Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

, in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating from the shoreline like the spokes of a wagon wheel, and to its relatively central location on Vancouver Island. Nanaimo is the headquarters of the

Regional District of Nanaimo The Regional District of Nanaimo is a regional district located on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the south by the Cowichan Valley Regional District, to the west by the Alberni-Clayoquot Re ...

. Nanaimo is served by the

Island Highway The Island Highway is a series of highways that follows much of the eastern coastline of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. While the Island Highway has no officially designated starting point, it is understood to begin at the BC Ferri ...

along the east coast, the

BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, State-owned enterprise, publicly owned Canadian c ...

system, and its regional airport. It is also on the dormant

Island Rail Corridor The Island Corridor, previously the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway (E&N Railway), is a railway operation on Vancouver Island. It is owned by the Island Corridor Foundation, a registered charity. The railway line is in length from Victoria, Brit ...

History

The

Indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

of the area that is now known as Nanaimo are the

Snuneymuxw The Snuneymuxw First Nation (pronounced ) is located in and around the city of Nanaimo on east-central Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The nation previously had also occupied territory along the Fraser River, in British Columbia. Pr ...

. An anglicized spelling and pronunciation of that word gave the city its current name. The first Europeans known to reach

Nanaimo Harbour Nanaimo Harbour, also known as the Port of Nanaimo, is a natural Harbor, harbour on the east coast of Vancouver Island in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia. The city of Nanaimo runs along the west ...

were members of the 1791 Spanish voyage of Juan Carrasco, under the command of

Francisco de Eliza Francisco de Eliza y Reventa (1759 – February 19, 1825) was a Spanish naval officer, navigator, and explorer. He is remembered mainly for his work in the Pacific Northwest. He was the commandant of the Spanish post in Nootka Sound on Vancouv ...

. They gave it the name ''Bocas de Winthuysen'' after naval officer Francisco Javier Winthuysen y Pineda. When the British

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

(HBC) established a settlement here in 1852, they named it Colvile Town after HBC governor

Andrew Colvile Andrew Colvile (born Andrew Wedderburn; 6 November 1779 – 3 February 1856) was a Scottish businessman, notable as the governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, a huge organisation set up for the North American fur trade but also instrumenta ...

. In 1858 it was renamed as Nanaimo, after the local indigenous people. The city has been called "The Harbour City" since the lead-up to

Expo 86 The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo 86, was a world's fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from May 2 until October 13, 1986. The fair, the theme of which was "Transportation and Communicatio ...

. The HBC attempted to start a coal mine at Port Rupert but the project had been unsuccessful. In 1850 Snuneymuxw Chief Che-wich-i-kan, commonly known as "Coal Tyee", brought samples of coal to Victoria. A company clerk was dispatched and eventually the governor James Douglas visited the future site of Nanaimo. While open to selling coal, the Snuneymuxw wished to retain control of it and retain the exclusive right to mine it. Chief Wun-wun-shum offered to sell coal for five barrels in exchange for one blanket. The HBC representative Joseph William McKay deemed this "impertinent". The Snuneymuxw retained their rights to the resource for a while, but gradually lost them due to other tribes and miners from the failed Port Rupert project. By 1852, the first shipment of Nanaimo coal was loaded on the ''Cadboro''. Construction of the Nanaimo Bastion began in 1853 and was finished in 1855. On 27 November 1854, 24 coal miners and their families from England arrived at the settlement aboard the ''Beaver'' and ''Recovery''. They had travelled seven months on the ship ''Princess Royal'' arriving at

Esquimalt The Township of Esquimalt () is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Jua ...

two days earlier. They transferred to the two smaller vessels for the trip to Colvile Town. They were greeted by Joseph William McKay and 21 Scottish miners. During World War I, the provincial government established an

Internment camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...

for Ukrainian detainees, many of them local, at a Provincial jail in Nanaimo. It operated from September 1914 to September 1915. In the 1940s, lumber supplanted coal as the main business. Minetown Days have been celebrated in the neighbouring community of

Lantzville Lantzville is a coastal community on the east side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, along the western shore of the Strait of Georgia and immediately north of Nanaimo. The District of Lantzville was incorporated on June 25, 2003. ...

to highlight some of the locale's history. In the late nineteenth century, numerous immigrants came from China and settled here. What was known as the first Chinatown in Nanaimo was founded during the gold rush years of the 1860s; it was the third largest in British Columbia.Introduction
"
Archive
. ''Nanaimo Chinatowns Project'',

Malaspina University-College Vancouver Island University (abbreviated as VIU, formerly known as Malaspina University-College and Malaspina College) is a Canadian public research university serving Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia. Malaspina College opened in 196 ...

