Nanaimo news

• 2 people in serious condition after crash in Qualicum Beach

  18-06-2026 02:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Two people were taken to hospital in serious condition after a collision in Qualicum Beach.
  BC EHS was called to the two-vehicle crash on Memorial Avenue at approximately 3:35 p.m. on June 17.
  Paramedics provided emergency medical treatment to two patients, who were taken by ground ambulance to hospital, according to BC EHS.
  One patient was transported in serious condition, while the other patient was transported in serious but stable condition.
  Oceanside RCMP said it is investigating the crash
  
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• B.C.’s medical specialist waitlists up 10%, and doctors say pressure is mounting

  18-06-2026 02:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nearly one-quarter of British Columbians are currently on waitlists to see medical specialists, and according to a new survey of B.C.’s doctors, that number is growing by 10 per cent each year with little relief in sight.
  Meanwhile, because the province does not track specialist wait times province-wide, officials may understand a problem exists but lack data to fully measure it.
  “People might think that the province has a sense of how long people are waiting for what service where,
  
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• B.C.’s Jim Hiller lands Toronto Maple Leafs head coaching job

  18-06-2026 01:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nearly 10 per cent of all NHL head coaches now hail from Vancouver Island.
  That number jumped on Wednesday (June 17) when the Toronto Maple Leafs tapped Port Alberni’s Jim Hiller to take over their bench. Hiller was named the 41st head coach in the franchise’s history.
  He joins Victoria’s Spencer Carbery of the Washington Capitals and Campbell River’s Rod Brind’Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes on the list of NHL bench bosses from the Island.
  View this post on Instag
  
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• A cut above the rest: Kelowna barber shop helps senior after wheelchair breaks

  18-06-2026 01:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Kelowna barbershop put down their scissors to help a man in need on Wednesday, June 17.
  ​Raman Sharma was sitting at HighFade Barbershop in Rutland for a haircut when he noticed a number of barbers immediately stop what they were doing to help a man in a wheelchair whose tire had fallen off outside the store.
  ​Sharma tells Black Press Media the interaction between strangers was a friendly reminder that there are still good people in the world who do good things for others.
  ​&
  
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• ‘Unidentified substance’ poured on to Port Coquitlam Terry Fox statue: RCMP

  18-06-2026 01:17 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  An “unidentified substance” has been poured on the Terry Fox statue in Port Coquitlam and police are now investigating.
  Coquitlam RCMP received a report on Wednesday (June 17) of alleged mischief to the statue, which is located in the 2100-block of Wilson Avenue in Port Coquitlam, according to a news release from police on the same day.
  Police said that between midnight on June 12 and 7 a.m. on June 13, the “unidentified substance” appears to have been poured onto the sta
  
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• Addressing an epidemic: Bailey’s Law on intimate partner violence becomes official

  18-06-2026 01:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  After months of lobbying and lawmaking, Canada’s Criminal Code will soon be amended.
  On Wednesday, June 17, Bill C-225 received Royal Assent, just one day after passing its third reading in the Senate.
  Bill C-225, sponsored by Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola MP Frank Caputo, is also known as “Bailey’s Law,” named after McCourt, who died on July 4, 2025, following a violent daytime attack in a Kelowna parking lot.
  Her estranged ex-husband, James Plover, is facing first-degree mur
  
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• Reinstated Victoria school board turns back time, gets down to business

  18-06-2026 01:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Greater Victoria School District board of trustees could be called time travellers after its first reunification meeting June 15. In one fell swoop, unanimously upheld, the board erased all the things that happened since it was fired and replaced in early 2025.
  “I want to formally welcome back the democratically elected board,” chair Nicole Duncan said. “I am so pleased to see my colleagues here tonight, and I’m so happy that the Greater Victoria School District is no
  
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• Nanaimo Theatre Group wins several awards in North Island Zone Festival

