The Navigator Vol 47 Issue 1

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Vol 47

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VIU loses a beloved theatre professor

Cruisin' in the bike lane

VIU art gallery and Nanaimo Art Gallery embrace separation

As students prepare for another sunny year on campus, a sudden dark cloud has cast a shadow over the university’s Malaspina Theatre.

Unless people feel safe outside of their cars, they're unlikely to leave them.

The separation came as no surprise, as the NAG has long expressed desire to condense into one location.

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NEWS

FEATURES 08

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08 04 Arrowsmith Biosphere Mount Reserve

08 Editorials

SPORTS & LIFESTYLE

ARTS 14 08 08 04 VIU art gallery and Nanaimo Art Gallery embrace separation

19 04 VI08 Raiders season opener

The New Pornographers want to pleasure you

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05 New express bus line added to VIU students' commute VIU student awarded scholarship from Freshwater Fisheries Society BC

The Townie's guide to dating a Dean's Lister (a twisted love letter)

VIU loses a beloved theatre professor

Nanaimo Art Gallery and Nanaimo Museum partner for new exhibits

VIU Dreamin'

16 Game Review: Never Alone

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From books to woods: how summer work experience is building careers

Crusin' in the bike lane

17 And...ACTION!

Boomshack brings the swing for a good cause

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21 Summer predictions: a follow up

22 Odds & Ends Word search

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Summer sports highlights

Healthy eating: not as hard as we think

Harvest Festival returns to the Old City Quarter

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Point of VIU

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editorials

HI MOM! WELCOME TO THE NAVIGATOR’S 47TH YEAR!.

Molly Barrieau Editor-in-Chief The Navigator

A lot has changed here since 1969. We no longer, literally, copy and paste our articles to the page, but now completely share each issue free online at <thenav.ca>.

This year, I am truly lucky to have a masthead to rival any of our competition­—15 multi-talented students devoted to gathering the type of news that affects all of Nanaimo and especially VIU students.

The way The Navigator works, changing up its staff, unfortunately, affects the kind of style and content that you see annually. As this year’s Managing Editor who has seen this paper change so much in the last two years, my challenge is bittersweet—how do we hold on to the familiarity of holding a newspaper in your hands while also gathering and sharing information to a wider, more convenience-driven audience online?

Many students can now get their news solely online, but, here at The Nav, we want our print paper to attract readers on their way to class, and during coffee breaks or study sessions in the library. We want to cover the kinds of topics that interest you, covering stories from across the campus, in your faculty and ours.

So don’t stop here—turn the brand-spankin’-new pages and check out what Kaytee Davis, our Art Director, has created (mind the angles). Notice the—empty—Letters page, and feel free to send us your opinion on anything we write about. And if you ever feel like something is missing, submit your own

stories, recipes, and even articles written for a class, and get paid for your voice to be heard.

Then, find out what happened over the summer in our News, Arts, and Sports and Lifestyle sections, including a new RDN bus route, coverage on Boomshack’s summer concert, and summer highlights from the world of sports.

For the next eight months, look forward to election coverage throughout October, budget-friendly recipes, interviews in our revamped Sports and Lifestyle section, and bi-weekly book reviews from Alyssa Morton in Arts (page 15). After all that, be sure to flip to the calendar for a comprehensive look at the upcoming Harvest Festival this Saturday, and FROSH week with the VIUSU. (Don’t miss Current Swell performing on September 17!)

On page 22, our Odds & Ends section, we will continue to welcome any and all VIU students to send in their artwork, comics, poetry, and photography. Share with us what you’re working on: see it in print, online, and in the hands of your fellow students across campus.

Don’t feel like your writing is print-worthy? Relax, because The Navigator editors pride themselves on a thorough editing process, so your work will always look its best before it hits newsstands.

So, welcome—get comfortable, and stay tuned.

SUNDAY CLOSINGS

Alexandria Stuart Associate Editor The Navigator

So I’m headed to one of my favourite purveyors of fine meats in Nanaimo, my heart set on gourmet hot dogs, my wallet poised to pad the cash register of a homegrown operation. The dogs are good, but there’s also that sense of self-satisfaction that comes from buying local. Arriving, I note blessed little activity: there’s a conspicuous abundance of parking out front and the windows are dark. It’s Sunday. They’re closed.

Small businesses in Nanaimo—particularly downtown— often bemoan the lack of traffic in their stores, the lack of customers. They thrust their fingers northwards to the malls where cut-price big box stores with acres of free parking steal the shopping dollars that rightfully belong to local businesses.

More than fields of tarmac and cheap socks, I’ve got one thing that’s guaranteed to send a customer into a rage of “never again” and drive them north: arriving at a shop during typical business hours and finding it closed. Once bitten, twice shy,

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and they’ll be back at the mall before you can say, “Open 8-8 every day! Air conditioned comfort!”

There was a time when Sunday was actually a day of rest for the masses. After church, Pa would play gaily with the children while Ma whipped up a pie and simultaneously covered the table in roasts and stuffings and four kinds of veg. Sundays were for home, fellowship, and feeding. The streets were quiet because Sundays weren’t for shopping.

Flash forward to the 21st century. Weekends—including Sundays and holidays—are play days. When people aren’t working, buying things and taking meals in restaurants, participating in the free economy, constitutes play. Sometimes small business owners forget this and hold on to the belief that they should have weekends, should be able to go out and play, too. But when you’re in business for yourself, the rules change.

If you want to keep your doors open, they’d better be open all the time and ready to receive customers. “I deserve time off! It’s not fair!” the small business owner is wont to cry. No, it isn’t fair, and I never got a pony for my birthday, either. Yes, small business owners work hard and deserve time off, but not at the expense of their business. Not if they want that business to thrive, anyway. If their budget covers staff to work that time off, great. But if it doesn’t, maybe their business plan needs work, or maybe everyone would be better off if they weren’t in business for themselves at all. “But it was always my dream

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to own this business; it’s a labour of love,” they say. To which I’ll respond with a reminder that it was my dream to have a pony, and then point out that they’re not in business; what they’ve got is a hobby. Hobbies rarely keep the family in hot dogs.

This is the world today—customers have choices, and more often than not the path of least resistance dictates those choices. If they can’t trust a business to keep reasonably typical hours, they just might go somewhere that does.

Hell, even provincial liquor stores are open seven days a week now. The pinch from the private shops stung, so they reworked their business model to accommodate Sunday openings. That’s government workers. Surely, if government can wrap their head around the idea, small town businesses can too.

The goodwill that comes with buying local and supporting small business only goes so far. I live a pretty full life so sometimes I can’t afford to plan my shopping around a store’s limited hours. Bless you, Mom and Pop, but you make it hard for me to support you. Don’t say I’m the one who needs to be more understanding, to try harder—it’s a tough world and I can only give so much. Once my nose is pressed against the glass, your door locked, I’ll probably move on to a large chain grocery store. That’s where I picked up my wieners. Enjoy your Sunday brunch.

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CONTRIBUTORS Sean Enns Heather Leary Chantelle Spicer Justinas Staskevicius (CUP)

THE NAVIGATOR IS Molly Barrieau Editor-in-Chief

Emily Johnston Graphic Designer

Kaytee Davis Art Director

Avery Crosson Graphic Designer

Alexandria Stuart Associate Editor

Gabby Fleming, Shaina Bolduc Ad/Sales Rep

Alyssa Morton Arts Editor Natalie Gates News Editor Catherine Charlebois Sports & Lifestyle Editor Kelly Whiteside Production Manager Lori Shwydky Copy Editor

THE NAVIGATOR WELCOMES READER CONTRIBUTIONS

Megan Wolfe Social Media Sp. Antony Stevens Web Editor Lynne Williams Bookkeeper To submit, visit <www.thenav.ca> or email <editor@thenav.ca>.