. Retrieved on 15 February 2015. In 1884, because of mounting racial tensions related to the Dunsmuir coal company's hiring of Chinese strikebreakers, the company helped move Chinatown to a location outside city limits.Chinese Community

.

Vancouver Island University Vancouver Island University (abbreviated as VIU, formerly known as Malaspina University-College and Malaspina College) is a Canadian public research university serving Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia. Malaspina College opened in 196 ...

. Retrieved on 15 February 2015. In 1908, when two Chinese entrepreneurs bought the site and tried to raise rents, the community and 4,000 shareholders from across Canada combined forces and bought a site for the third Chinatown, at a new location focused on Pine Street. That third Chinatown burned down on 30 September 1960 but it was by then mostly derelict and abandoned. A fourth Chinatown, also called Lower Chinatown or "new town", boomed for a while in the 1920s on Machleary Street.

Location and geography

Located on the east coast of Vancouver Island, Nanaimo is about north-west of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, and west of

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, separated by the

Strait of Georgia The Strait of Georgia () or the Georgia Strait is an arm of the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the extreme southwestern mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada, and the extreme northwestern mainland coast of Washington, United Stat ...

, and linked to Vancouver via the Horseshoe Bay

terminal in West Vancouver and the Duke Point terminal to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in

Tsawwassen Tsawwassen ( ) is a suburban, mostly residential community on a peninsula in the southwestern corner of the City of Delta in British Columbia, Canada. It provides the only road access to the American territory on the southern tip of the peninsul ...

. As the site of the main ferry terminal, Nanaimo is the gateway to many other destinations both on the northern part of the island—

Tofino Tofino ( , Nuu-chah-nulth language, Nuu-chah-nulth: ''Načiks'') is a town of approximately 2,516 residents on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia. The District ...

Comox Valley The Comox Valley is a region on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, that includes the city of Courtenay, the town of Comox, the village of Cumberland, and the unincorporated settlements of Royston, Union Bay, Fann ...

, Parksville, Campbell River,

Port Alberni Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. Port Alberni currently has a total popu ...

, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park—and off its coast— Saysutshun, Protection Island,

Gabriola Island Gabriola Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia (BC), Canada. It is about east of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, to which it is linked by a 20-minute ferry service. It has a land area of about and a resi ...

Valdes Island Valdes Island is one of the Gulf Islands located in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada. It is across Porlier Pass from Galiano Island, which lies to the southeast. It has an area of , and is wide by in length. The island is p ...

, and many other of the

Gulf Islands The Gulf Islands is a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia Coast, mainland coast of British Columbia. Etymology The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia", the original term used by Geor ...

. A private

passenger ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

service connecting to Vancouver, named Hullo, began operating in August 2023. Buttertubs Marsh is a bird sanctuary located in the middle of the city. The marsh covers approximately . Within this is the "Buttertubs Marsh Conservation Area", owned by the Nature Trust of British Columbia.

Climate

Like much of coastal British Columbia, Nanaimo experiences a temperate climate with mild, rainy winters and warm, dry summers. Due to its relatively dry summers, the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

places it at the northernmost limits of the ''Csb'' or warm-summer

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

zone. Other climate classification systems, such as

Trewartha Glenn Thomas Trewartha (1896 – 1984) was an American geographer of Cornish American descent. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with a Ph.D. in 1924. He taught at the University of Wisconsin. He gave an address to th ...

, place it firmly in the

Oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places * Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...

zone (''Do''). Nanaimo is usually shielded from the

Aleutian Low The Aleutian Low is a semi-permanent low-pressure system located near the Aleutian Islands in the Bering Sea during the Northern Hemisphere winter, driven by warm sea water compared to cooler land. It is a climatic feature centered near the Aleu ...

's influence by the mountains of central Vancouver Island, so that summers are unusually dry for its latitude and location—though summer drying as a trend is found in the immediate lee of the coastal ranges as far north as

Skagway, Alaska The Municipality and Borough of Skagway is a borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,240, up from 968 in 2010. The population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with the large ...

