Nanaimo news

• BC Conservative Party leader Lorne Doerkson hits campaign trail in Cariboo-Chilcotin

  05-10-2026 02:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson spent Sunday (Oct. 4) swinging through the southern part of his riding, where he met with residents at events in Savona, Cache Creek, and Clinton.
  At the Cache Creek stop, Doerkson emphasized that while he is the interim party leader, he was there campaigning to be the MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin, the riding he has represented since first being elected in 2020.
  “I’ve enjoyed being your MLA. I’m unbelievably committed to the Cariboo-
  
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• Chapman, Findlay step away from B.C. politics after ‘threats and abuse’

  07-10-2026 03:36 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A total of five candidates are running in the upcoming provincial election to represent the riding of Surrey South – but former Surrey South MLA Brent Chapman won’t be among them after all.
  Chapman – who had been listed as the OneBC South Surrey candidate prior to Saturday – is missing from the Elections BC candidate list, as is his wife, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, who stepped down as Conservative Party of BC leader on Sept. 20 after several MLAs left, or were asked to leave, t
  
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• Philadelphia fugitive wanted on international warrant arrested in B.C. traffic stop

  07-10-2026 02:06 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A 25-year-old Philadelphia fugitive wanted for violent offences was arrested during a routine traffic stop in Vancouver on Friday (Oct. 2).
  The suspect has been identified as Halil Abrahim Akbalik, according to a news release from Vancouver police Tuesday. He is wanted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for charges of rape and other offences. Police added that Akbalik is also the subject of an ongoing investigation by Toronto Police Service’s fugitive team
  A Vancouver police officer stopped a w
  
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• Nanaimo not committing to heritage designation for Chinatown properties at this time

  07-10-2026 01:48 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo is making no commitments at this time to place the two last remaining buildings from the city’s third Chinatown in the municipality’s heritage register.
  The Nanaimo Chinatown Heritage Foundation and some members of the community appeared as a delegation at the council meeting on Monday, Oct. 5, asking that 880 and 997 Hecate St., which were in the centre of Nanaimo’s last Chinatown before a fire in 1960 destroyed much of the buildings in the area, be placed in the regis
  
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• Experts to talk water in Kelowna at Environmental Flows Conference

  07-10-2026 01:36 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Okanagan Basin Water Board, Okanagan Nation Alliance and the Canadian Water Resources Association are ready to talk all things water at the third event in the Environmental Flows Conference.From Oct. 7-9, experts in water will be gathered at Coast Capri Hotel in Kelowna to discuss water scarcity, drought, and access for people while balancing healthy rivers, fish and ecosystems.The event will centre on the theme of ‘Siwɬkʷ (water) For All – Our Responsibility’.
  Ke
  
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• B.C. NDP promises faster health care with new diagnostic equipment

  07-10-2026 01:21 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. NDP Leader David Eby is promising new diagnostic equipment that will shorten health-care wait times.
  Eby promised to add eight new MRI machines, including one at Eagle Ridge Hospital in Coquitlam near where his announcement was Tuesday (Oct. 6) and 10 CT scanners. He also promised, if his government is re-elected, to introduce co-ordinated regional surgical waitlists that let patients choose the shortest wait.
  The B.C. NDP, in a news release, touted that since first forming government in 20
  
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• B.C. Conservative, NDP leaders rally election support in Vernon

  07-10-2026 01:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  As provincial election campaigns ramp up, two party leaders made stops in Vernon over the weekend to rally support and hear from constituents, while offering voters two distinct options in what is shaping up to be a highly contested riding.B.C. Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson was at Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery for a campaign event Friday, Oct. 2, while B.C. NDP leader David Eby’s bus pulled up on 30th Avenue Saturday for an event that highlighted several of his party’s Okana
  
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• B.C. Conservatives plan to hire more police, stop illegal drug use in hospitals, shelters

