More info. City Councillor Bill Bestwick, who coached several teams in the BC Hockey League, including the Nanaimo Clippers, says the WHL is a done deal if the new rink gets approved. While everyone has assumed this to be so, this is the first official pronouncement to say it outright.
http://gdrinnan.blogspot.ca/2017/02/bestwick-whl-team-guaranteed-if-vote-is.html
Speaking as someone who knows a little about municipal politics, I will say that this referendum is not a done deal. Nanaimo is an interesting mix; a lot of low-income/retirement folks who don't relish the idea of funding a big new project and a lot of people with money, who are pretty conservative, and don't like paying taxes. I suspect it will be close.