Nanaimo news

• Advisory Appointments

  21-06-2023 17:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Advisory Appointments
  
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• Skyrocketing heat highlights risks facing B.C. in first disaster report in 28 years

  31-12-2025 17:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A recent report highlights the importance of understanding and reducing disaster and climate risks in B.C.
  The B.C. Disaster and Climate Risk and Resilience Assessment (DCRRA), the first in-depth update on provincial risk since 1997, flags rising temperatures and sea levels, and the potential implications of earthquakes, including a megathrust with a magnitude of 9.0 should it strike off Vancouver Island.
  Notably, the report warns that the annual average surface temperature in B.C. is rising muc
  
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• $40M in motorcycles seized as part of FBI pursuit of fugitive B.C. ex-Olympian

  31-12-2025 16:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Motorcycles valued at $40 million USD, two Canadian National Snowboarding Series medals, and some interesting artwork were some of the items police in Mexico seized after executing multiple search warrants in December in relation to FBI fugitive Ryan Wedding.
  Photos of the items believed to be owned by the former Canadian Olympic athlete, who is now one of the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitives, were released by the Los Angeles FBI division, on Monday, Dec. 29, and on Tuesday, Dec. 30, noting
  
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• Nanaimo News Bulletin editor sends his final issue to the printing press

  31-12-2025 14:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Today’s paper is my final edition.
  After more than 20 years at the Nanaimo News Bulletin, the past eight and a half years as editor, it’s going to be a change for me, but pretty much everything changes.
  Certainly the newspaper business is different now than it used to be. I started with Black Press Media nearly 22 years ago, at the 100 Mile House Free Press. Back then, page layout was called ‘paste-up,’ because that’s literally how it was done – the articles a
  
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• Holiday emergency room closures spark concern in 100 Mile House

  31-12-2025 14:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Following multiple emergency room closures over the Christmas holidays, both local politicians and Interior Health agree that there needs to be a change.
  The 100 Mile District General Hospital’s Emergency Room has been no stranger to frequent temporary service interruptions over the last few years. In the last few months, however, these closures have increased in length and frequency, with the most recent taking place for 25 hours on Christmas Eve and for 13 hours from Dec. 26 to Dec. 27.
  
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• Yukon firm to build Canada’s first welded‑plastic all‑terrain landing craft

  31-12-2025 13:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Yukon Expedition Sleds is preparing to introduce what it says will be Canada’s first welded‑plastic all‑terrain landing craft, a project founder Ryan McGillivray described as a northern‑built response to shrinking ice seasons and changing access needs across remote regions.
  “So, right now, with climate change, the amount of time that people could drive their vehicles on ice roads is decreasing,” McGillivray said.
  He told the News the concept has been in develo
  
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• Regional initiative hopes to bring blood donations back to northern B.C.

  31-12-2025 13:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A community-led initiative is calling on Canadian Blood Services to establish a blood plasma centre in northern B.C.
  Our Blood Counts is addressing the urgent need for blood products, as the North is the only region in the province that does not have a blood donor centre. The group is also calling for more support from northern communities and residents to help grow its cause, as it looks to bring a permanent centre to Prince George.
  Founder Mark Karjaluoto said the need for blood does not take
  
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• 2025 IN REVIEW: Presenting Black Press Media’s most-read stories of the year

  31-12-2025 13:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Most-read stories across Canada
  1. Driver fined $4,500, banned after twice ignoring Rogers Pass closure
  The provincial court hearing only happened toward the end of 2025, but the most-read story across Black Press Media sites was about a driver receiving a fine and getting banned after ignoring a B.C. highway closure – twice.
  2. Victoria grocery store vows to keep U.S. produce off its shelves
  By July, Urban Grocer in Victoria, B.C. had managed to keep American fruits and veggies off its sh
  
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• PHOTOS: hometown rivals collide as curling B.C.’s underway on Vancouver Island