  18-06-2026 01:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Nanaimo Theatre Group has won several awards at the North Island Zone Festival for its play Two Rooms, leading to Nanaimo residents has a second chance to see the play.
  Nanaimo audiences have two final chances to see the award-winning performance at Bailey Studio. The first on Friday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m., and the second one on June 27 at 2:00 p.m.
  During the North Island Zone Festival – which was hosted by the theatre group between May 19 and 23 at Bailey Studio, the play, which deals
  
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• Caltrops found in dirt on popular Comox Valley trail

  18-06-2026 00:06 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Comox Valley RCMP and Comox Valley Search & Rescue (CVSAR) have both released safety notices to local trail users after a cluster of metal spikes were found hidden in the dirt on a trail along the Puntledge River pipeline.
  Mountain biker Eric Roy’s tire was punctured on June 14. The rider returned to check the trail the next day, only to find several more of the metal devices, called caltrops, obscured in the dirt. The caltrops were found near the Stotan Falls Fish Passage area and Pow
  
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• US$15.7 billion floating LNG facility proposed for northwest B.C.

  17-06-2026 23:59 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A US$15.7-billion floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project proposed for Prince Rupert has attracted one of the world’s largest shipbuilders and offshore energy companies.
  South Korea-based Hanwha Ocean announced June 16 it signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Vancouver-based Kanata Clean Power & Climate Technologies regarding the proposed development.
  Kanata estimates the project would have an export capacity of up to 12 million tonnes of LNG annually,
  
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• Former U.S. homeland security secretary Noem joins B.C. mining company’s board

  17-06-2026 23:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Kristi Noem, the former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, has joined the advisory board of a B.C. mining exploration company.
  NovaRed Mining Inc. announced Tuesday (June 16) that Noem has joined the company “in a strategic advisory role to support NovaRed’s mission of acquiring and advancing critical mineral exploration opportunities through its artificial intelligence-enhanced technology platform.”
  Noem said she looks forward to “supporting the company’s strateg
  
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• Hudbay opens New Ingerbelle Expansion near Princeton

  17-06-2026 23:22 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Hudbay Minerals Inc. has celebrated the opening of the New Ingerbelle Expansion Project at the Copper Mountain Mine near Princeton.
  The official opening was held on June 16 and was attended by Jagrup Brar, B.C.’s Minister of Mining and Critical Minerals, Chief Charles Allison of the Upper Similkameen Indian Band, as well as local and regional stakeholders.
  “This is an important day for the Copper Mountain Mine, for Princeton and for the Similkameen region,” said Peter Kukielski
  
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• BC Hydro unveils plan to increase capacity by 7% through dam upgrades

  17-06-2026 23:17 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. is continuing its push for more power with planned upgrades to several dams throughout the province that the energy minister says will provide as much as 1,000 megawatts of new capacity, a seven-per-cent boost.
  “The least expensive thing to do is squeeze every electron out of the network of dams, substations, transmission and distribution systems to ensure we have the capacity we need,” said Adrian Dix, B.C.’s energy minister, at a Wednesday (June 17) press conference.
  For
  
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• Brentwood rows to 5 golds en route to 2nd place national finish

  17-06-2026 22:23 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Brentwood College School’s 59 student-athletes and their coaches placed second overall at the 79th Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association (CSSRA) National Championships, held June 5 to 7 in St. Catharines, Ont.
  The national high school regatta featured 130 clubs and 651 entries, including crews from multiple U.S. states.
  “It was a great day for the sport of rowing in Canada and a great day for Brentwood rowing,” said legendary Brentwood coach Brian Carr. He stepped in to
  
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• Four derelict boats to be removed from Cowichan waterways

  17-06-2026 22:21 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Four derelict vessels will be removed from Cowichan Valley waterways unless they are somehow dealt with before then according to Transport Canada.
  The ministry has given public notice that under the Wrecked Abandoned and Hazardous Vessels Act it intends to dispose of the ‘Valhalla’, a 45-foot black ketch, and a 21-foot red Campion power boat (BC1903505) both anchored in Maple Bay, along with a 30-foot beached white sailing vessel with a blue keel in the Cowichan Bay Estuary, and a 40
  
