The image of Nanaimo's downtown is rapidly changing for the better, and that means the image of the entire city is changing too. Just ask Paul Demers, a Squamish newspaper columnist and high school English teacher.

Until his recent visit, Paul thought of Nanaimo as an unsophisticated, rough around the edges home to the Hell's Angels; a city with a dilapidated downtown that had long sense been abandoned for never ending North End malls; "Surrey by the Sea".

That all changed in April when he and his wife decided to come to Nanaimo for breakfast. Their primary motivation definitely wasn't our culinary treats. In fact they didn't even hold out much hope of finding a decent cup of coffee. They simply wanted to check out the new ferry.

In the end they were impressed with both the ferry and us, but mostly us, and mainly our downtown Arts District and waterfront.

They commented on the number of people on the street and the quality of the coffee shops, small restaurants and unique stores. Of course they also loved our waterfront and totally enjoyed watching people crab fishing in the harbour.

When he got home, Paul wrote a column about his experience. The headline was "Nanaimo's no longer a joke" and he ended by saying, "Why can't Squamish be more like Nanaimo? Really. No joke."

A month of so after their visit, several of Paul's teacher friends had an opportunity to choose between attending a Professional Development Day in Vancouver or one in Nanaimo. Paul encouraged them to choose Nanaimo and to definitely check out our downtown - They loved it too. It seems downtown Nanaimo is becoming infectious.

Later this summer Paul and his wife are coming back for a longer visit, and we're going to hang out together for the day. They ain't seen nothin' yet.

I have to end this column by congratulating the Economic Development Group and their committees such as the Long Term and Short Term Action Groups, the Downtown Nanaimo Partnership and the last several city councils. They have all worked hard over the past dozen years to make this dream a reality. Their early efforts are paying off big time and we will all - North and South Enders - benefit from their work for decades to come.

Perhaps the first major step towards the rebirth of our downtown came with the "Paint the Town" event. For those who don't remember, Cathy Zeterberg, supported by Debbie Bodnar, convinced dozens of professional painters and equipment rental companies to donate their services. Together with many other volunteers, they painted 17 buildings on Commercial Street in three days. The impact on the street was amazing and the ball began to roll.

Aren't you proud to be able to say you live in Nanaimo? I know I am. I'm also proud to say I live downtown.