BOUQUET To the service companies that respond to prospective customers who leave a phone or digital message requesting their service even if your response is that you cannot take on additional work. To those companies that do not respond at all, you are demonstrating your lack of respect for future customers.
BEEF A gynecologist who last saw a patient in 2019 was going to perform a procedure in 2022 without even re-evaluating the patient in her office before surgery. A lot of things can change in three years.
BOUQUET Shout out to the bus driver going down Fifth Street at Howard Avenue. I didn’t see the bus coming and I drove across Fifth right in front of it. Hope everyone was OK.
BEEF To all the aimless daily ‘tourers’ on motorcycles. You are wasting your money, contributing mindlessly to the climate change disaster, and off-the-scale noisy.
BOUQUET To city planners for the award-winning ‘complete streets’ design of Metral Drive. What a huge safety improvement for all users and as the completed section shows it is turning a dumpy street into one of beauty.
BEEF To the counsellor. I told her of a problem I had with a woman who was jealous of me because I could read music. The counsellor’s advice to me was to leave my husband.
BOUQUET To politicians for consistency. Failure to do your job and not keeping your word is a rite of passage.
BEEF To the City of Nanaimo for putting two-hour parking signs all around NRGH neighbourhoods and never enforcing them. I live on Boundary Avenue and can never have friends over because all street parking is taken by NRGH staff.
BOUQUET To all the good people, first responders, and NRGH staff who helped me in regards to my car accident. Your kindness to me will not be forgotten.
BEEF To the ladies who brought their kids to Colliery Dam and released several helium balloons into the sky. I just spent an hour cleaning similar trash from the park. You’re setting a bad example for your kids. Don’t make my job so necessary, please.
BOUQUET To all the young people who are working summer jobs. Thank you for braving your first job experience in Nanaimo’s retail stores, movie theatres, landscaping and garden businesses, etc. And please be kind to them, Nanaimo, as they learn.
BEEF To the federal government. Passports, travel chaos, runaway prices, the list goes on.
BOUQUET To Kat at Staples in the north end, I was in a huge hurry doing a favour for my sister whilst hauling around my one-year-old, and you gave me an easier, quicker, and cheaper option to print off a document. Your customer service skills are top-notch and I can’t thank you enough.
BEEF To the cowardly man in the Tundra who sideswiped my truck and refused to give me his insurance details and took off. A bouquet to the lady who offered to be a witness, also a bouquet to Craftsmen Collision for buffing most of the damage out and avoiding the ICBC claim.
BOUQUET To Health Canada for finally putting the percentage of daily recommended sugar amounts on the nutrition facts area of processed foods.
BEEF Dog owners, remember if you have three or more dogs they run in a pack mentality and you should not bring them to the dog park to avoid any problems for your pets and yourself.
BOUQUET To the local author of Intrabit One World for the fun read. Can’t believe you wrote it in a week. I like how it flows like the poems you speak. Wish you all the peace.
BEEF Why is there still no cellphone service in Hammond Bay area? It’s 2022. Don’t you pay the most for cellular service in the world here in Canada? Yes we do.
BOUQUET To people who complain about restaurants and cafés being too expensive. My entitled friends, you voted for decades of conservative and centrist policies that landed us here. At least you have stable housing.
BEEF To dog owners. If your dog has recently had a vet visit, undergone surgery, or is sick, it’s always best practice to keep your dog away from other random animals until they heal, away from the dog park to avoid any problems with excited pets. As that is the place they go for that type of exercise.
BOUQUET To my family and friends for all your love and support after the passing of our beloved pet Miss Gracie. Thanks for checking in. We are coping but every day is a struggle. We miss her so much.
BEEF To the person beefing about people saying, “no problem” and “no worries.” (Not really beefing with you.) People who often use these terms say them because we just assume it’s expected for the actions or words said prior to using these terms. It’s more or less because what we did wasn’t an inconvenience and we don’t need the thanks although it’s always appreciated. As far as “not bad” goes, it’s literally a way to say how things are going, what if things are neither good nor bad?
BOUQUET To Green Leaf Bistro for being my favourite place for pho. The food is great and the waitress was funny. I enjoyed dinner with my blue-haired girlfriend for company. Liked your impression of friends from L.A. Would go back any day.
BEEF To the cat owners in the Brickyard area who still seem to think that letting their cats wander to other properties to do their business is OK. There is a bylaw to keep your cats to yourself. Best be careful because if they end up in the pound via animal bylaw enforcement, it will cost you to get them back.
BOUQUET To all of the staff at Poke Page 2. You are always so friendly, helpful and welcoming. You serve up great unique food choices with a smile and are ready to translate those unfamiliar ingredients to the uninitiated like me. Thanks for all you do.
BEEF To the organization that took over control of the seniors home, to the families and friends of the seniors who are not fighting for them, and the media who are not following the story.