  31-12-2025 13:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The stones were barely settled on the ice before the drama arrived at the Archie Browning Centre.
  The 2026 B.C. Curling Championships got underway Tuesday in Esquimalt with a five-game opening draw that delivered tight finishes on the women’s side, decisive results in the men’s field and a particularly familiar showdown for two Victoria-based rinks playing just five kilometres away from their home arena.
  The closest games of the morning both came in the women’s championship, wh
  
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• Canucks continue to struggle at home, fall 6-3 to Philadelphia Flyers

  31-12-2025 06:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Five players had two points apiece, helping the visiting Philadelphia Flyers to a 6-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in NHL action Tuesday at Rogers Arena.
  Bobby Brink, Noah Cates and Travis Konecny each had a goal and an assist for Philadelphia (20-11-7). Carl Grundstrom and Owen Tippett added single goals and Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras had two helpers apiece for the winners, with goalie Dan Vladar stopping 31 of 34 shots.
  David Kampf and Drew O’Connor scored for Vancouver (16-2
  
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• Canadian Forces SAR TECHs assist in technical rescue of Cariboo suspect

  31-12-2025 03:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Comox-based Search and Rescue Technicians (SAR TECH) were called in for their technical support after a suspect is said to have fled from an attempted traffic stop in Williams Lake.
  On Dec. 28, local RCMP were responding to multiple complaints of a suspected drunk driver in and around the city.
  When RCMP officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop, police said the suspect vehicle fled.
  They said the man later crashed the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot. In the process of attempting to ev
  
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• Nanaimo News Bulletin’s most-clicked news stories of 2025

  31-12-2025 01:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  1. Both Nanaimo sailors who were missing have now been found safe, Aug. 15.
  Nanaimo RCMP reported that both of the sailors who had been reported missing the previous week had been located and both were safe.
  “The Nanaimo RCMP would like to thank the public for the outpouring of tips that assisted in finding both persons in a timely manner,” noted a police press release.
  Police said that numerous tips helped them first locate the 33-year-old woman who had been reported missing, as wel
  
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• ‘Fellow in yellow’ arrives at Mile 0 in Victoria, heads up Island

  31-12-2025 01:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  For many, Mile 0 in Victoria is a start, and for some it’s an end.The marker near Dallas Road identifies the western end of more than 8,000 kilometres of Trans-Canada Highway that crosses the nation.For Trevor Redmond – who paused at the Terry Fox statue and dipped a toe in the nearby Salish Sea on Monday (Dec. 29) – it’s a kind of restart.“It’s a different meaning here to me. I think it is everyone else’s mile zero, it isn’t mine,” Redmond t
  
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• On a wing and a prayer – release of a rescued hawk at Williams Lake First Nation

  30-12-2025 23:56 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Sandra Johnson became an animal rescuer after she was struck by a person with their truck while on the job flagging along a roadway.
  Looking for something to do with herself after she stopped working due to the injuries, she began volunteering with the organization Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, known as OWL, in Delta, helping animals with their recovery journeys.
  The non-profit rescues and rehabilitates injured and orphaned raptors and helps educate the public on the importance of th
  
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• Teen, 16, found dead in Vancouver after being reported missing: Police

  30-12-2025 23:53 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Vancouver police say a 16-year-old girl is dead a day after she was reported missing.
  Officers were called to a home near East Pender and Renfrew streets shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday (Dec. 30) where they found the 16-year-old girl dead, police said in a news release the same day.
  The girl had been reported missing Monday, and Vancouver police said her disappearance was the subject of an investigation by North Vancouver RCMP.
  The cause of her death is currently unknown and the Vancouver Police De
  
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• Langley-Abbotsford MLA likely to run for B.C. Conservative leadership

  30-12-2025 23:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Langley-Abbotsford MLA Harman Bhangu said he will likely run for leadership of the B.C. Conservatives in the wake of John Rustad stepping down from the role.
  Bhangu said that over the holidays he has been meeting with friends, family, and people from across the province, and that his family is supportive of him running for leader.
  “I am strongly considering it, and I’m pretty sure I will be,” he said.
  The party has been led by interim leader Trevor Halford since Rustad resigned
  
