5 Annoying things about Nanaimo | Warnings About Nanaimo BC 

Hi Scott, Interesting video thank you. As far as cell service on Hammond Bay Road and surrounding area is concerned, during the early 2010's Telus wanted to put an antenna on the flats off Hammond Bay Road but the local residents complained that it was too close to a school. Then Telus wanted to put one in Piper's Pub parking lot, but that was objected to because it was there was a Salmon spawning stream there. Telus then basically gave because there was not a consensus about where would be acceptable, just objections. So we only have ourselves to blame. At that time we lived by the intersection of Lost Lake Road and Laguna Way, so we would have benefited, and were well aware of this going on. I may be slightly out on the date period but I'm sure that I'm pretty close. Best regards, Nigel Appleby

Totally agree. It reminds me of when I was new to Nanaimo - while driving around using Google Maps, there are certain parts of town, where Google would get lost due to poor cellphone signals, and directed me going in circles.

100 agree with all the points you mentioned...Nanaimo really need some downtown personality like Victoria has.

Enjoyed watching your videos, interesting

Thanks for sharing!

100% agree!..be nice to have an amusement parks for everyone where Nanaimo becomes popular and known for...a flower park or cherry tree blossom parks.. where people comes to see it every year! Just a few idea to think about...

Nooo! Don’t tell anyone about the Parkway. It’s our secret roadway to north Nanaimo. The MOST annoying thing is City Council’s approval of high density housing in every neighborhood including those originally zoned R1. No wonder we’re known as Surrey by the Sea. You also did not mention the dreadful population of drug addicts in the south end and spreading like a cancer to the Central and north parts.

You are so right

I don’t care about the EnN but how about the street name changes - like 5 different Pine St or the intersection of Pine, Bruce, Fitzwilliam and Third. Also, I drive around Bowen park about five times a day either via Wall Street or Bush.

How about taking some of those empty lots downtown and hiring someone to build little sleeping huts where homeless can stay and make a community garden. They can work-trade and get to partake of the garden produce! They could help build the domiciles too, for themselves. Investing energy in building something means you’ll take good care of it! 😇✨🙏

How about finding a solution for the homeless? Revitalizing downtown requires 1) keeping drug treatment centers on the outskirts of the city and not in neighbourhoods. I know access is a problem, but 2) the entire homeless problem has to be dealt with on specially owned land on the outskirts where people are house, treated, trained, and generally sorted. Everything else, like cell service and empty lots, is second to that. Thanks for the video.

Great video (as always). New Hammond Bay resident - ugh the cell service is dreadful. And unsafe - I couldn’t call 911 when I witnessed an accident?

The city with no pity was worse before they had the Parkway...count your blessings to even have it...I agree I hate the lights...but maybe less people;) DT core has always been rough...really rough now...and I wish they kept the older buildings...but that is an issue in Vancouver and Victoria as well...plus the locals have fled the DT back in the 90's. You don't know how to turn on 99.3 the Fox?...Wow generations are soft nowadays....I grew up with a yellow phone on the wall...what cell service;) Rail service I agree...bring it back and build hubs where tourists can go at least in the summer...maybe a new fast ferry will help with that...but after the previous past 5 failures...not quite sure about that yet...Empty lots might be improved by more investment...which a realtor would love;)

Personally, I have no complaints about the Parkway. You get from one end of Nanaimo (Cedar turnoff) to the other (Woodgrove) in 10-15 minutes or less. Lights included. Before the Parkway was built, that time was easily doubled. Yes, Jingle Pot Road is a lot more pleasant to drive on than the highway, but if everyone started taking that route the residents and farmers wouldn't be loving the traffic. (I have to admit though, that I also prefer the road less travelled when possible.) We are lucky in Nanaimo in that we have several major arteries to choose from that prevent any serious rush hour blockages.

Nanaimo grows on you over time. It's home now.... Not perfect, but full of surprises and potential.

Speaking of driving, I hate that there are so many places where you're supposed to be able to merge with another street when turning right....there are so many place that you approach on an angle so it's hard to see what's coming to your left and there are many places like this that should have a merge lane but don't. (you just have to get to know where these dangerous intersections are after time)

When the dayliner (E&N train) used to run years ago, it used to be pretty much empty. Which was why it shut down. There is not enough population on this island to justify the cost of rebuilding that rail line and the cost of maintaining that rail line. Up and down the island at a fixed time once a day is not convenient for anyone looking for anything other than a "tourist" trip, and people just don't do that often enough to keep the train running. Long-time island residents have seen the results. It was mostly empty. Sad but true. A very expensive dream. What would serve us all much better would be to turn it into a trail.

Something I feel that is needed in downtown Nanaimo is a higher police presence. There is a relatively large RCMP detachment located at Fitzwilliam and Prideaux, across from the Old City Quarter, but that detachment appears to have a much wider area of responsibilty than the city of Nanaimo, as you would expect. Given that situation, the detachment is able to provide only limited coverage to the downtown, which is just not enough. I do not blame the RCMP for this situation. I think that the City of Nanaimo needs to take more responsibility for police coverage around the downtown, where there are regular break-ins in businesses, risks of assault and even robbery to people visiting the downtown for shopping, using restaurants, as well as visiting our local museums, theatre and art gallery, and just exploring the downtown and waterfront. The situation downtown is just not safe and most residents and visitors tend to avoid the downtown. If you arrive by highway, ferry or plane, most visitors and city residents learn to avoid the downtown as much as possible. The widely held perception that downtown is not very safe is common, and will not change until the City of Nanaimo invests in a full-time police presence 24/7, whether that comes in a new agreement with the RCMP or the establishment of a City of Nanaimo police department covering the downtown, at least. I think this situation is a pity because Nanaimo's downtown has a great little main street, in Commercial Street, with a range of local shops and restaurants, two local museums, the art gallery, the main branch of the public library, as well as the Port Theatre nearby. It also has several relatively large hotels. And, I have not even mentioned the walkable waterfront and park. All these could thrive and probably attract more investment and visitors, if the city made it a priority to transform the downtown into a safer area. I am sure this would not be a simple or easy process, but the City of Nanaimo needs it.

save on food set terminal Avenue building is emptyed. The other shops are too! I also want Nanaimo as 6. To have more special need homes. For people who may want to live in the suites.

