Nanaimo, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Nanaimo (Canada 2006 Census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
population 78,692) is a city on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It has been dubbed the "Bathtub Racing Capital of the World" and "Harbour City". Nanaimo is also sometimes referred to as the "Hub City" because of its central location on Vancouver Island and due to the layout of the downtown streets which form a "hub" pattern. It is also fondly known as the "Hub, Tub, and Pub City" because of its association with the bathtub racing
Bathtub racing
Bathtub racing started in Nanaimo, British Columbia and involves the use of a bathtub boat. The idea was conceived to showcase Nanaimo to the world, with the first races beginning with the "Nanaimo to Vancouver Great International World Championship Bathtub Race" in 1967.Frank Ney, Nanaimo's mayor...
and the numerous "watering holes" in Old Nanaimo. It is the location of the headquarters of the Regional District of Nanaimo.
History
The first Europeans to find Nanaimo Bay were those of the 1791 Spanish voyage of Juan CarrascoJuan Carrasco (explorer)
Juan Carrasco was a Spanish naval officer, explorer, and navigator. He is remembered mainly for his work in the Pacific Northwest during the late 18th century. He was second in command of the 1791 voyage of José María Narváez, the first European exploration of the Strait of Georgia.Many details...
, under the command of Francisco de Eliza
Francisco de Eliza
Francisco de Eliza y Reventa was a Spanish naval officer, navigator, and explorer. He is remembered mainly for his work in the Pacific Northwest...
. They gave it the name Bocas de Winthuysen.
Nanaimo began as a trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
in the early 19th century; in 1849 the Snuneymuxw chief Ki-et-sa-kun ("Coal Tyee") informed the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
of the presence of coal in the area, and in 1853 the company built a fort known as the Nanaimo Bastion (still preserved). Subsequently the town was chiefly known for the export of coal.
Robert Dunsmuir
Robert Dunsmuir
Robert Dunsmuir was a Scottish-Canadian coal miner, railway developer, industrialist and politician. -Origins in Scotland:...
helped establish coal mines in the Nanaimo harbour area as an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company, and later mined in Nanaimo as one of the first independent miners. In 1869 Dunmuir discovered coal several miles North of Nanaimo at Wellington
Wellington, British Columbia
Wellington is the name of a north Nanaimo, British Columbia neighbourhood, which was once the town of Wellington. The community was named for Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington....
, and subsequently created the company Dunsmuir and Diggle Ltd so he could acquire crown land and finance the startup of what became the Wellington Colliery. With the success of
Dunsmuir and Diggle and the Wellington Colliery, Dunsmuir expanded his operations to include steam railways. Dunsmuir sold Wellington Coal through its Departure Bay docks, while competing Nanaimo coal was sold by the London-based Vancouver Coal Company through the Nanaimo docks.
The gassy qualities of the coal which made it valuable also made it dangerous. The 1887 Nanaimo Mine Explosion
1887 Nanaimo mine explosion
The Nanaimo mine explosion on May 3, 1887, in Nanaimo, British Columbia killed 150 miners. Only seven miners survived and the mine burned for one full day....
killed 150 miners and was described as the largest man-made explosion until the Halifax Explosion
Halifax Explosion
The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally collided with the Norwegian SS Imo in "The Narrows"...
. Another 100 men died in another explosion the next year.
In the 1940s, lumber supplanted coal as the main business although Minetown Days are still celebrated in the neighbouring community of Lantzville
Lantzville, British Columbia
Lantzville is a coastal community on the east side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada along the western shore of Strait of Georgia and immediately north of the City of Nanaimo, British Columbia....
.
Chinatown
Nanaimo has had a succession of four distinct Chinatowns. The first, founded during the gold rush years of the 1860s, was the third largest in British Columbia. In 1884, because of mounting inter-racial tensions related to the Dunsmuir coal company's hiring of Chinese strikebreakers, the company helped move Chinatown to a location outside city limits. In 1908, when two Chinese entrpreneurs bought the site and tried to raise rents, in response, and with the help of 4000 shareholders from across Canada, the community combined forces and bought the site for the third Chinatown at a new location, focused on Pine Street. That third Chinatown, by then mostly derelict, burned down on September 30, 1960. A fourth Chinatown, also called Lower Chinatown or "new town", boomed for a while in the 1920s on Machleary Street.Location and geography
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, and 55 km west of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, separated by the Strait of Georgia
Strait of Georgia
The Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from...
