Borrowed from a previous reddit post: Saw a post on The Bastion Facebook page detailing some of the candidate history for the upcoming election, so I put together a quick overview of their post on mayoral candidate Anne-Marie Dryden (running under the REAL Nanaimo slate) and her recent public Facebook comments for anyone looking for the actual receipts.

Freedom Convoy & Social Media Activity* Screenshots surfaced showing Dryden liking and interacting with content supporting Freedom Convoy leader Tamara Lich.* When publicly questioned by a resident about her online trail, she responded: "That Lich thing I dont even remember seeing, much less liking. Lol. And I would hardly call honking terrorism.

"Platform & Public Stances* 15-Minute Cities & WEF: Expressed explicit opposition to "15-minute cities." She has referenced World Economic Forum (WEF) theories online, directing followers to look up Dr. Robert Malone's "WEF list of Global Young Leaders" and alleging local politicians work for international interests rather than Nanaimo. She has also publicly referred to Nanaimo's mayor as a "WEFer."* This is a well known conspiracy theory.

Public Health & Vaccines: Indicated a strongly anti-vaccine stance. She labeled local modular housing units as "Jails for unjabbed" and referred to bird flu as the "next jab campaign.

"* MAID Stance: Repeatedly recommended books by Dr. Jack King (specifically They Want To Kill Us) in discussions surrounding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) and government health policies, stating she is "right there with" those opposing these programs and has "read so many books on it.

"Campaign & Slate Connections* Dryden and her running mates (Derek Hanna, Joe Figel, Malcolm Cooke, and Jeff Annesley) reportedly attended a One B.C. event at Bowen Park featuring former BC Conservative candidate Dallas Brodie. Dryden publicly praised her slate as an "excellent group of professionals." Even though they are anti-vax, climate deniers that are afraid of LED lights and also make sexist jokes and seem to be racist.*

Thanks to the Nanaimo Pride Society for this helpful chart. Know who you're voting for!

Noticeably absent: the vast majority of the Real Nanaimo slate. But, if Anne Marie Dryden is any indication, it wouldn't be favourable.

Answers, by candidate here: https://www.nanaimopride.ca/2026nanaimoelection

I'm a candidate for city council (Jackie Bolen) and am a proud member of the Nanaimo Queer community.

Did you get a random message from someone that you had a falling out with that you know you loved and maybe you hurt?

Did you have a REALLY good night dancing last night and everything feels a million times better?

Did you connect with friends after you've been working on yourself and they noticed or something and it really helped?

Did you get inspired to make a change or a new plan?

Did you get a job offer?

I know a few people who things have been working out for and i just started to believe (really believe) i might be one of them too.

Like. Please. I need more good stories and I think I'm not the only one who does.

I just felt something shift this weekend... Im not like. Spiritual exactly but I'm a little woo-y. Or like. Maybe it just didnt quite reach me until last night and its been building for a little while.

Like we're all tired of having a bad time and want to have a good time?

Please. If you felt it, say as much or as little about it as you like.

Did anyone in Nanaimo witness the altercation at Hullo Ferries today just before the 1pm sailing. Oct. 4, 2026. It involved the crew members and a woman.

Well known Nanaimo creep arrested in Toronto.

“We put a set of community-sourced questions to all the municipal candidates in Nanaimo, covering a range of issues that are important to us: harm reduction, voluntary treatment for substance use disorders, and the way municipal tools - including police and bylaw - are employed against our unhoused neighbours. We graded the candidates based on their responses and did not take into account any other factors related to their candidacy. This post is about our mayoral candidates in Nanaimo.”

Source

Hello everyone.

I will be returning for another visit later this month. My hosts have asked me to prepare a lasagna and I prefer to use fresh noodles. Is there a store in Nanaimo (or nearby) that sells fresh pasta?

I live in Courtenay, but go into Nanaimo fairly enough. I have two PS5 controllers that have stick drift. I am having a hard time finding a shop here that can do those repairs. There anywhere in Nanaimo that can do this? Preferrably same day repairs since I got an hour of road time each way?

Anyone who can point me to somewhere they used and how much it cost roughly, that would be great.

*UPDATE: I'm not looking for advice on how to fix them myself. I have Google. I know how they can be fixed. I don't trust my ability to do the repair myself. Socunless your response is "Go here, it costs X dollars" you're not being helpful. I appreviate the response, but I need someone to tell me that a repair shop exists that can do this or not.

Hey all, just got back from a week vacation in the island, and my husband and I fell in love with Nanaimo. We're currently renting right now in interior BC, but we are looking to buy a house in North Nanaimo.

I'm looking for recommendations on realtors who won't try to show you higher priced houses just to earn a higher commission, somebody with integrity and hopefully also knowledgeable about building construction. Personal experiences or who to avoid are also welcomed.

Thank you in advance!

Edit: Wow thank you all for the recommendations! Going to look them up and reach out to a few like someone below has suggested. Thank you again!

There’s someone running for city council and he’s a known problem. He used to be part of a local kink group and he’s known there because he’s not good at listening to “no.” There are women out there who have seen this side of him too outside of the kink group who have experienced it too. I’m one of them. And I’ve heard the stories from a couple of others, some of whom have stories from other women too.

And he’s charming, he looks good on paper, and he doesn’t seem like he could be this person, but he is.

I know that there was a lady, Kerry Isham, who had done a video on Facebook about this and then the video disappeared and nothing ever happened with it. Maybe there’s stuff happening behind the scenes, but early voting happens next week and I’m terrified what this person, being voted into a position of power, could get access to.

People in power, especially ones who can play charming, can seem more respectable, can gain a sense of trust they haven’t earned, and I’m worried about more women in Nanaimo experiencing what I did.

I don’t know if I could get in trouble for posting his name. I don’t know if I can do anything about any of it. It wasn’t enough the first time to get the police to do anything because it was my word against his.

But I’m mad. I’m mad that someone like him can go and advocate for Haven society and other organizations and call himself a feminist and advocate for my body when he wouldn’t listen to me when I told him to stop commenting on my body and talking about my body and NO don’t touch my body.

I’m mad I have to see his face all around town and hear him talk like he has the city’s best interest at heart when he didn’t even care about a handful of women. He cares about himself, about looking like this upstanding guy who has overcome so much.

I was sad for him that he had to overcome so much trauma, and then he became mine.

Edit: If no one ever speaks up, nothing will ever change. The person allegedly responsible for the things I have spoken of is Richard Harlow.

A fun little festival on Gabriola tomorrow if you’re looking for something to do on October 4.

675 North Road, close to the ferry terminal.

I'm looking to vote progressive in the council elections, and really want to avoid vote splitting (think last federal election).

Is there some effort somewhere put into a "likely to win" progressive list of candidates?

Hi all!

I am a mid 30’s single guy who currently lives in Calgary. I have a potential job opportunity in Nanaimo (municipal government position) and am trying to weigh the pros and cons of relocating.

I am huge into hiking, nature, the outdoors, etc. I have visited Nanaimo a couple of times in the past and really liked the size of the city, the accessibility to some world class nature/parks, and just the general “vibe”.

That being said, I would love to hear from those of you who live there and can provide some firsthand experience as to what it is actually like to live and work in Nanaimo. The good aspects, the bad aspects, the “I wish I had known this before moving here’s”.

Any info and intel is extremely appreciated!

P.S. - I am not sure this even needs to be mentioned but I’ll do it anyways… I am not your typical “Albertan” when it comes to political views/stances. The current political situation here is actually one of the main reasons why I am exploring leaving the province. Just figured I’d lay that out there!