The City of Nanaimo is interested in footing the bill to host a conference for Vancouver Island elected officials every two years.
Nanaimo is part of the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities, a collective of local governments advocating for Island matters and working with the Union of B.C. Municipalities.
Nanaimo city councillors, at a finance meeting March 20, considered an AVICC request for Nanaimo to host the association’s 2025 annual general meeting and convention, and carry on hosting every other year after that.
“They’ve discovered that, with the number of delegates which has increased over time, that really the City of Victoria and the City of Nanaimo are the two places that can provide enough accommodations,” said Karen Robertson, deputy corporate officer, at last week’s meeting. “There’s typically around 300 or so delegates and with their spouses, there’s a lot of significant dollars that come into Nanaimo for these conferences.”
It would cost the city $48,000, according to a staff report. Coun. Janice Perrino, who proposed the staff recommendation, said it would be an economic boon.
“This is something that will bring more than $500,000 of profit to our community,” Perrino said at the meeting. “This is an important event with a lot of people and I just hope they spend like crazy all over town.”
The recommendation passed and the city will now reach out to Regional District of Nanaimo asking to share costs at $24,000 each. The matter will go before the RDN board for discussion on Tuesday, March 26.
Nanaimo has hosted previous AVICC conferences, most recently in 2023 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre. The AVICC’s next annual general meeting and convention is scheduled for April 12-14 in Victoria.
READ ALSO: Island official wants fire departments compensated for medical calls