Ben Bankas' Nanaimo show to go ahead despite opposition – The Discourse. Community members want proceeds of sold-out show by outrage comedian Ben Bankas to be donated to Nanaimo Pride and Indigenous organizations

UPDATE: The Port Theatre Society announced in a statement on March 5 that the sold-out Ben Bankas show has been cancelled due to safety concerns. Read our background story on the city council meeting that preceded this decision.

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You can subscribe for free to get The Hub Nanaimo, our weekly arts and culture newsletter, delivered directly to your inbox every Thursday at the following link: thediscourse.ca/newsletters

Events in Nanaimo March 6 to 11, 2026 – The Discourse. Music, art and community events in Nanaimo from March 6 to 11, 2026.

From Vivaldi's Four Seasons by candlelight to heavy metal at The Globe Live Studio and a family barn dance see what's happening in Nanaimo tonight in The Hub Nanaimo, your insider guide to the best in community arts and culture. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/the-...

Herring spawn being boosted by Indigenous conservation group – The Discourse. Your guide to herring spawning etiquette and where to see it on the Salish Sea.

The herring spawn is turning the Salish Sea a beautiful blueish green and attracting plentiful wildlife and human visitors who want to see the annual spectacle. Here’s what you need to know about how to see, and respect, the spawning. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/how-...

How loss and love led Zena Sharman to write her debut memoir – The Discourse. Cowichan Valley-based writer Zena Sharman reflects on queerness, inheritance and the family you choose in Staying Power.

Writer Zena Sharman sat down with The Discourse to discuss her debut memoir, Staying Power. 📖

After back-to-back loss, Sharman’s essays explore grief, divorce, and building a four-parent queer family. Read our Q&A before her free launch event at The HUB on March 12!

Q&A: Poet Kiera Chealine on finding the power in ‘No’ Local poet writes about consent and empowerment for International Women’s Day.

“We must treat our bodies as sacred.” Local Indigenous poet Kiera Chealine will present two new, original poems about consent at The Discourse and Cowichan Valley IWD’s International Women’s Day event on March 8. Learn about her poems and find event details here:
thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...

The Discourse presents: International Women’s Day Cowichan Valley On Sunday, March 8, The Discourse proudly presents its sixth annual International Women’s Day event at the Cowichan Public Art Gallery.

Join us for an International Women's Day event at the Cowichan Public Art Gallery 🌸

This year's theme: How does consent make for a better community?

Hear from MLA Debra Toporowski (Qwulti'stunaat), educator Corina Fitznar, Indigenous poet Kiera Chealine and Cowichan Tribes Chief Cindy Daniels.

Ben Bankas' Nanaimo show to go ahead despite opposition – The Discourse. Community members want proceeds of sold-out show by outrage comedian Ben Bankas to be donated to Nanaimo Pride and Indigenous organizations

Nanaimo city council voted to send a letter to The Port Theatre asking it to review its booking policies but did not cancel a show by comedian Ben Bankas over his offensive jokes about residential “schools”, immigrants, 2SLGBTQIA+ people and racialized minorities. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/why-...

A timeline of the Crofton mill – The Discourse. From its early years to its 2025 closure, here’s a timeline of the Crofton mill’s history.

The Crofton mill closure marks the end of an era for 350 workers. As North Cowichan meets with investors and officials to find a path forward, The Discourse has compiled a timeline of the mill’s 70-year history.

View the full timeline👇

Duncan Conservative town hall highlights shift in political strategy – The Discourse. Experts say political parties are restricting access to events and moving away from open town halls.

Experts tell The Discourse that the removal of three Cowichan Valley residents from a Conservative funded town hall in Duncan is part of growing trend. Parties are increasingly restricting access and moving away from the tradition of open, public town halls. #CowichanValley #CdnPoli #DuncanBC

Snuneymuxw reserve lands included in City of Nanaimo boundary – The Discourse. New boundaries will allow people living on the reserves to vote in city elections this fall.

The City of Nanaimo is proposing that its boundary be changed to include the reserve lands of Snuneymuxw First Nation, which will allow people living on reserves the right to vote in city elections for the first time. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/why-...

How Nanaimo schools prepare for emergencies – The Discourse. ‘Being safe at schools has a lot to do with knowing your neighbours and supporting them,’ says local parent.

Schools in Nanaimo say they’re prepared for emergencies. But teachers say more can be done to ensure student and educator safety, in the wake of the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/how-...

Nanaimo march calls for justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls – The Discourse. No More Stolen Sisters Memorial March to take place Friday, Feb. 13 in downtown Nanaimo.

“I've seen family go missing, I've seen friends — I've seen everything,” said Lugil Wilaaysm Hanaa (Hyla McQuaid), who is organizing the No More Stolen Sisters Memorial March in Nanaimo with the VIU Students' Union. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/nana...

‘No one in our community is disposable’: Island Health and community call on North Cowichan to rethink sheltering sites – The Discourse. Designated overnight sheltering sites in Somenos marsh are ‘increasingly dangerous’, outreach groups say.

Island Health and local groups are urging North Cowichan to reconsider "uninhabitable" shelter sites in Somenos marsh.

Advocates warn that recent displacements are linked to health risks and a spike in overdoses. They’re calling for safer, accessible alternatives. #NorthCowichan #IslandHealth

Subscribe to our newsletters – The Discourse. Nanaimo and Cowichan Valley news, in your inbox.

