Town of Comox are voicing concerns about it, citing lack of communication with the developer, high density and lack of safe pedestrian access in the area.

Vivian Albrecht is a foster volunteer with the BC SPCA and is currently fostering Stitch. Photo courtesy of BC SPCA. The Cowichan BC SPCA is calling on the community for more foster volunteers. The local branch has been operating without a physical shelter space for two years as they await the construction of the new Vancouver Island Animal Behaviour Centre in Duncan.

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A young child holds a picket sign during the nurses strike at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on July 13, 2026. Photo by Mick Sweetman / The Discourse. Nurses at Nanaimo General Hospital walked off the job early Monday morning as part of an escalating series of job actions that are part of a legal strike underway across the province. This is the first nurses strike in the province since 1989.

Izzeldin Bukhari created Sacred Cuisine to celebrate, share and preserve Palestinian food and heritage through community events. Photo courtesy of Sacred Cuisine. Izzeldin Bukhari is a Jerusalem-based Palestinian chef who specializes in Somi cuisine — the Palestinian tradition of vegan and vegetarian cooking associated with spiritual fasting.

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Anna McKenzie is calling for the City of Nanaimo to respond to loud motorcycles and cars racing along the road in front of Departure Bay Beach. She says the speeding and noises are disrupting her mother’s sleep and impacting her health. Photo by Mick Sweetman / The Discourse. Kate McKenzie, 65, has lived across from Departure Bay beach for the past two years and can’t get a good night’s sleep. On a nightly basis, Kate says she wakes up to loud motorcycles and cars racing in front of her building.

Cumbia dancers from the Raíces Mestizas Collective perform at the Pulse on the Plaza: K’omoks Fusion Festival in downtown Courtenay on June 24, 2026. Photo courtesy of Greg Rosenke. The Comox Valley Arts’ summer Pulse on the Plaza Festival series kicked off in downtown Courtenay on June 26. The first Pulse on the Plaza event was a preview of the annual three-day K’omoks Fusion Festival in September.

Pharmacy owner Olga Shevchenko built a life for herself in Duncan after immigrating from Ukraine. A new program aims to make the Cowichan Valley more welcoming for newcomers like her. Photo from Cowichan Intercultural Society via Facebook. Ask Alejandra Lara-Espinosa what success looks like for immigrants in the Cowichan Valley and she won’t start with data or survey responses. She’ll tell you about Olga Shevchenko, the owner of Mettra Pharmacy in Duncan.

Advocates say that Nanaimo needs more high-quality green spaces, such as these trees in Bowen Park, as well as increased canopy cover on residential streets that can help lower temperatures on hot days and make the city more resilient to climate change. Photo by Mick Sweetman / The Discourse.