  07-10-2026 00:38 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson used the backdrop of a graffitied alleyway in downtown Vancouver Tuesday (Oct. 6) to lay out his party’s plans to address public safety and street disorder.
  Doerkson said a B.C. Conservative government would bring “order, security, and compassionate care back to British Columbia’s streets,” adding the time to act is now.
  He promised to deploy more police to hard-hit neighbourhoods to deal with street-level crime. That includes hirin
  
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• Nanaimo hopes for almost $2 million in grants to help fund two infrastructure projects

  06-10-2026 21:33 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo is hoping to access almost $2 million in federal grant funding for two infrastructure projects that are ongoing in the municipality.
  City staff informed the finance and audit committee meeting at its meeting on Sept. 23 that the municipality is preparing a grant application to the Build Communities Strong Fund for up to $1 million towards the approximately $3.1-million East Wellington Road transportation and mobility-upgrade project.
  Staff also told the committee that it has already subm
  
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• International rinks earn curling Prestige in B.C.

  06-10-2026 21:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  With precision and timing, Switzerland’s Marco Hoesli found himself in the winner’s circle at the Prestige Hotels and Resorts Curling Classic Monday, Oct. 5, at the Vernon Curling Club.
  The two-time World Junior Curling silver medalist rallied from an early 4-0 deficit to defeat Japan’s Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi 7-6 in an extra end in Monday’s final.
  With the victory, Hoesli will join Prestige Classic women’s champ Eunji Gim of Korea in the field at the Grand Slam of Curli
  
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• Cliffhanger: B.C. firefighters offer helping hoof to stranded goat

  06-10-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Metchosin domestic goat with mountain goat-like ambitions found itself in a rather precarious situation and in need of a little help getting all four hooves back on solid ground.
  The animal spent Sunday night (Oct. 4) stranded on a cliff-face ledge on its owner’s property after tumbling over the edge and finding itself unable to scramble back to safety.
  To the rescue came the Metchosin Fire Department.
  Firefighters and trained rope rescue technicians were called to the property early Mon
  
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• Nearly 400 new housing units added in North Cowichan over past year

  06-10-2026 20:28 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  North Cowichan has exceeded its second-year provincial housing target, with nearly 400 net new housing units added over the past year.
  According to the municipality, 399 net new units were added between Aug. 1 2025 and July 31, 2026, bringing the total number of new units delivered since the provincial target was introduced to 540.
  That puts North Cowichan at 44 per cent of its five year target of 1,233 new housing units.
  Of the units added so far, 68 per cent have two or more bedrooms and 60 pe
  
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• Chilliwack golfer storms from behind to win PGA of BC event in Vernon

  06-10-2026 19:59 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  He played well in the opening round, but Kevin Stinson felt he didn’t get the score he wanted.
  That changed in the final 18 holes of the 2026 Srixon/Cleveland Golf Club Professional Championship Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the Vernon Golf and Country Club.
  Stinson, from Chilliwack’s Cheam Mountain Golf Course, fired a bogey-free 7-under-par 65 to finish at seven-under 137 for the 36-hole event.
  He overcame a three-shot deficit, earning a four-shot victory over Padraic O’Rourke (Marin
  
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• Person from Washington State arrested in connection with Tumbler Ridge shooting

  06-10-2026 19:55 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A person has been arrested on a charge of conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country in connection with the fatal Tumbler Ridge mass shooting, U.S. officials say.
  The suspect is a 30-year-old from western Washington State, according to a news release from acting United States Attorney Charles Neil Floyd.U.S. law enforcement officials and RCMP officials will be holding a news conference at noon to provide more information.
  More to come.
  