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• Repeat offenders drive rise in property crime as Duncan sees spike in violence and fraud

  17-06-2026 22:17 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Staff Sgt. Ken Beard, the officer in charge of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment, presented the quarterly report covering January to March 2026 to Duncan city council at their meeting on June 8.
  Beard said Mounties were involved in “quite a cross-section of events” over the three-month span.
  Of the detachment’s 5,740 files, 1,229 — or 22 per cent — originated within Duncan city limits.
  “We were involved in some exciting things, some fun things, and som
  
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• Scientists watch for super El Niño’s potential impact on B.C.

  17-06-2026 22:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Yukon and Western provinces could be looking at a warmer winter next season as scientists around the world have officially declared the formation of an El Niño weather pattern.
  On June 11, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared an El Niño year following earlier predictions by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations.
  According to research scientist Bill Merryfield of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the formation
  
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• Alcohol tied to higher pancreatic cancer risk: UVic study

  17-06-2026 22:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A new study led by researchers at the University of Victoria has added to growing evidence that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms of the disease.
  The research, conducted by the university’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR), found a dose-response relationship between alcohol use and pancreatic cancer after accounting for several factors that can affect study results.
  The findings were published in the I
  
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• Williams Lake business owner devastated after delivery van fire deemed suspicious

  17-06-2026 21:55 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Emotions still ran high for Gwen Balmer early Monday morning, June 15.
  “I can’t that fix that,” she exclaimed to Black Press Media, before weeping after a suspect threw an object breaking the window of one her vans used to deliver water in Williams Lake setting it on fire a few days earlier.
  The owner of the Williams Lake Water Factory was doing a delivery to West Fraser in her other van early Saturday evening, June 13, before returning to a scene of fire trucks and firefighter
  
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• ‘Reason for hope’: Newborn calf spotted cruising with B.C.’s endangered orcas

  17-06-2026 21:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A month-long art project honouring all 75 of B.C.’s endangered Southern Resident killer whales has an unexpected addition to make.
  Researchers spotted a new calf on June 14, with the family group known as L pod. The newborn has been designated L130, and researchers have yet to confirm its maternity, said Washington-based Center for Whale Research.
  “We’re thrilled to welcome a new calf during our 50th year working with this endangered population,” said the organization&rsq
  
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• Courtenay Fire Department responds to structure fire on McPhee and Eighth

  17-06-2026 21:41 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Courtenay Fire Department responded to a structure fire at T’s PitStop Auto Repairs on McPhee Avenue and Eighth Street on the morning of June 17.
  One employee was working in the building at the time. Paramedics examined the individual for smoke inhalation but they did not sustain any injuries.
  Neighbours on McPhee mentioned hearing the sound of an explosion shortly before 9 a.m., promptly followed by flames and smoke coming from the automotive repair shop.
  Brandon Galandy was with his
  
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• North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre releases 5 black bears

  17-06-2026 21:25 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre has been caring for five orphaned black bear cubs for approximately 18 months, giving them the chance to develop survival skills with minimal human interaction.
  Tuesday, June 16, brought both excitement and emotion to the NIWRA — it was finally time to return the young bears to their natural habitat.
  NIWRA founder Robin Campbell said the organization has been caring for and releasing bears for more than 25 years and the thrill never fades.
  “I
  
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• British Columbians reminded to be prepared for wildfire evacuations, alerts

  17-06-2026 20:31 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The provincial government is reminding British Columbians to be prepared for evacuation alerts and orders.
  Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene and Forests Minister Ravi Parmar gave an update on the current wildfire and drought situation in the province, along with a reminder on how to prepare in the event of evacuations due to wildfires.
  “Being evacuated from your community in any emergency is a challenging experience, and that’s why taking simple steps now can make a big diff
  