, and linked to Vancouver via the Horseshoe Bay BC Ferries
BC Ferries
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. or BC Ferries is a de facto Crown Corporation that provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry services for coastal and island communities in the Canadian province of British Columbia...
terminal in West Vancouver. As the site of the main ferry terminal, Nanaimo is the gateway to many other destinations both on the island — Tofino
Tofino, British Columbia
Tofino is a district of about 1,650 residents on the west coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada, located at the western terminus of Highway 4, on the tip of the Esowista Peninsula, at the southern edge of Clayoquot Sound....
, Comox Valley
Comox Valley
The Comox Valley is a region on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada that includes the city of Courtenay, the town of Comox, the village of Cumberland, and the unincorporated settlements of Royston, Union Bay, Fanny Bay, Black Creek and Merville. The communities of Denman...
, Campbell River
Campbell River, British Columbia
Campbell River is a coastal city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the important coastal Inside Passage shipping route...
, Port Alberni, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park
Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park
Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park is a provincial park in Parksville, British Columbia, Canada.-Rathtrevor Beach Nature House:Rathtrevor Beach Nature House is a nature centre located in the park and operated by RLC Enterprize...
— and off its coast — Newcastle Island, Protection Island
Protection Island (Nanaimo)
Protection Island is a small island located 1.5 km north-east of downtown Nanaimo, BC, Canada. There are no paved roads on the little island. Some residents move about the island in golf carts, others with cars, but most walk. Locals frequently transport their groceries from the community dock...
, Gabriola Island
Gabriola Island
Gabriola Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia, in British Columbia , Canada. Gabriola lies about east of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, to which it is linked by ferry...
, Valdes Island
Valdes Island
Valdes Island is one of the Gulf Islands located in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada. It is across Porlier Pass from Galiano Island, which lies to the southeast. It has an area of 23 km2, and is 1.6 km wide by 16 km in length...
, and many other of the Gulf Islands
Gulf Islands
The Gulf Islands are the islands in the Strait of Georgia , between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada....
.
Climate
Nanaimo does receive snow, but on a year to year basis this is not predictable. Like the Lower Mainland, there is enough rain during the wet season such that what snow does fall on southern Vancouver Island does not generally last long except at higher elevations.Transportation
Nanaimo is served by three airports: Nanaimo AirportNanaimo Airport
Nanaimo Airport, , is located south southeast of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.The airport is classified as an airport of entry by NAV CANADA and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency...
with services to Vancouver, Nanaimo Harbour Water Airport with services to Vancouver harbour, and Nanaimo/Long Lake Water Airport. Nanaimo also has three BC Ferry terminals located at Departure Bay
Departure Bay, British Columbia
Departure Bay is a bay in central Nanaimo, British Columbia, on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The surrounding neighbourhood is also referred to as "Departure Bay"—once a settlement of its own, it was amalgamated into the City of Nanaimo in the 1970s .- Geography :The bay is framed to the...
, Duke Point
Duke Point, British Columbia
Duke Point is a geographical location in the extreme southeastern part of the city of Nanaimo in British Columbia. It is located on a thin peninsula to the east of the Nanaimo River estuary, just across the Northumberland Channel from Gabriola Island. Located at Duke Point is a major industrial...
, and downtown. The downtown terminal services Gabriola Island
Gabriola Island
Gabriola Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia, in British Columbia , Canada. Gabriola lies about east of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, to which it is linked by ferry...
while Departure Bay and Duke Point service Horseshoe Bay
Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver, British Columbia
Horseshoe Bay is a West Vancouver community of about 1,000 permanent residents. Situated right on the western tip of West Vancouver, at the entrance to Howe Sound, the village marks the western end of Highway 1 on the British Columbia mainland....
and Tsawwassen
Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal
The Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal is a major transportation facility in Delta, British Columbia. It is located on a three kilometre man-made causeway off the mainland at Tsawwassen and is less than 500 metres from the 49th parallel, Canada's border with the United States...
respectively. There is also regular passenger train service south to Victoria and north to Courtenay
Courtenay, British Columbia
Courtenay is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the largest city in the area commonly known as the Comox Valley, and it is the seat of the Comox Valley Regional District which replaced the Comox-Strathcona Regional District...
along the E and N Railway
E and N Railway
The Southern Railway of Vancouver Island is in length, and is one of two remaining railways on Vancouver Island, the other being the Englewood Railway. The railroad runs from Victoria to Courtenay, with a branch line from Parksville to Port Alberni...
