Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Eric Richards @emrichards.bsky.social · 22d

Thrilled to see my colleagues’ outstanding reporting getting the recognition it deserves! @thediscourse.ca

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · 22d

Exciting news! The Discourse is a finalist for the 2025 Webster Awards in the Excellence in Community Reporting category for TWO different stories by reporters @juliechadwick.bsky.social and Rowan Flood. 🎉
Find links to the stories in this thread:

1

Eric Richards @emrichards.bsky.social · Sep 12

Got a chance to dive a bit deeper into a recent decision by the Agricultural Land Commission to reject a plan to remove a small portion of a dike that runs through the Cowichan Estuary. One advocate told me this raises big concerns about the province’s commitment to reconciliation @thediscourse.ca

Plan to remove portion of dike at Cowichan estuary rejected by land commission – The Discourse.

Advocates for the Cowichan Estuary Restoration Project call on province to align policies with reconciliation.

thediscourse.ca

3 6

Reposted by Eric Richards

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · Sep 7

Our Nanaimo and Comox Valley reporters @micksweetman.bsky.social and @emrichards.bsky.social are at the @nifss.bsky.social screenings this afternoon at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre. Come say hello and watch some international films.

Photo of two men wearing glassing behind a laptop with the home page of thediscource.ca open.

1 5

Reposted by Eric Richards

The Narwhal @thenarwhal.ca · Aug 8

From coal mining runoff in British Columbia to bacterial blooms in the Great Lakes, water pollution won’t be contained by the Canada-U.S. border. Our latest newsletter: thenarwhal.ca/newsletter-w...

Water pollution: 100% tariff-free | The Narwhal

From coal mining runoff in British Columbia to bacterial blooms in the Great Lakes, water pollution won’t be contained by the Canada-U.S. border

thenarwhal.ca

2 27 50

Reposted by Eric Richards

Revelstoke Mountaineer @revelstokemountaineer.com · Aug 4

Our August print issue is out now! What to know where to pick up a copy? Or maybe you're not in town this month and still want to read the latest issue. You can find all that on our website.

revelstokemountaineer.com/magazine/

The August issue of Revelstoke Mountaineer held up in front of Conversations Coffee House, one of the drop-off locations. The issue is dark green with the photo of a man standing in front of a large log jam on the cover.

1 4

Eric Richards @emrichards.bsky.social · Aug 1

I had a great time out at the Shawnigan Lake Museum learning about the new additions, which include some repatriated Quw’utsun belongings!

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · Aug 1

Quw'utsun belongings have returned home. The expanded Shawnigan Lake Museum now holds repatriated items from the Royal BC Museum that tell the entire story of the area. Read more about the museum’s expansion and the items in our coverage.

Reclaimed Quw'utsun belongings on display at expanded Shawnigan Lake Museum – The Discourse.

Repatriated Quw'utsun belongings are now on display at the expanded Shawnigan Lake Museum, honouring Indigenous history and culture.

thediscourse.ca

1 3

Reposted by Eric Richards

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · Jul 30

It was a sunny weekend on the waterfront in front of Snuneymuxw First Nation’s Reserve #1 as hundreds of people from as far as Hope, B.C. gathered to participate in war canoe races, enjoy comfort food such as Indian tacos, and soak up the good vibes.
thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/in-p...

Snuneymuxw Days 2025 in photos – The Discourse.

Third annual Snuneymuxw Days featured canoe races, a longhouse jam and basketball and brought the community together

thediscourse.ca

2 4

Reposted by Eric Richards

City of Victoria @victoria.ca · Jul 30

The tsunami watch has been upgraded to an advisory for B.C. In Victoria, our risk remains low. Stay out of water and away from beaches and waterways. We will continue to monitor. For future emergencies, subscribe to Vi-Alert to get local updates at victoriaready.ca.

x.com/EmergencyInf...