. Heavy snowfall does occasionally occur during winter, with a record daily total of on 12 February 1975, but the mean maximum cover is only . The highest temperature ever recorded in Nanaimo was on 16 July 1941. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 30 December 1968.

Transportation

Nanaimo is served by two airports:

Nanaimo Airport Nanaimo Airport is a privately owned and operated regional airport located south southeast of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. In 1999, the air terminal was named in honour of World War I flying ace, ace Raymond Collishaw who was born in Nan ...

(YCD) with services to Vancouver (YVR), Toronto (YYZ), and Calgary (YYC) and

Nanaimo Harbour Water Aerodrome Nanaimo Harbour Water Aerodrome is a seaplane base (SPB) serving the city of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the Nanaimo Harbour, right downtown. It is registered as an aerodrome, formerly classified as an airport, and an air ...

(ZNA) with services to Vancouver Harbour (CXH), Vancouver Airport (YVR South Terminal), and Sechelt (YHS);. Nanaimo also has three BC Ferry terminals located at

Departure Bay Departure Bay is a bay in central Nanaimo, British Columbia, on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The surrounding neighbourhood is also referred to as "Departure Bay" —once a settlement of its own, it was amalgamated into the City of Na ...

, Duke Point, and

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

. The downtown terminal services

while Departure Bay and Duke Point service Horseshoe Bay and

respectively. A private passenger ferry operates between Nanaimo Harbour and Protection Island. A seasonal passenger ferry operates between Swy-a-Lana Lagoon and Saysutshun (Newcastle Island Marine) Park. Since 2023 Hullo has operated a high speed passenger-only ferry service between downtown Nanaimo and downtown Vancouver. Travel time between the cities is 75 minutes. Highways 1, 19, and 19A traverse the city. Highway 19 (Nanaimo Parkway) acts as an expressway bypass to the west of Nanaimo while Highway 1, then Highway 19A traverses the length of Nanaimo as an arterial road within the city proper. Bus service in the city is provided by Nanaimo Regional Transit and offers city-wide service as well as region service connecting Parksville and Qualicum Beach to the north, and Ladysmith and Duncan to the south. The

passes through Nanaimo and has a base of operations and yard in the downtown waterfront area. The Nanaimo Port Authority operates the inner Harbour Basin marina providing mooring for smaller vessels and the W. E. Mills Landing and Marina providing mooring for larger vessels. The Port Authority also operates two terminal facilities one at Assembly Wharf (near the downtown core) and the second at Duke Point for cargo operations. In 2011, the Authority completed the addition of a $22 million cruise ship terminal at Assembly Wharf capable of handling large cruise ships including providing

Canada Border Services Agency The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA; , ''ASFC'') is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border guard, border control (i.e. protection and surveillance), immigration enforcement, and Customs, customs services in Canada. ...

clearance.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Nanaimo had a population of 99,863 living in 43,164 of its 45,138 total private dwellings, an increase of from its 2016 population of 90,504. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. At the

census metropolitan area The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct the country's quinquennial census. These areas exist solely for the purposes of stat ...

(CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Nanaimo CMA had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In 2016, the average age of a Nanaimoite is 45.5 years old, higher than the national median at 41.2. In Nanaimo, there are 40,885 private dwellings, 39,165 which are occupied by usual residents (95.8% occupancy rate). The median value of these dwellings are $359,760, which is higher than the national median at $341,556. The average (after-tax) household income in Nanaimo is $48,469, lower than the national median at $54,089. The median individual income is $34,702, which is also lower than the national median ($38,977). The unemployment rate was 7.7%.

Ethnicity

*Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses.

Language

Nanaimo's population is predominantly

Anglophone The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language ...

. As of the 2016 census 86.7% of residents claimed English as their mother tongue. Other common first languages were Chinese Languages (2.0%), French (1.3%), German (1.2%) and Punjabi (1.0%).

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Nanaimo included: *

Irreligion Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, ...

