Nanaimo news

• Alberta Amber Alert extends into 2nd day, last sighting in Fort St. John, B.C.

  10-07-2026 20:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The six-year-old who is the subject of an Amber Alert originating out of Alberta was last seen in northeastern B.C. on Thursday morning.
  Lanakai Morrison, 6, was last seen in Fort St. John, B.C. on July 9 at approximately 9:30 a.m., according to an Amber Alert update from Beaverlodge RCMP around 9:25 p.m. Pacific time Thursday.
  Fort St. John is about 160 kilometres, or about a two-hour drive, northwest of Valhalla Centre where Lanakai was reportedly taken from.
  The sighting came about nine hours
  
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• Iconic Parksville sand sculpting competition now underway

  11-07-2026 03:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The annual Quality Foods Sand Sculpting Competition is now underway.
  This year, there are 30 sand sculptors from all over the world vying for top honours in one of Parksville’s most cherished summer events. They had started laying the foundation of their art pieces on Thursday and will have until Sunday, July 12, at 2 p.m. to finish carving their creations that will be based on this year’s “Beauties and Beasts” theme.
  Prior to opening the gates to the public, a ribbon-cut
  
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• New involuntary care facilities to be opened in Surrey and Prince George

  11-07-2026 00:14 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The B.C. government is creating two new secure facilities to involuntarily hold and treat people with combined mental health and addiction diagnoses, one in Surrey and another in Prince George.
  Premier David Eby announced the plans on Friday, July 10, at the site of the new facility in Prince George. Both units will be located in already-existing structures to save costs.
  The Prince George centre, previously announced without site details, will be located on Gunn Road in a renovated youth correc
  
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• B.C.’s jobless rate stable, but some age groups and areas still having hard time

  11-07-2026 00:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The latest job numbers from Statistics Canada for June show slightly increased hiring in B.C. overall, but also reveal major remaining demographic and regional disparities, including stubbornly high youth unemployment and rising joblessness in the Interior.
  “People are maybe tired of hearing about tariffs, but they have an impact,” said Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s jobs minister. “They have an impact directly, but also it creates uncertainty, which is a real challenge.”
  B.C.
  
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• Special mediators appointed amid B.C. Nurses’ Union job action

  10-07-2026 22:33 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside has appointed two special mediators in the dispute between the B.C. Nurses’ Union and the Health Employers Association of B.C.
  Long-time mediator Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers were named special mediators Friday, July 10, eight days after job action began.
  Ready and Rogers will work wth the two parties for 10 days with the aim of helping to reach a settlement, or if needed, to provide recommendations to the minister.
  The ministry says the two appointed un
  
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• UPDATE: Amber Alert cancelled in Alberta, but RCMP say 6-year-old still missing

  10-07-2026 20:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: Friday, 3:59 p.m. Pacific Time
  Beaverlodge RCMP say the Amber Alert for six-year-old Lanakai Morrison is being cancelled as of Friday afternoon (July 10).
  However, Lanakai, his mother Krista Morrison, her partner Daniel Ludwig and four-year-old Karl Morrison are still missing.
  “This alert was cancelled as there is no reasonable expectation the public, in Alberta, will be able to action the instructions in the alert.”
  The Amber Alert was extended to B.C., the Yukon and the Nor
  
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• UPDATE: Alberta Amber Alert continues with ‘number’ of B.C. sightings

  10-07-2026 20:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: Friday, 12:44 p.m. Pacific Time
  Police say there have been “a number of sightings” in B.C. of Lanakai Morrison, 6, who is the subject of an ongoing Amber Alert out of Alberta.
  RCMP issued the latest update Friday (July 10) at 12:44 p.m. after Beaverlodge RCMP confirmed a sighting of Lanakai in Fort St. John on Wednesday, July 8 at approximately 9:30 a.m. Previous Amber Alert updates gave an incorrect date.
  Fort St. John is about 160 kilometres, or about a two-hour drive, nort
  
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• Nanaimo report outlines climate-related hazards and mitigation options