Emergency Preparedness | City of Victoria

victoriaready.ca

6 13

Reposted by Eric Richards

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · Jul 24

Scotch broom is one of the most notorious invasive species on Vancouver Island. It is also extremely flammable, leading to growing concern as the climate changes and Earth warms. thediscourse.ca/comox-valley...

Scotch broom increases wildfire risk. What can we do about it?

Scotch broom can exacerbate wildfires, but communities are working hard to remove these invaders from local ecosystems.

thediscourse.ca

3 3

Reposted by Eric Richards

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · Jul 25

reFRESH Market in Duncan is closing its doors after years of recovering surplus food. We wanted to know how the community was responding to this potential gap in food recovery and learned that a local food bank plans to keep the momentum going.

Cowichan food recovery program to continue with local food bank – The Discourse.

Duncan’s reFRESH market and its food recovery program is closing.Here’s how local food banks plan to keep the work going.

thediscourse.ca

1 2 1

Reposted by Eric Richards

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · Jul 25

Nanaimo’s ‘bike lane Barbie’ says the city is working to make cycling more accessible for everyone.

thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/how-...

Addressing Nanaimo's patchwork of bike lanes – The Discourse.

Nanaimo’s ‘bike lane Barbie’ says the city is working to make cycling more accessible for everyone.

thediscourse.ca

6 11

Reposted by Eric Richards

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · Jul 28

Last week, the Quw'utsun Salmon, a giant puppet built by the Quw'utsun Stseelthun Friendship Project, performed at 39 Days of July in Duncan. Read more about the project in our previous coverage: thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...

5 7

Reposted by Eric Richards

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · Jul 16

Kids make radio shows and podcasts at ‘super fun’ summer camp at Nanaimo’s community radio station @chly.ca.
thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/chly...

CHLY radio summer camp teaches kids media skills – The Discourse.

Kids make radio shows and podcasts at ‘super fun’ summer camp at Nanaimo’s community radio station.

thediscourse.ca

1 1

Reposted by Eric Richards

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · Jul 7

“In a world with serious problems, where we have serious things to debate, people emphasizing a bylaw that is simply there to protect privacy as somehow an infringement of democratic freedoms is just silly,” Naniamo Mayor Leonard Krog said about a legal threat over a council meeting recording ban.

Nanaimo city council recording ban faces legal threat – The Discourse.

A warning letter has been to the City of Nanaimo over two bylaws that ban recording public meetings or taking photographs or video in any city facility or recreation area.

thediscourse.ca

3 4

Reposted by Eric Richards

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · Jul 4

The Discourse was on hand last month to document a plant care workshop at the Hulitun Spulhxun/Tumuhw native plant nursery. Check out photos from the event below.

Inside the project restoring Indigenous plants and a vital estuary – The Discourse.

Students from Quw'utsun Secondary School and Le'lum'uy'lh Daycare Centre learned how to care for Indigenous plants at the Hulitun Spulhxun/Tumuhw nursery.

thediscourse.ca

3 2

Reposted by Eric Richards

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · Jul 4

Our reporter @emrichards.bsky.social followed up with St. Ann’s Garden Club — first covered last year — and found that the original story by @shalumehta.bsky.social helped turn around the fortunes of the nature-based therapy provider.

Reporter’s notebook: How a news story brought ‘a most favourable ending’ for St. Ann’s Garden Club

St. Anns Garden Club is looking to the future after a story from The Discourse helped raise awareness about its programming and funding challenges.

thediscourse.ca

1

Reposted by Eric Richards

Mick Sweetman @micksweetman.bsky.social · Jul 4

Want to hear what Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog has to say about a legal warning letter sent by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms over bylaws that ban recording of city council meetings and in city spaces? Subscribe to our Nanaimo This Week newsletter for free! thediscourse.ca/newsletters

Subscribe to our newsletters – The Discourse.