You can subscribe to get The Hub Nanaimo delivered directly to your inbox every Thursday for free at this link: thediscourse.ca/newsletters

Events in Nanaimo Feb. 5 to 12, 2026 – The Discourse. Music, art and community events in Nanaimo from Feb. 5 to 12, 2026.

The John Barsby School of Rock will perform tonight at VIU's Malaspina Theatre. See what else in happening this weekend in The Hub Nanaimo, your weekly insider guide to the best of community arts and culture. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/the-...

Black History Month events in Nanaimo 2026 – The Discourse. Black History Month events in Nanaimo, B.C. for February 2026.

Celebrate Nanaimo's Black community by attending Black History Month events in our city.
thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/blac...

Cowichan Valley Arts Council exhibition celebrates community-focused art 'Many Hands — Working Together' can be viewed from Feb. 4 to Feb. 28 at the Cowichan Valley Arts Council gallery.

A 7-metre red cedar log rolled into the Cowichan Valley Arts Council gallery this week and will soon become a canoe. Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw artist Rupert Scow is carving it live during the exhibition 'Many Hands — Working Together', and visitors can help carve. Read more 👇

How a Comox Valley fossil discovery forever changed paleontology in B.C. The untold story behind Mike and Heather Trask’s fossil discovery and ‘the incredible importance of curiosity.’

Mike and Heather Trask’s Comox Valley-based fossil discovery in 1988 inspired a flood of amateur paleontologists. It also inspired the first paleontological society in B.C. and led to the creation of a policy to protect fossils.

Read the story:
thediscourse.ca/comox-valley...

Regional District of Nanaimo developing policy on full-time living in recreational vehicles – The Discourse. District staff will also create a rural housing strategy.

People in the Regional District of Nanaimo may soon be able to live in RVs full time. The district is developing a policy on this as well as a rural housing strategy, a move that has been applauded by the B.C. RV Alliance. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/regi...

Art exhibition shines a light on Nanaimo’s Chinatowns – The Discourse. Bleached by the Sun: Perspectives on Chinatown is on display until March 22, 2026 at the Nanaimo Art Gallery.

A new exhibit at the Nanaimo Art Gallery features archival photos and contemporary art works exploring the history of Nanaimo’s Chinatowns. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/art-...

Cowichan Public Art Gallery becomes permanent home to 75 paintings by renowned Dutch Canadian artist – The Discourse. Wayfinder, featuring the art of Will Julsing, can be viewed at the Cowichan Public Art Gallery until March 28.

“I felt utterly, utterly honoured that they wanted to have his work and were able to receive it.”

How the Cowichan Public Art Gallery became the permanent home of 75 paintings by a renowned Dutch Canadian artist.

Read more in The Discourse.

Events in Nanaimo for Jan. 22 to 28, 2026 – The Discourse. Music from Star Wars, Star Trek and The Planets to collide at The Port Theatre.

Feeling stressed? Join a weekly drop-in meditation for beginners at the Nanaimo Harbourfront Library today at noon. Find out more in The Hub Nanaimo, your weekly insider guide to the best of community arts and culture.

Events in Nanaimo for Jan. 22 to 28, 2026 – The Discourse. Music from Star Wars, Star Trek and The Planets to collide at The Port Theatre.

Choir! Choir! Choir! will get the audience singing tonight at The Port Theatre. Find it and more in The Hub Nanaimo, your weekly insider guide to the best of community arts and culture.

Events in Nanaimo for Jan. 22 to 28, 2026 – The Discourse. Music from Star Wars, Star Trek and The Planets to collide at The Port Theatre.

Joëlle Rabu brings her new play I Don’t Belong Here – Stories Beyond the Edge of Forgetting to The Port Theatre today at 2 p.m. See it and more in The Hub Nanaimo, your weekly insider guide to the best of community arts and culture.

I'm working on a story for @thediscourse.ca! I want to chat to Comox Valley folks about what you're doing to prep for various different emergency scenarios: Climate, geopolitical, natural disaster, etc… Have you experienced an emergency? what did you do/ learn? Are you prepared currently?

Events in Nanaimo for Jan. 22 to 28, 2026 – The Discourse. Music from Star Wars, Star Trek and The Planets to collide at The Port Theatre.

Curators Jesse Birch and Imogene Lim, along with exhibition artists will hold an informal community gathering today at 1 p.m. to celebrate the exhibition Bleached by the Sun: Perspectives on Chinatown at the Nanaimo Art Gallery.

Events in Nanaimo for Jan. 22 to 28, 2026 – The Discourse. Music from Star Wars, Star Trek and The Planets to collide at The Port Theatre.

Music from Star Wars, Star Trek and The Planets will collide tonight at The Port Theatre. Check out all of our arts and culture listings for Nanaimo this week:
thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/even...

Events in Nanaimo for Jan. 22 to 28, 2026 – The Discourse. Music from Star Wars, Star Trek and The Planets to collide at The Port Theatre.

You can catch Ted Kim at The Nanaimo Bar tonight at 9 p.m. Check out The Hub Nanaimo, your weekly insider guide to the best of community arts and culture for more listings.

Community Safety Officer program in Nanaimo an alternative to police – The Discourse. Community Safety Officers are helping respond to Nanaimo’s homelessness crisis, but councillors and experts say more supports are needed.

I did a deep dive into Nanaimo's Community Safety Officer program. I spoke with experts, city councillors, business owners, social service providers and people who are unhoused. I went out on patrol with a CSO team to see their work firsthand. Here's what I saw. thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/comm...