Christine Franic Business Manager

All submissions must be original work of the author. Editors reserve the right to refuse submissions, and to edit for space or clarity. Letters to the editor should be no more than 400 words in length. The Navigator does not pay for letters. Opinions expressed in The Navigator are expressly those of the author and/or artist and do not reflect the views of The Navigator staff.

900 Fifth St. Bldg. 193, rm. 217 Nanaimo, BC, V9R 5S5 T: 250-753-2225 F: 250-753-2257

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New express bus line added to VIU students’ commute 40 VIU Express

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A new frequent bus route has been added to Nanaimo’s transit system The Navigator that will help students get to and from VIU more efficiently.

Effective September 6, the 40 VIU Express will connect downtown, VIU, Country Club, Nanaimo North Town Centre, and Woodgrove.

The route will give students another option to get to VIU with high frequency, said Jamie Logan, Superintendent of Transit Scheduling and Planning.

During the busiest times of the day, such as morning and late afternoon, the route will have an average frequency between 15 and 30 minutes, which is an improvement over the other routes to VIU, Logan said. In the evenings and on weekends, the frequency will be closer to 45 minutes.

The route will make 53 trips in each direction between downtown and Woodgrove a day, Logan said.

“It’s a cleaner, faster way to get to VIU,” Logan said. “There will be a downtown stop by the police station for transfers, but it will also go to the waterfront.”

The old VIU line will still be in place, and people can catch either bus at the same stop, Logan said.

The new route is a response to the public’s requests and needs of the transit system.

“We had transit info stations set in public places to ask what people want to improve and change in the transit system,” Logan said. “Then we developed transit future plans for the next few years, and one of the changes was the frequent transit line. So we found the hot spots to make as direct a line as possible.”

There is also a new route numbering system that will help riders understand the transit system better. Routes with single digits are local routes, and routes that end in zero are north/ south routing. Riders can transfer to local and inter-regional routes at Prideaux and Woodgrove exchanges.

On the first day of classes, transit employees will be at the VIU bus loop explaining the express line, Logan said. There will also be supervisors at Woodgrove explaining the route to riders while it is new.

Natalie Gates

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VIU STUDENT AWARDED SCHOLARSHIP FROM FRESHWATER FISHERIES SOCIETY BC Heather Leary

Owen Catherall has received one of four Freshwater Fisheries Society of Contributor BC scholarships, which recognizes his outstanding commitment to academic pursuits in the field of natural resource management.

Catherall was awarded $1.5k towards his Bachelor of Natural Resource Protection at VIU and is preparing to complete the program in 2016. Currently working a summer job in the Lower Mainland as a seasonal Park Ranger with BC Parks, Catherall spent the two summers prior to that working in Manitoba as a seasonal Resource Officer. Following graduation from VIU, Catherall plans to seek work with the Conservation Officer Service.

When not at school or work, Catherall can be found with his fly rod, walking his dog, or seeking out a new mountain trail.

“I grew up in a rural setting on Vancouver Island, where I was exposed to fishing and the benefits it provides at a young

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age,” Owen Catherall said. “I knew I wanted to pursue a career in conservation and protection of our natural resources.”

Scholarship applicants submitted a resume and written or video essays demonstrating their commitment to academic pursuits, volunteer activities, and to Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC’s key goals such as research and habitat conservation. Submissions were received from students attending post-secondary institutions throughout the province.

Each student that is awarded a scholarship will receive $1.5k. These scholarships are available to students enrolled in fish culture or natural resource management programs within a recognized post-secondary education institution in BC. Student goals must align with the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC’s goals to encourage stewardship, enhance fishing habitat, and increase accessibility to freshwater sport fishing.

“The quality of applications was exceptional, and it was a difficult decision to narrow the recipients down to four in the province,” said Sandra Noel, Director of Human Resources,

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Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC. “The students are passionate about stewardship and accessibility and they are committed to the future of freshwater fishing in BC. We look forward to seeing their careers develop.”

Scholarships were also awarded to Cale Babey of the University of Northern BC, Nigel Delange of Camosun College, and Courtenay Ferguson of the BC Institute of Technology.

Since 2008, the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC has awarded $42k in scholarships to 23 students.

The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC was created in 2003 as a private, non-profit organization, funded mainly through freshwater fishing license revenues. In partnership with the province, the Society annually stocks eight million trout, char, and kokanee salmon in 800 BC lakes. The society also manages special hatchery programs for endangered species, including white sturgeon; conducts fisheries research, education, and conservation programs; and works to make angling more accessible for all.

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VIU loses a beloved theatre professor Molly Barrieau The Navigator

“IF THEY DIDN’T. NOTICE WHAT YOU. DID, YOU DID IT. RIGHT.”.

Courtesy of Shaw TV Nanaimo.

As students prepare for another sunny year on campus, a sudden dark cloud has cast a shadow over the university’s Malaspina Theatre.

Mike Taugher, VIU’s Theatre Manager, passed away on Tuesday, August 18 at the age of 59, leaving his dog Thor and partner Ros Davies, a VIU administrator.

Former students of Taugher remember him as decisive and consistent, lending his advice and stationery to anyone who walked into his office. I had the pleasure of interviewing Taugher about his work on Les Miserables at Chemainus Theatre in 2014. His insight truly came through after mentioning a well-known axiom in theatre: “If they didn’t notice what you did, you did it right,” Taugher said.

As a stagecraft instructor, Taugher inspired students to create wondrous sets on the stage, with over 20 years of experience behind the scenes.

“He was such a presence in the theatre,” Kieran Hunt said. Hunt

received his degree in Theatre and History in 2014.

Taugher was a vice chair for the Nanaimo Fringe Festival this summer, providing technical direction for the stage. According to the Fringe website, Taugher has been involved with the festival since the creation of the event five years ago.

“Our dad is gone,” Shelby Matthews said. “We need to pull together right now.” Matthews spent four years at Malaspina Theatre working towards her degree. She worked closely with Taugher just days before his passing as the Event Manager for the Nanaimo Fringe Festival.

A memorial was held a week following, on Tuesday, August 25.

The Malaspina Theatre was filled with friends and family of Taugher, who remember him fondly as “a humble and quiet man.” VIU has established a scholarship in his honour, and those looking to donate in his memory can email <foundation@viu.ca>.

HARVEST FESTIVAL RETURNS TO THE OLD CITY QUARTER Natalie Gates The Navigator Nanaimo’s annual Harvest Festival will bring live music, fresh local food, and more to the Old City Quarter on September 12.

The main street of the festival will be lined with an assortment of vendors selling produce, crafts, fashion and accessories, local food items, and more, as well as multiple stages for musical acts. The majority of the festival will be on Wesley

Street, with two musical acts near Bocca Cafe on Fitzwilliam and one at the Bee’s Knees Cafe.

Cost to enter the festival is by donation for the Nanaimo Foodshare, but everyone is welcome regardless.

For this year only, there will be 100 Community Cards, which provide special deals on the day of the event, given to people who donate $10 or more.

“All the musical acts are new this year, as well as several of the vendors and speakers that will be

Harvest Festival 2015.

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attending,” said primary organizer Tina Coldwell. Many of the musicians are from the Vancouver Island area, but some artists from farther away, such as Arizona’s Lani Nash Band, will also be hitting the stages.

DJ Country Mouse, or Michelle Solloway, will be hosting the music at the festival.

“Michelle Solloway is a great host and very involved in the Nanaimo music scene and a beloved person in our community,” Coldwell said.

Some of the speakers that will

be presenting at the festival include advocates on the advantages of raw dog food; as well as representatives from Cedar Beef, a local homegrown beef company; and from Nanaimo Food Share, Coldwell said.

For further updates on the speakers that will be attending, as well as a full schedule of the musical acts, visit the festival’s Facebook event page, Harvest Festival 2015.

The festival will take place Saturday, September 12 from 11 AM until 5 PM.

Old City Quarter’s Facebook

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From books to woods: how summer work experience is building careers Natalie Gates

Several programs at VIU help students find work experience The Navigator related to their field of study during the summer; other students find it themselves. Either way, these students often return to classes with experiences that give them an advantage for the rest of their schooling, as well as their future careers.