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• Fundraiser started for Cowichan senior who lost home in fire

  30-12-2025 23:39 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A GoFundMe has been set up for a senior who lost his home when it was destroyed in a fire on Dec. 23.
  Rob Robinson had been living in a trailer on a hobby farm near the HUB at Cowichan Station.
  At approximately 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 23, just two days before Christmas, Robinson was in the barn feeding the farm’s rescue animals when his trailer was consumed by flames.
  While he was fortunate and escaped injury, he lost his trailer and all his possessions.
  Zach Williams, who lives in a house on th
  
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• Nanaimo News Bulletin’s most-read arts and entertainment stories of 2025

  30-12-2025 23:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  1. Nanaimo country music star breaks through to win two CCMA awards, Sept. 14.
  A rising country music star from Nanaimo made another breakthrough and is the fan’s choice in Canada.
  Cameron Whitcomb was one of the big winners at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards on Sept. 13 at Prospera Place in Kelowna.
  Whitcomb, the singer of Quitter and Gasoline and Matches, won the Fan’s Choice Award at the CCMAs, and also captured Breakthrough Artist of the Year.
  “This weekend ha
  
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• Vancouver woman dead after ‘mysterious’ Coquihalla Hwy. collision near Hope

  30-12-2025 23:14 via nanaimobulletin.com
  BC Highway Patrol are asking for the public’s help in solving a “mysterious collision” on the Coquihalla Highway near Hope that killed a Vancouver driver.
  According to police, the 21-year-old woman was fatally injured on Dec. 27 when the white Toyota Yaris she was driving, on the southbound lanes between the Sowaqua chain-up area and Othello Road, went down an embankment. The woman was taken to the hospital but succumbed to her injuries two days later.
  “This crash occurre
  
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• Oliver twist: B.C. baby name battle rooted firmly in Dickensian literary conflict

  30-12-2025 23:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The latest round in a “battle” that has been going on since 1837 has seen Noah overtake Oliver as the most popular baby name in B.C.
  Noah was the top name for British Columbia babies in 2022 and 2023, before being overtaken by Oliver in 2024. However, “Noah” staged a comeback in 2025, with 198 more choices than Oliver.
  According to B.C.’s Vital Statistics Agency, the top 10 baby names in the province in 2025 were Noah, Oliver, Theodore, Liam, Olivia, Charlotte, Jack
  
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• B.C.’s North Coast highway shut down after heavy rainfall, washouts

  30-12-2025 22:49 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Extreme flooding caused by heavy rainfall continues to plague the North Coast.
  A 5.3-kilometre stretch of Highway 16 between Lawnhill Road and Miller Road on Haida Gwaii was shut down on Dec. 29 after a major washout.
  The highway closure was also extended between Prince Rupert and Terrace due to slushy and slippery sections, as well as rain on compact snow, cutting off access between the two cities.
  Assessments and construction are underway in all affected areas and there are no detours availabl
  
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• James William Thomson

  30-12-2025 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  April 8, 1943 – December 4, 2025
  Jim passed away peacefully on December 4, 2025 at NRGH with family at his side.
  He is survived by wife, Julie, sister Janis, sons Mike (Adrienne) and Chris (Mariko), Grandchildren Scott (Ivana) Lea, Nathan, William and Emily.
  No Scheduled service at this time. Celebration of life and Burial at a later date.
  
