Nanaimo news

• Alberni Valley Rescue Squad helps snowshoers stranded by snowy weather

  29-12-2025 23:58 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Alberni Valley Rescue Squad was called out on two missions in late December helping stranded folks and BC Emergency Health Services.
  Trio of snowshoers
  On Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m. they received a call about stranded snowshoers who were unable to get their vehicle free after heavy snowfall overnight. The rescue squad did not elaborate where exactly the snowshoers were stuck.
  The snowshoers were well prepared with chains, extra layers, food and a satellite phone which let them call for help. They
  
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• Missing 21-year-old Vancouver Island man found dead: RCMP

  29-12-2025 23:22 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The 21-year-old man who was reported missing to the Campbell River RCMP on Dec. 20 has been found dead.
  Tanner Closs-Gillis was found deceased on Dec. 28, according to an RCMP media release. Police say they do not suspect criminality, and the investigation has been turned over to the BC Coroners Service.
  The Campbell River RCMP thanked the public for the help and extended condolences to the family during this difficult time.
  No further information will be released.
  
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• 21-year-old Vancouver Island man found dead: RCMP

  29-12-2025 23:22 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The 21-year-old man who was reported missing to the Campbell River RCMP on Dec. 20 has been found dead.
  Tanner Closs-Gillis was found on Dec. 28, according to an RCMP media release. Police say they do not suspect criminality, and the investigation has been turned over to the BC Coroners Service.
  The Campbell River RCMP thanked the public for the help and extended condolences to the family during this difficult time.
  No further information will be released.
  
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• World gold medal won by Vernon Vipers defenceman

  29-12-2025 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Vernon Vipers defenceman Dome Szongoth will return to the North Okanagan with some pre-Christmas jewelry.
  Szongoth, who will turn 20 on Jan. 18, helped his native Hungary win the International Ice Hockey Federation’s 2026 World Men’s Division 1 Group B hockey championship gold medal in Milano, Italy, Dec. 8-14.
  As the winner of the six-team tournament, Hungary will jump into the Division 1 Group A tournament next year. Norway won the Group A tournament in Slovenia and will be promote
  
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• Apollo lands a home for the holidays and other BC SPCA top stories from 2025

  29-12-2025 21:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A tiny survivor named Apollo, a pair of orphaned otters, an emaciated pup and the redemption of humans are among the stories being celebrated province-wide by the BC SPCA for 2025.Apollo was one day old when discovered with two siblings in a Kelowna scrap yard. Gathered up by their finder, one sibling was euthanized shortly after arrival at the animal hospital, with a second following suit shortly.Apollo not only pulled through, but thrived according to the foster that named him.
  “This sto
  
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• ‘It’s time to let the unicorn out of the closet’: Rebrand of LGBT2Q+ Kelowna lounge

  29-12-2025 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  An LGBT2Q+ lounge in Kelowna is changing hands and will be getting a re-brand.
  Last Friday, Dec. 26, the current owners of the Friends of Dorothy lounge in downtown Kelowna announced the establishment was being sold after six years of operation.
  On Dec. 29, the new owner was revealed to be Dustyn Baulkham, founder and CEO of events and media company Rebellious Unicorns, as well as a festival manager for Kelowna Pride.
  He also served as co-chair of the Central Okanagan Foundation from 2023 to 202
  
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• West Kelowna man gets 22 months for charges related to intimate partner violence

  29-12-2025 20:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A West Kelowna man has been ordered to serve another 505 days in prison after being found guilty in a case of intimate partner violence.
  Stephen Daniel Hayes was convicted on Oct. 23, 2025, of breaking and entering, uttering or conveying a threat to cause death or bodily harm, and the carrying, using, handling, shipping and transporting of firearms in a careless manner from two incidents in February 2024.
  As heard in court on Dec. 11 under Justice Hardwick, Hayes and the victim, identified as L.
  
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• Self-compassion urged while navigating mental health over the holidays in B.C.

  29-12-2025 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Holiday expectations often centre on reconnecting with family, spending time with friends, and sharing moments of joy. While those ideas sound comforting, they can sometimes feel more like scenes from a holiday movie than real life.
  The reality is that holiday gatherings do not always take place as expected. Family dynamics, social obligations and personal stressors can make the season emotionally challenging.
  To better understand how people can protect their mental health during this time, Vict
  
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• Ferry swap adds 44 cars to southern Salt Spring Island route in January

  29-12-2025 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A ferry swap will see more vehicle capacity between the South Island and the Southern Gulf Islands as the Salish Heron takes on the route to start 2026.
  The Queen of Cumberland that usually services the route undergoes its annual refit Jan. 3 to Feb. 20.Ahead of that, the ferry is undergoing phased safety improvements through the refit period, when its deployable vehicle ramps will be permanently removed.BC Ferries recently reduced the maximum number of vehicles on each ramp from 18 to 10 effect
  
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• Stricken bald eagle recovering in B.C. Lower Mainland after Kootenay rescue

