BOUQUET To the climate change scholar who can explain how denying a permit to remove a 100-foot fir tree from a lot protects the environment enough to warrant the premature replacement of a roof, the removal and replacement of a concrete/asphalt driveway disturbed by root invasion and the excavation required to replace/repair perimeter drain and/or sewer lines.
BEEF Front Street is a nightmare. If you live, have a business, are staying at one of the hotels or just trying to enjoy a walk at Maffeo Sutton Park, you have to listen to the vehicles or motorcycles that deliberately roar their engines, speed and burn rubber. Not to mention their music blaring just to get more attention. Never have we seen a police officer giving anyone a ticket for any of the above.
BOUQUET To Peter S. from Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank. Just wanted to thank you and your wonderful volunteers for all you do. You have made it possible to feed thousands of families every month. Not only in Nanaimo but other areas of this beautiful Island.
BEEF To the City of Nanaimo for poorly signed construction on Terminal Avenue. If you don’t want people turning left onto Esplanade, put up signs in advance of the turn and at the turn. Don’t appreciate getting yelled at by the signal person because there were no signs.
BOUQUET To Payam and Gail at Nanaimo 1 Hour Optical. Been going for years, and when you walk in there you are treated like family. They have helped me with getting the proper sunglasses for my kids and keeping their eyes safe. Keep it up.
BEEF Once again we are restricting water use. I just wonder if there will be restrictions on development in the city. It just makes sense for sustainability, doesn’t it?
BOUQUET To all NRGH staff. I was anxious about my surgery but everyone I interacted with was kind, competent and professional and made me feel like I was in good hands. I recovered quickly thanks to the skill of the surgical team.
BEEF To the man wearing camouflage clothing and using crutches who stole my wallet. You can hide, but you can’t run.
BOUQUET To Wellington Secondary for finally having a cafeteria. It’s the only reason I’ve started actually eating food at lunch, thank you.
BEEF To the pub. Used to go there a couple times a week until you allowed children in the pub. Come on, the kids can go in the restaurant and on the patio, they surely don’t need to be in the pub too.
BOUQUET Major kudos to the city for the work and planning to develop Metral Drive. We drive, cycle and walk it, what a safe and great street to use as a transportation corridor.
BEEF To the City of Nanaimo authorities for dragging their feet on lowering residential speed limits to 30 kilometres per hour. This move, already in use in other B.C. communities, is an effective way to provide safer neighbourhoods for pedestrians and cyclists. All residential streets primarily zoned residential should be posted at 30km/h ASAP with no exceptions. Far past time to take action against aggressive, speeding drivers.
BOUQUET To the British Columbia Utilities Commission for Gas Prices B.C., which I really wish more people would look at before making the ludicrous assertion that it is the party in charge of their province or country that primarily affects gas prices. For those of us who actually seek to be informed before chirping off, this site is a great resource.
BEEF To the City of Nanaimo parking bylaw services. Your appeals process is antagonistic and one-sided. In order to appeal a ticket, you have to accept the possibility that should you lose, you will also be on the hook for a $25 administrative fee. Pushing many folks to just abandon the appeal altogether. This is a cash grab. Give us more unbiased appeals.
BOUQUET Thank you so very much to the very nice person who paid for my food at the grocery store when I found that I had left all my money and cards at home.
BEEF To the warehouse that would rather throw food boxes into the dumpster instead of giving them to food shelters or letting employees pick through them when they’re undeliverable. When the highway closed to Port Alberni, food boxes piled up for weeks and mountains of them were thrown into the trash.
BOUQUET My wife and I are moving back to the Lower Mainland but not without some wonderful memories of Nanaimo. We will miss the nature and the hikes in and around this area. We will miss the many wonderful people that we have met. Sure will miss that Chinese food at Quality Foods. I will miss my men’s yoga class. It has been wonderful. Finally, we will miss the community spirit of Nanaimo. Thanks for the memories.
BEEF To the store that has been running diesel-powered 40-foot trailers outside its loading bay for years now. Couldn’t they be electric?
BOUQUET To Commercial Street pedestrians and merchants especially Red Shelf Decor who came to my rescue when l fell on the sidewalk and smashed my face. I was so well cared for by my granddaughter Katrina and impressed by all the offers of help.
