Nanaimo news

• NDP, Conservatives pitch dozens of Urgent Primary Care Centres as healthcare solution

  20-10-2026 22:52 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  David Eby’s latest campaign stop in the South Okanagan on Oct. 19 saw him promise a new Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC) for the community, one of the 20 that the BC NDP have announced across the province since Oct. 12.
  The same day, the BC Conservatives announced their own promise of 11 UPCCs. Although none were in the Interior, where, alongside Oliver, the BC NDP had also promised an additional UPCC in Penticton.
  The Penticton UPCC was one of the first to open in B.C., and was pitch
  
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• Drug poisoning alert for Nanaimo issued

  20-10-2026 22:34 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A new drug poisoning alert has been sent out in Nanaimo.
  Issued by Island Health on Oct. 20, an alert follows a higher rateof drug poisonings in a community.
  More information can be found online at https://towardstheheart.com/alerts.The alert comes out one day after a similar alert was issued by Interior Health in Kootenays, citing the the drug mixture “down” containing “high amounts of fluorofentanyl and medetomidine” resulting in multiple overdoses.
  “The combinati
  
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• The Great Canadian Road Trip tour brings country stars to Duncan

  20-10-2026 22:26 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  For the love of country.
  Country music fans will be saying giddy up as they hit the road for ‘The Great Canadian Road Trip Tour’ with Doc Walker, Jason McCoy, and Michelle Wright on Oct. 22
  “Cowichan loves country,” said theatre marketing specialist Janelle Escott. “We want to bring people more of what they want to see in the valley, and these three Canadian country acts are sure to provide a fun night of stellar country tunes, and stories.”
  It’s a &lsqu
  
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• B.C. father advocates for increased protections for unhoused after daughter’s death

  20-10-2026 22:10 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Just days after her 21st birthday, Stacey Reid was run over and killed by a boom lift at a commercial property in Mission.
  Marc White, Reid’s father, is now pushing for accountability. He launched a petition on Oct. 14 to bolster protections against heavy machinery for unhoused individuals.
  “Safety was completely thrown out of the window … There’s no way this isn’t negligence by absolutely any means. That’s why I started the petition … homeless people
  
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• Port Hardy pair fined $8,750 for illegal rockfish fishing

  20-10-2026 20:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A tip from the public led to convictions and fines totaling $8,750 for illegal fishing near Port Hardy.
  Xiao Dong Liu was fined $4,500 in Port Hardy Provincial Court on July 29, 2026, after being convicted of exceeding the daily fish quota and fishing during a closed period. Co-accused Yongjie Li was fined $4,250 after being convicted of the same offences, as well as failing to produce a licence.
  The charges followed a complaint to the Observe, Record and Report line in March of 2025 regarding s
  
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• Primrose Medical Centre to open doors on Nov. 2 in Qualicum Beach

  20-10-2026 19:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Primrose Medical Centre is set to officially open its doors on Nov. 2.
  The new $1.5-million health-care facility was developed through community partnerships and philanthropy to expand access to primary and specialty care in Oceanside, according to a news release from the Mid Island Health Alliance.
  The new medical centre, located at 661 Primrose Ave. in Qualicum Beach features nine examination rooms and two procedure rooms.
  Four family physicians and one nurse practitioner are joining the c
  
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• Quesnel resident claims $46 million lottery prize from December draw

  20-10-2026 19:16 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A Quesnel resident has claimed a $46-million Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball Jackpot after checking his ticket following news of a local win.
  According to a press release from BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC), Richard Z. was relaxing at home when he learned someone had won the Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball Jackpot with a ticket purchased in Quesnel.
  He decided to check his own ticket and discovered he had won the $46-million jackpot in Dec. 20, 2025 draw.
  “The ticket was only visually validated,” Richard s
  
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• Campbell River RCMP warns about fraudulent ‘intercepted package’ scam

  20-10-2026 19:01 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Campbell River RCMP is sounding the alarm about a fraudulent email.
  Mounties are asking the public to be vigilant after receiving a report of the email, which claims a package had been intercepted and would only be released upon payment of a fee.
  In this incident, a Vancouver Island resident contacted the Campbell River RCMP after receiving an email purportedly from FedEx.It said a package addressed to them had been intercepted south of Campbell River.The email asked for a $1,200 payment to
  
