Author

Lys Morton

Lys's Latest Articles

a photo of a sail statute is in the foreground of a high rise condo.
Voting in the 2022 Nanaimo municipal election? Here’s what you need to know

Where, when and how to cast your ballot in Nanaimo for the 2022 local elections.

The front of city hall is burned.
The Discourse crash course: Municipal politics 101

The Discourse tackles the municipal politics questions you were too embarrassed to ask.

A person walks by the community policing office in Nanaimo
Reporter’s Notebook: Breaking down the crime severity index

While rates of violent crime increased, Nanaimo’s overall crime severity index for 2021 dropped from a peak in 2019, writes Lys Morton.

A soft taco in a cardboard sleeve sits atop a wooden fence, precariously posed to mirror the avocado logo of a green food truck in the background. Tipsy Avocado names the truck, text wrapped around the logo.
Lys Eats Trucks: The colours of Tipsy Avocado

The sensory explosion of Tipsy Avocado squares up against our pseudo food connoisseur in the latest #LysEatsTrucks.

An ice cream sandwich, oatmeal cookie layers with pink ice cream in between, sits wrapped in black checkered wax paper on a black bistro table.
Lys Eats Trucks: Icy treats beat the heat at One Cool Cookie

One Cool Cookie provides the ability to build your own ice cream sandwich. With a selection of homemade cookies and local ice cream, you pick the combo that suits your fancy.

A red Shawarma food truck with the words Al Khalid is parked at a beach.
Lys Eats Trucks: A taste of Alkhalid Food

What happens when a sold out menu meets Nanaimo’s ‘best visiting customer’? Lys Morton presents the first community choice review for #LysEatsTrucks

Graduates of NewToBC's Library Champions program stand with their certificates
Vancouver Island newcomers can soon become Library Champions

The Library Champions Project at the Vancouver Island Regional Library aims to connect new Canadians to resources and community in the new place they call home.

Members of Team 700 Indigenous youth boxing club stand for a group picture in the boxing ring.
Community spotlight: Indigenous Youth boxing ‘Team 700’ fights on

The community rallied to keep Team 700 together. Now, founder Ivy Richardson invites sponsors to help build a stable future.

Tarps, tents and supplies are spread around the city-owned Bastion Street bridge and parkade. Photo courtesy of the City of Nanaimo
Reporter’s Notebook: Eviction at Bastion Street bridge

After the city removed a truckload of tarps and other cold-weather supplies from the encampment, advocates point to solutions.

A stack of books sits on the table with a phone showing an audiobook on the screen.
Community shout-out: Vancouver Island Regional Library trials no late fees

With growing evidence on the barriers late fees create, VIRL extends its pause on late fees for another year.