Tag: old city

September 22, 2025

2:36 pm

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Events

Join us for our AGM on Tuesday, October 21 at St. Andrew’s United Church on Wesley Street.

Registration and membership renewal at 6:30 pm

Renew your membership before the AGM by visiting our membership page.
Meeting starts at 7 pm.
Guest speakers from the City of Nanaimo Transportation Department.
First ten people have a chance to win a cash prize!

Our 2025 Priorities for our neighbourhood

February 8, 2025

2:19 pm

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Priority 1 — Promote safety by using passive safety measures for the Old City that can be introduced at the following “hot spots” to lessen fear and crime in the neighbourhood:
(a) Pawson Park
(b) St. Peter’s Catholic Church overnight winter shelter

Priority 2 — Promote Community Safety and Well-Being by focusing on the neighbourhood as a model for Active Transportation and Complete Streets, and address traffic and parking problems in the Old City. The Intersection of Machleary and Campbell Streets is the Hot Spot that our priorities are focusing on for 2025.

Priority 3 — Promoting Community Well-Being through work on sustainable improvements to the quality of life in our neighbourhood by increasing biodiversity through tree canopy coverage up to 33% of the land area and landscaping on boulevards and parkettes (like Franklyn and Milton Streets) with landscaping similar to the Old Firehall and the Italian Fountain. Increase the number of trees to a minimum of 50 in areas identified as prime locations for climate change mitigation such as streets, boulevards and parks.

The three priorities for our neighbourhood in 2024 have been acted upon by City of Nanaimo staff. Thank you!

Priority 1 — Promote safety by creating a clear and actionable set of passive safety measures for the Old City that can be introduced at “hot spots” to lessen fear and crime in the neighbourhood. Using passive safety measures requires a clear understanding of the steps that can be taken, the cooperation of the City and the neighbours, patrol of the area, and evaluation of success. The parkette at Franklyn and Milton Streets is an example of a hot spot that can be addressed by Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles as long as the necessary steps are understood and taken.
C2.2.6., C3.1.5. C4.9.8.

Priority 2 — Work on sustainable improvements to the quality of life of our neighbourhood, such as increasing tree canopy coverage to 33% of land area, focusing on the neighbourhood as a model for Active Transportation and Complete Streets, developing a program to enforce a No-Idle Zone in the neighbourhood as a model for the rest of the City, and actively engaging with residents of the neighbourhood in emergency preparedness plans for extreme weather events.
C1.3.1., C2.1.1., C3.5.17

Priority 3 — Maintain Design Advisory Panel review of all development permit applications in the Old City. Support heritage connectiveness in the neighbourhood through the continued action of the Design Advisory Panel in applying the City’s Old City and heritage design guidelines.
C4.6.5.

New Board elected

October 26, 2024

9:56 am

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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!

Annual General Meeting

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September 25, 2024

12:13 pm

Events, Heads Up

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!

Super fun cleanup and party!

June 10, 2024

3:34 pm

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Events

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!

Spring cleanup and old city celebration – Saturday June 8 in Pawson Park

May 7, 2024

2:14 pm

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NOCA, old city, old city association, Pawson Park

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.

2 pm seed and plant sale/swap. Come and choose some seeds and plants to beautify our boulevards and alleyways.
3 pm Fiddle music with Trish and Geoff Horrocks. (Weather dependant as fiddles do not like rain).

Bring plants to trade, sell or gift away.
Artists are welcome to set up a table and sell their work. Set up at 1:30 pm.
Old city residents who have a business in the old city are welcome to have a table to promote their business. To participate, please join NOCA for only $10! Pay at the park.

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!

Board members
Flyer distributors
Social media contributor
Annual spring clean organizer

Contact us at info@nanaimooldcityassociation.ca

Be a Climate Hero in Our Neighbourhood: Join the Thermal Imaging Project for Greener Home Heating!

January 24, 2024

10:36 am

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climate, environment, old city

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)

Public Safety in the Old City – Who to Call

November 20, 2023

2:36 pm

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www.islandhealth.ca/safe-needle-disposal

bylaws, old city, safety

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):

Downtown parking issues
Aggressive panhandling downtown
Encampment activity downtown
Safety matters on downtown public property
Downtown Bylaw matters (noise, unsightly, nuisance activities)
Connecting individuals in need to services

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):

Parking
Traffic
Noise
Encampment Activity
Unsightly Properties
Nuisance Properties

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:

Discarded Needles on Public Property and for information on the proper disposal of discarded needles on private property
Garbage or Litter on City Property
Overflowing City Garbage Bins
Other After Hour City Matters

Please call or email:
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
250-758-5222
public.worksinfo@nanaimo.ca

Nanaimo Fire Rescue

To Report:

Burning Complaints
Burning Permits
Smoke Alarm and Carbon Monoxide Detector Information
General Fire Safety Information

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:

Suspicious or Illegal Activity
Crime after it has occurred
Lost, Stolen or Found Items
Security Matters

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):

Mobile Crisis Response via Crisis Line – 1-888-494-3888
Homelessness Outreach Response via Team Cell 250-741-7645

Information on Safe Handling for Needles

Street Reach (Canadian Mental Health Association Mid-Island) – 250-716-8823

Poison Control 1-800-567-8911

AGM – Mark your calendar

September 28, 2023

2:39 pm

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