BEEF To the mayor and city managers for their addition to traffic calming by pouring tons of environmental unfriendly concrete anywhere there is traffic. Nanaimo is growing, cars are a necessity for our city, few ride bikes. More traffic, more idling car pollution. Silly hall has gone mad.
BOUQUET To Ian at Classic Appliance and Refrigeration. Excellent service with our fridge. Very knowledgeable and professional. Thank you so much. A pleasure to do business with.
BEEF To the beefer trying to pin high food prices on government tax of all things. Which tax exactly? Grocery store chains are making record profits. Several investigations have clearly pinned food prices rising on price gouging from grocery stores and supply issues (including from climate change).
BOUQUET To Nadia and Sandy from Peoples Jewellers, who gave me excellent customer service when purchasing a watch.
BEEF To the city for not giving our new Nanaimo Timbermen senior women’s lacrosse team any more home games slots until July. These ladies filled the Nanaimo Ice Centre and put on a great event beating the Victoria Wolves 7-2 last month. Hopefully the people of Parksville-Qualicum will appreciate the games at Oceanside Arena along with the economic impact they will bring.
BOUQUET To the city if they could possibly change the traffic lights at Bowen Road and Buttertubs Drive. Seems to only change every second Tuesday while you’re coming out of Buttertubs. Thank you.
BEEF To the motorist who killed my neighbour with a pickup truck. And seriously, why won’t the police crack down on speeding, drinking and driving and cellphone use?
BOUQUET Leave Metral Drive alone. It’s lovely for walking. People should try walking it, it just might keep them out of the medical clinics and emergency departments. Give the doctors and nurses a break. Goodness knows they need it.
BEEF For promoting the Conservative Party leader’s anti-carbon tax campaign, including through letters to the editor, and not offering space for alternative views.
BOUQUET Thanks to the great service at the Lavender Art Café, where one can enjoy a healthy breakfast, a light lunch and a good cup of coffee.
BEEF To all the government levels spending money on inquiries, audits and investigations. Does any one actually ever get fired or go to jail? What’s the point?
BOUQUET To the medic who came to my rescue when I tripped on a curb at Brooks Landing. Your big heart and strong arm to get me up to my friend will never be forgotten. I’m doing better.
BEEF To people who complain about their student loans because the degree or diploma they received won’t get them a job that pays well. Should have been an electrician or a plumber or HVAC or any of the other trades that are desperate for people. You could have owned a house by now.
BOUQUET To Katie at the lotto booth in Country Club Centre for excellent customer service.
BEEF To the person who thinks that bikes will save the planet. You have no idea how much diesel, gasoline and bitumen (asphalt) are used to create your bike lane shrines.
BOUQUET To all those who helped me revive and copy a cassette recording of my band from our one and only gig in 1985. Those people include Nathan from Heritage Sound, Rick S., the friendly library staff, Will, and my good buddy Steve. Amazing what can happen here with a little help from my friends.
BEEF Further to the beef to the city regarding pedestrian accessibility, to access a north-end shopping plaza, we wheelchair users have to ride on a rocky highway shoulder. I place my life in harm’s way. Please. We need a safe way.
BOUQUET To Dr. Van der Lee and staff at Central Island Veterinary Emergency Hospital. We had to have our beloved dog euthanized and we were treated with the utmost care, kindness and compassion by this doctor and the staff. Thank you so much for easing the pain and grief of losing a very special dog.
BEEF To motorists who are impatient, obnoxious, distracted, speeding and oblivious to their surroundings. Over 25 per cent of accidents are from distracted drivers. Two pedestrian fatalities within weeks of the other. These aren’t accidents but mistakes caused by human error. Wake up and slow down.
BOUQUET To Kerri with Nanaimo Women Helping Women organization (and team I met: Mairi, Chris and Leo) for their amazingly generous and effective support that helped me flee domestic violence quickly and with dignity to avoid becoming tragic homelessness statistic. After surviving months of horrible abuse, I am now free in safe, permanent and furnished housing to recover my joy and get back to work. Thank you so very much.
BEEF To the beefer beefing about your elementary teachers teaching you about the ‘i before e’ rule. Don’t blame your teachers, because you forgot the entire rule – it’s i before e, except after c, and when it makes the sound of a, as in neighbour and weigh.
To submit a beef or a bouquet to the Nanaimo News Bulletin, e-mail editor@nanaimobulletin.com.