Nanaimo and Cowichan Valley news, in your inbox.

thediscourse.ca

3 1

Reposted by Eric Richards

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · Jul 4

The little brown bat is the only federally protected bat species on Vancouver Island. In the Comox Valley, volunteers are on guard against white-nose syndrome, a disease that is killing millions of bats in the U.S. and Canada. Read the latest from Dave Flawse:
thediscourse.ca/comox-valley...

Comox Valley bat count volunteers monitoring devastating disease

As this year’s Comox Valley bat count kicks off, the flying mammals remain at risk of white-nose syndrome.

thediscourse.ca

3 2

Eric Richards @emrichards.bsky.social · Jul 3

The fire discovered by BC Wildfire Service late yesterday afternoon between Lake Cowichan and Port Renfrew is now three hectares in size. Three initial attack crews and a helicopter are responding to the blaze.

BC Wildfire Service

BC Wildfire Service App

wildfiresituation.nrs.gov.bc.ca

Eric Richards @emrichards.bsky.social · Jun 21

Trying to post more of my personal writing on Substack lately. This one’s a recent piece—kinda flash fiction, I think? Give it a read, and if you’re into it, feel free to subscribe for more.

Breath

They told him he was chasing a ghost.

open.substack.com

Reposted by Eric Richards

Michelle Cyca @michellecyca.com · Jun 21

Happy National Indigenous Peoples Day! I edited today's @thenarwhal.ca story, which comes from the Inuit community of Cambridge Bay. Fascinating science journalism and stunning visuals, but also — in the spirit of the day — a couple pics of some very cute Indigibabies enjoying a celebration. Enjoy!!

The Narwhal @thenarwhal.ca · Jun 21

Arctic sea ice is disappearing, and changing life in the Far North — but the Inuit community of Cambridge Bay, Nvt., sees hope in a geoengineering experiment to refreeze the ocean. ✍️ by @chloewilliams.bsky.social & 📷 by @gjohnjournalism.bsky.social thenarwhal.ca/real-ice-cam...

Real Ice: the plan to refreeze the Arctic | The Narwhal

U.K. company Real Ice is refreezing sea ice in Cambridge Bay, Nvt., in a bold experiment to mitigate climate change and help preserve Inuit traditions

thenarwhal.ca

29 56

Eric Richards @emrichards.bsky.social · Jun 20

The term “food security” gets thrown around a lot, so I wanted to find out what it actually looks like in my community. I spoke with some of the folks working to support the agriculture sector in the #CowichanValley and help a new generation of farmers enter the industry.

How a 150-year-old society is strengthening food security in the Cowichan Valley – The Discourse.

After years of decline, the Cowichan Valley Agricultural Society is uniting farmers to rebuild local food security from the ground up.

thediscourse.ca

Reposted by Eric Richards

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · Jun 12

We ❤️ meeting other community builders. Thank you to all who came out last night to celebrate 8 years of in-depth journalism by and for the #CowichanValley!

We still need 25 more supporters for our spring fundraising goal. If you value local journalism, please support it thediscourse.ca/support-us

A group of people sit aroud a patio table holding beer laughing, with plates of food on the table.

2 3

Eric Richards @emrichards.bsky.social · Jun 11

Hey #cowichanvalley! Myself and other reporters from @thediscourse.ca are going to be a Red Arrow Brewing tonight from 5:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m. celebrating our readers and eight years of covering local news!

Local News Appreciation Party

Come celebrate eight years (!) of independent, in-depth and solutions-focused news in the Cowichan Valley and beyond!

www.eventbrite.ca

Reposted by Eric Richards

thediscourse.ca @thediscourse.ca · Jun 11

Hey #Cowichan, #Nanaimo and #ComoxValley readers! We're thrilled to meet up with you tonight for a Local News Appreciation Party at Red Arrow Brewing in Duncan. Click the link for event details, hope to see you soon 🎉https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1383173953529/?aff=oddtdtcreator

1 3 2