.
Highways 1, 19 and 19A traverse the city. Bus service in the city is provided by Nanaimo Regional Transit
Nanaimo Regional Transit
Nanaimo Regional Transit System provides both conventional bus service and special needs paratransit services within the Regional District of Nanaimo in British Columbia, Canada...
.
Demographics
Nanaimo had a population of 78,692 people in 2006, which was an increase of 7.8% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Nanaimo was $45,937, which is below the British Columbia provincial average of $52,709.Economy
H. R. MacMillan
Harvey Reginald MacMillan, CC, CBE was a Canadian forester, forestry industrialist, wartime administrator, and philanthropist....
. Today the pulp mill is owned by the employees and local investors and injects well over half a million dollars a day into the local economy. The largest employer is the provincial government. The service, retail and tourism industries are also big contributors to the local economy.
A recent surge of higher-density real estate development, centred in the Old City/Downtown area, as well as construction of a city-funded waterfront conference centre, have proven controversial. Proponents of these developments argue that they will bolster the city's economy, while critics worry that they will block waterfront views and increase traffic congestion. Concerns have also been raised about the waterfront conference centre's construction running over its proposed budget. The current council is working hard to solve homeless issues, and has established a strong relationship with the provincial government to provide several hundred low-income housing spaces. Nanaimo has also been experiencing job growth in the technology sector.
Media outlets
CIVI-TV
CIVI-DT, also known as CTV Two Vancouver Island, is a television station based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Currently owned by Bell Media, the station serves the Vancouver Island area, and operates as part of the CTV Two system...
(CTV Victoria, cable channel 12) and a satellite office for CHEK-TV
CHEK-TV
CHEK-DT, channel 6.1, is a television station based in Victoria, British Columbia and broadcasting to all of southwestern BC...
(Independent, cable channel 6).
Nanaimo is also served by the Jim Pattison Group
Jim Pattison Group
The Jim Pattison Group is Canada’s third largest privately held company and, in a recent survey by the Financial Post, The Jim Pattison Group was ranked as Canada’s 62nd largest company. Jim Pattison, a Vancouver-based entrepreneur is the Chairman, President, CEO, and sole owner of the Jim Pattison...
's CHWF-FM
CHWF-FM
CHWF-FM is a Canadian radio station located in Nanaimo, British Columbia, operating on 106.9 FM under the ownership of Jim Pattison Group division Island Radio.-History:...
and CKWV-FM
CKWV-FM
CKWV-FM is a Canadian radio station located in Nanaimo, British Columbia. It broadcasts on 102.3 FM and is owned by Island Radio, a division of the Jim Pattison Group.-History:...
, as well as CHLY-FM
CHLY-FM
CHLY 101.7 FM is a community and campus radio station based in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. The station is funded in part by students of the Vancouver Island University....
, an independent community campus radio
Campus radio
Campus radio is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively by students, or may include programmers from the wider community in which the radio station is based...
station. CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
is heard over CBU
CBU (AM)
CBU is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio One network in Vancouver, British Columbia. The station broadcasts from Steveston on 690 AM and from Mount Seymour on 88.1 FM....
from Vancouver, but with no local content for Nanaimo itself.
Federal
In the Canadian House of CommonsCanadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
, Nanaimo is represented by the riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
s of Nanaimo—Cowichan
Nanaimo—Cowichan
Nanaimo—Cowichan is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988...
(Jean Crowder
Jean Crowder
Jean A. Crowder is a Canadian politician, who has been an MP since 2004.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Crowder received a degree in psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario....
, New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
) and Nanaimo—Alberni
Nanaimo—Alberni
Nanaimo—Alberni is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 1988...
