Latest News

PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – August 27, 2025 - After weeks of uncertainty caused by the Mount Underwood wildfire, the City of Port Alberni is lowering water restrictions to Stage 1, effective immediately.

With the wildfire now being held and the threat it posed to the City’s water infrastructure reduced, staff have determined it is safe to ease restrictions. This decision reflects improved conditions and the City’s commitment to balancing water conservation with community needs.

Starting today, August 27, 2025, under Stage 1 Water Restrictions:

PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – August 15, 2025 - In response to the Mount Underwood Fire, the City of Port Alberni, in tandem with the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, is implementing Stage 3 Water Restrictions, effective immediately.

Stage 3 restrictions are necessary to help preserve our community’s drinking water supply and ensure there is adequate water available for essential needs, including fire protection.

Under Stage 3 Water Restrictions:

PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – July 16, 2025 - The Alberni Valley Museum is honoured to present Cecil Dawson: Worlds Colliding, an exhibition of new and significant works by Kwakwaka’wakw artist and hereditary chief of the Dzawada’enuxw First Nation, Cecil Dawson. The exhibition runs from Aug. 1 to Nov. 1, 2025, with a public opening ceremony and reception taking place Thursday, July 31 at 10:30 a.m.

PORT ALBERNI – July 14, 2025 - The City of Port Alberni is pleased to announce that ice installation at the Alberni Valley Multiplex is complete, following the successful rental and commissioning of a temporary chiller unit.

Earlier this year, the facility’s permanent chiller system failed, resulting in the loss of ice and disruption to user groups. Since then, staff have worked diligently to secure a rental chiller from the Lower Mainland and completed a safe and timely restoration of ice-making capabilities.

Port Alberni, B.C. – June 12, 2025 - Get ready for a day packed with fun, music, heritage, and community spirit as Celebrate PA! takes over Harbour Quay on Canada Day – Tuesday, July 1, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Celebrate PA! is a free, family-friendly event created by the community, for the community. Powered by local organizations, artists, performers, and volunteers, this unique celebration reflects the heart of Port Alberni—diverse, welcoming, and full of pride.

Port Alberni, BC – May 2, 2025 – Upon learning of the most recent pedestrian strikes at the intersection of 10th Avenue and Dunbar Street the city is taking immediate action to further enhance safety in the area. In the coming weeks, as materials arrive, city crews will remove the northbound and southbound left-turn lanes on 10th Avenue, installing temporary barriers to prevent motorists from turning onto Dunbar Street.

Port Alberni, BC – The city’s chiller, a component of the ice plant in the Alberni Valley Multiplex, has been taken out of operation due to a leak detected within the system. 

Port Alberni - April 16, 2025 - On Sunday, April 13, 2025, the City of Port Alberni was alerted to a technical issue with the Alberni Valley Multiplex ice plant, the refrigeration system responsible for creating and maintaining the ice surfaces in the facility. Out of an abundance of caution, the city followed protocol and immediately shut down the ice plant, closed the facility and called Fraser Valley Refrigeration, its certified contracted technician, to assess the system’s operations.

PORT ALBERNI, BC, April 8, 2025 – Port Alberni is set to reclaim its waterfront with the signing of the Somass Lands master development agreement between the City of Port Alberni and Matthews West Developments Ltd. (Matthews West), a private Canadian development company based in Squamish, BC.

In 2023 the City of Port Alberni selected Matthews West as the development partner for the transformation of the 43-acre waterfront property and adjacent parking lot (the Lands), previously known as the Somass Division sawmill.

Port Alberni, BC –The City of Port Alberni and their unionized workers, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 118, have reached a three-year collective agreement.

The agreement was ratified by Local 118 members on Monday, March 31, 2025, and by City of Port Alberni Council on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. The new contract covers the period beginning January 1, 2024, and will expire on December 31, 2026.