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• UVic ranked second among Canadian mid-sized universities

  20-10-2026 19:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The University of Victoria is officially one of the top schools in the country.
  Maclean’s magazine has named UVic the second-best mid-sized university in Canada in its 2027 annual rankings, placing it behind only Simon Fraser University.
  Mid-sized institutions are defined as having between 10,000 and 30,000 full-time students.
  The publication evaluated universities on four main criteria.
  Student resources and support made up 32 per cent of the overall score, followed by student experience
  
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• ‘Idiots on the internet’ comedy duo Darcy and Jer in Surrey, Kelowna, Nanaimo on tour

  20-10-2026 18:50 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Darcy Michael and Jeremy Baer, better known as Vancouver Island-based comedy duo Darcy and Jer, will perform in three B.C. cities on a North American tour next year.
  Live Nation Canada announced show dates including March 14 at Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey, Feb. 23 at Nanaimo’s Port Theatre and Feb. 24 at Kelowna Community Theatre.Darcy & Jer, self-described “idiots on the internet,” have reached a global audience with comedy about their relationship, mental health
  
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• Lower Mainland harness driver killed in crash

  20-10-2026 18:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Scott Knight, 52 of Langley, was killed this weekend in a harness racing accident in Osoyoos.
  Due to a misstep by one of the horses in Sunday’s race at the Desert Park Raceway, that equine team went down. The racers following were unable to stop in time, resulting in a multi-horse crash, as operators at the track described it.
  Paramedics received a call at 3:33 p.m. on Sunday, confirmed Brian Twaites, BC EHS paramedic public information officer.
  Five ambulances with primary care paramedics
  
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• The Albertan separatism movement has no clear end goal argues political commentator at VIU

  20-10-2026 17:43 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Albertan separatism movement is comprised of several groups with no unified end goal, according to Jen Gerson.
  Gerson, an Albertan journalist, political commentator and co-founder of The Line, was hosted at Vancouver Island University on Oct. 14 by Michael MacKenzie, VIU’s Jarislowsky chair in trust and political leadership, joined by Andy Percy, a Conservative member of U.K. Parliament who supported the separation of the U.K. from the European Union, known as Brexit.
  The vote on Monda
  
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• Albertans overwhelmingly vote to remain part of Canada

  20-10-2026 14:32 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A large majority of Albertans rejected a push to explore the potential of separating from Canada on Oct. 19.The unofficial results, which trickled in from Elections Alberta in the early hours of Oct. 20, indicated that a majority of Albertans wished to remain in Canada.
  Referendum question 10 on Oct. 19 asked Albertans:
  Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial r
  
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• Yellow Point Drama Group will be performing five plays in one

  20-10-2026 14:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The latest production by a local drama group based out of Cedar is a comedy that includes five plays in one performance about opportunities and hope.
  Five, which is being presented by the Yellow Point Drama Group, will be performed at Cedar Community Hall, with opening night on Friday, Oct. 23.
  The name of the five plays are Time Enough for Love, The Depot, For Heaven’s Sake, Genie-ous Solution, and GeoCaching.
  Jim Zurcher, member-at-large of the board, said that in each play, there is som
  
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• Conservative whistle-stop brings Doerkson to Chilliwack

  20-10-2026 02:05 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Conservative Party of BC leader Lorne Doerkson visited Chilliwack to discuss mills, healthcare and infrastructure projects in a brief campaign meet-and-greet on Monday (Oct. 19).
  Á’a:líya Warbus, MLA candidate for Chilliwack-Cultus Lake, and Heather Maahs, MLA candidate for Chilliwack North, were both present at the event but did not speak alongside Doerkson.
  Doerkson did not take questions from the media.
  The event was held at the Serene Stay & Play Cafe.Doerkson said th
  
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• B.C. Conservatives costed platform relies on economic growth that beats all forecasts

  20-10-2026 00:26 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The B.C. Conservative Party released a fully costed platform on Sunday afternoon, projecting that under a Tory government, the deficit will fall from $13.7 billion this year to $10.8 billion by 2029, aided by the party’s forecast of spectacular 3.2 per cent economic growth.
  The Conservative platform assumes 2.5 per cent growth this year, 2.8 per cent next year, and 3.2 per cent in 2029. This growth level would far exceed most current economic forecasts.
  Ross Hickey, an associate professor
  
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