Two students returning to VIU after summer work experience are Colby Mahood, beginning his second year in the Forest Resources Technology program, and Bijan Sametz-Asgari, completing his Bachelors of Natural Resource Protection.

Both students worked in remote areas: Mahood was based in Gold River, BC and Sametz-Asgari was in Grand Prairie, Alberta, based in Moonshine Provincial Park. Mahood worked for Western Forest Products (WFP) and performed reforestation duties, while Sametz-Asgari worked for Alberta Parks as a seasonal conservation officer.

This was Sametz-Asgari’s second summer working for Alberta Parks, he said. The first season he was in the Grande Prairie District but based out of Saskatoon Island Provincial Park.

“I dealt with any and every issue inside the parks,” Sametz-Asgari said.

“I never had the exact same shift twice. Over the past two seasons I have dealt with problematic wildlife, drunk campers, and even missing persons, just to list a few examples.”

Being Mahood’s first year of the Forest Resources Technology Program, he wasn’t sure what exactly to expect, but he enjoyed the trust and independence he was given, he said. “We had teams of three with a supervisor and two summer students, but I worked alone a lot,” Mahood said. “Basically we would come to a cut block, which could be from one to 70 hectares, and perform survival surveys of the trees.”

Both students found a helpful connection between their classes and their jobs, but also felt that on-the-job learning was essential.

“When I was in first year, a second year RMOT student that worked for Alberta Parks gave my classmates and I many tips on how to do well on the interview,” Sametz-Asgari said.

“RMOT is geared toward a conservation-enforcement related job. My schooling also taught me other useful skills that came in handy when on job, such as identifying wildlife species and how to use a police-style notebook.”

Sametz-Asgari also said the experience he got working last summer helped him with his classes. “One of my projects in second year was exactly the same task of what I had to do in my first year of work. I was assigned an investigation project in class. To be honest, I never looked at the marking criteria

because I was so familiar with it from the previous summer,” he said.

Mahood’s classes gave him a basic understanding of the different species and trees in the area where he worked, as well as knowledge on the theories surrounding reforestation.

“But first year was an overview, and we didn’t technically learn what I did in this job because second year is when we learn about silvaculture, so there was a lot of learning on the job,” Mahood said. “Since I will be actually learning about silvaculture this year, I feel like I will have a strong base of knowledge about it now because of this job.”

All in all, summer work experience has given Mahood and Sametz-Asgari a taste of the real world and let them explore what they do or do not like about particular jobs.

For Mahood, the independence, promising opportunities, and solid training were some of the best parts of the job.“I’ve already been offered a job with WFP after I graduate,” he said.

“I know I don’t want to do this exact same thing forever, but I would do it temporarily, especially since I have a pretty firm knowledge about this part of the field now.”

Sametz-Asgari says his summer work experience has helped him realize that he truly wants to go into conservation, and that he is on the right path.

“My dream job is to be a full-time BC Conservation Officer,” he said. “All the training I got is the exact same for full-time officers. The fact that I’m already getting experience now should serve me well when I try for the very tough job competition.”

Both students agreed that, being so early in their careers, they have to sacrifice some things, such as location, before they earn enough seniority to be pickier. While Sametz-Asgari said he would like to be in a more scenic area, Mahood said he would rather be in a slightly more populated area.

“I guess that’s what the future’s for,” Mahood said.

If you are not enrolled in a program that regularly provides assistance finding related work experience, an internship, or a Co-operative Education opportunity, there are other options for you.

Simply arranging to meet with your professors or chair of your program can help you find work or volunteer opportunities by discussing the options you have with someone in the field.

In addition, counsellors at the Career Centre are helpful sources you can use to find jobs related to your field of study. <viu.ca> also has a section on working and volunteering abroad that offers information on many different opportunities that could provide worthwhile work experience in another country.

“I have dealt with problematic wildlife, drunk campers, and even missing persons”

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Colby Mahood working in the field where he did reforestation surveys in Gold River, BC. Colby Mahood

Bijan Sametz-Asgari says his job as a seasonal conservation officer has been very valuable and will help him when he looks for full time work.

Bijan Sametz-Asgari

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VIU ART GALLERY AND NANAIMO ART GALLERY EMBRACE SEPARATION Kelly Whiteside The Navigator

ALL THESE NEW CHANGES ARE EXCITING FOR VIU AND THE COMMUNITY VIU’S GALLERY WOULD LIKE TO WORK ON COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT.

This May, the Nanaimo Art Gallery (NAG) officially separated from the art gallery at VIU. The separation came as no surprise, as the NAG has long expressed desire to condense into one location. The art gallery at VIU was the original NAG, created by faculty in the Visual Arts program.

As the business expanded, the NAG created a second location downtown on Commercial St. Mixed in with other downtown businesses, the NAG drew more traffic—particularly from tourists. It no longer made sense to have two locations. Despite the separation of the two art galleries, the NAG’s permanent collection will remain at VIU’s gallery.

With the separation, the gallery on campus has changed their way of operation. In the past, the curator was chosen from the faculty at VIU, and the position rotated between the staff. This continued until three years ago when Justin McGrail, art history professor in the department, took over the curatorial and began

offering an independent study in curation for his students. The campus gallery was mostly run by NAG staff, though. Now, without the NAG staff, there are more opportunities for students to work at the gallery; there are work-op positions available for gallery workers, and internships available for curatorial positions.

The new operation will be a blend of faculty and students. If there are enough students willing to run the business, then the faculty will step back, but when there are fewer students interested, the faculty will still be available to run the art gallery.

The gallery has also created a new layout for the inside. Previously, the whole building was an art gallery.

Now, only the upstairs remains as a gallery. McGrail says that condensing the gallery to one floor is actually an improvement—there is never a struggle to fill space, and it’s easier to navigate. Downstairs, there is now a learning commons and media lab for student use. There is also rehearsal space for theatre students, and studio space for art students.

Moving forward, as an independent art gallery no longer attached to the NAG, VIU’s gallery would like to work on community involvement and engagement. Student showcases will continue as they were before.

Professional shows will also continue, but perhaps at a lesser extent until the gallery is back on Canada Council Grants. McGrail would like to reach out more to community groups and organizations in the future, though. He would like to create partnerships with other organizations and host events as well as feature artwork from local groups such as the Harbour City Photography Club. Renting out the space is another service they would like to offer.

All these new changes are exciting for VIU and the community, but there’s one more change to be made—a new name. If you have an idea for a name for the art gallery on campus, comment on our related Facebook post or email <Justin.

McGrail@viu.ca>.

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS WANT TO PLEASURE YOU Justinas Staskevicius The Concordian

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<thenewpornographers.com>

Montreal (CUP) — When Kathryn Calder joined The New Pornographers nearly a decade ago, the band’s second album, Electric Version, had recently broken into the US Billboard top 200. Only 23 at the time, nearly a decade younger than most of her band mates, they took to calling her “the kid.” Since then, she has not only outgrown the nickname, but gone on to contribute vocals and keyboards to four New Pornographers albums, all of which broke the top 50 in the US, and released two solo albums.

When Calder was asked to join The New Pornographers by Carl Newman, her uncle as well as a

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vocalist and guitarist in the band, she felt as though she had “been plucked out and put in the band,” a group she admits having been a fan of. Calder confessed that some of the early formative elements of the band, like where the name came from, are lost in time. “People like to say that the name came from a televangelist who said that ‘music is the new pornography,’ but other people say it’s because of a movie called The Pornographers—I don’t know.” Wherever it came from, Calder likes it. “It stands out,” she said. “It even offends some people.”

