Craig Evans (L) is presented with the Patron of the City award by Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog during a special ceremony on Jan. 4. (City of Nanaimo)

By Jordan Davidson

local legend

‘Means the world to me:’ longtime Nanaimo community advocate receives Patron of the City award

Jan 6, 2023 | 5:51 AM

NANAIMO — A man who pioneered many recycling, community food and organic farm programs on the mid-Island has received a well-deserved honour.

Craig Evans’ advocacy for the environment and organic food sustainability has impacted Nanaimo for over 30 years, earning him the Patron of the City award, presented during a private ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 4.

The 67-year-old Evans arrived in Nanaimo in 1977 as a homeless and unemployed man with nothing but the possessions on his back and passion in his heart, ready to find a place to call home.

“I hitch-hiked into town when I was 22 years old, landed in Nanaimo, sort of ran aground here in this harbour town, and I lost the taste of being free. I wanted to find my home. I was no longer just going to travel about looking for a home city, a hometown. Nanaimo was perfect, Nanaimo was it.”

One of the first impacts Evans had on the community came in the form of the Nanaimo Recycling Society, which he founded in 1978.

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He said he was immensely proud of having the program as part of his legacy.

“Everyone said recycling would never work. ‘How on earth are you going to pick up recyclables, sell it, and make a dollar?’ And I would always respond, ‘well how does the City pick up garbage, bury it in a hole in the ground, and make that work? That sounds crazier than my attempt here trying to put this material back into the economy.’ And now recycling is so big.”

At the time, his recycling depot was the largest in Canada west of Kitchener, ON, and he operated it until it went bankrupt during the recession of the early 80s.

In 1985, Evans enrolled at Malaspina College to learn how to grow food, sparking another big passion for community food systems and local organic farms.

“It was very healing for me just seeding, transplanting, growing. Every day as a farmer is another day full of hope. You hope for a harvest, you hope for seed germination. You hope the bugs stay at bay and no deer break the fences down. I found my days were extremely hopeful.”

From there he helped found the Nanaimo Community Gardens in 1987 thanks to a $1,200 grant from Island Health.

The group partnered with Nanaimo Community Kitchen and local food banks to improve food security for all residents.

His passions led to forming the Nanaimo Foodshare Society in 1997, and helping co-found the Growing Opportunities Farm Community Co-op in 2009, and the Farmship Growers Cooperative in 2013.

Evans received an Environmental Achievement Award from the City in 1997 and was the director of the Colliery Dam Preservation Society from 2013-2015.

In 2000, he started work at Vancouver Island University as a worksite trainer for the employment and life skills training program.

He was personally called by Mayor Leonard Krog in the New Year to let him know about the award.

“At first I was like, ‘oh the Mayors calling, I wonder if there’s a problem with my taxes'”, Evans said laughing. “He notified me there was a meeting and it was unanimous support…it’s extremely touching to me, and means a lot to me.”

Unfortunately, a diagnosis of terminal illness means Evans is unable to continue with the many projects and boards he’s founded and been a part of for so long.

He said he’s currently at peace with his diagnosis and lives without fear or anxiety.

“Everyone passes. It’s a journey, it’s such a deeply personal inner journey that we fear at certain times and stages of our lives, and we accept at others. Having lived this long, I’ve had friends who wake up Tuesday morning and have a stroke and are dead by Tuesday night, and they never get a chance to say goodbye. They never get to reminisce and tell stories, to hug, to love, to check in again. It’s truly been a blessing.”

Evans is due to be publicly honoured at a future Council meeting.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow