Nanaimo news

• BC Conservatives say Massey Bridge plan would pay for new hospital

  16-10-2026 23:53 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  BC Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson says the money saved by building a bridge to replace the aging George Massey Tunnel would pay for construction of a new hospital for women and children south of the Fraser.
  At a press conference in Port Moody Friday morning (Oct. 16), Doerkson expanded on the previous day’s press release wherein the party committed to scrapping the planned eight-lane replacement tunnel in favour of a 10-lane “George Massey Bridge,” completing the Surrey Hos
  
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• Prince George RCMP cleared of criminal wrongdoing in 2025 man’s death

  16-10-2026 23:44 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A report released Friday by B.C.’s police watchdog found no reasonable grounds to believe Prince George RCMP officers committed an offence in connection with a man’s death in August 2025.
  According to the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) report, around 4:54 a.m. on Aug. 24, 2025, a civilian witness called 911 to report the sounds of someone “screaming and smashing stuff” in a neighbouring home.
  First on scene were three officers wearing body cameras who wer
  
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• Cathy Whitehead

  16-10-2026 23:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  In Loving Memory ~
  December 1, 1952 – August 31, 2026
  Cathy Whitehead, 73, of Nanoose Bay, passed away peacefully on August 31, 2026.
  Cathy made every day an adventure and had a knack for finding an amusing anecdote in almost all things. Everything could be a story and any story she told was prone to being rendered incoherent by her uncontrolled laughter at what she was about to say.
  Her story began in Burnaby General on December 1, 1952, and continued with a childhood in Burnaby and later
  
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• Crown rests its case in Surrey 2nd-degree murder trial for Adam Mann

  16-10-2026 23:27 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Crown counsel rested its case in the second-degree murder trial of Adam Troy Mann in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster Friday after hearing from a final witness.It is not yet known if Mann, who is accused of stabbing and killing Surrey’s Tori Dunn in June of 2024 in the Port Kells home she shared with boyfriend Trafford Wace, will testify.Crown counsel Tim Livingston questioned RCMP Sgt. Evelyn Hui, a forensic identification specialist who works at RCMP E-Division headquarters in Surre
  
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• NDP vow to create 75 involuntary care spaces at Okanagan Correctional Facility

  16-10-2026 23:14 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The B.C. NDP has pledged up to $90 million to open 75 involuntary care spaces at the Okanagan Correctional Centre in Oliver if the party forms government in the upcoming provincial election, just eight days away.
  NDP candidates Loyal Wooldridge (Kelowna Centre), Niki Sharma (Vancouver-Hastings), Binny Boparai (Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream), Harwinder Sandhu (Vernon-Lumby), and Tina Lee (Penticton-Summerland) gathered at Kerry Park in downtown Kelowna to make the announcement on Friday, Oct. 1
  
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• Violent Aldergrove sex offender must remain in halfway house: Parole Board

  16-10-2026 22:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A man who violently attacked and sexually assaulted a woman and a child in separate incidents must continue to live in a supervised halfway house, the Parole Board of Canada has ruled.
  Brian Abrosimo, 63, was sentenced to 14 years and four months in prison in 2006 for sexual assault, kidnapping, unlawful confinement, assault with a weapon, and other charges.
  One of his victim was an 11-year-old Aldergrove girl. Abrosimo rammed the girl and a friend off their bikes with a van, to kidnap her. She
  
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• Grand Chief Stewart Philip endorses Greens’ leader

  16-10-2026 21:45 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Longtime president of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs and spouse to the late NDP MLA Joan Phillip, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip has endorsed B.C. Greens’ leader Emily Lowan for Saanich North and the Islands just over a week from provincial election day.
  In a Facebook post from the Greens, Phillip said he was honoured to endorse Lowan for being a “strong and courageous ally for Indigenous peoples in B.C.” and for approaching “environmental stewardship with full
  
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• Richard Walter Jones

  16-10-2026 20:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  In Loving Memory ~
  The family of Richard Walter Jones are sad to announce that Rick passed away peacefully on October 8, 2026, surrounded by his loving family and friends at the age of 72.
  Rick will be remembered for his years of dedicated service, his love of family, and the simple pleasures he enjoyed in retirement.
  He devoted more than 35 years of his life to the fire service, retiring from Nanaimo Fire Rescue in 2007. His long career was a testament to his commitment to helping others and se
  