With seven full members as well as a touring member, many of whom also have ongoing side projects, the band is larger and busier than

most acts. It is not exactly a chore to get everyone together, however: “It’s annoying in the way that it’s annoying to get eight people to decide on what restaurant to go to,” Calder said. Being part of such a large band also has its advantages. “There are so many of us that there’s a good safety blanket,” she said. “I don’t really feel nerves purely due to the fact I’m surrounded by seven other people.”

There have been many memorable moments with The New Pornographers for Calder, but a few stand out: “We were in Mexico City around ‘07 doing this huge show and the fans were so excited,” she said.

What really stood out for Calder in Mexico City was that, “outside the

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Nanaimo Art Gallery and Nanaimo Museum partner for new exhibits Kelly Whiteside

Blueberry bushes slowly grow around The Navigator a podium made of Vancouver Island hemlock. A poem sits atop the podium waiting to be read. It is noon, and the late Peter Culley’s poem Fruit Dots is being read aloud. Black elastic cords are intricately threaded through the walls, vibrating with tension. This is Silva Part I: “O Horizon,” the Nanaimo Art Gallery’s (NAG) newest exhibition.

Silva is a contemporary art project that follows a thematic path from the microcosms of the forest floor to the quantifying and processing of lumber to the global distribution of forestry products.

Within Silva are two exhibitions, “O Horizon” and “Booming Grounds;” a publication, The Mill; and a series of artist talks, tours, readings, and performances.

“O Horizon” will be the first part of the exhibition. The exhibit focuses on the powerful roles that language and culture play in the ways that we understand the natural environment.

“O Horizon” is titled after the scientific name for the forest floor. This top layer of soil is made of decomposing organic matter and forms the life support system for trees, spouting plants, fungi, and countless small animals.

Artists featured in “O Horizon” include Peter Culley, Duane Linklater, Gareth Moore, Kika Thorne, and Elias Wakan.

show, these people were selling all this fake merch with hijacked images; it was a really funny moment,” she said. Calder made sure to buy some of the counterfeits as souvenirs.

Before joining the band, Calder was a member of the now defunct Immaculate Machine. “I was in a group called The Reactions in high school, grade 12,” Calder said, “ but Immaculate Machine was the first band where we went on tour, and had fans, and people would come out to see us.” One of the biggest differences between Calder’s former group and The New Pornographers is that in the Immaculate Machine, “we all wrote songs together in the same room,” she said. “In The New Pornographers, [Newman] and [Dan

Part I of Silva runs from September 4 through October 31.

Silva is meant to complement the Nanaimo Museum’s new exhibit, A Terrible Beauty: Edward Burtynsky in Dialogue with Emily Carr, which will be featured at the museum from September 4 through November 21. On September 3, the Nanaimo Museum hosted an opening reception for the two new exhibits.

Both exhibits focus on human impact on the natural world. A Terrible Beauty also highlights how nature and industrialization has changed over time.

Emily Carr’s paintings and drawings highlight the early 20th century when industrialized agriculture, resource extraction, and large-scale logging in BC became more popular. Some of her sweeping vistas of sky were views only possible by forest clear-cutting. The selection of Carr’s work at this exhibit is small, but the chance to see Carr’s work in Nanaimo is an exciting and rare opportunity that no one should miss out on.

Edward Burtynsky is an internationally renowned Toronto-based photographer.

His images captivate the natural and built environments that reflect the impressive reach of human enterprise and the extraordinary impact of our hubris. The photos featured in this exhibit were taken between 1983 and 2013; they represent his major bodies of work, from his earlier series

Bejar] do the writing.” Calder’s role in the creation of the group’s music is geared more towards arranging her keyboard parts. “I come up with ideas and then [Newman and Bejar] sort of decide what’s cool,” she said.

“It’s a messy process and I never really know what they’ll keep.”

Being largely absent from the songwriting process is, in part, the reason Calder decided to start her solo project. “I started writing my solo album partly for my mother, who was dying at the time. I wanted to do it for her and I wanted to know what my own music sounded like,” she said. “I had spent all this time making music in a group and I didn’t even know what my own music was.” Whatever the project,

of homestead photographs from BC to his new project on the subject of water and its fundamental place in the world of ecology.

Despite working over 50 years apart and in different medias, both artists’ masterpieces brilliantly record the changing, industrialized landscape and our place within it.

Calder feels a link to all the music she helps create: “I feel connected with both [projects]. In The New Pornographers, I like to find my space within the larger picture. They fulfill different artistic roles for me.”

Calder only recently started thinking of her future in music.

“When I joined the band I had no idea. I never thought that far in advance,” the 32-year-old said. “You never really know. An opportunity would come up and I would just take it without thinking ‘Oh, this will be good for my career.’ I still don’t really know, but we just keep going,” she said. “I know I’ll always be making music, but it was only in the last five years or so that I started thinking long term.”

Brill Bruisers short listed for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize.

Sponsored by Slaight Music, the prestigious Polaris Music Prize winner is chosen based on artistic merit, regardless of music genre or record sales. The $50k dollar prize will be awarded at The Polaris Gala, broadcast live on September 21 by <aux.tv>. For more information and a full list of nominees, visit <polarismusicprize.ca>. <thenewpornographers.com>

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GAME REVIEW: NEVER ALONE Antony Stevens The Navigator

Official Press Kit - “Upper One Games/Never Alone”

Kisima innitchuna. Never alone.

I have no idea if that’s an exact translation or a rough one, but that’s what Never Alone teaches me in its title screen. The game first intrigued me when it was announced as a narrative-driven adventure infused with the culture of the Iñupiat people, better known as Alaskan natives. The idea that games can do with culture and history what they do with logic and imagination is important as video games become more respected.

Never Alone is inspired by a traditional Iñupiat story, Kunuuksaayuka, about a boy, Nuna, who seeks the origin of a blizzard. But developer Upper One Games took the creative liberty to change the lead to a young female character (still named Nuna), saying they wanted to create a role model for girls. The project was overseen by cultural ambassadors as well as the surviving daughter of Kunuuksaayuka author Robert “Nasruk” Cleveland, and translated excerpts from his original story are on the game’s loading screens.

Also interspersed throughout the game are unlockable, documentarystyle interviews (called “Cultural Insights”) which share information

and anecdotes about the various cultural aspects seen throughout the game.

Within the first minute of the game, you’re presented with over five minutes of these interviews.

You’re not forced to watch them, but they are imperative to understanding the subtext of the game’s world.

Really, it’s not the game that teaches you about the culture—the game’s mostly a supplement to the educational interviews; walk or jump for a minute, then watch two minutes of videos. They’re wellpolished and worth the watch, but it felt like Upper One was trying to hit a checklist of cultural elements with no regard to pacing.

Unfortunately, the care put into the cinematography does not carry into the gameplay—the puzzle-platforming is rudimentary; new mechanics, while interesting, come few and far between; existing mechanics are employed repetitively; and the game features technical issues that feel amateurish in comparison. The game is clearly targeted at a younger, more curious audience, but I can’t see young players being any less frustrated with these hiccups than I was.

Early into your adventure you meet a friendly white fox, controlled either by AI or a local co-operative partner. In co-op, players take turns relying on each other. Nuna will wait

for the fox to climb somewhere, or the fox will wait for Nuna to hit something with her bola. Reliance works well in theory to build on the motif of selflessness, but it doesn’t lend itself to good co-op gameplay when one player is just standing around. In solo, you’ll need to switch between characters manually and fight the controls to quickly get your character into the right position. Never Alone feels built for single-player or for co-op, but never both.

One of the game’s final Cultural Insights describes the importance of “observing the weather” in Iñupiat culture, and I realized then that, during my entire playthrough, I had been conditioned to observe the weather, and to pay attention to the wind patterns to help time jumps.

Never Alone had successfully taught me culture through mechanic—but just once. I recognized the missed potential; one Cultural Insight discussed how the Iñupiat could find each other in the dark by the air of their breath. Imagine that as a gameplay mechanic.

Never Alone is best described as a rough translation of culture into gameplay; in using a videogame as a vessel (instead of a tool) to teach, Never Alone succeeds— the information is all there in abundance; you’ll just be sitting through it.

