Thank you to everyone who attended our AGM on October 22. We had a good turnout and a new Board was elected for 2024/2025
Joy Adams Bauer
Brian Booth
Alan Drexhage
Basia Henoch
Twila Konynenbelt
Mayta Ryn
Barbara Schreiber
Shelley Serebrin
It’s not too late to renew your membership. Only $10 an individual or $20 a family. Send a e-transfer to president@nanaimooldcityassociation.ca or drop your fee in the mail slot at 212 Milton Street. Support the work of NOCA!
Tuesday, October 22 at 6:30 PM at St. Andrew’s United Church on Wesley Street
Learn about our Association and get involved! Learn about all the building happening in the old city. Renew your yearly membership.Membership is $10 (individual) or $20 (family). Pay by e-transfer to president@nanaimooldcityassociation.ca or pay at the door.
Guest speaker – Update on Cornerstone Supportive Housing Facility, Andrew Ferguson, Executive Director, Connective
6:30 pm, registration and memberships
7 pm, AGM begins
See you there!
What fun we had at our annual spring cleanup and old city celebration in Pawson Park! Thanks to the City of Nanaimo for the grant and for providing vests and pickers for the cleanup and for taking the garbage away. Thanks to White Rabbit Coffee for the treats after the cleanup and thanks to the Nanaimo Fiddle Society for some terrific toe-tapping music played by fiddlers of all ages!
Cleanup from 10am to 11am
Get outside and clean your yards, boulevards, and streets, mow your lawn, tidy your yard and help a neighbour. Wear a green shirt! If you want to pick up litter in the neighbourhood, come to Pawson Park at 9:45. You’ll get garbage bags, pickers and vests supplied by the city of Nanaimo.
11 am drop off your garbage bag at Pawson Park and return your gear. The City will collect the litter our volunteers have picked up on the streets and alleyways.
11:20 am meet at the White Rabbit Cafe for complimentary coffee/tea to celebrate.
Annual Old City Celebration 2 pm at Pawson Park on Saturday, June 8.
Mark your calendars for Monday October 21 for our Annual General Meeting from 6:30 pm to 8 pm Join us to review our activities of the past year and discuss important factors for our neighborhood.
Help out your Association – volunteers needed! We have lots of FUN!
Contact us at info@nanaimooldcityassociation.ca
BC Housing and Connective Nanaimo (formerly the John Howard Society) are pleased to announce that Cornerstone, the 51 new homes with support services will open May 1, 2024 at 285 Prideaux Street. Residents will begin moving in six or seven a day until everyone is in place. The NOCA Board received a guided tour of the facility and it looks great! For more information visit https://connective.ca/services/prideaux-housing-cornerstone/
Cornerstone is the name of the new 51 unit supportive housing building funded by BC Housing and located at 285 Prideaux Street. Connective Nanaimo is the operator. You can learn about Cornerstone on the Connective website at https://connective.ca/services/prideaux-housing-cornerstone/
The latest news from BC Housing explains their HEARTH program.
“People experiencing homelessness are living in unsafe conditions in encampments throughout multiple communities in British Columbia. To address these challenges, BC Housing is working with partners to provide people living outdoors and in encampments with better access to a range of support services, new shelters, and housing options through new programs funded by the Province under the Belonging in BC Homelessness Plan: Homeless Encampment Action Response Team (HEART) and the Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH).
The HEARTH model will be used at Cornerstone. BC Housing will “be working with local shelters, with our Coordinated Access and Assessment (CAA) Managers, and the operator to identify the needs of each individual within those shelter facilities in the community to find the right fit for temporary housing. The CAA process is designed to be a thoughtful and intentional way to identify folks whose needs will best be met at the HEARTH site. That’s why for this particular model and this site, we want to ensure that people are ready and that we’re matching people up to their support needs.” You can learn more at: Encampment & Homelessness Response: HEART & HEARTH | BC Housing
It is hoped our new neighbours will begin moving in in March 2024.
The Molnar Group advised neighbours in early February 2024 that construction has finally begun at 388 Machleary Street! You can learn about Ocean View Senior Living on the Molnar Group website at: http://molnargroup.com/portfolio/ocean-view-seniors-residence/
The Molnar Group send the letter below to the surrounding neighbourhood the first week in February.