  10-07-2026 20:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The severity of hazards related to extreme heat, including wildfires, in the Nanaimo area are expected to increase by as much as 400 per cent in the near future.
  Nanaimo’s emergency manager, Evan Lloyd, presented a hazard risk and vulnerability analysis at a council meeting on Monday, July 6, that will allow for the prioritization of work to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and plan to recover from climate-related hazards in the city and on Snuneymuxw First Nation lands.
  The analysis was
  
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• Headline history: Nanaimo Port Authority works on ‘passenger-only ferry’ in 2000

  10-07-2026 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo has a history of foot passenger ferry business ventures promising to shuttle residents to-and-from the Lower Mainland.
  One such plan was reported in the Oct. 5, 2000 issue of the Nanaimo News Bulletin, where the Nanaimo Port Authority was working out details with Halcyon Transportation, a company based in Courtenay.
  Bill Mills, port manager at the time, was quoted as saying talks were progressing “very positively,” with the subsequent three to four months a period that would
  
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• Victoria teen pedals across Canada for Terry Fox Foundation

  10-07-2026 19:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  What began as a gap-year adventure has become a cross-country fundraiser that has already raised thousands of dollars for cancer research.
  Victoria’s Mateo Berkhout, 18, is cycling from Mile 0 in Victoria to Mile 0 in St. John’s, N.L., raising money for the Terry Fox Foundation.
  Berkhout left the Terry Fox memorial near Beacon Hill Park on May 1 and expects to complete the journey in less than three months. As of this week, he had spent more than two months on the road and was nearin
  
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• Nursing picket lines to expand across B.C. as bargaining reaches ‘impasse’

  10-07-2026 19:19 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  More nurses are expected to join the picket lines outside hospitals across British Columbia in the coming weeks, as negotiations have once again reached an “impasse,” the B.C. Nurses’ Union announced on Thursday, July 9.
  Picket lines were established at Vancouver General Hospital on Tuesday, July 7, and new lines began forming outside Surrey Memorial Hospital and the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre in Surrey early on Thursday, July 9.
  “Nurses do not want t
  
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• Victoria police handcuffed on returning fugitives with out-of-province warrants

  10-07-2026 19:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  As of mid-June, the Victoria Police Department says its officers have encountered 80 fugitives with out-of-province warrants, though none of those people have faced the justice system for their outstanding charges.
  At a Victoria Esquimalt Police Board meeting on June 16, Deputy Chief Jamie McRae explained the gaps in the RCMP’s Fugitive Return Program – which allows for fugitives with provincial warrants to be returned home to face the courts.
  McRae explained that some people fall un
  
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• Campbell River distillery casks single malt whisky for science

  10-07-2026 18:55 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Scotland has earned its whisky preeminence, but Campbell River’s Shelter Point Distillery is also on the world stage for its premium single malts, harnessing the craft’s tradition in a coastal Canadian way.
  “Whisky” originates from Scottish Gaelic, translated from Latin’s aqua vitae or “water of life.” In the 1960s, Scotland casked the first bottle of single malt: “single” meaning one distillery, and “malt” referring to the way ba
  
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• Sewage discharge closes popular Victoria swimming spot

  10-07-2026 18:44 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Those hoping to beat the summer heat with a quick dip off the Banfield Park dock are out of luck – for now.
  A recent sewage discharge has prompted a July 9 beach advisory for the waters surrounding the popular Victoria swimming spot.
  “While public beaches are not technically closed to public access, it is highly recommended to not enter the water while an advisory is in place,” Island Health said on its website.
  Beach advisories are recommended by Island Health when there is an
  
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• B.C. volunteer braves Ukraine war for all creatures great, small and bizarre

  10-07-2026 18:43 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The bond between a person and their pet knows no bounds, capable of enduring even the horrors of war.
  On the front lines of Eastern Ukraine, Sooke volunteer Jesse Adams experiences firsthand just how unbreakable those bonds can be.
  “When you love something, you’ll put yourself in the way of danger to take care of it, to make sure it’s safe,” he says. “Ukrainians love their animals, and from what I’ve seen, they will do anything to help protect those animals, e
  