Official Press Kit - “Upper One Games/Never Alone”

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ACTION! Kelly Whiteside The Navigator

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Many children outgrow writing stories and making films, but Zachary Tannar didn’t. When his friends moved on, Tannar found himself searching for a new group of people to talk with about his passions. What started as a small group meeting for coffee every once in a while to chat became an official non-profit organization in May 2013: the Hub City Cinema Society (HCCS).

Two years later, and the HCCS are able to apply for grants. Keeping their fingers crossed that they would receive the grants, the HCCS has big plans in store.

The HCCS has seen significant growth and changes since becoming an official non-profit organization. Their membership program has grown to 500 Stage 1 members who have access to the Facebook group and receive invites to the events, and approximately 50 Stage 2 members who are offered a studio hourly member rate, full voting privileges, and more. The creation of the Hub City Cinema Studio in December 2014 opened up more opportunities for growth, leading to more events and membership options.

Events held at the studio include filmmakers’ socials for those wishing to speak with fellow filmmakers, script sessions for those who would like feedback on their writing, improv nights for those looking to fool around and have fun, film jams for those interested in being part of making a movie, editing sessions to work together and edit films, cinematography sessions

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for the discussion of cinematography, cinema showcases to showcase the work created by members, and workshops with professionals in the film industry.

With the grant money the HCCS hopes to receive, they plan on purchasing office and production equipment for the studio. This equipment will be available to Stage 3 members.

They also have minor renovations planned, such as the creation of proper outdoor signage, a curtain for the stage inside the studio, and a mural. The HCCS would also like to put on more workshops with professional filmmakers, directors, actors, technicians, etc. For events, they would like to host a Professionals’ Expo with professional filmmakers and companies to talk to members and promote a higher level of filmmaking. An Oscars Party is another event they plan on hosting, with a red carpet, silent auction, and more.

The HCCS is a local non-profit community organization run by filmmakers for the purpose of connecting, sharing, supporting, and collaborating with others who are interested in any aspect of filmmaking—acting, scriptwriting, directing, cinematography, lighting, sound, score composing, etc. If you are interested in becoming a member, join their Facebook forum or check out <hubcitycinema.ca> for more details.

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BOOMSHACK. .BRINGS THE. .SWING FOR A. .GOOD CAUSE. Alyssa Morton The Navigator

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Over the summer, local band Boomshack was one of the music guests for the Slice of Life Block Party.

Hosted by Mambo Gourmet Pizza, the event raised money for the Vancouver Island Crisis Society (VICS).

“This is something we really care about,” frontman Theo HughesRidgway said between songs. “We’re so excited to be here.”

Pulling most of their members from the music program at VIU, Boomshack boasts a three-piece horn section and tunes that range from Ska to Jazz to Swing. With upbeat dance tunes, the band was able to keep the mood going through spats of rain as Mambo continued to serve pizza. Although used to university audiences, the band seemed pleased with the reaction of the older guests who attended the event.

The event was able to raise over $16k to help fund programs offered by the VICS.

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1 — Local band Boomshack entertains at the Mambo block party.

2 — Boomshack plays their single “Solid Gold” at the Slice of Life Block Party.

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features

MOUNT ARROWSMITH BIOSPHERE RESERVE Mount Arrowsmith.

Courtesy of Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Reserve.

Our little corner of the world, here on Vancouver Island, is really Contributor spectacular, sometimes more so than you would imagine. From old-growth forests to glacially fed lakes, panoramic mountain vistas viewed from the beach to one of the most diverse undersea ecosystems in the world, we really do have it all. Sometimes, just how lucky I am to live here leaves me in awe. It is not just the Islanders who recognize how special this is either—tourists from all over the world flock here to storm watch our rocky shorelines, view black bears during the salmon spawn, whale watch, and enjoy the pace of our Island home. It is extraordinary in a way that is felt deep down, on a level few things in our man-made world can touch. This level of diversity on all levels, from the geology to the ecology, has received the attention of not only residents and tourists, but also scientists from around the world and UNESCO. Here on the Island, we have the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Reserve (MABR)—one of 651 recognized and conserved ecological regions in the world. These regions are generally comprised of incredibly diverse marine, terrestrial, and coastal ecosystems which integrate urban interfaces. This integration gives the area a unique opportunity to reconnect people with the natural world “[using] the power of science and the wonder of nature to foster change... Biosphere reserves celebrate people and nature, facilitate participation, seek local solutions to global problems, and foster positive change through science, education, and cultural awareness,” according to the website.

This alliance between humans and the natural world provides a springboard upon which to base truly sustainable development, which would promote conservation of the land and cultures within it alongside economic potential. This idea is built into the MABR’s mission statement as well and is shown in their multitude of projects and partnerships.

Founded in 2000 by research scientist Dr. Glen Jamieson, the area was created to provide the public with a more comprehensive view of the complex ecosystem and diversity of Mt. Arrowsmith and its subsequent watersheds. This is the highest peak on Southern Vancouver Island at 1,819 metres tall, with the range of the biosphere covering 1,186 square kilometres. From the peaks of both Arrowsmith and Mt. Moriarty flow many tributary rivers, which make up five watersheds, including Nanoose Peninsula and the BallenasWinchelsea Archipelago. This height and area shows for a very impressive range of ecosystems from the alpine zones to coastal forest to the bottom of the Salish Sea. It also encompasses Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Reserve. courtesy of Mount Arrowsmith the homes of approximately 45 Biosphere Reserve Research Institute. thousand residents and is a part of

Chantelle Spicer

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the traditional territories of seven First Nations communities.

This myriad of life forms caught the attention of UNESCO (a sector of the United Nations) when it was designated a biosphere reserve in 2000, making it one of two reserves in BC. By having this designation, the MABR complies with UNESCO standards of sustainability, development, the involvement of local communities, conservation of cultural and biological diversity, and education.

This connection to public awareness and education is a major focus of the partnerships that make up MABR management, included in which is the City of Parksville and VIU. In 2014, the Mt. Arrowsmith Biosphere Reserve Institute was founded through VIU, giving university researchers and the MABR an opportunity to involve the expertise of scientists, students, multiple stakeholders, and local communities in an exploration of more sustainable development. Though it was founded very recently, the Institute has hit the ground running, creating projects such as: • The Mt. Arrowsmith Weather Station and Snow Pillow, which will be ready to use this winter; • State of the Environment Reporting (SOER), which will work to identify sustainability targets and impacts for the region in many areas including water quality and waste production; • Working with First Nations and local communities to create new business models for conservation management; and • The Blue-Carbon Project, which explores potential carbonstoring capabilities of our native eelgrass within our estuaries.

MABR has also hosted a speaker series at VIU, along with supporting the Kwalikum Food Forest, which is a community asset in regards to creating awareness and education that directly contributes to the sustainability of the region.

VIU’s fall 2015 course list debuts MABR101, designed to introduce students to the biosphere and all its features.

Content of the course includes the history of the MABR, current environmental issues, research, and a comprehensive look at the physical and cultural geography of the area, which work to make this region so important and unique. MABR101 will be held for the first time on September 26 at Milner Gardens in Qualicum Beach.

A biosphere reserve in our own backyard provides opportunities to learn about and explore our natural world.

Moving forward, it is also a way to contribute toward a society and world. For more information, visit <mabr.ca/home>, which features an adventure blog, maps, and tips for enjoying your own adventure in the region.

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The Townie’s guide to dating a Dean’s Lister (a twisted love letter) Name Withheld

When you’re a Townie, the only difference between August and September is what’s on TV. That’s how it used to be, anyway, before I started dating a Dean’s Lister.

Yeah. I’m a Townie. I’ll always be one, even when nobody says it anymore. Long after the days of “town and gown” are gone and forgotten, I’ll be the goth kid loitering outside the downtown coffee shops with a Dunhill cigarette crushed between black-painted fingernails.