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• Nanaimo RCMP seeks help in locating stolen shotgun

  17-06-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance following the theft of a shotgun from a vehicle.
  The incident occurred sometime between midnight and 11 a.m. on June 6, from a pickup truck parked in the 100 block of Cameron Road.
  During that time, an unknown suspect smashed the rear passenger window of the parked pickup truck and removed a Mossberg 500 Mossy Oak 12-gauge pump action shotgun.
  The serial number is not available.
  The vehicle had been parked overnight near the Vancouver Isla
  
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• Penticton restaurant out on cash after festival vendor scam

  17-06-2026 20:14 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Businesses are asked to be vigilant after a local restaurant was targeted in a scam involving an individual representing the Penticton Peach Festival and offering vendor space for the event.
  Lala Ji’s was impacted by the scam, according to the festival, and submitted payment for what they believed to be a legitimate vendor opportunity.
  In a media release, Peach Fest said it has since confirmed the individual was not affiliated with the event and that no vendor space has been secured.
  &ldqu
  
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• What’s On, June 17

  17-06-2026 20:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  MUSIC
  Steve Hill will be performing live in Nanaimo with guests at the Globe Live Studio on June 17. Doors open at 6 p.m. and music at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at www.theglobelivestudio.com.
  Nanaimo Idol – Final Round taking place at the Queen’s on June 17 with doors at 6:30 p.m. and show at 7 p.m.
  No Faith in Fortune, Mutual Trauma, ENDR, and Josh will be performing live in a Thursday night metal bash at the Globe Live Studio on June 18 with doors at 5 p.m. and the show at 6
  
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• Man charged in connection to shooting incident near U.S.-Canada border

  17-06-2026 20:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The man charged in connection with a shooting incident near the U.S.-Canada border near Peace Arch Park in South Surrey will appear in court Wednesday in Seattle.
  Nathanial A. Muniz-Spry, 39, of Everson, Wash. will appear at 2 p.m. Wednesday (June 17) on a federal criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, an email from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington said.
  His appearance will be on the 12th floor of the federal courthou
  
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• Fresh optimism airs as B.C. town tackles wastewater odour woes

  17-06-2026 19:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A prolonged malodour lingering through the streets of Southside appears to be subsiding, amid ongoing work to alleviate the smell of Revelstoke’s wastewater treatment plant.
  Construction to modernize and extend the life of the lagoon-style facility from the 1970s brought extended periods of foul wastewater smells, over the last year, as individual sewage ponds are taken out of service to allow new reactors to be built.
  With at least a year of work still to go, the unpleasant odour brought
  
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• ‘No significant growth’: Wildfire between Kamloops and Merritt held, still 149 hectares

  17-06-2026 19:35 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Kullagh Creek wildfire that spread to 149 hectares on Tuesday, June 16, saw minimal growth overnight and is now being held.
  The fire above Stump Lake on Highway 5A between Kamloops and Merritt was first discovered on June 16, and initially noted as 30 hectares. By late afternoon, it grew to 149 hectares, and remains that size as of 9:58 a.m. on Wednesday morning, when BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) made its latest update.
  Shae Stearns, fire information officer at the Kamloops Fire Centre, said t
  
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• ‘No significant growth’: Kullagh Creek wildfire being held, still noted as 149 hectares

  17-06-2026 19:35 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Kullagh Creek wildfire that spread to 149 hectares on Tuesday, June 16, saw minimal growth overnight and is now being held.
  The fire above Stump Lake on Highway 5A between Kamloops and Merritt was first discovered on June 16, and initially noted as 30 hectares. By late afternoon, it grew to 149 hectares, and remains that size as of 9:58 a.m. on Wednesday morning, when BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) made its latest update.
  Shae Stearns, fire information officer at the Kamloops Fire Centre, said t
  
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