For the first time in franchise history, the Nanaimo Buccaneers are heading to the VIJHL Championship Finals.  After a record-breaking season and clinching the North Division Banner, our boys are one series away from bringing a championship home to Nanaimo. But instead of a hero's welcome, they are being evicted from their home arena.

The City of Nanaimo is moving forward with ice removal at NIC 1 for the upcoming lacrosse season. While we value all local sports, the timing of this decision is devastating. For the first time ever, the Buccaneers have reached the summit, yet they are being forced to:

• Compete without a true Home: They are being displaced from the arena where they built their winning legacy this season.
• Lose their Locker Room: The team is being stripped of their dedicated dressing rooms—their home base—right before the biggest games of their lives.
• Face a "Success Penalty": Because they fought hard enough to make the Finals, they are now being treated as an inconvenience to a pre-set schedule.
• This is a historic moment for Nanaimo sports: We shouldn't be making it harder for our athletes to win. We call on the City of Nanaimo to respect this unprecedented achievement and delay the ice removal at NIC 1 until the 2026 Finals are over.

We are calling on the City of Nanaimo to DELAY the ice removal at NIC 1 until the Buccaneers have concluded their 2026 playoff run. > Success should be celebrated, not penalized. Let’s show our team that the community has their back. Sign this petition to tell the City: Let them finish the fight on home ice!