Nanaimo news

• Princeton council seat determined by a draw

  27-10-2026 23:58 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  It came down to a draw, more than a week after the local government election, to determine the final seat in the Princeton town council election.
  The election was held on Oct. 17, but the vote resulted in a tie for the fourth of four councillor seats.
  On Oct. 26, Carrie Kassa, chief election officer for Princeton, declared Tyler Willis elected as councillor following a judicial recount lot draw.
  In the election, held on Oct. 14, Willis and Paula Shackleton were tied for the fourth spot on counci
  
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• Dead humpback whale seen in area of BC Ferries collision

  27-10-2026 23:47 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A dead humpback whale has been reported to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) near the site where a whale was struck by BC Ferries’ Queen of Surrey from Langdale to Horseshoe Bay terminals on Oct. 18.
  In an update on Tuesday, Oct. 27, the Marine Education and Research Society said the dead whale was sighted near the Grace Islands just over a week after reports of a ferry striking a whale in the same area.
  “Necropsy anticipated, but it is believed that external injuries indicate ves
  
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• Major crime unit investigates disappearance of woman, 18, last seen in Qualicum

  27-10-2026 23:36 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit is seeking the public’s help finding an 18-year-old woman last known to be in Qualicum Beach.
  Melissa Harper was reported missing on Oct. 21, according to a news release from BC RCMP.
  Harper was last contacted on Oct. 21 and was last known to be in Qualicum Beach.
  Police and family are concerned for her health and well-being.
  “The circumstances of her disappearance are suspicious,” said Cpl. Alex Bérubé, spokesperson for the BC RCMP. “Fo
  
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• Industrial board orders Trigon to halt contractor work during ongoing longshore strike at Prince Rupert port

  27-10-2026 22:54 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The International Longshore Warehouse Workers Local 523 welcomed a Canada Industrial Relations Board ruling today that found Trigon Pacific Terminals violated the Canada Labour Code by using contractors to perform work normally done by unionized employees during its ongoing strike.
  In an Oct. 27 order, the board directed Trigon to cease using contractors to perform specified duties within 48 hours of the order’s issuance, unless the union agrees otherwise. The restriction remains in effect for
  
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• What’s in a wave? How a Kelvin wave could impact Vancouver Island’s east coast

  27-10-2026 21:42 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  Vancouver Island residents have probably heard about the Kelvin wave by now — the ocean phenomenon impacting coastlines this fall — but have they wondered what it means for the sheltered shores of the Salish Sea?
  It all starts with it being a potent El Niño year across the globe, part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) pattern that leads to warmer surface water temperature in the Pacific Ocean, which occurs approximately every two to seven years.
  El Niño causes a weakening or reve
  
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• ‘Absolutely incredible fish’: Female angler reels in 1,200-lb. sturgeon in Chilliwack

  27-10-2026 21:21 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A Chilliwack-based fishing guide is calling it one of the largest sturgeons ever caught by a female angler on the Fraser River.
  Sturgeon Slayers was out on a guiding trip with her when she reeled in an untagged, 1,200-pound, 11-foot-4-inch white sturgeon in Chilliwack. It had a 60-inch pectoral girth and a 70-inch belly girth.
  “This was an absolutely incredible fish,” said Kevin Estrada, owner of Sturgeon Slayers. “When you see a fish with these kinds of measurements, you realize how speci
  
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• Shuswap MLA says ‘better days are ahead’ following landslide Conservative win

  27-10-2026 21:20 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  For re-elected Salmon Arm-Shuswap MLA David Williams, the BC Conservative Party’s majority win as a source of “hope for the future.”
  Williams spent election night, Saturday, Oct. 24, with his team at the Salmon Arm Legion. When voting results began rolling in, from the riding and throughout the province, the watch party turned to celebration as the Conservatives took a wide lead early on, eventually securing 63 of the British Columbia’s 93 ridings.
  “I never thought for a minute that we
  
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• No foul play suspected after man found dead in Goldstream Park river

  27-10-2026 21:15 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  West Shore RCMP are investigating after the body of a 49-year-old man was pulled from a river in Langford.
  Mounties were called to Goldstream Park near the 2900 block of Golden Gate Road at about 3:50 p.m. on Thursday (Oct. 22) after an unresponsive male was spotted in the water.
  Frontline officers retrieved him from the water, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The BC Coroners Service was notified and attended the park.
  Investigators are still working to determine exactly how the man died
  
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• Several B.C. rugby players included in Rugby Canada’s Nations Cup squad

  27-10-2026 19:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Rugby Canada has selected 36 players for the senior men’s team’s final three 2026 Nations Cup matches in November.
  Head coach Stephen Meehan said the squad includes the return of several France-based players and a few who have signed professional contracts in England after a landmark deal with CHAMP Rugby, the country’s second-tier league. One is Courtenay’s Foster DeWitt, who signed with Nottingham Rugby in October. DeWitt was also part of Canada’s Pacific Nations Cup squad earlier th
  
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• Nanaimo students favoured B.C. Green Party and Conservative candidate in mock election