  29-12-2025 15:37 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A bald eagle discovered near Cranbrook in distress is on the mend in the Lower Mainland thanks to the intervention of some concerned observers.
  Tanya and Reg Pocha and their son, Jaxon, discovered the eagle while driving through a field in a rural area outside of the city on Saturday, Dec. 20.
  It was first noticed by Reg, who saw a bird wing flapping awkwardly on the ground amongst the grass.
  However, as they got closer, they were able to tell it was an eagle and that was in trouble.
  At first, t
  
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• Sage, cedar and an Ojibwe song honour bear found dead on Vancouver Island

  29-12-2025 15:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A black bear stretches, head down and body twisted, across a patch of gravel not far from the main road.The sow is clearly dead, with her massive paws awkwardly where she lay after making her way from the road where a vehicle likely caused the fatal damage.When Lani Ranger stopped at the forestry road entrance near what locals call the blueberry flats – well outside Sooke near Shirley Delicious – “there were no cars, just this stunning bear.”
  She’d been enjoying a c
  
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• Book it: B.C. book shop drops 5 top reads that came out in 2025

  29-12-2025 15:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimates that approximately 2.2 million books are published globally every year.
  Luckily, the experts at Munro’s Books in Victoria have stepped up to help narrow down the field, and offer their top five books that were published in 2025.
  And, just in time for New Year’s book goals, too.If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura
  This is a quietly profound book that sneaks into your heart with sur
  
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• How to help your dog through New Year’s celebrations

  29-12-2025 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  For many of us, New Year’s Eve is loud, joyful, and full of anticipation. For our dogs, it can feel like the world is suddenly breaking apart.
  One moment, everything is normal, and the next there are explosions in the sky, sharp cracks in the air, flashes of light at the windows. They don’t know it’s a celebration. They only know something feels very wrong.
  If you share your life with a dog who fears loud noises, you’ve likely seen it: the trembling, the wide eyes, the de
  
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• B.C. town marks 8 years of kids counting birds as part of national program

  29-12-2025 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  It was the first Christmas Bird Count at Brydon Lagoon for Langley City teacher Adam Knowlson and his family.
  “I actually teach outdoor ed at the school just nearby,” Knowlson told the Langley Advance Times.
  “I like to come look at the birds, but I don’t know a lot of the names, so I’m here to learn.”
  On Sunday, Dec. 28, the annual bird count marked it’s eighth year, guided by Nehal Saleh, founder of Langley City-based Explore Science Club (ESC).
  “
  
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• Shipping shift to LNG means more business for Port of Nanaimo

  29-12-2025 14:10 via nanaimobulletin.com
  As more ships switch to liquefied natural gas as their primary fuel source, the Port of Nanaimo and Seaspan Marine are stepping up to meet the demand.
  Seaspan Marine has spawned a new company, Seaspan Energy Ltd., to meet the growing need for marine fuels that are cleaner and generate lower emissions than bunker oil fuels, and now operates three ships – the Seaspan Lions, Seaspan Garibaldi and Seaspan Baker – that carry out ship-to-ship LNG bunkering to vessels in Nanaimo, Vancouver
  
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• 2025 IN REVIEW: Entertainment stories that made waves across Canada

  29-12-2025 13:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Canada clearly had no shortage of head-turning entertainment news in 2025.
  Black Press Media reporters covered everything from an iconic first dance to Canadian musicians ranking among the century’s best – so far, according to the Rolling Stone – and to local actors and settings showing up on TVs worldwide.
  On the stageNewlywed Chilliwack couple has first dance onstage at Jonas Brothers concert
  A newlywed couple from Chilliwack got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when they had
  
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• RCMP Major Crimes investigates suspicous Christmas Day death in Lake Country

  29-12-2025 05:18 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The BC RCMP Major Crime Unit (MCU) is investigating the suspicious death of a man in Lake Country on Christmas Day.
  According to RCMP, police were called to the 16000-block of Gatzke Road at about 9:30 p.m., Dec. 25.
  Upon arrival, they discovered the body of 43-year-old Joseph Robert McCook.
  As the death is being investigated as suspicious RCMP are releasing a photo of McCook as they are looking for public assistance in determining the circumstances that led to his death.
  Anyone with information
  
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• RCMP Major Crimes investigates suspicious Christmas Day death in Lake Country

  29-12-2025 05:18 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The BC RCMP Major Crime Unit (MCU) is investigating the suspicious death of a man in Lake Country on Christmas Day.
  According to RCMP, police were called to the 16000-block of Gatzke Road at about 9:30 p.m., Dec. 25.
  Upon arrival, they discovered the body of 43-year-old Joseph Robert McCook.
  As the death is being investigated as suspicious RCMP are releasing a photo of McCook as they are looking for public assistance in determining the circumstances that led to his death.
  Anyone with information
  
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• MacLELLAN: Kindness captivates, or why I want to live in a Hallmark Christmas movie

  29-12-2025 04:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  What if life were like a Hallmark Christmas movie?
  This is the sort of thought I have when I’m lounging in front of yet another holiday movie, wrapping presents and mulling ideas for a Christmas column. (The words “Hot” and “Frosty” may or may not have been in the title of the aforementioned holiday movie. Yes, I know it’s not strictly a Hallmark movie, but the sentiment applies.)
  Admittedly, to genuinely embrace the Hallmark zeitgeist requires a willingness t
  
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