Personal
National Coming Out Day
My Facebook feed tells me that today is “National Coming Out Day” and as a self-identified “professional gay” I thought it’d be good to write a little post. I consider myself visibly gay. ...
Tag: Vancouver Island
Foster Care and Adoption
Vancouver Island University launches first-of-its-kind tuition waiver for former youth in care
Youth who grew up in foster care are welcome and wanted at university. So says Vancouver Island University (VIU) in Nanaimo which recently announced that they would waive tuition fees for former youth...
Personal
![August 25, 1993 Dear Nathaniel, Thank you very much for your kind letter. It is always a pleasure for me to receive mail from young people such as you. My colleagues and I now look forward to building an even brighter future for all Canadians. We recognize the responsibility we have to you as part of the generation who will be affected most by the decisions we make today, and I appreciate your support. For your interest, I have enclosed a package on Canada's symbols which I hope you will enjoy. With warm regards, Yours sincerely, [signed] Kim Campbell](https://www.nathaniel.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/letterfromkimcampbell.jpg)
My letter from Kim Campbell!
When I was 12 I received a letter from the Right Honourable Kim Campbell who served as Prime Minister of Canada from 25 June 1993 until 4 Nov. 1993. “It looks like you got something from Ottawa here,”...
Licorice ice cream
Have you ever had licorice ice cream? It’s my favourite flavour but it’s so darn hard to find so I was absolutely thrilled to learn that my neighbourhood ice cream place, Gleburn Soda Foun...
Personal
Fifteen years as a journalist
I have been a journalist for 15 years today. On this date in 1998 the first issue of the Mind’s Eye, a youth newspaper in my hometown of Nanaimo, British Columbia, was published. I was part of the you...
Travel
Nathaniel in Quebec!
As some of you may know I recently returned from a week-long trip to Quebec. I went out there to be with one of my dearest friends as she celebrated her 30th birthday. She recently moved to Que...
Whitney Houston’s impact on my life [video]
I think I first heard the song “Greatest Love of All” when I needed that love most. It was 1992 and I was in foster care. The love, support, and stability I needed came to an abrupt end every time the...
Building a gazebo on Vancouver Island
This weekend my friend Dave and I worked on a gazebo in his mother’s back yard. When I say “worked” I actually mean “constructed”. His mother lives in a secluded area just north of Nanaimo. He needed ...
Epic fail at the Dinghy Dock Pub
I was in Nanaimo this weekend visiting friends. I had a wonderful time for most of the trip. Unfortunately, I had the worst restaurant experience of my life. I have this strange phobia of being held ...
Taking the train from Ladysmith
I’m going to visit my friend Yuri in Ladysmith this weekend… he’s the older brother of my friend Geordie. It’s a lovely seaside community just south of Nanaimo. About 7,500 peo...