NOCA successfully applied for a grant from the City of Nanaimo and are now forming a Neighbourhood Climate Action Team. Our focus is on motivating our neighbours to make informed choices about their home heating systems, particularly encouraging the shift to low or zero carbon options. What makes our project stand out is the use of a thermal imaging camera to highlight the energy efficiency of our homes. By working together, we can create a wave of change that not only benefits our local environment but also sets an inspiring example for other communities.
What are the Project Highlights?
1. Use a thermal imaging camera to identify heat loss and inefficiencies in homes.
2. Provide homeowners with an understanding of the impact of their current heating systems and potential energy savings with eco-friendly alternatives, as well as, retrofit rebates, grants and financing possibilities.
3.Organize fun, informative, friendly neighbourhood gatherings to share insights, answer questions, and create a supportive environment for sustainable choices.
4. Document the collective carbon footprint reduction achieved by participants.
Why Join?
1. Learn about thermal imaging technology and its application in promoting energy efficiency.
2. Be a catalyst for positive change in our neighbourhood’s carbon footprint and help our City to reach our Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions targets for 2030.
3. Strengthen our community bonds as we work toward a greener future and inspire others to follow suit.
4. Contribute to our documentation of how sustainable our community is becoming.
If you’re interested in being a climate hero in our neighbourhood, please let us know of your availability and thoughts. We hope to have our first neighbourhood gathering in mid-February. Together, let’s make our community a shining example of sustainable living. I am looking forward to the possibility of working with you on this important project.
Shelley Serebrin and the NOCA Board
serebrins@gmail.com (NOCA Climate Action Team)
The City of Nanaimo publishes a brochure on Who To Call in the Old City. The most recent version is November 2022 and can be viewed here.
Community Safety Officers (City of Nanaimo)
Community Safety Officers focus on providing municipal supports and responses to the community and vulnerable citizens on issues including public disorder, homelessness, addictions and mental health challenges. Community Safety Officers (CSOs) conduct highly visible day and nighttime patrols, including bike patrols, throughout the community with emphasis in the downtown area, involving extensive contact and liaison with the business community, first responders, public safety, service organizations and unsheltered citizens. There are 11 officers who work in teams of 2 or 3 per shift. They work 7 days a week (NOT statutory holidays), 7 am to 10 pm.
CSOs engage with vulnerable citizens including people experiencing homelessness, addiction and mental health concerns to assist in the coordination of appropriate social, health and enforcement responses.
CSOs address contraventions of bylaws, incidents of public disorder and assist people in need, with an emphasis on voluntary compliance strategies, including referrals to services, mediation, public education, warnings, restorative justice and alternate dispute resolution.
Bylaw, Regulation & Community Safety (City of Nanaimo)
To Report (Downtown Core):
Monday to Friday (8:00 am to 4:30 pm)
Call 250-755-4422
Evenings and weekends
Call 250-758-5222
bylaw.info@nanaimo.ca
To Report (Outside Downtown Core Bylaw Infractions):
Monday to Friday (8:00 am to 4:30 pm)
Call 250-755-4422
Evenings and weekends:
Call 250-758-5222
bylaw.info@nanaimo.ca
Public Works
To Report:
Please call or email:
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
250-758-5222
public.worksinfo@nanaimo.ca
Nanaimo Fire Rescue
To Report:
Please call:
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
250-753-7311
RCMP: How to Report Crime
There are now multiple ways to report:
To learn more about reporting options, please visit the RCMP’s Online Reporting Tool page or their homepage.
Please call:
Non-Emergency Assistance: 250-754-2345 – 24 Hours
The Vancouver Island Crisis Line
24-hour Crisis Line Service
1-888-494-3888
Island Health
Nanaimo Mental Health & Substance Use
COR (Community Outreach Response):
Information on Safe Handling for Needles
www.islandhealth.ca/safe-needle-disposal
Street Reach (Canadian Mental Health Association Mid-Island) – 250-716-8823
Poison Control 1-800-567-8911
The following were elected at our Annual General Meeting on October 17 to serve as your Board of Directors for 2023/2024.
Joy Adams Bauer, President
Brian Booth, Director
Mayta Ryn, Vice-President
Barbara Schreiber, Treasurer
Shelley Serebrin, Director