(James Lunney
James Lunney
James D. Lunney is a Canadian politician. He is the current Conservative Member of Parliament for the riding of Nanaimo—Alberni....
, Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
).
Provincial
In the Legislative Assembly of British ColumbiaLegislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
, Nanaimo is represented by the ridings of Nanaimo (Leonard Krog
Leonard Krog
Leonard Krog is a Canadian politician and lawyer in British Columbia. He was first elected in the 1991 general election representing the riding of Parksville-Qualicum in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and served as a backbencher in the Mike Harcourt NDP government. He ran for...
, British Columbia New Democratic Party) and Nanaimo-Parksville (Ron Cantelon
Ron Cantelon
Ron Cantelon was re-elected on to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada, May 12 2009 in the riding of Parksville-Qualicum as a member of the BC Liberal Party caucus....
, British Columbia Liberal Party
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
).
Civic
The mayor of Nanaimo is currently John RuttanJohn Ruttan
-Background:Ruttan was born in Anchorage, Alaska and later moved with his parents to Victoria, British Columbia. He was educated at Monterey Elementary School, Oak Bay Secondary School and Victoria College. He has lived in the Nanaimo area for over 45 years....
, who was preceded by Gary Korpan. The most colourful and famous mayor Nanaimo ever had was Frank J. Ney
Frank J. Ney
Frank James Ney was a mayor of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, serving for twenty-one years. Ney also served a term as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia...
, who instigated Nanaimo's well-known bathtub races, which he regularly attended dressed as a pirate. There is a statue to commemorate Ney — dressed in his pirate costume — and the bathtub races at Swy-a-Lana Lagoon, which is on the Nanaimo waterfront; Ney was also an MLA for the Social Credit party while he was also mayor. An elementary school has been named in his honour. Mark Bate became Nanaimo's first mayor in 1875. He served an additional 15 1-year terms as mayor (1876-1879, 1881-1886, 1888-1889, and 1898-1900).
Open Government
The city's planning department has, over the past five years, steadilyproduced enough municipal data to warrant a Time magazine article on open-government. Nanaimo has been dubbed 'the capital of Google Earth'.
Working directly with Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
, the city fed it a wealth of information about its buildings, property lines, utilities and streets. The result is earth.nanaimo.ca, a wealth of city data viewed through the Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
3D mapping program.
http://www.nanaimo.ca/datafeeds/
Education
Nanaimo has over 30 elementary and secondary schools, most of which are public and are operated by School District 68 Nanaimo-LadysmithSchool District 68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith
School District 68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith is a school district on central Vancouver Island in British Columbia. This includes the major centres of Nanaimo and Ladysmith...
.
The main campus of Vancouver Island University is located in Nanaimo, which brings many international students to the city.
Sprott-Shaw Community College, a private post-secondary institution, also has a campus in the city.
Arts
The Nanaimo Art Gallery has two locations, and showcases works by many artists year round.The Port Theater in downtown Nanaimo hosts many performers and shows during the year. A huge component of the underground music scene in Nanaimo is from the student body of Vancouver Island University.The Nanaimo Blues Society has organized and presented five highly successful, Summertime Blues! festivals. These outdoor Blues festivals have been held in downtown Nanaimo featuring local, provincial, national and internationally renowned Blues musicians.
Culture
The Nanaimo barNanaimo bar
The Nanaimo bar is a dessert of Canadian origin popular across North America. The Nanaimo bar is a bar cookie which requires no baking, and is named after the West-Coast city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. It consists of a wafer crumb-based layer, topped by a layer of light vanilla or custard...
which is a no bake cookie bar, is a Canadian dessert named after Nanaimo, elected as "Canada's Favorite Confection" due in part to the bar's popularity in Nanaimo.
Sports
- Nanaimo is home to the Canadian Junior Football LeagueCanadian Junior Football LeagueThe Canadian Junior Football League is a national amateur Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in six provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl...
's Vancouver Island RaidersVancouver Island RaidersThe Vancouver Island Raiders are a Canadian Junior Football team based in Nanaimo, British Columbia. The Raiders play in the eight-team B.C. Football Conference, which itself is part of the Canadian Junior Football League and competes annually for the national title known as the Canadian Bowl...