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• Election signs vandalized across North Cowichan

  16-10-2026 20:12 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Numerous election campaign signs were damaged or destroyed across North Cowichan over the Thanksgiving long weekend, prompting candidates from different political backgrounds to come together to make repairs.
  Seven large campaign signs along Chemainus Road, just south of Henry Road, were discovered extensively damaged on the morning of Monday, Oct. 12. Three additional signs were found knocked down, while further damage was reported at the Lakes Road roundabout.
  According to a press release issu
  
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• Air Canada filming to put new plane in the spotlight over Vancouver Island

  16-10-2026 19:35 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  If you notice a pair of planes flying close together over Vancouver Island on Friday (Oct. 16), don’t be alarmed.
  Air Canada is planning aerial filming with its new Airbus A321XLR aircraft, which will fly alongside a Phenom 300 jet as the airline captures promotional footage.
  “We’re planning to do air-to-air filming around #YVR, the Lower Mainland, and throughout Vancouver Island on Friday, Oct. 16. You may see our new @Airbus #A321XLR aircraft together with a #Phenom300 jet fl
  
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• Memorial Cup brings in $50.9M for Greater Kelowna

  16-10-2026 19:04 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The 2026 Memorial Cup generated a record amount of money for Kelowna, according to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).
  In a Friday, Oct. 16 press release, the CHL stated that the tournament, which was held in Kelowna in May, brought in $50.9 million, the largest recorded economic impact for a Memorial Cup host community.
  “We’re thrilled at the results of the economic impact study. We saw the excitement throughout the tournament, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see that reflected
  
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• VIDEO: Collaborative work sets stage for revival of famous Shuswap sockeye run

  16-10-2026 17:15 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  “In my lifetime I’ve seen extremely stable runs you could depend on every year. Now, everybody hopes that some salmon will come back.”
  These opening words by former Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw Kukpi7 (Chief) James Tomma set the tone for Ashes in the Current: hope and recovery in British Columbia’s most famous salmon river, a short film recently released on YouTube by the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF).The film is about the Adams River, the impact the 2023
  
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• Off-season moves pay immediate dividends for Victoria Royals

  16-10-2026 16:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  When the Victoria Royals fell two points shy of the playoffs at the end of last season, you knew changes would come.
  Now, seven games into the 2026-27 WHL regular season, the Royals have shown that their off-season shuffling wasn’t for show.
  They have started their campaign with six wins out of their first seven and hold the second best point percentage in the WHL. The team, which went through an off-season overhaul this past summer, has had everything go right thus far.
  Of the 25 players
  
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• ‘Something every place should have’: Self-guided audio tour launched in Victoria

  16-10-2026 15:50 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  When family comes to visit from Brazil, Diogo Travassos faces a common problem: showing them Victoria’s history can be difficult when so many local tours are conducted in English.
  His solution was to build one himself.
  At the end of August, the Victoria resident officially launched Camena, a company offering self-guided audio tours. Its free Inner Harbour route automatically plays stories as walkers reach 27 downtown stops, with narration available in eight languages.
  Camena also offers th
  
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• Some Nanaimo manufactured-home communities facing limited electrical capacity

  16-10-2026 14:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A number of manufactured-home communities in Nanaimo are facing electrical challenges due to the limited capacity of B.C. Hydro’s utility transformers that provide them power.
  The challenges include installations of heat pump and electric-vehicle chargers in the homes, according to a report funded by B.C. Hydro presented at the city council meeting on Oct. 5.
  Jeremy Holm, the city’s director of planning and development, told council that the Crown corporation funded the study to iden
  
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• Advance voting for B.C. election begins today

  16-10-2026 13:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  British Columbians can head to the polls beginning today for advance voting in the provincial election.
  Advance voting begins Friday, Oct. 16 and continues for six days until Wednesday, Oct. 21. Voting places are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., local time, each advance voting day.
  Elections BC will publish advance voting turnout statistics throughout the advance-voting period. The statistics will be available on its website.
  Elections BC says advance voting is open for all eligible voters, and most
  
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• Tkachuk nets 3 as Florida Panthers rally to edge Vancouver Canucks 3-2