(60,365 persons or 62.2%) *

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

(31,135 persons or 32.1%) *

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

(1,330 persons or 1.4%) *

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

(1,000 persons or 1.0%) *

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

(785 persons or 0.8%) *

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

(650 persons or 0.7%) *

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

(230 persons or 0.2%) * Indigenous Spirituality (170 persons or 0.2%)

Economy

The original economic driver was coal mining; however, the forestry industry supplanted it in the early 1960s with the building of the

MacMillan Bloedel MacMillan Bloedel Limited was a Canadian forestry company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company was formed in 1951 as MacMillan and Bloedel through the merger of Bloedel, Stewart and Welch with the H. R. MacMillan Export Com ...

pulp mill at Harmac in 1958, named after Harvey MacMillan. Today the pulp mill is owned by the employees and local investors and injects well over half a million dollars a day into the local economy and makes the entire area smell like

sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...

multiple times a year. The largest employer is the provincial government. The service, retail and tourism industries are also big contributors to the local economy. Technological development on Nanaimo has been growing with companies such as "Inuktun" and the establishment of government-funded Innovation Island as a site to help Nanaimo-based technological start ups by giving them access to tools, education and venture capital. The average sale price of houses in Nanaimo for 2011 was approximately $350,000. A recent surge of higher-density real estate development, centred in the Old City / Downtown area, as well as construction of a city-funded waterfront conference centre, has proven controversial. Proponents of these developments argue that they will bolster the city's economy, while critics worry that they will block waterfront views and increase traffic congestion. Concerns have also been raised about the waterfront conference centre's construction running over its proposed budget. Nanaimo has also been experiencing job growth in the technology sector.

Media outlets

Nanaimo is served by one newspaper: the ''Nanaimo News Bulletin'' (33,000 copies twice a week—audited), which is owned by

Black Press Black Press Group Ltd. (BPG) is a Canadian commercial printer and newspaper publisher founded in 1975 by David Holmes Black. Based in Surrey, British Columbia, it was previously owned by the publisher of ''Toronto Star'' ( Torstar, 19.35%) and B ...

. ''The Harbour City Star'', also owned by publisher Black Press, was closed in 2016. On 29 January 2016, the 141-year-old ''Nanaimo Daily News'', shut down. Nanaimo also hosts a bureau for

CIVI-DT CIVI-DT (channel 53) is a television station in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Part of the CTV 2 system, it is owned and operated by Bell Media alongside Vancouver-based CTV station CIVT-DT (channel 32). Although the two stations nominall ...

(

CTV 2 CTV 2 is a Television in Canada, Canadian English language, English-language television system owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. The system consists of four terrestrial owned-and-operated station, owned-and-operated television stat ...

Victoria, cable channel 12) and a satellite office for

CHEK-DT CHEK-DT (channel 6) is an independent television station in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, serving Vancouver Island and Greater Vancouver. The station is owned by the CHEK Media Group, a consortium made up of station employees and local in ...

(

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

, cable channel 6). Nanaimo is also served by the

Jim Pattison Group The Jim Pattison Group is a Canadian conglomerate based in Vancouver. Jim Pattison, a Vancouver-based entrepreneur, is the chairman, CEO, and sole owner of the company. The Jim Pattison Group, Canada's second largest privately held company, h ...

CHWF-FM CHWF-FM (''106.9 The Wolf'') is a Canadian radio station located in Nanaimo, British Columbia, operating on 106.9 FM under the ownership of Jim Pattison Group division Island Radio. History CHWF signed on for the first time on July 1, 1981 on i ...

(The Wolf) and

CKWV-FM CKWV-FM (''102.3 The Wave'') is a Canadian radio station located in Nanaimo, British Columbia. It broadcasts on 102.3 FM and is owned by Island Radio, a division of the Jim Pattison Group. History CKWV first signed on-air on May 24, 1949 as CH ...

(The Wave), as well as

CHLY-FM CHLY-FM (101.7 MHz) is a non-profit campus-community radio station in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. Primarily funded by students of Vancouver Island University's Nanaimo campus, the station is also supported by donations and memberships fro ...

, an independent community

campus radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

station and

Vista Radio Vista Radio Ltd. (also formerly known as Vista Broadcast Group) is a Courtenay, British Columbia-based media company. Owned by Westerkirk Capital, Vista is the second-largest owner of radio stations in Canada. The company only owned stations in ...

CKAY-FM CKAY-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts a classic hits format at 91.7 FM, licensed to Gibsons, British Columbia with studios in Sechelt. The station targets Nanaimo and the Sunshine Coast. Originally owned and operated by Westwav ...

(ICON Radio).

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent o ...

is heard over CBU from Vancouver, with

CBU-FM CBU-FM (105.7 MHz) is a non-commercial public radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and it carries its CBC Music network. The studios and offices are in the CBC Regional Broadcast C ...