Yep. My girl’s a Dean’s List darling. This ain’t luck, either.

These are consecutive appearances, bought with a bucket’s worth of blood, sweat, and tears. The scars from the battles won and lost in the academic arena run deep, man. Not that mine don’t; I’ve earned plenty in the school of hard knocks— though mine were mostly earned in Wanderer-style street battles and week-long, booze-induced blackouts. Still, I’d rather stare down the Ducky Boys armed with nothing but a rubber chicken than put myself through the pressure and stress of Upper Level Academia.

And just because I’m not university educated doesn’t mean I haven’t picked up a thing or two over the years. Dating on the D-List comes with a unique set of needs that you only learn about along the way. So yeah, I gleaned a few things, and you can too. Now’s the time for you to put down your Hello Kitty backpack, or whatever it is you kids are sporting these days, Contributor

pull up a stool, and have a listen to this old man.

You can never, ever run out of booze, or whatever it is she needs before/during/after exams—if it’s chocolate, or bath bombs, or episodes of Downton Abbey. You got to find out what that is, and you stock it in plentiful supply, man. You hide it around the house so you never run out. Because if you do, she’s going to wonder what the hell you were doing while she was studying 15 hours a day, and there’s no answer to that question that’s any good.

You have to find your Zen place. When it’s crunch time—when it’s two minutes to midnight on the Doomsday clock and the Russian ICBM is pointed at her head in the form of a deadline on that paper she’s been putting off for the last week—that’s your time to shine. You must remind her of all the times she made it to the Dean’s List. You have to show her all those old scholarship and bursary awards she’s received.

You have to be calm, be cool, and put your stuff away. Now is not the time to remind her that “freelancing is hard work too.” Because, let’s be honest, it’s really not.

YOU CAN

NEVER EVER RUN OUT OF BOOZE

POINT OF VIU

The year is divided into two seasons with “breaks” in between, so plan your time accordingly. There’s the first semester, and the second semester, and then there are breaks of varying lengths throughout. Forget all this nonsense about four seasons—words like “summer” and “spring” only matter as modifiers to “breaks.” While we’re talking about it, be prepared to take December off. Also, the entire month of April.

These aren’t breaks for you, these are the times she most needs your support, and work is only going to get in your way. Don’t worry about the missed work—you can make up for it during the summer when she’s traveling/recovering/preparing for the next year.

You hope to holy God that she’s not interested in graduate studies. The Bachelor’s Degree is a lot like the Teacup ride at Playland compared to the Formula Rossa that is the Master’s Degree. But if she wants it, it is not up to you to talk her out of it. Soldier up, strap on the protective eyewear, and get ready for the ride of your life.

Finally, remember: it’s all worth it. She has made me a better writer and a better human being. Sure, I know how to download her favourite movies, configure a home network, and make my own sauerkraut, but it’s nothing compared to the ways in which academic-adjacency has enriched my life.

Frankly, you should be so lucky.

WHAT DID YOU DO TO CONSERVE WATER DURING THE DROUGHT THIS SUMMER?

ALYSSA MORTON | THE NAVIGATOR

WESTLEE BISCHOFF

JOHN MESZAROS

SARA PIKE

SEAN ANDREW

CHANTELLE NAZARETH

Economics Salmon Arm

Phys-Ed. Tofino

Early Childhood Education Prince Rupert

Aquaculture Jakarta, Indonesia

Creative Writing Gujarath, India

“I didn’t water my garden or my lawn.”

“We didn’t fill our hot tub.

We had five ten-gallon barrels we collected water in.”

“There was still a lot of rain in my area, but we tried to keep from watering our lawn excessively.”

“We had a drought as well, but you follow a lot of the water saving tips anyway, like turning the taps off and not watering excessively.”

“We didn’t have a drought, but I would be aware to reuse what water I could to lessen my usage.”

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VIU DREAMIN’

Alexandria Stuart The Navigator

Photos by Sean Enns 1 — VIU. So it begins.

2 — Library, seat of learning, incubator of knowledge...

4 —Stairs up, and down, and up, and down, and up...

5 —The view from the top.

3 — Art slips seamlessly into

Back down that hill and

our surroundings.

beyond lays possibility.

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A note on Deep Dream:

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Developers at Google released an image manipulation framework during the summer. The package applies various filters—from the subtle to the fantastical—to images it’s fed, then examines each pixel, and attempts to make sense of it.

Once it comes up with an answer, it overlays another image to enhance the original. We thought it would be interesting to see what it made of VIU’s Nanaimo campus.

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CRUISIN’ IN THE BIKE LANE

TRAVEL LANE

Alexandria Stuart The Navigator

When commuters choose bicycles over cars, the benefits are undeniable: less congested roadways; lower demand on parking spaces; a cleaner environment; and a workout for the legs, heart, and lungs without a trip to the gym. Many businesses, like VIU, make it easier for their staff to ride to work by providing showers and secure bike parking. But sometimes those benefits aren’t enough; unless people feel safe outside of their cars, they’re unlikely to leave them.

With motor vehicles increasingly sharing the roads with cyclists and pedestrians, the City of Nanaimo is trying to reconcile everybody’s needs in a safe, cost-effective way.

Growth patterns are changing in the city, and the population is projected to increase by 46 percent over the next 30 years.

Recognizing this, the previous City Council, in consultation with various local stakeholders, developed the Nanaimo Transportation Master Plan (NTMP). The final report, adopted in May 2014, helps shape the City’s transportation policies, parking, and investments that address roads, transit, and their users over the next 25 years.

The City estimates that there are currently three thousand cycling trips in Nanaimo per day, and hopes to raise that number five-fold, to 15 thousand trips, by 2041. Residents have indicated that they would be willing to cycle more if bicycle facilities were improved, and the network of routes grew to better serve important areas like downtown and VIU. Infrastructure supporting bicycles, like secure parking, is being incorporated into new office, commercial, and higher density residential building construction.

As a stakeholder in the development of NTMP, the Greater Nanaimo Cycling Coalition (GNCC) prioritized one of their primary goals: “Make bicycling in the Nanaimo region safer and more accessible to people of all ages and abilities.”

Chairman Leo Boon sits on a variety of committees and works with different organizations representing the needs of cyclists in Nanaimo. The coming population increase makes it more important than ever to make serious improvements to connecting people with different areas, he says.

Boundary Ave. was identified as a good candidate for new facilities that support NTMP, says Gordon Foy, City Manager of Transportation. The City had scheduled the Hospital Area Project upgrading water mains and underground utilities for this summer, which provided an opportunity to incorporate new infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists into the work.

It was also a good candidate for a pilot project—installing cycletracks, a fairly new approach in North America—because it’s a short section of roadway. That allows drivers to build their awareness of, and gain experience with, negotiating a new type of layout, Foy says. That familiarity will ease the transition as more of these types of lanes are installed throughout the city.

On Boundary Ave. between Dufferin Cres. and Strathmore St., buffered bike lanes—separated from traffic by a painted buffer area—run southbound, while cycletracks—bike lanes along the curb with a painted buffer area and parallel parking

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PARKING

BUFFER

CYCLETRACK

Components of a one-way cycletrack.

separating users from traffic—run northbound. The dedicated spaces between traffic and cyclists help alleviate concerns about crowding and honouring the right-of-way. The project added buffered bike lanes from Northfield Rd. through to Townsite, and over Bush and Pryde St. to connect with Bowen Rd. and the Buttertubs Marsh Trail. This connects with the E&N Trail, allowing cyclists a pathway between the hospital area and VIU. While cycletracks are the most prominent element of the Hospital Area Project transportation improvements, there was a “complete street” type of approach that benefits all users, including safer turning for cars and better visibility at pedestrian crossings, Foy says.

