City Updates

Issue 11/Spring 2026
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2026 General Local Election - Save the date!

Saturday, October 17 marks General Voting Day in the City of Nanaimo. Ahead of that, two advance polls will be open from 8 am to 8 pm in the Beban Park Social Centre (2300 Bowen Road) on Wednesday, October 7 and 14.

On General Voting Day (October 17), voters can cast their ballots at one of 11 locations from 8 am to 8 pm.

• Beban Park Social Centre, 2300 Bowen Road
• Brechin Elementary School, 510 Millstone Avenue
• Chase River Elementary School, 1503 Cranberry Avenue
• City of Nanaimo Service and Resource Centre, 411 Dunsmuir Street
• Dover Bay Secondary School, 6135 McGirr Road
• John Barsby Secondary School, 550 Seventh Street
• Nanaimo District Secondary School, 355 Wakesiah Avenue
• Protection Island Fire Hall, 26 Pirates Lane (open 10 am to 6 pm)
• Randerson Ridge Elementary School, 6021 Nelson Road
• Uplands Park Elementary School, 3821 Stronach Drive
• Wellington Secondary School, 3135 Mexicana Road

Interested in running for a seat on Council?

The nomination period is open from 9 am on Tuesday, September 1 to 4 pm on Friday, September 11. Make sure to check the elections section on the City website (www.nanaimo.ca/elections) for information on key dates, the role of Mayor and Council, requirements to run for office, political signage regulations and more.

Work the Election!

Want to get involved in voting day activities? We are looking for election workers! Visit www.nanaimo.ca/goto/jobs starting May 19 to learn more and apply. Applications close on June 12, 2026.

Complete Streets: Creating a safer commute for all

We are working on a couple of major projects that, once complete, will make a more comfortable commute for all modes of transportation.

Hammond Bay Area Utility and Transportation Upgrades

We are replacing old underground utilities on Hammond Bay Road between Rutherford Road and Turner Road (water and sewer mains) and, at the same time, improving the road surface, traffic signals and the intersections at Rutherford Road and Turner Road. Expect single lane alternating traffic when travelling through the construction zone. This project is expected to wrap up late summer.

Third Street Complete Street

This is another project where we are replacing old underground utilities (storm drains and water and sewer mains) and improving the street surface and traffic signals along with new crosswalks, a storm water rain garden and separated bike lanes. The section of Third Street between Howard Avenue and Pine Street is closed until August 13 with detours in place. This project is expected to be complete this fall.

To stay up to date with these and other City construction projects, visit the Current Construction Projects page at www.nanaimo.ca/construction

Departure Bay Pump Station and Hammond Bay Forcemain Project

Improvements to the Departure Bay Pump Station and replacement of four kilometres of sewer forcemain under Hammond Bay Road from the pump station to the sewer treatment facility, the Greater Nanaimo Pollution Control Centre, are in the works. This vital project by the Regional District of Nanaimo, supported by the City of Nanaimo, is expected to take about four years to complete and will prevent failure of an existing pipe and prepare for community growth. To stay up to date with any partial or full road closures along this stretch of Hammond Bay Road, visit www.getinvolved.rdn.ca or sign up for My Nanaimo This Week at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/MyNanaimo.

2026 Property Taxes are Due July 2, 2026

There are a number of ways to pay:

• Your bank: online, phone or in person. To add the City of Nanaimo as a payee, search for “Nanaimo”. The account number is the 8-digit folio number (no period) found on your notice. Please note: we do not accept e-transfers.
• Mail a cheque: 455 Wallace Street, Nanaimo, BC, V9R 5J6. Payment must be made out to “City of Nanaimo” and received by July 2, 2026. Postmarks are not acceptable as date of payment.
• In person: at the Service and Resource Centre located at 411 Dunsmuir St, Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4:30 pm (excluding statutory holidays).  Please note: we do not accept credit card payments. If paying with interac please confirm your daily limit.

How much should you pay?

The amount you need to pay depends on whether you qualify for the Regular or Additional/Senior Home Owner Grant, or if you do not qualify for the grant. Check the balance under “Total Taxes Due”.

Late payments

A late payment penalty of 2% will be applied to the current year outstanding balance at the end of the day on July 2, 2026 and an additional 8% will be applied at the end of day on August 31, 2026.

REMINDER: Make sure to claim your Home Owner Grant by July 2, 2026. Claim it online at www.gov.bc.ca/HomeOwnerGrant by phone at 1-888-355-2700.

PLEASE MAKE SURE TO READ OVER YOUR TAX NOTICE FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION.

You Property Tax Notice: A step-by-step guide

When you open your property tax notice, make sure to review it. There are some important things to note:

• Due date - this is the date taxes are due. After this date, a penalty will be applied to the amount you owe.
• Total taxes due line - this, along with knowing which column (A,B or C) you fall under based on Home Owner Grant availability, will tell you how much you owe.
• Your folio number - this will help you pay your taxes online through your bank.
• Back of your tax notice - find more information such as accepted methods of payment and information needed to claim your Home Owner Grant.

