Vancouver Island Reviews and Information

I'm sorry to announce, that it has snowed about a foot (give or take, depending on the area) in Nanaimo. Luckily, the weather forecast predicts it will clear today - it was still snowing at 5am this morning. Let's hope I'm not stranded indoors for 3 days again.

You'd hardly believe Stephanie Lang was just past her teen years. Her confidence and talent on-stage is comparable to someone far beyond her years. She knew as early as 5 years old she wanted to be a performer. She appeared along side Jamie-Lynn Spears in an E-Kara commercial. Stephanie started writing her own music at 12. Amazingly she recorded and released her first cd at 15. The evidence shows she was passionate and knew where she wanted to go with her life from a very early start. Stephanie is from the small town of Ladysmith, here on Vancouver Island. She performed extensively on Vancouver Island and Vancouver, notably given the title of Vancouver Island Idol Champion in 2005. In 2006 she won a 4 song contract through HipJoint Records for winning the 94.5 The Beat Music Award Contest . I recently went to see Stef play at The Roxy in Vancouver, I was absolutely amazed at her talent. This is a girl who can sing, play guitar AND writes her own music. She will be playing soon at

To read the full article click ---> HERE It would seem in these troubled times - money, power and prestige attained in questionable and deceiving ways is being ostracized for what it really is: Greed. Although one must try to get the story from various perspectives (allowing the truth to be more objective), reading about Mr. Thow's disgust with his $10,000 whiskey and his various (and completely unnecessary) personal aircraft - I believe this man paved his own destiny. This is a man who made magnanimous charity pledges (one being to the Great Victoria Hospital) which he did not fulfill. Some of his clients included - Nickelback's Chad Kroeger, Geoff Courtnall and EA boss Don Matrick. His bank and credit card accounts show almost a million dollars in hotel accomodations around the world, $100,000 in jewelry and $130,000 in clothing (you must have been looking spiffy Ian!). Needless to say, this is the type of lavish lifestyle and greediness that always backfires. Interestin

READ IT HERE! Highlights include: 14 billion invested in infrastructure which would develop 88,000 new jobs. Which is good because currently the unemployment rate is 5.5% in B.C - with a population of around 4 million, that's 200,000 without jobs. Green intiatives. Help for the floundering forest industry.

This blog is in response to this Daily News Article I believe prostitution should be fully legalized. Prostitution has been around longer than most of us, AND is not going away. The stigma's (sti's, abuse, pimps and drug use) are there to remind us how disgusting and inhuman this thing called prostitution really is. But does it really have to be this way? This article pretty much sums up my feeling on the whole issue. When you break it down, prostitution is sex and capitalism = both of which are perfectly legal! It is also legal to pay two people to have sex, FILM them and then sell the film. I believe if they were regulated and lawful brothels, this would help in alleviating crime against prostitutes, the spread of STD's and rampant drug use - and heck it might even give back to the city monetarily! I see it as somewhat "unionizing" the prostitution (which is considered a job, whether you like it or not) and allowing them to empower themselves and run their own

Picks in Trades and Technology: Trades Carpenters Cooks Electricians Estheticians Hairdressers Machinists Plumbers Power Line Techs Steel Fabricators Welders Technologies Aquaculture Techs EDS or EEG Techs Electrical Eng Techs Electrical Serv Techs Forestry Techs Mechanical Eng Techs Medical Image Techs Medical Lab Assistants Medical Lab Techs Web Designers Even though this survey is from 2006 (seems ages ago eh?)I agree with most of the career's presented here. I even agree with the Forestry tech one. Even though 2009 will be the poorest year probably EVER for Forestry, I predict a come-back. When the building of houses comes back full force in the U.S, the price of lumber is going to shoot-up significantly because of the lack of supply. We can only hope, anyways. Interestingly enough, the unemployment rate on the island is only 5.1% .

A Nanaimo man who tried to sue the RCMP, Google, Microsoft, UBC and others for $2 billion last year has now filed two new lawsuits claiming he remains a victim of brain computer interface technology. Both suits filed by Jerry Rose are focused on the actions of the RCMP, but also name the Attorney General of B.C., the City of Nanaimo, Microsoft, Intel, Telus, Google, Itronix and a former neighbour near his Starling Road home in Cedar. In one suit he is again seeking $2 billion in damages, and in the other he specifies $1,425,000,008.88. Documents do not disclose why the $8.88 is specified. In November last year Rose's initial suit drew interest when a B.C. Supreme Court judge refused to immediately dismiss the case at the request of lawyers for the RCMP, Microsoft and other defendants. Justice A. Fraser Wilson said that given the style of cause raised by the defence, he had to consider the merits of the case, as bizarre as it appeared. He went on to find that Rose's allegations

Western Forest Products had told about 650 employees and contract workers across Vancouver Island their seasonal layoffs will continue “indefinitely.” Forest workers in the North Island will continue because of the continued market for hemlock in Asia. Last month, Western Forest Products shut down its downtown Nanaimo and Duke Point sawmills for a month. The mills were expected to reopen Jan. 19, but Duncan Kerr, WFP’s chief operating officer, announced the extended shutdown due to a waning market. “We’ve come to the conclusion we’re going to have to do that for a while,” Kerr says. “The lumber markets continue to be poor. If you don’t have customers for your products, then it doesn’t make sense to keep producing.” Western’s Ladysmith mill was shut down last year.The two Nanaimo mills will remain idle indefinitely and WFP’s five remaining Island mills will run at reduced shifts. Kerr said the shutdown will affect about 250 Nan

Gabriola war-resister arrested at border in Washington Nanaimo Daily News Published: Thursday, February 05, 2009 Former Gabriola Island resident Cliff Cornell was arrested on Wednesday after crossing the border into the United States. Cornell left the U.S. Army when he learned he was to be sent to fight in the War in Iraq. Cornell has said he was prepared to comply fully with U.S. laws and turn himself in to his former unit at Fort Stewart, Ga., but he was arrested by U.S. border police and is being held at Whatcom County Jail in Bellingham, Wash. He now faces a court martial and jail time because he refused to participate in what he considers an illegal and immoral war. Clifford Cornell, right, says he was assured he would not have to fight in a war when he enlisted in the U.S. Army six years ago. Jennifer Yuhasz, Cornell's co-workers is one of many Gabriola Islanders who wanted the federal government to rescind Cornell's deportation order. Robin Long, another former r