Greetings!
This Thursday evening April 16th 2026 is very big for the lands around the much-loved Cable Bay Trail.
Nanaimo City Council is holding a Public Hearing starting at 7pm after which they will vote on a zoning bylaw to change the status of the lands WEST of the trail from Rural Resource (AR1) to Heavy Industry.
The lands EAST of the trail are not up for discussion, but it’s important that we tell council they MUST be protected, one way or another.
The lands on the west side are owned by Nanaimo Forest Products Limited (NFPL), who have proposed industrial lots as close as 50 m from the trail.
In-Person Submissions: Anyone who attends the Public Hearing can speak for up to 3 minutes. The protocol for these events is no clapping, and no calling out. Hand-held signs are allowed. And please be respectful – insults and anger will backfire, and give us all a bad name. Come prepared to be there until 11pm.
If there are still people at the mic at 11pm, the meeting will be adjourned, and continue next Wednesday, April 22nd, in the same place.
You can speak twice, after others have spoken, but you woud be wise to state that your second presentation brings new information.
Written submissions must be provided by 2pm April 16, to ensure they are received by Council:
ONLINE: Submit written comments directly through the City’s website at www.nanaimo.ca/publichearing or by email to public.hearing@nanaimo.ca
MAIL: City of Nanaimo, Planning & Development, 455 Wallace Street, Nanaimo BC, V9R 5J6, headed ‘550 Phoenix Way Rezoning”
BY DROPBOX: : Deposit in the drop box outside the Service and Resource Centre, a11 Dunsmuir Street.
What should we be saying?
There are two approaches, and most people are supporting one or the other. Diversity is important. Everyone’s thoughts are valid. There is no “right” or wrong”.
One approach is that we need to protect these ecosystems and
make the entire area a park for all to enjoy. 21,000 people have signed a Petition requesting that the area become a park, and most of the written submissions support this simple “Say NO” approach to development of any kind.
The other approach is being taken by those who accept that the land was agreed on as “industrial” in the city’s Official Community Plan, after a lot of public engagement, and that there’s a strong will within council to approve rezoning to heavy industrial (I-4), because there is a shortge of such land in the area. This group of people are arguing for a delay, however, and a subsequent improvement of the rezoning bylaw, because (among other things):
- (a) the proposed zoning bylaw has been badly crafted, and has internal contradictions. For example, the environmental report says “no net water loss”, which would require pervious surfaces, while the Site Servicing report requires a single perimeter drain to catch water run-off, which would badly imact the forest alongside the Cable Bay Trail;
- (b) engagement with the Snuneymux First Nation is incomplete;
- (c) the proposed buffer zone next to the trail is “average 100 metres”, and only 50 metres right next to the trail. It should be a firm 100 metres or more;
- (d) the plan allows for the cutting of 7,390 trees and their replacement with 9x seedlings. The Sensitive Ecosystems Development Permit Area (DPA) that covers the land only allows for the felllng of 4 trees without special consent. Once cut, the land will be taken over by invasive broom, which is almost impossible to eradicate, and becomes a fire risk;
- (e) the staff report on the health and other impacts of heavy industrial air and water pollution that council voted for has not been completed;
- (f) the potential to write a Climate Action Development Permit Area for the land has not even been considered. This would enable some degree of control over future activities on the land, and the development of a more envirtonmentally friendly approach to development, minimizing the felling of trees, among other things. See here and here
The Agenda for the Public Hearing is here: https://pub-nanaimo.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=0a021b08-0b06-40cb-940a-5d501abdef3e&Agenda=Agenda&lang=English
The filed paperwork for the project is here (scroll down): https://www.nanaimo.ca/whatsbuilding/Folder/RA000503
The Staff report is here: https://www.nanaimo.ca/whatsbuilding/Files/RA000503/RPT_C260323RA503_950PhoenixWay_AgendaCopy.pdf
The rezoning site plan is here: https://www.nanaimo.ca/whatsbuilding/Files/RA000503/ra503%20Plan_Site%20Survey%20REV%2024OCT24.pdf
The Aquaparian Environmental Assessment of the land is here: https://www.nanaimo.ca/whatsbuilding/Files/RA000503/ra503%20Rpt_Environmental%20Assessment%20REV%2026MAR16_Redacted.pdf
The Public Submissions received so far are here:https://www.nanaimo.ca/docs/property-development/development-applications/public-hearing-docs—ongoing/ra503-950-phoenix-way—submissions_redacted.pdf
At the time of writing, there are 194 submissions: 192 opposed, only 2 in favour. The Snuneymuxw First Nation has written a strongly worded letter opposing the rezoning because they are in the middle of an engagement process with the City to resolve significant issues regarding the lands, and this process is NOT complete.
Nanaimo’s “what happens?” sheet on Public hearings is here: https://www.nanaimo.ca/docs/cannabis/crs-public-hearing-information-sheet.pdf
We hope to see you on Thursday!
Yellow Point Ecological Society 