My Nanaimo This Week - October 26, 2020

This week, the emergency alert TEST takes place Tuesday, Parks, Recreation & Culture call for spring/summer program proposals and please stay safe this Halloween by staying seen & six feet apart. Read on for more!

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We are so happy to welcome you back to our facilities and appreciate your patience as we all adjust to the new procedures and guidelines. The City has a COVID-19 Recovery Plan to provide a path forward as we resume 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 - Please check out our  Online Services page to see how we can help you. Safety protocols are in place to help keep both visitors and staff safe when visiting our facilities. City Hall (455 Wallace Street) and the Service and Resource Centre (411 Dunsmuir Street) are open for in-person business, from 9 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday.

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 - Recreation facilities, the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre and arenas are open and following province-wide COVID-19 safety protocols. Outdoor amenities remain open for use as well, however please continue to practice physical distancing, hand washing and please stay home if not feeling 100% well. Just a reminder that registration is open for fall programs. You can also register for drop-in programs (swimming, skating and pickle ball) as early as 72 hours in advance. Drop-in schedules are available for viewing.

REIMAGINE NANAIMO

The information collected during REIMAGINE NANAIMO will guide the Official Community Plan, the Parks, Recreation & Culture plan, Active Sustainable Transportation Plan, Economic Development Strategy, Climate Action Plan and the Nanaimo Water Supply Strategic Plan. Each topic based questionnaire will take about 10 minutes to complete. Online Surveys and the Creative Community Contest are open until November 30, 2020. Please have your say today! 

AROUND THE CITY

Emergency Alert

The City of Nanaimo will be sending out an emergency alert October 27 at 10:15 am through the Voyent Alert! system. Remember, this is only a test!  Voyent Alert! is the system the City will use to inform residents of local emergencies, such as earthquakes, in the City of Nanaimo. Residents are encouraged to register and download the app to their smartphone. In case of a real emergency, users will receive a call, text or email. If you haven't signed up for an alert yet, go to www.nanaimo.ca/goto/alerts today.

Preparedness Now - TV Documentary - Shake Out BC

Emergency Preparedness

Public Safety Canada publishes a wide variety of products aimed at helping citizens know the risks and get prepared for emergencies. Their publications can be downloaded and printed. Watch the documentary above for a simulation of a hypothetical, but realistic disaster scenario and what people can do to prepare themselves. Be sure to make a Family Emergency Plan . In an emergency if phones don't work or families aren't together, what will you do?  Island residents should have a kit prepared with at least 7 days worth of supplies in the event of an emergency.   Find out how ready you are to survive by visiting  GetSET for 7 days to learn more about personal preparedness. 

Parks, Recreation & Culture Program Proposals 

The City of Nanaimo's Parks, Recreation and Culture Department is inviting community members to showcase their skills as an instructor for the 2021 Spring and Summer season. Program proposals for a variety of areas, including dance, cooking, language, arts and crafts, music, outdoor recreation and more are now being accepted. Recreation staff are specifically calling for program proposals that focus on outdoor programs. Proposals will be accepted until Friday, November 13, 2020

Park Projects

• Happy 100 years local Rotarians! The Centennial Garden is now open at the north east corner of Maffeo Sutton Park.
• The Rotary Bowl Track will be undergoing track repairs along the 400 M track section October 27 to November 13.
• Oliver Woods Community Centre living wall replacement project will be taking place October 28 to November 6.
• Surface upgrades taking place at Maffeo Sutton Park waterfront walkway until the end of October. 
• Contractor installing scaffolding for the next phase of the roofing project at NAC. Please be cautious near the sidewalk, there should be no interruption to facility access. 

 Stay Safe this Halloween

Although we encourage family fun, we are asking you to review the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's steps to take before participating in Halloween activities this year. Ideas like setting up a help yourself station for kids and ensuring you wash your hands before handling treats will help keep everyone safe. If you do decide to trick or treat, please review the Covid-19 guidelines, remember to be seen! Wear something reflective, stay in a group and go over road safety rules before heading out. 

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:

• Bowen Road, between the Old Island Highway and Labieux Road will be reduced to one lane in both directions from October 18th-28th to install concrete bus slabs. This will cause congestion and delays. Drivers are strongly encouraged to avoid the area, particularly at rush hour. Please drive slowly and respect temporary road markings. 

• Metral Drive, between Turner Road and Godfrey Road, has been reduced to gravel and underground utility work has begun. Traffic on the gravel road will be limited to residents only. Commuters are encouraged to plan additional time to navigate the area or preferably, to avoid the area completely by detouring on the Island Highway. Beginning October 16th, the contractor will be working Monday-Saturday, 7am-7pm. 

COUNCIL & COMMITTEES

Upcoming Council and Committee Meetings

• Monday, October 26: Governance and Priorities Committee at 1:00 pm
• Tuesday, October 27: Special Health and Housing Task Force at 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:

• New garden in Maffeo Sutton Park commemorates Rotary's community contributions
• City seeking Parks, Recreation and Culture program proposals
• Testing! The City of Nanaimo will be sending a test emergency alert October 27
• Council moves forward to eliminate plastic checkout bags