Strong Towns Nanaimo in the Media & Public Appearances

We meet with the media to talk about housing reform, safe streets, and financial resiliency. If you want to inquire about a media appearance, email [email protected] to get started.

CBC News
Video

City of Nanaimo looking at long-term parking needs

The City of Nanaimo is looking at long-term parking needs and strategies, as it seeks to help remove red tape around housing developments especially in the downtown area. As Claire Palmer reports, it's one of a handful of areas that have been earmarked as key centres for residential development.

CBC News Jul 20th, 2025
Strong Towns
Article

Why This Canadian City Said Goodbye to Parking Mandates (And How It Really Happened)

Strong Towns features Nanaimo's successful campaign to abolish parking mandates downtown, highlighting the 8-1 council vote and the community organizing work of Strong Towns Nanaimo. The article details how parking minimums were creating economic barriers and how removing them opens opportunities for more housing and small businesses.

Strong Towns August 12th, 2025
CBC Ideas
Video

Why Conversation Is Key In Fighting Polarization And Helping Democracy

Ideas host Nahlah Ayed speaks with residents of Edmonton about the importance of engaging in conversation with others in real life amidst polarization. They explore what polarization actually is, and when it's a positive or negative aspect of our democratic discourse — specifically during an election cycle.

CBC Ideas April 19th, 2025
Bottom-Up Shorts
Podcast

How To Remove Parking Mandates in Your Downtown

In this episode of Bottom-Up Shorts, host Norm Van Eeden Petersman is joined by Michael Bassili, one of the leaders of Strong Towns Nanaimo, a Local Conversation group based in British Columbia, Canada. Bassili explains how his Local Conversation created a parking campaign that convinced their city council to vote 8-1 to eliminate parking mandates in their downtown.

Bottom-Up Shorts January 20th, 2025
CHLY
Article

Parking Day

In downtown Nanaimo, Park(ing) Day was observed by Strong Towns Nanaimo and Master of Community Planning (MCP) students from Vancouver Island University who created two 'parklets' in front of the Vancouver Island Literary Center and Cold Front Gelato on Commercial Street.

CHLY September 20th, 2024
CHLY Midcoast Morning
Radio

Parking Minimums

Midcoast Morning speaks with Caelen Middleton of Strong Towns Nanaimo about parking minimums, and James Knight with the City of Nanaimo about the construction project underway on Commercial Street.

CHLY Midcoast Morning September 13th, 2024
CBC News
Video

Pedestrian Deaths Spike In Nanaimo

Michael Bassili and Deraek Menard speak to CBC News about the recent spike in pedestrian deaths in Nanaimo and what can be done to prevent them.

CBC News April 14th, 2024
On The Island with Gregor Craigie
Radio

Pedestrian Deaths On The Rise

Co-founder of Strong Towns Nanaimo Michael Bassili believes streets need to be people focused rather than car focused, because pedestrian fatalities are preventable.

On The Island with Gregor Craigie March 26th, 2024
Climate911
Podcast

Strong Towns Nanaimo with Michael Bassili

In this episode, we sit down with Michael Bassili, co-founder of Strong Towns Nanaimo. We discuss what lead him and his partner to start Strong Towns Nanaimo, what they hope to achieve, ways to improve home affordability, and more.

Climate911 October 20th, 2023
CBC
Video

Vancouver Island Residents Advocate for Affordable Housing

People on Vancouver Island are hoping to see some action as the province unveils new building targets for municipalities. Claire Palmer is in Nanaimo, hearing from advocates who say the construction of 'missing middle' housing is critical.

CBC October 2nd, 2023
On The Island with Gregor Craigie
Radio

Missing Middle Housing in Nanaimo

Kathryn Marlow spoke with Michael Bassili, one of the founders of Strong Towns Nanaimo, a community group interested in urban planning and development.

On The Island with Gregor Craigie August 2nd, 2023