(

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

) and

CBCV-FM CBCV-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio One network in Victoria, British Columbia, and throughout Vancouver Island, the Southern Gulf Islands, and the Sunshine Coast. It also reaches out to parts o ...

available as

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...

signals.

Politics

Federal

In the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

, Nanaimo is represented by

Lisa Marie Barron Lisa Marie Barron is a Canadian politician from British Columbia. She was elected to represent the riding of Nanaimo—Ladysmith in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2021 Canadian federal election. She is a member of the New Democratic P ...

of the

NDP NDP may stand for: Computing * Neighbor Discovery Protocol, an Internet protocol * Nortel Discovery Protocol, a layer two Internet protocol, also called SONMP * Nondeterministic programming, a type of computer language Government * National Dev ...

, representing the riding of

Nanaimo—Ladysmith Nanaimo—Ladysmith is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, in southeastern Vancouver Island. Nanaimo—Ladysmith was created by the 2012 federal electoral boundaries redistribution and was legally defined in the 2013 representat ...

since the 2021 election. The city was split into two separate ridings,

Nanaimo—Cowichan Nanaimo—Cowichan is a former federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, which was represented in the House of Commons of Canada between 1988 and 2015. It was located on Vancouver Island. Demographics Geography It included, tog ...

(

Jean Crowder Jean A. Crowder (born July 7, 1952) is a Canadian businesswoman and politician. She served as a Member of Parliament for the New Democratic Party from 2004 until 2015. Life and career Crowder was born in Montreal, Quebec. She received a degre ...

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

), which includes South Nanaimo and Cassidy, and

Nanaimo—Alberni Nanaimo—Alberni was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1979 to 1988. It was subsequently recreated and was represented in the House of Commons from 1997 to 2 ...

(

James Lunney James D. Lunney (born September 5, 1951) is a Canadian politician. He was the member of Parliament (MP) for Nanaimo—Alberni from 2000 to 2015. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manit ...

elected as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

), which includes North Nanaimo and Lantzville, until the 2012 federal electoral redistribution.

Provincial

In the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia () is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The other component of the Legislature is the lieutenant governor of British Columbi ...

, Nanaimo is represented by the ridings of

Nanaimo-Lantzville Nanaimo-Lantzville is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. Created under the 2021 British Columbia electoral redistribution, the riding will first be contested in the 2024 British Columbia ...

( George Anderson,

BC NDP The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum and is one of the two major parties in British Columbia; since ...

) and

Nanaimo-Gabriola Island Nanaimo-Gabriola Island is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. Created under the 2021 British Columbia electoral redistribution, the riding was first contested in the 2024 British Columbia g ...

(

Sheila Malcolmson Sheila Malcolmson (born March 26, 1966) is a Canadian politician who has served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for the electoral district of Nanaimo since January 30, 2019. She was previously the federal Member of ...

Leonard Krog Leonard Eugene Krog is a Canadian politician and lawyer in British Columbia, who currently serves as mayor of Nanaimo. He previously served in the provincial legislature on two occasions as a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party ...

resigned in 2018 to accept the position of Mayor of Nanaimo. In response, Sheila Malcolmson resigned from federal politics and successfully ran for the vacated position. She was re-elected in the

2024 British Columbia general election The 2024 British Columbia general election was held on October 19, 2024, to elect 93 members (MLAs) of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Legislative Assembly to serve in the 43rd parliament of the Provinces and territories of Cana ...

Civic

The mayor of Nanaimo is currently

, who replaced Bill Mackay in 2018. The most well-known mayor Nanaimo ever had was

Frank J. Ney Frank James Ney (May 12, 1918 – November 24, 1992) was a mayor of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, serving for twenty-one years. Ney also served a term as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. He was known for his o ...

, who instigated Nanaimo's well-known bathtub races, which he regularly attended dressed as a pirate. There is a statue to commemorate Ney—dressed in his pirate costume—at Swy-a-Lana Lagoon, which is on the Nanaimo waterfront. Ney was also an MLA for the Social Credit party while he was mayor. An elementary school has been named in his honour. Mark Bate became Nanaimo's first mayor in 1875. He served an additional 15 one-year terms as mayor (1875–1879, 1881–1886, 1888–1889, and 1898–1900).

