The Discourse

Indigenous women speak about housing issues 'They don't have enough housing for single women who struggle with life,’ says a member of the Nanaimo Women’s Poverty Response Circle.

Two weeks ago, Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools emailed a statement to the district’s families that said after an investigation into concerns that the camp’s staff agreement is discriminatory, the school board decided to sever ties with the camp. Late last week, Sooke School District 62 informed The Discourse that it too would not approve any future programming or involvement with Camp Qwanoes.

Two school districts cut ties with Crofton’s Camp Qwanoes over discrimination concerns Camp Qwanoes executive director says the camp is being misrepresented and questions the religious inclusivity of the school districts.

“This is where the most Hosackia pinnata in the world occurs. Right here. It’s kind of a big deal,” says local botanist, Scott Black. “You’d think Nanaimo would just be like, ‘Hey that’s where our plant lives. You can’t build there.’”

‘It’s better than Disneyland’: Local environmentalists unite to protect Harewood Plains One of B.C.’s rarest ecosystems is slated to become a subdivision. This community group is uniting to protect it.

The 100 Houses in Lake Cowichan are a unique part of the Town’s development, and also part of a much larger story about how public housing provided a solution during a national housing crisis.

Learn more from historian Kelly Black in his latest for The Discourse.

How Lake Cowichan’s 100 Houses helped solve a housing crisis This wartime development could point to housing solutions for the modern day.

Roots to Thrive , in partnership with Vancouver Island University , launched the Naut sa mawt Centre for Psychedelic Research earlier this year. It is the first of its kind in Canada, and is working with universities across the country to advance the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. The centre combines Indigenous knowledge with Western medicine and brings together research, education and practice.

Learn more 👇

Indigenous wisdom meets Western medicine at this psychedelic therapy centre The Naut sa mawt Centre for Psychedelic Research unites research, education and practice.

Nanaimo Fringe Festival's artistic managing director will continue to advise so the August event proceeds as organizers vow to investigate community safety concerns this fall.

Nanaimo Fringe Festival director steps down after community calls out transphobic online speech The artistic managing director will continue to advise so the August event proceeds as organizers vow to investigate community safety concerns this fall.

A plan to solve homelessness in the Cowichan region is realistic and achievable, says Duncan Mayor Michelle Staples, but only if the provincial and federal government will step up to fund community-led solutions.

“We can actually address this, we can actually solve this,” Staples said at a news conference last month. “There has to be a willingness and a commitment from higher levels of government that are responsible for the support dollars that are required to take care of people.”

At the same event, the Cowichan Housing Association released data from its latest Point In Time Count, which seeks to identify as many people experiencing homelessness as possible in a 24-hour period. The survey counted 223 people without housing, and certainly missed many others.

The survey confirmed what frontline workers in the Cowichan Valley have been noticing in recent years: a population of people without housing that is growing and becoming more diverse. More seniors, youth and families are losing their housing, primarily because they can’t find an affordable place to live.

“People who are teetering on the edge have fallen into homelessness,” said Shelley Cook, executive director of the Cowichan Housing Association. Increasing unaffordability has “accelerated and escalated some of the things that we were already seeing.”

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The population of people without housing in the Cowichan Valley is growing and becoming more diverse, according to data from Cowichan Housing Association's 2023 Point in Time Count. Duncan Mayor Michelle Staples says a plan to solve homelessness in the region is achievable.

“We can actually address this, we can actually solve this,” Staples said. “There has to be a willingness and a commitment from higher levels of government that are responsible for the support dollars that are required to take care of people.”

Homelessness is solvable, Duncan Mayor says Provincial and federal governments must step up to fund community-led solutions to combat homelessness.

What a team! A big thanks to the everyone who showed up to support independent media in today's Duncan Days Parade — and to all who cheered us on!

We heard you: The Comox Valley needs in-depth reporting on environmental issues, and too many important stories are going untold.

With funds from the Local Journalism Initiative, we are hiring a community reporter to tell solutions-focused stories of regional significance. The position is located on the Unceded Traditional Territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, the traditional keepers of this land.

Visit https://discoursemedia.bamboohr.com/careers/38 to apply by July 27. Please consider sharing this post to help spread the word!