I love nanaimo ❤❤❤

I live in the Departure Bay area and everyday drive thru the beach area . This area has become the unrecognized "meeting place" of Nanaimo, There are always people enjoying the beach, having a coffee or just meeting up with friends. There's a small kids park, but that is the only recreational activity available on the beach. What's always stumped me, is a children's waterpark was built a block away hidden from any tourist or non resident. But what's worse is the scrub land that the old Amriko's has become. This building burned down many years ago and the empty, unkempt lot is an eyesore to what is a Nanaimo Gem - Departure Bay Beach. There is also a site directly across the Drip Coffee shop that is a wasteland barricaded by a dirt hedge.

Sure take Jinglepot road but remember the speed limit is between 50-60K NOT 80-90K, its not a secondary highway. I live in that area and the traffic has quadrupled in the last 5 yrs the speeding is out of control (as it is everywhere in Nanaimo) no sidewalks at all just a ditch or tree, kids dogs deer horses bicyclists school zones etc, one of the most dangerous roads to be an ass on, tailgate me and I'll slow to the exact speed limit.

Nanaimo has always been funky....esp downtown🎉

There is only one light between the 2 jingle pot entrances 😅

The Hammond Bay Road by bus is very, very annoying!! It's a long bus ride, 25 minutes, and then your celllphone fizzles out.........with such crappy bus service, especially sundays, and you cant call a cab, or check on your phone when the next bus shows up...its very frustrating!! That's why I want to move to Victoria!!

How’s the humidity when it’s 36C?

Nanaimo has been working on its downtown revitalization since the 70’s, doubt if it will ever happen.

I have a budget of USD$ 5 million. Will I be able to afford a waterfront home in Nanaimo?

Naniamo Council should be hiring you. It could be an amazing place if they did all you say. Councils have always annoyed me, who works at these places !

E&N needs to be a MUT. We'll never have the population for trains here. Ottawa spent 8 billion for 20km of unreliable rail transit. Double the price trying to do it for Victoria alone, let alone up to Nanaimo. But as a not very hilly MUT it would be hugely popular I think. I'd love to get on my bicycle and ride car-free to Duncan, camp, then on to Nanaimo etc.

Ha, ha, I love it ... a relator complaining about Nanaimo. I'm 72 years old and was born in N'naimo and have lived here all my life. I believe relators and the real estate "industry' have done more to create the problems he refers to that anyone else. But then 'developers' have messed up pretty much the whole world in their quest for profit and money. Carry on ruining everything and then complain about the mess you made.

Some people hug the left lane.🤣

Get to Beautiful Qualicum Beach if your early enough you'll find 20 + motor homes Peeps living in them as peeps can't afford rent any where on the Island Not just drug addicts living on the streets on Vancover Island 😢😢 😡😡

The is.and won't change much it even like this designed for a reason people save their whole life's to move to live here UT don't know about the behavior of local governments world economic form has sponsored Nanaimo and this change but it won't be Wan anyone wants gatekeeping at its best

Number 6: every light is a green arrow. At all times of the day. Don’t you put your “island driving” agenda on me Nanaimo. Haha

The 6th. thing we need is a decent police force not the RCMP.

You are truly overwhelmed by first world problems! 😢

As a recent day tourist I thought Nanaimo a pretty town but somewhat sleepy. I visited on a Friday in May and had lunch at a restaurant on Commercial Street. We had finished our meal but were told they were closing (for the day) at 3pm. The wife shopped while I had coffee on the same street enjoying a table outdoors. After sitting for a while I noticed the tables/chairs being taking inside and was told they closed (for the day) at 4pm. The harbor area is pretty and I think you can hang out there past five pm though am not sure. Nice place to visit though doubt there's much nightlife.

The island life won't be what your promoting. Keep going on and you'll see nothing but mainland life.

2. I want Nanaimo, to also put in a 2. Burger King.

After all of that you will have something to complain about. Unaffordable taxes.

A very car centric critic of the most car centric city in North America.

Man you sure complain a lot about Nanaimio empty lots are over the country, maybe you should run for mayor.

For someone who loves living on the island you complain alot.

Hey Scott number one annoying thing about Nanimo dudes whining on the Internet like you

I dunno.. billions on a railway? As someone who is a homeowner I can say.. why waste the money?? I am in the uk right now and we’ll we are lucky. I also thinkt this channel caters to the rich (which I am.. but let’s be real) money needs to go elsewhere. Things that annoy me about Nanaimo? How even the hardest working can’t live here unless they have a lot of money. Not shocked a realtor made this video!

Yep Vancouver Island may be be beautiful, but don't move here because the locals are really annoying, and don't much like change. If you do come here, do so because you like it, not because you want to change it.

some good ideas but not the railway. No reason for it .Lets build RV spots you can live on year around for us poor people