Open government

The city's planning department has steadily produced enough municipal data to warrant a ''Time'' magazine article on open-government. Nanaimo has been dubbed "the capital of Google Earth". Working directly with

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

, the city fed it a wealth of information about its buildings, property lines, utilities and streets. The result is earth.nanaimo.ca, a wealth of city data viewed through the

Google Earth Google Earth is a web mapping, web and computer program created by Google that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satelli ...

3D mapping program. Their Open Data Catalogue is available at data.nanaimo.ca.

Education

Nanaimo has over 30 elementary and secondary schools, most of which are public and are operated by

School District 68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District 68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith is a school district on central Vancouver Island in British Columbia. This includes the major centres of Nanaimo and Ladysmith. It is also covers the surrounding communities and the adjacent northern Gulf Is ...

. Aspengrove School is a JrK-grade 12 Independent (private) school accredited as an

International Baccalaureate World School The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), more commonly known as the International Baccalaureate (IB), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB ...

and offers the IB Primary Years, IB Middle Years and IB Diploma programme and received a 10 out of 10 by the IB Organization (IBO) in 2011. The '' Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique'' operates two Francophone schools, ''École Océane'' primary school and the ''École secondaire de Nanaimo''. The main campus of

is located in Nanaimo, which brings many international students, mostly East Asian, to the city.

The Pacific Biological Station

The Pacific Biological Station, located on the north shore of Departure Bay, was established in 1908. It is the oldest

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a., fishing grounds). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farm ...

research centre on the

Pacific coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas North America Countries on the western side of North America have a Pacific coast as their western or south-western border. One of th ...

. Operated by

Fisheries and Oceans Canada Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; ) is a department of the Government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland ...

, the station forms a network with eight other scientific facilities.

Museums

The Nanaimo Art Gallery is a public art museum located downtown at 150 Commercial Street. In addition to contemporary exhibitions by local, national and international artists, the Gallery operates Art Lab which offers year-round art-based programs for learners of all ages. The Gallery also holds a collection of artwork, operates The Gallery Store, which features work by local artists and artisans, and runs Artists in the Schools, a program that operates across three school districts. The

Nanaimo Museum The Nanaimo Museum (originally the ''Nanaimo Centennial Museum'') is a museum located in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada; it opened in November 1967. History The Nanaimo Museum, originally known as the Nanaimo Centennial Museum, was establis ...

is a public historical museum located downtown on the traditional territory of the

Snuneymuxw First Nation The Snuneymuxw First Nation (pronounced ) is located in and around the city of Nanaimo on east-central Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The nation previously had also occupied territory along the Fraser River, in British Columbia. Pr ...

at 100 Museum Way. The Vancouver Island Military Museum is a public military historical museum located at 100 Cameron Road.

Arts and culture

The

Port Theatre The Port Theatre is a venue for performing arts, located in Nanaimo, British Columbia Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the ...

in downtown Nanaimo hosts many performers and shows during the year. The

Nanaimo bar The Nanaimo bar ( ) is a bar dessert that requires no baking and is named after the Canadian city of Nanaimo in British Columbia. It consists of three layers: a wafer, nut (walnuts, almonds, or pecans), and coconut crumb base; custard icing in ...

, which is a no-bake cookie bar with custard filling, is a Canadian dessert named after Nanaimo. Nanaimo hosts the annual Nanaimo Marine Festival. Part of the festival includes the bathtub race. The race starts in the

downtown, goes around Entrance Island, north-west to Winchelsea Islands by

Nanoose Bay Nanoose Bay is a community on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The location off BC Highway 19 is by road about north of Nanaimo, and south of Parksville. Name origin In 1862, John Enos (Joao Ignacio) bec ...

and finish in Departure Bay back in Nanaimo. Until the 1990s the race alternated between racing from Nanaimo to Vancouver and from Vancouver to Nanaimo.

Sports and recreation

* Nanaimo is home to the largest sports club on Vancouver Island, Nanaimo United Football Club. NUFC is home to over 1,700 members, and is one of the oldest sports clubs in Canada, having been formed in 1903. * Nanaimo is home to North America's first legal, purpose-made

bungee jumping Bungee jumping (), also spelled bungy jumping, is an activity that involves a person jumping from a great height while connected to a large elastic cord. The launching pad is usually erected on a tall structure such as a building or crane, a ...

bridge, operated by WildPlay Element Parks. * Nanaimo is home to the

Canadian Junior Football League The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to professional footbal ...