The Province of BC helps municipalities fund infrastructure programs that form part of a bicycle network plan, such as NTMP, through the BikeBC Program. The City of Nanaimo received $120k for the Boundary Transportation Improvement Project. “The province funded the cycling improvements to about 50 percent of the costs,” Foy says. “We plan to apply again this fall for our 2016 projects that fit within the grant criteria.”

The introduction of cycletracks wasn’t without detractors.

“Any time you do something new in Nanaimo you’re going to get people whose hair immediately goes up,” Boon says.

Complaints relate to confusion along the route, dangers involved in drivers and cyclists crossing one another’s paths, and poor visibility. “People have to pay attention. They would have had to pay attention before; it’s no different,” Boon says. Road markings and signage are in place to reduce confusion, but a lot of the backlash is simply a result of people encountering something new, says Foy. That tends to fade over time as people get used to it and begin to enjoy the benefits.

The same cycle of protest to acceptance was seen after the installation of roundabouts and small traffic circles.

While the city is improving infrastructure to make cycling

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Image courtesy of City of Nanaimo

safer, fear of injury remains a real barrier to getting more bikes on the road. “The issue is bikes versus cars. There has to be some give and take for everybody; neither side is following all the rules,” Boon says. According to the Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC), on average, one cyclist is killed and 180 are injured every year between May and October on Vancouver Island. A review commissioned by ICBC found that, in North America, cyclists and drivers share the blame for collisions equally. Intersections where there are no traffic controls are the most common site of accidents. Often, cyclists were found to be riding without due care, while drivers were found to fail to yield right-of-way. However, the single most common bicycle accident was falling without the involvement of any other vehicle.

Mutual respect between vehicle drivers and cyclists— recognizing that each is equally entitled to the roads—goes a long way toward keeping roadways safe for everyone. Basic knowledge of their rights and responsibilities is a key part of building and maintaining that respect. “Bicycles are called vehicles, cars are called motor vehicles. All have to obey the rules of the road,” Boon says.

According to the Ministry of Transport, bicycles—like any slower moving vehicle—should move as far to the right side of the road as possible so that others can pass. Sometimes hazards like potholes or debris make it safer for cyclists to ride in the centre of the lane. Impatient vehicle drivers may crowd or tailgate cyclists in the centre of the lane, but they are riding legally.

Treating cyclists like any other vehicle on the road makes it safer and easier for them to share that road. In fact, when drivers make conditions more attractive to cyclists, there are fewer cars on roads, which equals less stressful commutes.

Everyone wins.

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“IN NANAIMO, MOTORISTS AREN’T THAT BAD. SURE, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT BLOW YOU AWAY AT TIMES, BUT THE AVERAGE MOTORIST IS PRETTY DECENT TO CYCLISTS IN NANAIMO.” - LEO BOON ICBC TIPS FOR CYCLISTS:

ICBC TIPS FOR DRIVERS:

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Plan your route before you set off, give yourself plenty of time, and choose bike lanes and paths whenever possible. If you’re new to cycling, choose routes with less traffic. Municipalities often have great maps of bike routes, and you can now use Google Maps to plan your cycling route.

With varying weather at this time of year, it’s important to plan for the conditions you may encounter. This means having reflective gear and lights in case they become necessary. When riding at dusk, dawn, or night, your bike must be equipped with a white headlight visible at 150 metres, and a rear red light and reflector visible at 100 metres. Consider adding extra lights to be more visible.

It’s illegal to cycle on most sidewalks or in crosswalks. It puts pedestrians in danger, and drivers don’t expect cyclists to enter the roadway from a sidewalk.

Ride at least one metre away from parked vehicles to avoid being hit by an opening door or a vehicle pulling into your lane from the curb. Be extra cautious if you notice someone in the vehicle.

Always wear a helmet—it’s the law in BC. Make sure you use an approved bicycle helmet that meets safety standards, and periodically inspect it for signs of wear.

Be aware of what’s going on around you at all times and keep an eye on the road well ahead for hazards like potholes, gravel, glass, and drainage grates. Watch out for vehicles entering the roadway from laneways and parking lots.

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Actively watch for cyclists on the road. Make eye contact whenever possible to let them know you see them.

Always check for cyclists before turning right, and watch for oncoming cyclists before turning left. If you need to cross a bike lane to turn right, or to pull to the side of the road, signal well in advance and yield to cyclists. Don’t underestimate the speed a cyclist is traveling.

If you’re entering the roadway from a laneway or parking lot, always scan for cyclists and other road users.

Before you or one of your passengers open a vehicle door, check for oncoming cyclists. You also need to shoulder-check for cyclists before pulling away from a curb.

Cyclists may need to react quickly and unexpectedly to avoid hazards on the road, so it’s important to leave at least three seconds of following distance.

Don’t honk your horn at a cyclist unless you need to give them a warning. A loud honk could startle them or cause them to fall.

SOURCE:

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Insurance Corporation of BC <icbc.com>

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sports & lifestyle

VI RAIDERS SEASON OPENER The VI Raiders hosted the Langley Rams at Caledonia Park July 25.

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Devoted fans filled the stands as the weather changed from heavy rain to sunny breaks.

The game finished with a 22-14 final for the home team. Their next home game is September 19 against the Okanagan Sun.

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Molly Barrieau The Navigator

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1 — Quinton Bowles pumps up the audience

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during a break in the rain.

2 —Joey Whyte of the Langley Rams celebrates a gain in the close game.

3 — A return by Mattais Bueno for the Raiders.

4 — Scattered rain interrupted the game early in the first quarter.

5 — Dallas Towle takes a hit from the Rams’ defense.

6 — The Langley Rams pushed against the home team offense during the first game of the season.

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SUMMER SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

SUMMER PREDICTIONS: A FOLLOW UP

Catherine Charlebois The Navigator

JULY

Catherine Charlebois

Pan American Games

The Navigator

In the last Navigator issue prior to the summer break, Ben Chessor, our previous sports editor, made the five following predictions:

Canada proudly hosted the 2015 Pan-Am games in the city of Toronto from July 10-26. With over six thousand athletes, this year marked the largest sports event hosted in the country, and with 45 percent of athletes being women, the most ever of any multi-sport event in the country. This year marked the debut of canoe slalom, golf, women’s baseball, C-1 canoe, and rugby sevens. The medals, produced and designed by the Royal Canadian Mint, included braille, a first in the international able-bodied sports event scene.

Courtesy of <www.letour.fr/us>.

Tour de France

A 3360 km race, the 102nd Tour de France kicked off on July 4 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. A total of 198 riders made their way to the final stage at the Champs-Élysées in Paris. This race marked a special moment for British riders as the winner, Chris Froome, was the first Brit to win the Tour twice, after a previous 2013 victory.

2015 Getty Images

US Women’s Open July 9 marked the 70th US Women’s Open Golf Championship in Pennsylvania, one of the oldest in its kind. South Korean Chun In-gee claimed her victory at just 21 years old on July 12 with the winning score of 272 (-8). The runner up was also from South Korea. This year broke attendance records, with showings of 135 thousand spectators during the tournament.

AUGUST Special Olympics World Summer Games

US Open The 135th US Open was held on August 31. The last of four events of the year, it is currently being held in New York City, where athletes will compete on hard surfaced outdoor courts. In 2014, this event boasted the presence of such athletes like Serena Williams and Marin Cilic, both still defending champions in their respective events.

Officially opened by First Lady Michelle Obama herself in Los Angeles on July 25, the Special Olympics had over six thousand participating athletes with intellectual disabilities in 25 different sports. 2015 marked the first hosting of the event in the US since 1972. With over 177 countries participating in the nine day event, some sports included badminton, golf, judo, powerlifting, sailing, as well as tennis.

Courtesy of <www.independent.co.uk>.

IAAF World Championship in Athletics Hosted in Beijing, China, the August 22 event made some international news. While filming Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, a cameraman crashed into him on a Segway moments after Bolt’s 200 m win. Luckily, no one was hurt and Bolt later joked that his opponent must have bribed the cameraman to take him out. Kenya gained the most medals with seven gold, six silver, and three bronze; followed by the US with six gold, six silver, and six bronze.