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• Sooke Bike Club builds region’s first adaptive mountain bike trail

  06-10-2026 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A new trail in Sooke’s Sea to Sea Regional Park is opening the local mountain biking network to more riders.
  The Sooke Bike Club will celebrate the grand opening of the Bear Necessities trail on Oct. 24, following months of volunteer trail building and community dig days.
  The trail is the first purpose-built adaptive mountain bike trail in the Sooke region. It was designed to accommodate adaptive mountain bikes, hand cycles and newer riders, while also being suitable for two-wheel bikes an
  
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• Body found on Highway 1 in Burnaby, police seek witnesses

  06-10-2026 19:29 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Police are seeking information after a man’s body was found on Highway 1 in Burnaby Tuesday morning (Oct. 6).
  Burnaby RCMP received a call at 5:54 a.m. that an adult male’s body was lying in the eastbound lanes of Highway 1, just east of Kensington Avenue, according to a news release from B.C. Highway Patrol.
  Police say the man was “obviously deceased,” with injuries consistent with being hit by a vehicle.
  B.C. Highway Patrol has taken over the investigation because the v
  
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• Rock slide blocks road to Zeballos

  06-10-2026 19:18 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A rock slide has blocked access to Zeballos along the Zeballos Forest Service Road.As of 8 a.m., crews were on their way to assess the situation and would be providing further updates when possible.“The site is currently not passable by any means and the road will remain closed at that location until further notice,” said a post by the Strathcona Regional District’s emergency management team.The slide is about 10.5 km from the village.“For your own safety and the safety o
  
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• Victoria could explore safer daytime alternatives, supports for residents living rough

  06-10-2026 19:07 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Victoria could explore more options for daytime spaces for the city’s unhoused population, with the subject up for debate Thursday.
  Looking to serve residents living on the streets and in parks, a motion penned by Mayor Marianne Alto, Couns. Matt Dell and Susan Kim asks council to consider having staff look at safer, more appropriate places for folks to go during the day to connect with others and with health, housing and other supports.Up for discussion during the Oct. 8 committee of the
  
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• Lower Mainland legion placed under trusteeship amid concerns with governance

  06-10-2026 18:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Royal Canadian Legion in Maple Ridge has been placed under a trusteeship by the legion’s provincial command due to concerns with governance.In a letter dated Sept. 27 and sent to all members of Branch 88, the president of the BC/Yukon Command, Bob Underhill, said the placement was due to, “ongoing concerns regarding the branch’s financial and operational sustainability, governance and adherence to proper procedures, continued conflict within the executive, as well as concerns r
  
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• Fire hall open house held in Lantzville at beginning of Fire Prevention Week

  06-10-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  As part of Fire Prevention Week, Lantzville Fire Rescue invited community members to tour their hall on Superior Rd.
  On Sunday Oct. 4, families got to look at the trucks, try out a fire hose or fire extinguisher, and had opportunities to tour both the trucks and the hall.Fire Prevention Week, which runs from Oct. 4-10, is a nationwide event encouraging Canadians to take time to learn how to stay safe in case of a fire.
  This year, the theme is “Charge into Fire Safety”, which is focus
  
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• B.C. court hears about fatal attack on Surrey’s Tori Dunn

  06-10-2026 05:11 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The man accused of murdering Surrey’s Tori Dunn pleaded not guilty on Monday morning in New Westminster Supreme Court.
  Adam Troy Mann, who was charged with second-degree murder on June 28, 2024 in connection with Dunn’s death, appeared in court Monday (Oct. 5) in a light-coloured, collared shirt, sporting a full beard.B.C. Supreme Court Justice David Layton is presiding over the trial, which is expected to last about three weeks.
  Several of Dunn’s family members were in attenda
  
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• Bubbles only part of Butterfly Run at Westwood Lake in Nanaimo

  06-10-2026 02:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Close to 350 people gathered in Nanaimo to raise money to support people navigating through the loss of a child or infant or troubles with conception.
  Butterfly Run Vancouver Island took place Saturday, Oct. 3 at Westwood Lake, hosted by Butterfly Support Network, and Erin Sowerby Greene, sponsorship coordinator, said it was a beautiful turnout.
  As of Saturday morning, there had been approximately $13,000 in donations and she said there are supports available for people that have experienced inf
  
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• Lorne Doerkson pledges to create $50M fund to address emergency room closures