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• Island student wins prestigious $100K scholarship to UVic

  10-07-2026 17:12 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Hard work has paid off for one Saanich student who just won the largest undergraduate scholarship in Canada.
  Mount Doug Secondary graduate Jason Zhang has recently been selected to receive a $100,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship to study at the University of Victoria this fall, where he plans to pursue a combined major in math and data science.
  “Receiving the Schulich Leader Scholarship is incredibly impactful to me,” Zhang said in a news release. “A full ride means I don’
  
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• WORLD CUP DAILY, July 10: France heads to the semi-finals

  10-07-2026 16:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Daily FIFA World Cup soccer match updates and news for Black Press Media publications.
  France is heading to the semi-finals after defeating Morocco 2-0 on Thursday (July 9).
  They will play the winner of today’s Spain vs. Belgium match in Dallas on Tuesday (July 14).
  QUARTER-FINALS
  Friday, July 10:
  Spain vs. Belgium at 12 p.m. in Los Angeles
  Saturday, July 11
  Norway vs. England at 5 p.m. in Miami
  Argentina vs. Switzerland at 8 p.m. in Kansas City
  SEMI-FINALS
  Tuesday, July 14
  France vs. winn
  
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• E&N Trail will be extended almost another kilometre in Nanaimo

  10-07-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Another approximately 900-metre section of the E&N Trail in Nanaimo’s south end is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
  City council voted unanimously at its meeting on Monday, July 6 to spend up to $550,000 for the construction of the additional section of the trail.
  Lisa Bhopalsingh, the city’s general manager of community services and deputy CAO, said the newest section of the recreational trail will run between Junction Avenue and Extension Road, and provide a dir
  
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• North Okanagan orchardists propose drilling into aquifer to alleviate drought

  10-07-2026 14:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  As an unprecedented drought carries on with next to no relief in the form of rain in the North Okanagan, drastic Greater Vernon water restrictions continue to hammer agriculturalists.
  But two Coldstream orchardists are proposing a solution that could help their orchards survive this year, while taking pressure off the water system next year when conditions could be just as dry.
  Local agriculturalists have been informed they can only use 30 per cent of their remaining water allocation for the yea
  
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• Victoria’s Fairmont Empress named Canada’s top city hotel for second year

  10-07-2026 07:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Fairmont Empress has once again been named Canada’s top city hotel, earning the No. 1 spot in Travel + Leisure‘s 2026 World’s Best Awards for the second consecutive year.
  The Victoria landmark received a reader score of 96.08, placing it ahead of Vancouver’s Rosewood Hotel Georgia, which scored 95.62, and Québec City’s Auberge Saint-Antoine at 95.13.
  The annual awards are based on reader surveys that evaluate hotels on criteria including rooms, facilities
  
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• Shelter-in-place order lifted in Vanderhoof after police incident

  10-07-2026 05:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  VANDERHOOF – A shelter-in-place order issued Thursday afternoon for the District of Vanderhoof and Electoral Area F has now been lifted following a major police response in Vanderhoof.
  The emergency alert was issued at approximately 2:24 p.m. at the request of Vanderhoof RCMP, instructing residents to shelter in place while officers responded to an unfolding incident.
  People across the community reported seeing a large police presence and being evacuated from several locations.
  Terry Keoug
  
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• Shelter-in-place order lifted in Vanderhoof after fatal crash, 1 arrested

  10-07-2026 05:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A shelter-in-place order issued Thursday afternoon for the District of Vanderhoof and Electoral Area F was lifted just as quickly as it was issued following a major police response to a fatal crash.
  The emergency alert was issued at approximately 2:24 p.m. at the request of Vanderhoof RCMP, instructing residents to shelter in place while officers responded to an unfolding incident.
  According to the North District Major Crimes Unit, police were called to the 1500 block of Ring Road for a report o
  
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• Local orchardists propose drilling into Okanagan aquifer to alleviate drought