  16-10-2026 03:55 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Brady Tkachuk scored three times, carrying the Florida Panthers to a come-from-behind 3-2 overtime win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks Thursday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.
  Seth Jones had a pair of assists for the winners (4-2-2), while Akira Schmid made 15 saves to earn the win in goal.
  Liam Öhgren and defenceman Elias Pettersson replied for the Canucks (2-6-1), while goalie Leevi Merilainen was outstanding, making 36 saves.
  The Panthers carried the play early in the first pe
  
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• Nanaimo RCMP seeking help finding man involved in alleged unwanted-touching incident

  16-10-2026 01:33 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Nanaimo RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance to identify a man involved in an alleged unwanted touching incident that occurred in downtown Nanaimo.
  Just after 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 17, a woman reported that she had been walking southbound after crossing Front Street near Port Place Shopping Centre when an unknown man suddenly grabbed her, according to a release from Nanaimo RCMP.
  Immediately afterwards, the man boarded Transit bus #40 that takes passengers to Vancouver Island University
  
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• Open letter warns of hospital specialist exodus over Interior Health policy

  16-10-2026 01:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  In an open letter from members of the South Okanagan medical community, Interior Health is being called out for driving away the only neurologists stationed at Penticton Regional Hospital.The letter lays out how the three neurologists at PRH filed their resignation papers following IH moving to require them to provide expanded after-hours on-call coverage beyond just the South Okanagan, without any increase in compensation.
  The three local neurologists will finish their time at the hospital in N
  
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• More than a year passed before court approved euthanization of dog

  16-10-2026 01:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Dealing with one dangerous dog took an $80,000 bite out of a Columbia Shuswap Regional District budget.
  Chris Smit, CSRD’s senior bylaw enforcement officer, presented a report on the outcome of a court decision on Luna, a dog that after several incidents, was designated a dangerous dog and subsequently euthanized.The first such case for the regional district, Luna was declared a dangerous dog because she had seriously injured people and was likely to do so again. Smit said it is important
  
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• $80K spent by Columbia Shuswap Regional District on “dangerous dog” case

  16-10-2026 01:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Dealing with one dangerous dog took an $80,000 bite out of a Columbia Shuswap Regional District budget.
  Chris Smit, CSRD’s senior bylaw enforcement officer, presented a report on the outcome of a court decision on Luna, a dog that after several incidents, was designated a dangerous dog and subsequently euthanized.The first such case for the regional district, Luna was declared a dangerous dog because she had seriously injured people and was likely to do so again. Smit said it is important
  
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• Kelowna drag star gets approval to push forward with defamation suit

  16-10-2026 00:40 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A defamation suit filed against Action4Canada is allowed to proceed.Justice Hardwick ruled in BC Supreme Court in Kelowna on Sept. 1 that Tyson Cook, also known as drag star Freida Whales, may continue with his suit claiming defamation by Action4Canada after the organization publicly opposed drag story time.Cook filed the suit on Dec. 19, 2024, alleging Action4Canada published false statements about Cook. The suit also names Graeme Flannigan, Tammy Ann Mitchell, Tori Olason and Person A as havin
  
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• Six-storey apartment building proposed for downtown Nanaimo

  16-10-2026 00:15 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A six-storey rental apartment building with 69 residential units is proposed for 76 Terminal Ave. North, just north of Pearson Bridge and Maffeo Sutton Park in downtown Nanaimo.
  The prominent 0.62-acre site sandwiched between Terminal Avenue North and Stewart Avenue was the site of a Husky gas station which was closed after a fire in 2020, and demolished in 2022.
  The site has been remediated to make it ready for development, but it has remained empty since the demolition of the gas station.
  Usag
  
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• Wildwood Ecoforest looks to community to help ‘burn the mortgage’

  16-10-2026 00:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Ten years after a court battle helped keep Wildwood Ecoforest in the public domain, the organization that stewards the property is asking the community to help tackle a lingering piece of that fight — its mortgage.
  The Ecoforestry Institute (EIS) has launched its ‘Burn the Mortgage’ campaign to help pay down the mortgage it took out to purchase Wildwood in 2016.
  Originally, the campaign was planned for September but has since been extended through October after a donor offered
  
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