Vancouver Island Raiders The Vancouver Island Raiders are a Canadian Junior Football team based in Nanaimo, British Columbia. The Raiders play in the seven-team B.C. Football Conference; which itself is part of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) and competes annua ...

, who play at Caledonia Park. * Nanaimo is home to the

British Columbia Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 21 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior "A" league within the Hockey Canada framework, until it became independe ...

Nanaimo Clippers The Nanaimo Clippers are a junior ice hockey team based in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Island Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Frank Crane Arena. Franchise his ...

and to the

Western Lacrosse Association The Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) is a men's Senior A box lacrosse league with seven teams in British Columbia. The playoff championship team each season advances to the play against the Major Series Lacrosse champions for the Mann Cup. The ...

Nanaimo Timbermen The Nanaimo Timbermen are a Senior A box lacrosse club, based in Nanaimo, British Columbia. The team competes in the 7-team Western Lacrosse Association The Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) is a men's Senior A box lacrosse league with seven ...

, both of which play at the Frank Crane Arena. * Nanaimo is home to the Nanaimo Buccaneers of the

Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League The Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) is a junior ice hockey league of 11 clubs on Vancouver Island. The Brent Patterson Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. In 2024, the leagu ...

, who play at the Nanaimo Ice Centre. * The

Nanaimo NightOwls The Nanaimo NightOwls are a Canadian collegiate summer baseball team located in Nanaimo, British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between t ...

, of the

West Coast League The West Coast League (WCL) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 2005, comprising teams from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alberta. The WCL was previously named the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCCB ...

, play at Serauxmen Stadium. * Football Nanaimo plays at Pioneer Park. * Nanaimo is home to the Senior A lacrosse team the Timbermen of the Western Lacrosse Association. Nanaimo is also home to the Junior A Timbermen and Junior B Timbermen. * Nanaimo is home to the Nanaimo Hornets Rugby Football Club, part of the British Columbia Rugby Union. Established in 1888 it is the second oldest rugby club in Western Canada. Their home ground and club is situated in Pioneer Park (since 1968).

Notable people

Iain Baird Iain Baird (born January 1, 1963) is a Canadian former soccer defender (football), defender who earned nine cap (sports), caps with the Canada men's national soccer team, Canadian national soccer team between 1984 and 1986. Baird played for t ...

, professional soccer player *

Terry Beech Terry James Beech (born April 2, 1981) is a Canadian politician and former businessman. A member of the Liberal Party, he has represented Burnaby North—Seymour in the House of Commons since the 2015 federal election. From 2023 to 2025 Beec ...

, politician *

Red Carr Alfred George Richard "Red" Carr (December 29, 1916 – May 16, 1990) was a Canadian ice hockey winger (ice hockey), left winger. He played 5 games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1943–44 NHL season, 1943� ...

, professional ice hockey player * Gene Carr, professional ice hockey player *

Justin Chatwin Justin Chatwin (born October 31, 1982) is a Canadian actor. He began his career in 2001 with a brief appearance in the musical comedy '' Josie and the Pussycats''. Following his breakthrough role as Robbie Ferrier in the blockbuster '' War of the ...

, actor *

Glen Clark Glen David Clark (born November 22, 1957) is a Canadian retail executive and former politician who served as the 31st premier of British Columbia from 1996 to 1999. Early life and education Clark attended independent Roman Catholic schools, na ...

, 31st

Premier of British Columbia The premier of British Columbia is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s, the title ''prime minister of British Columbia'' was often used. The word ''premier'' is derived ...

* Jimmy Claxton, baseball pitcher who broke US baseball's racial colour barrier *

Raymond Collishaw Raymond Collishaw, (22 November 1893 – 28 September 1976) was a distinguished Canadian fighter pilot, squadron leader, and commanding officer who served in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and later the Royal Air Force (RAF). He was the high ...

, Canadian World War I flying ace *

Allison Crowe Allison Louise Crowe (born November 16, 1981) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Nanaimo, British Columbia, whose home is Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Corner Brook, Newfoundlan ...

, singer-songwriter and pianist *

John DeSantis John DeSantis, sometimes credited as John De Santis or John Desantis, (born November 13, 1973) is a Canadian character actor, best known as Lurch on the Fox Family show '' The New Addams Family''."A true rags to riches tale" ''Times Colonist'' ...

, actor * Michael Edgson, swimmer *

Jodelle Ferland Jodelle Micah Ferland (born October 9, 1994) is a Canadian actress. She debuted as a child actress at the age of six in the television film ''Mermaid'' (2000) for which she won a Young Artist Award and received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination, ...