  27-10-2026 18:16 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  In mock student elections, Nanaimo’s students chose much different than the official electorate in both provincial and municipal.Ahead of the elections, students across B.C. were given the chance to vote for their choice of candidate, and results were published online at www.student.vote.ca.
  In Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools, students voted for Anna Mary McKenzie, the B.C. Green Party candidate, to represent Nanaimo-Gabriola Island. In the student election, McKenzie received 449 votes, or 42
  
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• IIO investigation clears Victoria Police officers of wrongdoing in June arrest

  27-10-2026 18:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) has concluded its investigation into the arrest of a man in Victoria last summer.
  The incident that sparked the investigation began around 3 p.m. on June 7 when Victoria Police officers were at a liquor store in a commercial plaza in the 170-block of Wilson Street to arrest a man who was not permitted to be there.
  Officers arrested the man and took him to the police department, but on July 6, the IIO was notified about the incident by the man, wh
  
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• Loss of B.C. shoppers a $64 million hit for Washington State border towns

  27-10-2026 17:48 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Businesses in Washington State’s Whatcom County on the border with Canada lost “in the range of” $64 million U.S. from 2024 to 2025 because far fewer B.C. residents are driving south to purchase merchandise, clothing, gas, food and beverages.
  The estimate was published in an online report by Western Washington University’s Border Policy Research Institute (BPRI).
  “Whatcom County’s Cross-Border Retail Economy,” a collection of interactive maps and data charts, shows Canadian shoppin
  
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• 1 person ‘unaccounted for’ after massive blaze destroys former Victoria hotel: police

  27-10-2026 17:48 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Amid the lingering smoky smell from the massive Saturday fire, investigators expect to begin delving into the charred debris of a former hotel for a cause and potential victims.
  Victoria police and fire departments are investigating the major fire that tore through a former Travellers Inn at 760 Blanshard Street on Oct. 24.Firefighters arrived just before 4 a.m. to find heavy flames extending up the exterior of the building. Crews began an interior attack, but intense heat and fire conditions fo
  
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• ‘Great example of cooperation’: Mounties help Island resident rescue deer from pool

  27-10-2026 17:40 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A deer that found itself in an unusual predicament was safely rescued by police and a resident last week.
  At approximately 8:53 a.m. on Oct. 23, Sidney/North Saanich RCMP received a report from a resident of Downey Road in North Saanich that a deer was trapped in a backyard swimming pool.
  An officer attended the residence and found an adult buck unable to get out of the pool on its own.
  Working together, the officer and the homeowner used a large strap to help guide the deer safely from the wate
  
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• Rebels win Cullen Cup thriller, set to host Canadian Bowl in Langford

  27-10-2026 17:35 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Westshore Rebels are back on top of B.C. junior football.
  Westshore defeated the Langley Rams 35-28 in an offensive duel on Saturday (Oct. 24) to win the Cullen Cup and book a place in the Canadian Bowl against the Regina Thunder at Starlight Stadium on Nov. 8.The Rebels will host the national championship with a chance to win the first Canadian Bowl in franchise history.
  Westshore has reached every Cullen Cup – which serves as the conference championship – final since 2022, winning the
  
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• West Shore RCMP investigating fatal motorcycle crash in Langford

  27-10-2026 17:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A 55-year-old man is dead following a late-night motorcycle crash in Langford on Oct. 22.
  First responders were called to the area near the intersection of Florence Lake Road and Setchfield Avenue at approximately 11:30 p.m. for a report of a single-vehicle collision.
  BCEHS spokesperson Brian Twaites said one ambulance with primary care paramedics, an ambulance with advanced care paramedics, and a paramedic supervisor attended the scene.
  West Shore RCMP arrived to find the driver suffering from
  
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• Vancouver Island dog rescuer killed helping animals in war-torn Ukraine

  27-10-2026 16:07 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Animal advocates across the province are mourning the loss of a leader, reporting the death of RainCoast Dog Rescue Society founder Jesse Adams.“It’s with a heavy heart that we, RainCoast Dog Rescue Society, have to announce the passing of our founder Jesse Adams,” reads a post from the Victoria Humane Society. “After a life lived in service to animal welfare, Jesse made the ultimate sacrifice to his beliefs on the frontlines of Ukraine.”
  The bond between a person and their pet knows n
  
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• Beban House known as one of Nanaimo’s most haunted buildings

  27-10-2026 13:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  It’s not hard to understand why so many people believe that the old Beban House on Bowen Road is haunted.
  The building, which hasn’t seen many changes since it was constructed by Frank and Hannah Beban in 1930, has hidden stairwells, stained-glass windows, narrow hallways and a reputation for being one of Nanaimo’s most haunted places.
  There have have been sightings in the basement of a young Chinese boy, said to be a former servant of the Beban family who died on the property, a woman in
  
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• ‘Clearly a mistake’: Candidates, experts reflect on snap election call

  27-10-2026 00:57 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  As the dust settles on the 2026 snap B.C. election, the Conservative Party is poised to take two-thirds of the legislative seats, and the NDP is looking for a new leader.
  Ravi Parmar, who eked out a third victory for the NDP in Langford-Highlands, says voters “sent a message” that the snap election was the “wrong decision.”
  “It was clearly a mistake. No question,” Parmar said in a Monday morning interview. “We spent the entire election campaign answering the question, ‘ Why did
  
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