My Nanaimo This Week - August 31, 2020

This week, REIMAGINE NANAIMO explores our economy, Canada Post sends a furry reminder and Council is back in session. Read on for more!

City Service Updates

We have created a COVID-19 Recovery Plan to provide a path forward for resumption of City operations in a safe and economically viable way. The plan outlines four steps that the City will take toward a gradual, safe and measured reopening of municipal facilities and resumption of City services and programs that have been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Corporate Services - We look forward to opening the doors to our Service and Resource Centre, and other facilities, soon (scroll down to learn more about our recreation centre and arena re-openings!). In the meantime, please check out our Online Services page to see how we can help you. 

Public Works - City staff continue regular garbage, recycling and organics collection. More information on recyclables can be found at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/recycle.

Parks, Recreation & Culture Open - Playgrounds, parks, trails, skateboard parks, bike parks, pickle ball courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts, lacrosse boxes, sports fields and dog parks are open with a number of guidelines to follow. Beban Social Centre is available for facility rentals. One sheet of ice at Cliff McNabb Arena is open for rentals and summer programs. 

Parks, Recreation & Culture Almost Open - Our recreation centres are getting ready to welcome you back!

• Recreation programs will begin on Wednesday, September 9 at Beban Social Centre.
• Bowen Park Complex and Oliver Woods Community Centre will open on Wednesday, September 9 for rentals and recreation programs.
• Nanaimo Aquatic Centre (NAC) will open on Thursday, September 10 for both the pool and the fitness gym.
• One sheet of ice will be added to Nanaimo Ice Centre on September 1 (if demand dictates)

Parks, Recreation & Culture Closed - Beban Pool remains closed. Frank Crane Arena remains closed, however one sheet of ice will open if demand dictates. 

REIMAGINE NANAIMO

This week, REIMAGINE NANAIMO explores the topic of economic development, business and employment. 

Enter the contest by posting your response on the Get Involved - REIMAGINE NANAIMO page or emailing it to reimagine@nanaimo.ca. At the end of the contest all entries will be entered into a prize draw to win a $500 gift card to your choice of ONE of: a local electronics store OR a local bike shop OR a local grocery store. Visit the Get Involved - REIMAGINE NANAIMO page for details.

Did you know? You can participate in this important project by registering at Get Involved Nanaimo. Make sure to subscribe to the REIMAGINE NANAIMO project to stay in the know on new topics, contests and other activities through email updates.

Around the City

Registration for Fall & Winter Recreation is now open!
You can now register for fall recreation programs! Program listings will be different this year. The Fall and Winter Activity Guide will not be produced so you can look for program offerings in the following ways:

• View the three web pages on the City of Nanaimo website for Fall 2020 Arena Activities, Fall 2020 Pool Activities and Fall 2020 Community Recreation found on the left side of the "Recreation and Parks" tab

• Click "Interested" on the three Facebook events pages (City of Nanaimo Local Government) for Arenas, Pools and Community Recreation

• Pick up a hard copy of available programs at Bowen Park and Beban Park, Monday to Friday, 9 am-4 pm, outside the main Social Centre doors at Beban Park and the upper lobby doors at Bowen Park starting on Monday, August 24.

You can register online through recreation.nanaimo.ca, by telephone at 250-756-5200 or in-person at the Frank Crane Arena ticket office in Beban Park. That office is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm. Due to limited in-person registration options, we encourage you to register online or by phone.

Will Your Commute Be Affected?
Check out the City's Current Construction Projects page for up-to-date information on City construction projects. Here are a few projects that may affect your commute:

• Expect delays and traffic pattern changes on Bowen Road around the Kenworth Road and Labieux Road intersection while crews work on utility and corridor upgrades. Most work will be done at night from 7 pm to 7 am to accommodate daytime commutes. 
• Beginning September 1, 2020, the intersection of Commercial Street and Bastion Street will temporarily change to a four-way stop. The intersection is scheduled to be reconstructed in 2021 and, if this pilot project is successful, the four-way stop may become permanent.

Important Reminder from Canada Post
As much as we love canine pets (many of us celebrated National Dog Day last week) they are protective of their home and their family, and it’s impossible for Canada Post delivery agents to know how any dog will react when they approach your home to deliver the mail.

Help keep Canada Post carriers safe by not opening the door during deliveries and please do not allow your dog to approach employees while they are out in the community. It is difficult to adhere to physical distancing when owners need to retrieve their dogs and it increases the risk of dog bites.

Council and Committees

Upcoming Council and Committee Meetings
Council and committees are back from a summer break with a Regular Council meeting on Monday and a Health and Housing Task Force meeting on Wednesday. 

• August 31, Regular Council Meeting, 4:30 pm
• September 2, Health and Housing Task Force, 3:00 pm

Visit the Meetings, Documents and Videos page on the City website to view upcoming meetings, agendas and past meeting videos. 

Council in Action
Missed what decisions Council made during a Special Council Meeting or a Regular Council Meeting? Don’t worry. We have you covered! Check out our Council Meeting Summary page for quick overviews. 

City News

Here is a recap of last week's City news:

• Changes coming to Commercial, Bastion St intersection