, actress *

David Gogo David Gogo (born March 18, 1969), is a Canadian blues guitarist, singer-songwriter and bandleader who is currently signed to the independent Cordova Bay Records label. He was formerly signed to EMI Records. Between 1994 and 2024, he released 16 s ...

, blues guitarist * Paul Gogo, keyboardist for the rock band Trooper * Christopher Hart, actor and magician * Al Hill (born 1955), ice hockey player and scout * Bob Hindmarch, professor and ice hockey coach * Constance Isherwood, lawyer * Christine Jensen, Composer and conductor *

Ingrid Jensen Ingrid Jensen (born January 12, 1966) is a Canadian jazz trumpeter. Music career Jensen was born in North Vancouver and grew up in Nanaimo. She received a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduating from Berklee, she ...

, jazz trumpeter *

Susan Juby Susan Juby (born March 30, 1969)Dave Jenkinson. ''CM Magazine'', May 11, 2005. is a Canadian writer. She is currently residing in Nanaimo, British Columbia, where she is a professor of creative writing at Vancouver Island University. Juby is kno ...

(born 1969), author * Ethan Katzberg (born 2002), athlete, Olympic Gold Medal, 2023 Hammer throw world champion *

Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''Billboard (magazi ...

, jazz pianist and vocalist *

Tim Lander Tim Lander (26 February 1938 – 20 August 2023) was a Canadian poet. Born in Surrey, England, he studied at the University of London. In 1964, Lander emigrated to Canada. He lived primarily in Vancouver, where he began publishing chapbooks of hi ...

, poet *

Marc-André Leclerc Marc-André Leclerc (October 10, 1992 – March 5, 2018) was a Canadian rock climber, ice and mixed climber, and alpinist. He is known for his solo ascents–often in winter–of major ice and alpine climbing routes. In 2016, he completed the fir ...

, alpinist *

Callum Montgomery Callum Montgomery (born May 14, 1997) is a Canadian soccer player who plays for Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC. Early life Montgomery was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia to a Canadian father and Fijian mother. He began playing youth ...

(born 1997), professional soccer player * Susan Morgan (born 1949), Oregon politician * Tyson "TenZ" Ngo, former professional e-sports player and online streamer * Phil Olsen, Olympian javelin * Steve Smith, professional downhill mountain biker * Shane Sutcliffe (born 1975), boxer * Kirsten Sweetland, triathlete *

May Tully May Tully (born 1880s – March 9, 1924) was a Canadian actress, writer, director, and producer in theatre and film, and, according to sportswriter Damon Runyon, "perhaps the greatest woman baseball fan that ever lived." Early life Mary Gertr ...

, vaudeville actress, writer, director *

Lorna Vinden Lorna Vinden Anderson (1931 – June 9, 2008), born Lorna Margaret Skidmore, was a Canadian wheelchair athlete, competing in pentathlon, track and field, archery, and swimming events at the 1967 and 1969 Wheelchair Pan American Games, and the 1 ...

, wheelchair athlete *

Cameron Whitcomb Cameron Whitcomb is a Canadian singer and songwriter from Nanaimo, British Columbia. He competed on American Idol season 20, season 20 of reality television show ''American Idol''. He is currently signed to Atlantic Records. Whitcomb has charted i ...

, singer and songwriter *

Layla Zoe Layla Zoe is a Canadian blues and blues rock singer-songwriter. Since 2006 she has released a number of albums, both studio and live recordings, and has performed across North America and most of Western Europe. Zoe has been influenced by Frank Z ...

, blues and blues rock musician and songwriter

Sister city

Nanaimo has one sister city: * Saitama (←Iwatsuki City),

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

, Japan, since 1996

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Coord, 49, 09, 51, N, 123, 56, 11, W, type:city_region:CA-BC, display=title Cities in British Columbia Mining communities in British Columbia Populated places established in 1853 Populated places on the British Columbia Coast Port cities and towns on the Canadian Pacific coast Mid Vancouver Island

History

Location and geography

Climate

Transportation

Demographics

Ethnicity

Language

Religion

Economy

Media outlets

Politics

Federal

Provincial

Civic

Open government

Education

The Pacific Biological Station

Museums

Arts and culture

Sports and recreation

Notable people

Sister city

See also

Notes

References

External links