Cowichan This Week – Swing into fall

Welcome to Cowichan This Week, your source for the latest local news and events. Sign up to get this in your inbox every Thursday.

Cool news this week! The Discourse has launched its first investigation in Nanaimo, based on community feedback. We’ll also be offering pop-up election coverage over the coming weeks. If enough people in Nanaimo tell us we should stick around, we’ll make it permanent. Sign up to get Nanaimo coverage in your inbox, and please spread the word to your Nanaimo friends!

News and announcements

• Will passenger rail ever come back to Vancouver Island? B.C. Premier John Horgan promised to make it a priority in his 2017 election campaign. Now progress is stalled. With another election on the horizon, The Discourse investigated. We also dug into the history and the business case.

• The Cowichan Valley School District is considering closing its Quamichan School campus in response to concerns over a planned overdose prevention site in the neighbourhood, The Discourse reports. 

• The Cowichan branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library has re-opened for walkthrough service. Find out about online and in-person services at local libraries on The Discourse. 

• The BC Centre for Disease Control has released guidelines for safer celebrations, including this Thanksgiving weekend. Tips include sticking to your close social bubble, limiting time spent indoors and cleaning hands and surfaces often. The BCCDC also released guidelines specific to Halloween. 

• The Lake Cowichan Fire Department is fundraising towards a building to permanently display its historic #1 Engine. 

• Cowichan Tribes’ Opioid Crisis Response task force has issued an update on its activities to date. The task force formed in response to an increase in overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is currently an overdose advisory in the Cowichan Valley due to the toxic supply of street drugs.

• The emergency tenting site for people experiencing homelessness in Ladysmith came down last week, the Ladysmith Chemainus Chronicle reports. All residents relocated to shelters or more permanent housing.

• The Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce invites residents to submit questions for provincial election candidates by 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8 for a forum to take place next week. The event is closed to the public but will be available to view on YouTube and social media on Oct. 14. 

Community events

• Thursday, Oct. 8: 🗳️ The Lake Cowichan District Chamber of Commerce is hosting an all-candidates meeting for the mayoral by-election on Oct. 24. The Lake Cowichan Gazette reports that there will be meetings at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Email [email protected] to register for the limited seating. The meetings will also be available on Facebook, Shaw Spotlight and on Zoom.

• Thursday, Oct. 8: 🍞 Vancouver Island University is hosting Food Security in the Age of Covid-19, an online event, as part of its Engaged Citizens Speaker Series.

• Saturday, Oct 10: 🎤 Get to know the Vancouver Island hip hop scene at 24 in the Valley, featuring local performers and live interviews. Seating at the Duncan Showroom is very limited. 

• Thursday, Oct. 15: 🌎 Get earthquake-ready at the Great British Columbia Shake Out, an annual earthquake drill and education campaign. 

• Sunday, Oct. 18: 🌲 Wildwood Ecoforest invites you to A Wildwood Hallowe’en MYTH-tery, a self-guided, family-friendly forest adventure. 

• October: 🎃 McNab’s Corn Maze, near Ladysmith, will welcome guests every day through Halloween, with COVID-19 protocols in place. 

What did I miss? Let me know what events are coming up near you by sending me an email. 

Photo of the week

Julie Young shared this photo from the top of Old Baldy Mountain, overlooking Shawnigan Lake. This swing is Instagram-famous for the gorgeous moments it helps capture. Thanks, Julie!

Do you have a photo that showcases life in Cowichan? Send me an email, I’d love to see what this place looks like through your lens. 

In your words

Did you catch the newsletter earlier this week about the Coast Salish history of Shawnigan Lake? Writer Jared Qwustenuxun Williams went to great lengths to consult elders and share this piece of history. 

“Huy ch q’u Jared Qwustenuxum Williams and The Discourse Cowichan,” Darryl wrote on Facebook. 

You’re so welcome! We love being able to help make these little connections.

Thanks for reading,

Jacqueline [end]