Host nation China finished in 11th place.

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SPORTS & L I F EST Y L E

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#001

1. The Canucks will win a playoff series, 2. The Seattle Mariners are going to make the playoffs, 3. Tiger Woods won’t win a gold tournament, 4. The Tampa Bay Lightning will win the Stanley Cup, and 5. The Cleveland Cavaliers will win the NBA Championship.

In some respects, his predictions came true. Just a few weeks after the last issue was published, the Canucks and Calgary Flames fought it out on the ice, with Calgary coming out on top in the end. Though at the time it was uncertain whether the Canucks would face the Flames or Los Angeles Kings in the final weeks of the regular NHL season, Canucks fans got their wish of seeing their team against the Flames in the first round. Despite Chessor’s confidence that “Vancouver will be able to dispose of either opponent in the first round,” Calgary ultimately beat them 2-1 on April 15. After six games against Calgary, the Canucks had only won two games, despite some strategic moves by new Canucks Manager Jim Benning.

With the Canucks’ pre-season schedule kick off September 21 against the San Jose Sharks, it’s hard to say what will happen this year for the BC team.

It has been a tough 20 years for Canadian baseball teams, with the Toronto Blue Jays winning their last World Series in 1993 and not qualifying for the playoffs since. The Seattle Mariners, however, have had better luck, if not by much. Though neither team had qualified for playoffs since 2001, the Mariners came close last year.

Only time will tell if they can reverse this streak of bad luck.

As Chessor puts it, the signing on of MLB Nelson Cruz, as well as several new additions to the team, should “put an end to their playoff drought, allowing BC baseball fans to get their first taste of playoff baseball in 14 years.”

Tiger Woods has been slowly slinking off from the world of golf in the past few years, largely due to injuries. The Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia this summer did not improve his long list of previous ailments, as he injured himself even more during the competition, jamming a wrist and right shoulder during the competition. Despite all this, the 2015 tournament was his best finish since 2013, and though Chessor’s prediction was correct in saying that his injuries may cause him more losses than wins, Woods managed to pull through, even though he slid down the leaderboard quite significantly during the tournament.

June signaled the beginning of the Stanley Cup, and Tampa Bay Lightning lost to the Chicago Blackhawks by four games to two. The team managed to make it to the final rounds, and though they did not win, they made some NHL history by becoming the only team to face an Original Six team at every stage of the competition.

As with Tampa Bay, Chessor’s prediction on NBA Championships was the same, with the Cleveland Cavaliers losing to the Golden State Warriors. Though it meant a loss for the Cavaliers, the 4-2 game gained the Warriors their first title in 40 years.

As with everything, sports are hard to predict. No matter how many strategic changes made by coaches or between players, it’s only when two teams fight it out that we can safely gauge the outcome. Chessor made some valid and insightful predictions, however the true deciding factor was time.

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Healthy eating: not as hard as we think Catherine Charlebois The Navigator We readily consume sugars, pastries, and meats without much thought in everyday life, not to mention alcoholic beverages. What is a night out without it or a day out with friends without at least some dessert or heavily sugared coffee?

Noting our habits broaches tough subjects of food and nutrition. What are we really putting in our bodies? Is this sugary feast really good for us and are there healthier alternatives?

Raw food educator Debi Brummel of Nanaimo has all the answers up her sleeve. Her 30-year mission to rid her cupboards of pre-packaged, sugary foods and promote healthy eating habits has made her well versed in nutrition.

Having decided to take back her health after a personal tragedy in the early 1980s, Brummel signed up to take a raw food course back when no one really knew what it was all about. Working alongside dieticians and doctors, raw food educators like herself make specific diet plans and tailor it to the individual.

Since becoming a raw food educator, Brummel has been able to help many people streamline their diets and provide useful tips and recipes to make the transition process easier.

While most of us think changing our diet is hard and time consuming, Brummel begs to differ.

“Most of us don’t have a lot of money,” she says.

“When I make raw foods it takes me less time, and less money due to the fact that I’m not using my stove. Plus, I’m saving time on clean up.”

When most of us think about the raw food diet, we imagine hard, complicated recipes requiring extra time and effort we can’t afford to take. This is true to some extent, says Brummel. “If you’re doing a complicated dessert it can take longer than regular desserts.” But she says the change in nutrition and the effort is always worth it.

“It’s one of the worst changes that people can think of. It’s so hard, and food has been ruling us for so long,” says Brummel. “That’s one of the things I teach people: You have to quit letting your tongue be your boss. This brain is bigger than your tongue.”

Since switching to a raw food diet can be a big adjustment for most of us, Brummel suggests a

NAV IGATOR

few minor changes to start off with to not shock the system. Small modifications such as using a collard green leaf as a substitute for bread or eating cut fruits like pineapples for a snack instead of a sugary granola bar are just a few measures she suggests as a start.

“You don’t have to eat everything raw in a day or have to be 100 percent raw,” says Brummel.

“But if you’re just trying to have a long healthy life, then you don’t want to be putting things in your body that make the wrong people money.”

According to Brummel, most things in a grocery store aside from the fresh foods are something to avoid. Since many things on shelves have been heated, processed, and filled with sugar to preserve them, most have lost their full nutritional value.

“All foods are in a more nutritious state raw —from the ground—than they are when they are cooked. If we’re going for maximum nutrition we aren’t going to cook it, or we’re going to lightly steam or dehydrate it because we don’t want it as runny and wet,” says Brummel.

Since sweet side dishes are a staple in common households, raw alternatives are something that can easily be implemented. Traditional recipes can be altered to suit the raw diet, says Brummel.

An easy recipe called Date Kisses can be made in less than 15 minutes, consisting of cut dates, coconut powder, and walnut halves, providing all the desired sweetness and sugary goodness in a nutritious dessert.

A rise in awareness of nutritional value in food has made society rethink what is really being consumed. Dispelling myths and preconceptions about healthier living is something that many seeking to change their ways are on the look out for.

Before loading your grocery cart with processed and easy-to-make foods, it may be worth considering what healthier alternatives can be added or implemented to traditional foods. With a variety of options out there, changes towards a healthier lifestyle could lead to a healthier you and a good start to the school year.

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odds & ends

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ARROWSMITH BOOZE DREAM FESTIVAL PHOTOGRAPHY SCHOLARSHIP TRAFFIC

BIKE CONSERVATION DROUGHT HARVEST PREDICTIONS SEGWAY TRANSIT

BIOSPHERE DEAN ELECTION LANE RAIDERS THEATRE WEINER

Courtesy of <theteacherscorner.net>.

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September

SUN

MON

TUE

WED 09

Know Sh*t About Politics

Nanaimo Turf Field

Bldg. 355, Theatre, VIU Nanaimo

FREE

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15

1 PM

A Terrible Beauty: Edward Burtynsky in Dialogue with Emily Carr

BY DONATION

Nanaimo Museum

Bldg. 305, The Social Lounge, VIU Nanaimo

10 AM

12 PM – 1 PM

$2

FREE

Jazz Jam Acme Restaurant

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20 Terry Fox Run Bowen Park

Shakespeare by the Sea: Hamlet

9 AM

Pioneer Waterfront Plaza

FREE

2 PM $20

BYO(LUNCH) and learn about research at VIU

10

Mariners Soccer Home Opener

1:30 PM

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THU

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4 PM

FRI 11 Gold & Shadow The Vault Café 8 PM $10

12 MosaiCon Gaming Convention Upper cafeteria, VIU Nanaimo 10 AM $10

FREE

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SAT

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Frosh Outdoor Movie: Jurassic World

Frosh Concert: Current Swell

Frosh Pancake Breakfast

Royal Bank Plaza, VIU Nanaimo

Parking Lot Q (bldg.

250), VIU Campus

Royal Bank Plaza, VIU Nanaimo

7:30 PM

Noon

8 AM

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