, who play at Caledonia Park. - Nanaimo is home to the British Columbia Hockey LeagueBritish Columbia Hockey LeagueThe British Columbia Hockey League is a Junior "A" ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada, a subsection of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 16 teams. These teams play in two conferences, known as the Coastal and the Interior...
's Nanaimo ClippersNanaimo ClippersThe Nanaimo Clippers are a Junior "A" Ice Hockey team based in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Coastal Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League...
and to the Western Lacrosse AssociationWestern Lacrosse AssociationThe Western Lacrosse Association is an amateur league of men's Senior A box lacrosse sanctioned by the Canadian Lacrosse Association. It consists of seven teams, based in cities throughout southwestern British Columbia. Each year, the playoff teams battle for the right to compete against the...
's Nanaimo TimbermenNanaimo TimbermenThe Nanaimo Timbermen are a Senior A box lacrosse club, based in Nanaimo, British Columbia. The team competes in the 7-team Western Lacrosse Association ....
, both of which play at the Frank Crane ArenaFrank Crane ArenaThe Frank Crane Arena is a 3,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Nanaimo, British Columbia. It is home to the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League and the Nanaimo Timbermen of the Western Lacrosse Association....
. - The Nanaimo Pirates, of the B.C. Premier Baseball LeagueB.C. Premier Baseball LeagueThe British Columbia Premier Baseball League, commonly referred to as the BCPBL or the PBL, is a competitive youth baseball league consisting of 13 teams located throughout British Columbia, Canada...
(BCPBL), play at Serauxmen Stadium. - The Nanaimo United, of the Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL), play at Mearle Logan Turf FieldMearle Logan Turf FieldThe Mearle Logan Turf Field was constructed in the year 2007 as the first turf field in the city of Nanaimo. The field is the first one on the site. There are plans to put a second one in right next to it, but costs have delayed the project. There is a restroom facility in between what will be the...
in Beban Park. - The Nanaimo BMX Association, sanctioned by the ABA - American Bicycle Association races at Beban Park.
- The Nanaimo Hornets RFC home ground is at Pioneer Park.
- The city also is home to The Nanaimo Riptides Swim Team, That Practice at the Nanaimo Aquatic Center (NAC)
- The Nanaimo Rowing Club of Nanaimo practices on Long Lake
- There is also a synchronized swimming team The Nanaimo Diamonds
- The Nanaimo Track and Field club call the Rotary Bowl home.
- Football Nanaimo plays at Pioneer Park.
- The Harbour City Rollers women's flat track roller derby league, play at the Nanaimo Ice Centre (NIC)
Notable residents
- Alfred George Richard "Red" CarrAl CarrAlfred George Richard “Red” Carr was a Canadian ice hockey left winger, who spent eight seasons playing Senior hockey before playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League in 1943. He played junior hockey for the Winnipeg Junior Falcons. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba...
, father of Gene CarrGene CarrGene Carr may refer to:* Gene Carr early 20th century comic strip artist* Gene Carr professional hockey player...
, who played 8 seasons of senior hockey before he played NHL Hockey in 1943 for the Toronto Maple LeafsToronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. When he retired he coached hockey for the Vancouver Island Amateur League and was posthumously selected to be inducted into the Nanaimo Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 - Gene CarrGene CarrGene Carr may refer to:* Gene Carr early 20th century comic strip artist* Gene Carr professional hockey player...
, NHL Hockey Player drafted by St. Louis BluesSt. Louis BluesThe St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...
(1st round, 4th overall of the 1971 NHL Amateur draft), New York RangersNew York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, L.A. Kings, Pittsburgh PenguinsPittsburgh PenguinsThe Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
and Atlanta FlamesAtlanta FlamesThe Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from 1972 to 1980. The team, a member of the National Hockey League , was relocated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the start of the 1980–81 NHL season and were re-named the Calgary Flames. The NHL returned to the... - Cameron BrightCameron BrightCameron Bright is a Canadian actor. He has appeared in the films Godsend, Birth, Running Scared, Ultraviolet, X-Men: The Last Stand, Thank You for Smoking and three installments of The Twilight Saga.-Life and career:Bright was born in Victoria, British Columbia; he was given his middle name,...