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• Ardell Eva Ramage (née Crack)

  30-12-2025 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  December 13th, 1941 – October 16th, 2025
  Ardell passed away peacefully at home in Nanaimo in the company of family and friends. She is survived by son Robert, daughter Denise, brother Roy, ex-husband William, extended family, and countless friends. She was predeceased by father Thomas and mother Mabel. Ardell grew up in Nelson, Lethbridge, and Nanaimo, graduating from Nanaimo District Secondary School in 1959. Friends and family remember her as highly organized, intelligent, fun-loving, an
  
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• Donations pour in for Nanaimo pets displaced by motel fire

  30-12-2025 22:10 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Donations for impacted families have been collected following a Boxing Day fire at a motel in Nanaimo, and there’s also been an outpouring of support for their pets.
  Nanaimo Animal Control made a Facebook post on Monday, Dec. 29, requesting donations of supplies to go to pet owners displaced due to a fire the previous week at Value Lodge Motel on Nicol Street.
  “Within two hours I’ve never seen this building get so busy,” said Jordan Briggs, Nanaimo Animal Control pound cl
  
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• Kittens found on Okanagan porch recovering in BC SPCA foster care

  30-12-2025 21:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A pair of five-week-old kittens found huddled together on a blanket on an Osoyoos porch are recovering in a foster home after being brought to the BC SPCA.
  The resident of the Osoyoos home who found the kittens on Dec. 11 took them to the BC SPCA South Okanagan/ Similkameen in Penticton, where they were cleaned up and brought to a vet.
  “The kittens were fearful and very dirty,” said Brittney Vazorka, manager of the BC SPCA South Okanagan/ Similkameen. “They both had upper respi
  
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• Cowichan Tribes to take full ownership of Chances Cowichan casino

  30-12-2025 21:24 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Cowichan Tribes is set to take full ownership of Chances Cowichan casino in Duncan.
  The First Nation’s Khowutzun Gaming Corporation has entered into an agreement with its partner, the Duncan Dabber Bingo Society, for the acquisition of all of the society’s interests in the operations of the casino, located at 436 Cowichan Way.
  Cowichan Tribes Chief Cindy Daniels, who is also chair of KGC, said she raises her hands to the DDBS for working with KGC to ensure Chances Cowichan has been a
  
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• Minimum wage increasing by 2.6% for B.C. piece-rate farmworkers

  30-12-2025 20:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The minimum piece-rates for farm workers who hand pick crops is increasing.
  Based on last year’s annual inflation rate, the B.C. government is raising the minimum piece rate for hand-harvest crops by 2.6 per cent.
  The changes will apply to 15 agricultural crops that need to be hand-harvested. These include: peaches, apricots, brussels sprouts, daffodils, mushrooms, apples, beans, blueberries, cherries, grapes, pears, peas, prune plums, raspberries and strawberries.
  Rates for each crop vary
  
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• Ucluelet man missing in Nanaimo after being dropped off on Christmas Eve

  30-12-2025 20:35 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Nanaimo RCMP are asking for the public’s help to find a 56-year-old Ucluelet man who has not been seen nor heard from since Christmas Eve.
  According to police, Darryl Martin was dropped off at Port Place Shopping Centre to do some last-minute holiday shopping on Wednesday, Dec. 24. His disappearance is out of character, and his family is concerned for his safety and well-being.
  He is described as 165 pounds, with black-grey hair and brown eyes.
  Anyone who has information on the missing man
  
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• Sounds fishy: B.C. biologists use AI to identify and decipher fish sounds

  30-12-2025 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Biologists from the University of Victoria discovered that even closely related fish species make unique and distinctive sounds, and they determined that it’s possible to differentiate between the sounds of different species.
  Using passive acoustics, researchers identified unique sounds for eight Vancouver Island fish species. They then developed a machine learning model that can predict which sounds belong to which species with 88 per cent accuracy.
  “We knew previously that many fis
  
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• Nanaimo News Bulletin’s most-read sports stories of 2025

  30-12-2025 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  1. Nanaimo teen first Canadian to win U.S. horsemanship event, Aug. 1.
  A Nanaimo teen made history, becoming the first Canadian to take top spot at a horse-riding competition in California.
  Dane Anson, 15, won the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Gladstone Cup Equitation Classic West in Del Mar, Calif. on July 25. He is the first Canadian to take the Gladstone trophy, the association told the News Bulletin in an e-mail.
  Anson rode Celestino, his seven-year-old gelding, and was ecstatic about the w
  
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