  10-07-2026 04:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  As an unprecedented drought carries on with next to no relief in the form of rain in the North Okanagan, drastic Greater Vernon water restrictions continue to hammer agriculturalists.
  But two Coldstream orchardists are proposing a solution that could help their orchards survive this year, while taking pressure off the water system next year when conditions could be just as dry.
  Local agriculturalists have been informed they can only use 30 per cent of their remaining water allocation for the yea
  
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• Collision closes Malahat Thursday evening: West Shore RCMP

  10-07-2026 01:44 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  West Shore RCMP is currently assisting Shawnigan Lake RCMP with a collision in the 600 block of the Trans Canada Highway at Shawnigan Lake Road.
  Drive BC cameras show a downed power line in the northbound lane there, with cars backed up in north- and southbound lanes.
  Mounties say the northbound lane of the Trans Canada Highway from the West Shore Parkway intersection in Langford is closed, and all traffic will be redirected away.
  “Please avoid the area if you can and thank you for your pa
  
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• 3 sent to hospital after tornado touches down near Alberta-Saskatchewan border

  10-07-2026 01:44 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  An Alberta campground needed to be evacuated Wednesday evening after a tornado touched down.
  Around 8:30 p.m. on July 8, what is believed to be a tornado hit Dillberry Lake Provincial Park campground on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, Wainwright RCMP said in an update provided Thursday.
  Three people were injured and were taken to hospital for treatment.
  At the time of the suspected tornado, there were 42 occupied camping sites. Multiple units were damaged, police said.Big tornado on the ground
  
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• Police ticket Island motorcyclist travelling 114 km/h in 40 zone

  10-07-2026 01:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A motorist’s speedy joyride through Oak Bay came to an abrupt end last week.
  On July 4, Oak Bay PD conducted speed enforcement along Beach Drive and stopped a motorcyclist travelling 114 km/h in a posted 40 km/h zone.
  The rider was issued a violation ticket for excessive speeding, and the bike was impounded for seven days.
  In the wake of the incident, Oak Bay PD has issued a warning about the dangers of speeding.
  “With the increased number of pedestrians, cyclists and families enjoyi
  
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• Proposed Lantzville bylaw to move away from newspaper notices defeated

  10-07-2026 00:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Lantzville council has defeated a proposed recommendation that could have meant an end to newspaper public notices, informing the residents of public hearings, bylaw adoptions and land dispositions.
  During the Wednesday, July 8 council meeting, the proposed alternative notification bylaw was defeated in a near-unanimous vote, with only Mark Swain, Lantzville’s mayor, casting a vote in favour.
  Under provincial legislation, public notices are required to be published in a local newspaper tha
  
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• UBC researchers identify new hereditary form of aggressive prostate cancer

  10-07-2026 00:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Researchers at the University of British Columbia have linked an inherited gene mutation to an aggressive form of prostate cancer, possibly paving the way for new genetic testing that could save lives.
  After analyzing the genetic data for 4,500 prostate cancer patients, they found an inherited mutation in a gene dubbed CDK12 in five unrelated men, all of whom had developed an aggressive form of the disease between the ages of 44 and 62.
  The research team then examined tumour samples for a distin
  
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• Fundraiser aims to repatriate body of Turkish man murdered in Saanich

  09-07-2026 23:47 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A cultural foundation in Richmond is raising money to send the body of a man murdered in Saanich back to Turkey.
  This comes one week after Mirac Kutbay was taken to hospital in serious condition following an assault that took place in the 4000 block of Quadra Street on July 3.
  Suleyman Budak, 30, was soon arrested and charged with aggravated assault in connection with the incident.
  That charge was ultimately upgraded to murder after Saanich Police announced on July 8 that Kutbay had succumbed to
  
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• B.C. reports fewest drug deaths in May of any month since 2020

  09-07-2026 21:33 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. saw the fewest monthly drug deaths provincewide in May of any month since February of 2020.
  But 3.5 people per day still died due to suspected unregulated drug toxicity, for a total of 109 deaths, according to preliminary data from the B.C. Coroners Service.
  The death rate over the past five years for people over 60 years old has remained relatively stable, with a sharp decline in deaths among people aged 19 to 59. More than three-quarters of those who died in May were male.
  So far in 2026,
  
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