Now that you have reviewed it:

1. Claim your Home Owner Grant (if applicable)
2. Make a payment by July 2 to avoid any late penalty fees.
3. Plan ahead for your 2027 property taxes. You can apply to make monthly prepayments.
4. If you haven’t already, sign up for eBilling so you can receive future tax notices by email.

Want to know what your taxes go toward?

Visit the Budget page to review the City’s Financial Plan and the Budget Quick Facts.

Receive Future Tax Notices by Email

Save the paper! With a MyCity account, you can change your billing notice preference to email. Simply go to mycity.nanaimo.ca, use the folio number and access code found on your tax notice to register. You can also have all your user rates bills emailed to you. Learn how you can set up your own MyCity account at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/MyCity.

PROPERTY TAX DEFERMENT

Are you deferring your property taxes with the Provincial Deferment program? The 2026 Provincial Budget changed interest rate terms to all taxes deferred for the 2026 and subsequent tax years. Learn more by searching “Property tax deferment program” on gov.bc.ca or call 1-888-355-2700.

Property Taxes: Join the Pre-Authorized Withdrawals Plan

Prepay your property taxes with automatic payments withdrawn from your bank account. Once you pay the 2026 taxes, you can apply for the Pre-authorized Withdrawals (PAWS) plan. Starting these monthly payments on July 15 will give you 12 months of prepayments before your 2027 property taxes are due.

The suggested monthly prepayment is calculated using an estimate of the 2027 property taxes. This estimate includes any applicable 2027 Home Owner Grant reductions and any current credits on your account. If you would like to know your estimated monthly prepayment amount, email collections.info@nanaimo.ca. There are no fees to join this plan and you earn monthly interest on prepayments. Once you join, you will only need to do two things each year:

1. Review your tax notice to see if the monthly prepayments covered the “Total Taxes Due”. If not, a manual payment will need to be made before the tax due date.
2. Claim your Home Owner Grant (if applicable) before the property tax due date.

Learn more and apply for the plan at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/paws

UPDATE TO HOME OWNER GRANTS

The Province of BC is eliminating the Northern and Rural Home Owner Benefit for the 2027 tax year. This change will result in a decrease of the Home Owner Grant by $200. If you are enrolled in the monthly tax prepayment plan, and you claimed a Home Owner Grant in 2025, your new monthly prepayment amount takes this change into consideration.

ENJOY SUMMER FUN IN NANAIMO’S PARKS

All summer, we have FREE fun events for everyone in Nanaimo’s parks. Check them out!

• Nanaimo’s parks come alive with music during the popular Concerts in the Park series. Check the City website for a list of dates, times, locations and line ups.
• Pack up the family and head down to one of Nanaimo’s popular destination parks for free family fun! Join us from 4:30 to 7:30 pm on June 26 in Maffeo Sutton Park for the Summer Family Event and on August 27 from 4 to 7 pm in Westwood Lake Park for an End of Summer Splash!
• Kids can cool down daily from 9 am to 8 pm, May to September in Nanaimo’s four water parks located in Departure Bay Park, Deverill Square Park, Harewood Centennial Park and Mansfield Park.
• Enjoy the beach life safely with lifeguards on duty at Westwood Lake  First Beach daily from 12 to 5:30 pm from June 28 to September 7.
• Kids can join in some fun in their neighbourhood park with the Playground Programs featuring activities including crafts, games, music and more from July 6 to September 4. We have two programs to participate in: each week, we will be at a different park with the roving playground program and all summer long, you can find us at Departure Bay Park. Check recreation.nanaimo.ca for locations of the roving program.
• Celebrate with us at our annual Canada Day festivities on July 1 from 11 am to 3:30 pm in Maffeo Sutton Park.
• Play in one of Nanaimo’s playgrounds. In addition to neighbourhood playgrounds, destination playgrounds are located in Beban Park, Harewood Centennial Park, Maffeo Sutton Park and Oliver Woods Community Park.
• Explore Nanaimo’s parks and trails this summer. Pick up our Parks and Trails brochure available at any recreation centre for details.

For more details, visit recreation.nanaimo.ca or call 250-756-5200.

Here Comes the Sun: Have a safe and FireSmart™ summer

Follow these simple steps and visit www.firesmartbc.ca to help reduce the risk of wildfire:

• Clear dead brush, dry debris and other combustibles from within 10 metres of your home, clean your roof and gutters and keep your lawn short.
• Remove branches overhanging the roof of your house and keep all lower tree branches pruned up by at least two metres.
• Clean and maintain your BBQ before using it and never leave it unattended while cooking.
• Properly extinguish and dispose of all smoking material. NEVER throw cigarette butts out the window of your car.
• Call 911 to report all fires no matter the size.

BE PREPARED. SIGN UP FOR EMERGENCY ALERTS.