  06-10-2026 00:28 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Conservative government would create a $50-million fund to help address rural healthcare emergency room closures and staffing shortages.
  Lorne Doerkson, the Conservative Party of B.C.’s interim leader and the incumbent MLA for the Cariboo-Chilcotin, made the announcement in 100 Mile House on Monday, Oct. 5, outside the District General Hospital. Doerkson also pledged not to cut the 2026 healthcare budget and to make healthcare funding a priority in future budgets, if elected premier.
  &l
  
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• Former B.C. cop who murdered wife gets day parole extended again

  05-10-2026 23:43 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A retired Summerland RCMP officer who murdered his wife in 2011 has had his day parole extended for another six months.
  According to a Parole Board of Canada decision on Sept. 22, Keith Gregory Wiens, now 71, had his day parole extended for a second time as he approached a year on limited release to a halfway house in Ontario.
  Wiens was first approved for day parole in September 2025 for six months, then extended in March 2026 for six more months.
  In 2011, Wiens shot and killed his common-law pa
  
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• Woman arrested after allegedly threatening Hullo ferry workers with weapon

  05-10-2026 23:03 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A 52-year-old woman was charged with a number of offences after allegedly threatening employees with a weapon at the Hullo ferry terminal in downtown Nanaimo.
  Reserve Constable Gary O’Brien, with the Nanaimo RCMP, said police were called to the scene on the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 4 at approximately 1 p.m..
  He said the woman was refused boarding onto the ferry.
  “She apparently took exception to that and may have produced a knife,” O’Brien said.
  “She had left the s
  
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• Hope veteran’s death shines spotlight on little-known Legion service

  05-10-2026 23:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  When William James (Jim) Earnest Ager passed away, Charlene Pacholuk knew she wanted her longtime friend to have a ceremonious send-off.
  As a veteran of the Korean War, it only seemed right that Ager would get the kind of funeral service befitting a Canadian veteran.
  Pacholuk said she attempted to figure out how to make this happen without many resources at her disposal, and eventually discovered what she was looking for after talking to former Royal Canadian Legion Branch 228 president Ian Will
  
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• NDP announces seniors’ health care plan at Victoria stop

  05-10-2026 22:36 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  After watching a few shots at the Victoria Curling Club, NDP leader David Eby, joined by other South Island NDP candidates, laid out a seniors’ health care plan as the campaign trail continues ahead of Oct. 24.
  “In terms of health care, though, when I think about groups that are particularly concerned about and interested in the future of health care in the province, it’s the people who helped build this province, the seniors,” he told media. For seniors in our province,
  
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• Kelowna General Hospital Foundation raises over $45M to improve care

  05-10-2026 21:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  After four years, the Closer to Home Than You Think campaign for Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) Foundation has closed, surpassing its goal by over $5-million.“What our community has accomplished through this campaign goes far beyond exceeding an ambitious fundraising goal,” said Allison Young, CEO of the KGH Foundation. “Thousands of people chose to invest in a shared vision for better health care here in the Interior, and the result is an impact that will be felt by hundreds o
  
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• Options being considered for B.C.’s Historic O’Keefe Ranch

  05-10-2026 21:03 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  After investing $4.12 million over the last 30 years, the City of Vernon is cutting off the Historic O’Keefe Ranch and Interior Heritage Society.The lease is up for the Ranch on March 31, 2027 and will not be extended as the city says it is looking at future options for the property, “that will provide a financially sustainable path forward while recognizing the importance of the Ranch to our community,” an Oct. 1 letter to the society reads from Vernon’s chief administra
  
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• ‘Life behind each name’: Victoria monument honours Japanese Canadians interned during WW2

  05-10-2026 20:57 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A sprawling new monument just minutes from the B.C. Legislature honours the Japanese Canadians interned during the Second World War.
  “A monument does not restore homes, businesses, fish boats, property or years that were taken, but it can make a positive record permanent,” said Japanese Canadian Legacies Society President Paul Kariya. “Here in granite, in the provincial capital, the names of those who were uprooted will endure.”
  The centrepiece of the monument, located at
  
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