Nick Woywitka, an award-winning builder and construction manager known for his innovative commercial and home designs and for beautifying Vancouver Island for decades, unexpectedly died at his home in Duncan on Feb. 10 at 72 years old.
In 1967, Woywitka’s parents Michael and Lucy moved their family from Westlock, Alberta, to build a new life in the Cowichan Valley.
By the early 1970s, Nick, the oldest of four siblings, relocated back to Alberta and became the youngest site superintendent for Alberta-based Carins Homes.
By 1976, Woywitka decided to strike out on his own and founded Nicon Developments Ltd.
For the past 40 years, Woywitka transformed himself from a one-man builder into Nicon, a multifaceted construction company, and one of the Cowichan Valley’s premiere developers.
A high-quality community builder, he took pride in creating new home designs with superior workmanship and industry-leading green technology.
Nicon’s work has left an indelible mark on Vancouver Island.
Some of its most notable projects include the Chemainus Theatre, Heritage Hall, and Trumpeter Pointe.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Woywitka’s memory to the Rotary Foundation (https://www.rotary.org/en/donate).
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WINGS, an iconic thrift store that is well known in the Cowichan community, is closing its location at 446 Jubilee St.
Owner Marianna Schwab held a well-attended closing down party on Feb. 24, but she intends to still be open to customers for the following two weeks, Monday to Friday from noon to 5 p.m., as she packs everything in the store away.
Schwab said she’s now ready to move into the next stage of her life and will open a mobile thrift shop, called Wings on Wheels, in the summer months that will sell “summer funky and sassy clothing”.
“Wings on Wheels will be set up next to the current store beginning in June, but we’ll be set up next to Spinning Ninny Boutique during the 39 Days of Summer,” she said.
In its long history, WINGS has been a hub of the community, hosting meetings for organizations that include Somenos House and Warmland, offering workshops for women, people with disabilities and First Nation groups and even holding choir practices for groups like the Cari Burdett Lila Choir.
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Reparrot Technologies opened in Lake Cowichan recently.
Located at 92 South Shore Rd., owner Jonathon Hood said the shop will provide all the basics that would be expected of a technology repair shop; including data recovery and back-ups, tune ups, virus removal, parts replacement and troubleshooting for customers’ most obscure issues.
“We’re excited to offer our quaint town a more convenient avenue to alleviate some of your technology induced headaches and woes,” he said.
“Business has been steady since we opened and that’s appreciated as we’d rather have the electronics come in gradually instead of having a whole pile all at once.”
Hood is from Lake Cowichan and decided to open Reparrot Technologies after going to school in Edmonton and working on a number of IT projects on the side.
He said when he returned to the town, he was pleased to find a location for lease in the heart of the community.
“The idea is to have a technology place to serve the local area so people don’t have to drive all the way to Nanaimo or Victoria for this service,” he said.
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The Duncan Cowichan Chamber is bringing The Big Spend campaign to the Cowichan Valley on April 28-30.
The Big Spend is a national shop-local campaign that promotes partnerships with community sponsors while driving marketing value for small businesses.
Though shop-local campaigns are not new, organizers say that more needs to be done to help small businesses recover from the pandemic.
Campaign founder Tim Schindel said everyone wants Canada’s economy to recover, and the campaign is geared toward creating a collaborative movement that harnesses the power of intentional local spending, combined with local businesses partnering with the campaign.
“This creates a critical mass of small businesses doing something together locally with their colleagues and competitors in their community and fellow business owners across the country,” he said.
“We’re building something together that generates local and national momentum while creating wins for everyone participating. In 2020 this became a national movement that benefited everyone who participated. We anticipate even more exciting results in 2023.”
For more information, go to https://chambermaster.blob.core.windows.net/userfiles/UserFiles/chambers/1867/CMS/The-Big-Spend—-Business-SQ-book_REV.pdf
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A new socio-economic study will be carried out by the Nanaimo Airport Commission to project the impact of completing Phase 2 of its Airport Master Plan.
The study is being funded by Island Coastal Economic Trust through its Investment Readiness Program and will serve as a crucial component for leveraging significant new capital investment and regional economic development.
Since 2007, the NAC, along with government, ICET and other partners, have invested tens of millions of dollars into runway expansions, instrument upgrades, runway lighting, road and parking expansion, emergency response service, and the recently opened terminal expansion.
The second development phase, estimated at between $35 million and $70 million, will build on these efforts and will come at a crucial time in the airport’s growth trajectory as travel returns to pre-pandemic levels.
Improvement plans include increased services and expansion of cargo facilities, as well as employment opportunities in the aeronautics field, increased commercial opportunities, and support for critical emergency services for communities and resource sectors across Vancouver Island.
“As the sixth largest airport in British Columbia and one of the fastest growing in terms of annual passenger volumes, we need to have a better understanding of how our airport can support this increased movement of people and align with regional tourism strategies,” says Keith Granbois, the NAC’s CAO and vice-president of business development.
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Westland Insurance, which has an office in the Cowichan Valley, has been honoured with the 5-Star Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion award from Insurance Business magazine.
The award recognizes insurance companies that have made significant strides in creating a culture of inclusivity and equity for all employees.
It commends these companies for driving progress and cultivating an environment where employees from all backgrounds and roles are encouraged and empowered.
“We’re incredibly proud to receive the 5-Star award, as it’s a clear testament to the dedication of our employees in building our diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture at Westland,” said Jamie Lyons, president and CEO of Westland Insurance.
robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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Duncan’s Nick Woywitka (left) is hosting Yevhen Shepotilyn, a refugee from the war in Ukraine, at his home and has offered him a job at his development company. (Robert Barron/Citizen)