Would you know what to do if an emergency such as an earthquake or wildfire hit Nanaimo? Visit www.nanaimo.ca/preparedness on the City website for tips on preparing an emergency plan, emergency kit and more. Make sure to sign up for Voyent Alert!, the City’s emergency alert system, to receive important safety instructions on your phone or email inbox. Register today at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/alerts, download the app or call us at 250-758-5222.

STAGE 2 WATERING RESTRICTIONS IN EFFECT

Until September 30, even-numbered addresses can water on even-numbered days and odd-numbered addresses on odd-numbered days for up to 2 hours between 7 am to 10 am OR 7 pm to 10 pm. Veggie gardens and fruit trees can be watered any time.

Save on the watering!

You can create a drought-resistant yard with a few tweaks. Instead of grass, switch to less water-intensive options of clover or sedums. In the garden, plant drought-resistant plants such as kinnikinnick, salal, sword ferns, rockrose and lavender.

Temporary Public Art: new installations to look forward to

This summer two new Temporary Public Art projects will come to life in our community!

Forest Flowers, a collaborative project by Eliza Gardiner and Isaiah Kingdon, will feature a sculptural cluster of three oversized, vividly coloured flower forms installed in a neighbourhood park. Inspired by the Crown Brodiaea, a rare, regionally significant wildflower native to the Harewood Plains, the installation will introduce an unexpected burst of colour into the surrounding greenery. 

In Encrustation: Barnacles of Belonging, artist Twyla Exner proposes a participatory sculptural installation inspired by the humble barnacle, an often-overlooked yet iconic feature of coastal ecosystems. Drawing on Nanaimo’s waterfront identity, the project will invite community members to take part in hands-on workshops to sculpt their own barnacle forms, which will later be cast in durable materials and collectively affixed in a location along the city’s waterfront.

Forest Flowers and Encrustation: Barnacles of Belonging will be unveiled in summer/fall 2026 and will be available for people to see and enjoy for up to five years.

Visit: www.nanaimo.ca/goto/TemporaryArt to learn more about the City’s Temporary Public Art Program.

DID YOU KNOW? 

If you are a registered property owner in the City of Nanaimo, you can purchase a $25 voucher for a tree worth up to $90 in value from Green Thumb Garden Centre. For more information, visit www.nanaimo.ca/goto/TreeVoucher.

Care for your new trees!

Now that you have your new tree, do you know how to care for it to make sure it thrives? Check out an instructional video by the City’s Urban Forestry Coordinator at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/tree-care.

Food Saving Tip!

Did you know? Ripe avocados put in the fridge last longer. Learn more tips to make food last longer at LoveFoodHateWaste.ca.

Curbside Collection - Tips for successful pick up

Let’s work together, Nanaimo, to make curbside collection run smoothly! Follow these tips for a successful collection:

• Place carts in a line, 1 metre (3 feet) apart from each other and 1 metre away from other objects/vehicles.
• Face carts with the lid opening toward the street.
• Don’t overstuff your carts. Lids should be able to close easily. This will make sure the cart completely empties into the truck and not on the ground.
• Put your carts out by 8 am on collection day rather than the night before.
• Use thin compostable bags in your green cart. Thicker bags don’t break down and contribute to more waste going to the landfill.
• Take glass bottles and jars to a recycling depot. Glass in the blue, black or green carts breaks and is hazardous to our drivers and staff at recycling facilities.
• Sort items into the proper cart - garbage goes in the black cart, recycling in the blue cart and food waste and yard trimmings in the green bin. If you aren’t sure, check the What Goes Where Wizard on the Nanaimo Recycles app or on the City website at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/WhatGoesWhere.

UPCOMING CHANGES TO RECEIVE YOUR 2027 COLLECTION CALENDAR

Interested in reducing paper waste? Later this year, you will be able to opt out of receiving a mailed copy of the 2027 curbside collection calendar. In the meantime, download the Nanaimo Recycles app to receive notifications of your upcoming collection day or view it online at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/GarbageCalendar. More information will be shared later this year. Stay tuned!

Reduce and Reuse Annual Special Events

Back for another year are our Trunk Sales! On June 20, come down to Nanaimo North Town Centre’s south parking lot from 9 am to 2 pm. On August 22 the sale will be held from 9 am to 2 pm at VIU’s Upper Parking Lots. Registered vendors can sell their unwanted items from the trunks of their cars to bargain hunters. Registration is free and spots are limited.

Join in on Reuse Rendezvous, the city-wide swap meet over the weekend of July 18 and 19. Stick a “FREE!” label on unwanted household goods and set them out on the curb for other community members to take and reuse. Please make sure to take any items left over after the weekend back inside.

Check out www.nanaimo.ca/goto/NanaimoRecycles for full details.

QUESTIONS ABOUT CURBSIDE COLLECTION?

• Visit: www.nanaimo.ca/goto/NanaimoRecycles
• Call us: 250-756-5390
• Email us: Zero.Waste@nanaimo.ca