The Discourse

Emily Yewchuk of Wild Mercantile in Comox standing beside her award-winning floral installation for Canadian Flowers Week, a national competition. Photo courtesy of Emily Yewchuk In early August, when Emily Yewchuk heard that the Comox Bay Sailing Association was retiring one of its youth sailing dinghies, she got an idea.

Snuneymuxw Elder and Knowledge Keeper C’tasi:a (Geraldine Manson) recently published her third book, with ethnobotanist Nancy Turner, called Plant Teachings from my Auntie. The book shares knowledge passed down from ancestors on local plants and plant medicine.

According to rules set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, those wanting to relocate juvenile salmon that are trapped in isolated pools must have the proper licence, training and tools to do so in order to protect the salmon and habitat. Photo courtesy of Parker Jefferson Cowichan Valley resident Linda Blatchford grew up in the region and has kept a close eye on changes in the environment around her.

A community event held by The Discourse at Red Arrow Brewing Company in 2022. Photo by Philip McLachlan/TheDiscourse The Discourse has been serving audiences with in-depth news since 2014. By continuing to meet this mandate for more than 10 years, we’ve helped prove there is a new way forward — and a market — for journalism that’s truly responsive to communities. How do we fund our journalism? This is a question we get asked regularly.

The City of Courtenay is currently developing a policy on the use of AI. Photo by Madeline Dunnett/The Discourse The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools by local governments is a growing topic of discussion as high profile elected officials in other regions of B.C. have drawn criticism about their use of AI tools in their work.

Community members gathered outside the Cowichan Valley Regional District to express their frustrations with a proposed bylaw on March 31, 2026. Photo by Eric Richards/The Discourse Standing on the back of a truck and holding a megaphone, a community member directs people to the website Take Back Cowichan, filled with resources on how to organize against the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s proposed comprehensive zoning bylaw.

The Nanaimo Blues Festival runs from Aug. 6-9 this year at Maffeo Sutton Park and includes headliners such as Samantha Fish, The Blackburn Brothers and more. Photo courtesy of Nanaimo Blues Festival/Robin Ferand Studio For 21 years, the Nanaimo Blues Festival has been honouring and celebrating blues music with international and local performers of all ages and backgrounds.

Loudon Park is home to dozens of mature Douglas fir trees that can provide shade, as well as areas for swimming and recreating on the lake. Photo by Mick Sweetman / The Discourse After heat warnings for large parts of British Columbia, including eastern Vancouver Island, were issued on July 22, residents have been preparing for ways to stay cool and safe during extreme heat events.

War canoe races will be held at the point on Snuneymuxw First Nation’s Indian Reserve #1 from Friday, July 24 to Sunday, July 26. Photo courtesy of Snuneymuxw First Nation. An exciting weekend of culture, tradition and competition returns to the region as Snuneymuxw Days is set to take place from Friday, July 24 to Sunday, July 26.

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.