As the calendar changes from 2014 to 2015, we celebrate with champagne and cheer, reflect on the year that has passed and wonder about the year to come.
In this issue of the News Bulletin we look at the stories of the year – the B.C. teachers’ strike, the civic election, the downtown hotel projects, the closure of Cedar Community Secondary School and the shooting at Western Forest Products mill. Last issue we recalled the year’s top newsmakers – Mayor Bill McKay, Summer Games president Jeff Lott, B.C. Ferries, the Save Cedar Schools coalition and the Tilray medical marijuana operation.
We chose these stories and newsmakers not only because they made the most headlines, but also because in a lot of cases, they shaped our community, and they defined – and will continue to define – where we’ve been, where we’re going, who Nanaimoites are and who we want to be.
We all had our own personal stories in Nanaimo in 2014, but some of our stories were shared as a community. We were united by some causes, divided on others. We protested, we voted. We wept together in sadness, cheered together in sportsmanship.
It’s interesting to revisit these stories of the year now, and with the benefit of hindsight and context, see what happened, why it happened and how it happened in 2014.
But it’s even more interesting to wonder what might be the stories of the year next year and who might be Nanaimo’s newsmakers then. One of the things we love about news is that it never stops. We acknowledge, appreciate and applaud those who made a difference in 2014, and 2015 has only just begun, and already we can’t wait to find out what will happen next.
Because the most important issues are the ones facing us in the present and the future. And the best stories, we hope, are yet to be written.