BOUQUET To the Foothills subdivision development. Absolutely gorgeous homes and lots up there. It’s like the Beverly Hills of Vancouver Island. I’m 21 years old and saving up to live there.
BEEF With the push for increased housing density and retail space, why has city planning reduced the traffic flow on Metral Drive? With the potential vehicle bottlenecks how much will it cost to fix this traffic nightmare?
BOUQUET To Maureen R. of Rewind MedSpa for making me bikini season ready. Can’t wait to head to the beach. Enjoy the sun with your family.
BEEF I am disappointed that a number of businesses feel they need to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I don’t think we need to publicly celebrate someone’s sexual preference. Adults can do what they like but this extends to sexualizing and confusing our children about who they are and I consider that child abuse.
BOUQUET To the crews from Knappett Industries who are putting in new sewer and water lines on my street. They are always pleasant and helpful to residents, directing traffic, letting us know about property incursions and what their plans are. They relocated a large rock they excavated, that I liked, onto my property, and moved a pile of refuse when I needed the parking space. It is a difficult job to excavate and repair infrastructure. I am grateful for the way in which this crew has worked with the residents in such a helpful and supportive way.
BEEF To the Metral Drive traffic dampening project. People are still reporting 100-kilometre-per-hour drivers. That worked out well didn’t it?
BOUQUET To the Thrifty Foods manager, Kevin, who donated a flat of water to help me with handing out bottles of water to the less fortunate when we had our hot days last week. Thank you.
BEEF To the airline for seating parents and small children apart unless they pay an extra fee after already paying full price. It should be illegal to separate children from their parents. Why is this allowed? The gouging going on is sad and disgusting.
BOUQUET To the beefer who wrote about antiquated bylaws and the conduct of bylaw officers.
BEEF To the City of Nanaimo for creating a bottleneck on Metral Drive. You increase the density of business and residential in the area and then reduce the road size. What are you thinking?
BOUQUET To my friend Sue. I was lost after my eviction and you took me in without hesitation. Gave me a safe place to stay, free therapy, shared laughs and tears. Words are not enough. You mean the world to me.
BEEF To dog owners who think it’s OK to leave their dog, or puppy, caged for hours with no proper training. How sad to hear a sentient being cry for hours. I’m sure you all applaud yourself for being such great, human beings and dog owners. Shame on you. Get a goldfish.
BOUQUET To the person who found my small white wallet with my driver’s licence, credit card and cash. Thank you for handing it in to the RCMP. And a big thank you to the RCMP for mailing it out to Comox for me – your detachment was a pleasure to deal with.
BEEF To the furniture store. We sent an e-mail to the general manager and the owner and we did not get responses. It was a letter of concern and an ask to please have a look at the chairs and why we were unhappy. Clearly the store does not stand behind the quality of the furniture it sells. We were loyal customers before this but not now.
BOUQUET To a Thrifty’s staff member who saved my day when she paid the amount of cash which I was short out of her own pocket for my purchase of a very important birthday dessert when the credit card systems were down. Monique’s act of kindness was the best thing to happen to me in a week of bad luck. She is an asset to Thrifty’s store. I will be a faithful shopper there because of this employee.
BEEF Much ballyhoo months ago about catching the graffiti tagger and mandating he remove his work from around town. Why is it then, after all this time anyone driving the Trans-Canada Highway can still see an example of his unlawful work still on the railway overpass? Who was responsible for ensuring his sentence was carried out?
BOUQUET Gratitude to Dr. Eng’s team, Dr. Lajoie, Illona, Janine, Vanessa, Betty, and the kitchen team. I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable NRGH could be after my recent cancer surgery with the wonderful caring attitude of these experts.
BEEF To the handful of councillors able to pedal the serious hills on bike lanes – no tiny ant hillocks to the rest. Sadly, until October election we need to keep our watches pushed back 100 years.
BOUQUET To Dylan E. at Mid-Island Towing who got my Prius running after I let the battery die. Great service and super polite. Thank you.
BEEF To the justice system. Thieves, burglars and criminals run free on our streets but a protest organizer is thrown in jail. Tragic.
BOUQUET To dog owners who take notice that their pet is barking and care that it might be disturbing neighbours.
BEEF To the City of Nanaimo for turning Metral Drive into a traffic nightmare. I will stop shopping in that area just to avoid the congestion.
BOUQUET I left the house without remembering all of my necessary items for work and had no cell service or cash or credit card. As I rushed into Walmart to purchase what I had forgotten, the greeter stopped to let me know that debit and ATM machines were down and it was cash only. As I pondered, this gentleman started to pull out his wallet to offer me cash and started to say I could pay him back next time. I obviously refused and figured something else out. But I needed other people to know about this gentleman’s kindness.
To submit a beef or a bouquet to the Nanaimo News Bulletin, e-mail [email protected].
Beefs and bouquets
link