NANAIMO — After a succession of embarrassing mix-ups, the City of Nanaimo now says it has fixed the issue with Nanaimo’s new and controversial civic art.

The City’s installation of the giant letters which spell out N-A-N-A-I-M-O is in Maffeo Sutton park.

However, City crews first installed the signs without the second A, then when it went to reinstall all the letters, crews accidentally installed the letters backwards:

“Unfortunately, we have completely run out of budget on this project,” explained City director of public art Nathan Poe. “But rest assured, we have come up with a solution.”

Poe said the City would be distributing 50,000 handheld mirrors to area residents. “This way, they can bring the mirror to the park, and enjoy the sign in the way it was originally intended.”

The City has partnered with the Province of B.C. to ensure efficient distribution of the hand-mirrors. At this time, only residents aged 55 or older can register to receive a mirror:

Residents will be able to register for their hand-mirror on this schedule:

• Ages 55+: now
• Ages 45+: June 1, 2021
• Ages 35+: December 1, 2021
• Ages 25+: Summer 2022
• Ages 16+: Some time in 2024… probably.

Notably, the Province admits that registering for a hand-mirror online actually doesn’t do anything except make residents feel like progress is being made. Once citizens have registered online, they will also be required to register on the web site of every drug store chain on Vancouver Island, all of which are curiously out of stock of hand mirrors.

Also, the Province noted, they have no idea when they’ll receive their next shipment of hand-mirrors.

Premier John Horgan says the effort to get hand-mirrors into the hands of Nanaimo citizens is going “very well indeed.”