, child actor - Justin ChatwinJustin ChatwinJustin Chatwin is a Canadian film actor. He played the son of Tom Cruise's character in the Steven Spielberg-directed War of the Worlds, a leading role in the 2007 mystery/thriller The Invisible, and Goku in Dragonball Evolution...
, actor - Jimmy ClaxtonJimmy ClaxtonJimmy Claxton was a black baseball pitcher, and the first black man to play organized white baseball in the twentieth century....
, Black baseball pitcher who broke the U.S. baseball color line - Raymond CollishawRaymond CollishawAir Vice Marshal Raymond Collishaw CB, DSO & Bar, OBE, DSC, DFC, RAF was a distinguished Canadian fighter pilot, squadron leader, and commanding officer who served in the Royal Naval Air Service and later the Royal Air Force. He was the highest scoring RNAS flying ace and the second highest...
, one of the highest scoring British Aces of WWI, ranking overall third in the British Empire with 60 confirmed kills - Peter CroftPeter Croft (climber)-External links:*...
, rock climber, free solo - Allison CroweAllison CroweAllison Louise Crowe is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist from Nanaimo, British Columbia who lives in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, communities spanning the breadth of Canada....
, singer-songwriter and pianist - John DeSantisJohn DeSantisJohn DeSantis is a Canadian actor, perhaps best known as Lurch in the 1998–99 Fox Family production of The Addams Family, entitled The New Addams Family. This role was originally portrayed by Ted Cassidy. He is 206 cm tall. Because of his great height, he has been recognised as one of the...
, actor - Jodelle FerlandJodelle FerlandJodelle Micah Ferland is a Canadian actress, best known for her portrayal of Sharon and Alessa in the 2006 horror film Silent Hill, Mary Jensen in the 2004 miniseries Kingdom Hospital and her portrayal of Bree Tanner in the The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.-Life and career:Ferland was born in Nanaimo,...
, child actress - David GogoDavid GogoDavid Gogo , is a Canadian blues guitarist who is currently signed to the Cordova Bay Records label.David Gogo is the cousin of Trooper keyboardist Paul Gogo.-History:...
, blues guitarist - GogoGogo (Canadian musician)Gogo is a Canadian rock-and-roll keyboard player, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for being the keyboardist of the Canadian rock band Trooper...
, keyboardist for the rock band TrooperTrooper (band)Trooper is a Juno Award winning Canadian rock band that developed from a group formed by vocalist Ramon McGuire and guitarist Brian Smith in 1975... - Ashleigh HarringtonAshleigh HarringtonAshleigh Harrington is a Canadian actress from Nanaimo, British Columbia. She has acted in Black Friday, Let the Game Begin and The Girls on Film. Harrington is also a creator and producer of The Girls on Film with actor Jeff Hammond. In 2011, Harrington won Best Acting in a Trek Viral Video from...
, actress - Diana KrallDiana KrallDiana Jean Krall, OC, OBC is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 6 million albums in the US and over 15 million worldwide; altogether, she has sold more albums than any other female jazz artist during the 1990s and 2000s...
, jazz pianist and vocalist - Tim LanderTim LanderTim Lander is a Canadian poet .Born in Surrey, England, he studied at the University of London. In 1964, Lander emigrated to Canada....
, poet - Cory MonteithCory MonteithCory Allan Monteith is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.-Early life:...
, actor - Shane SutcliffeShane SutcliffeShane Sutcliffe is a former Canadian boxing champion. He is referred to as "Kid Thunder" by his fans.-Career:Sutcliffe was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, before moving to Nanaimo, British Columbia at the age of 12.After winning 22 "Toughman...
, boxer - David Essig, musician
- Kirsten SweetlandKirsten SweetlandKirsten Sweetland is a professional Canadian triathlete, the Junior World Champion of the year 2006, and the 2010 U23 World Championship silver medalist....
, triathlete
Sister cities
Nanaimo has one sister city.Iwatsuki-ku
Iwatsuki-ku, Saitama
is a ward of Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan since April 1, 2005 when the city of Iwatsuki was incorporated into Saitama City.-Population and area:The first population count was held on July 1, 2006 and the ward had an estimated population of 111,723...
, Saitama City
Saitama, Saitama
' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...
, Saitama Prefecture
Saitama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(1996)